Departments Editor's Letter Editor's Letter Well folks, here it is - our annual Prophecy edition and our 33rd issue of MORNING STAR. We hit the presses a bit later than usual this month as we received some last minute material that we wanted everyone to have - and what a great collection of articles the Lord blessed us with once again! The subject of prophecy can be controversial and even divisive, but it's not one the Lord would have us stay away from. Pastor Geoff Kragen addresses this issue very well in our Commentary column this month. We have selected material which we feel is balanced in outlook, highly informative, and above all - current. Your comments and questions on this issue are welcome. Send them directly to me at the Post Office box or via our electronic mailbox, both found in the staff listing at the front of this magazine. Don't forget - we are always looking for articles and stories for future issues. We really need personal testimonies as well as articles on education, music, missions and ministries. Please keep these to under 1500 words and send them in either on a 3.5 inch computer disk or neatly typed. (We don't have a typist on staff!) Articles for our upcoming Feature themes are needed as well. Here's the latest lineup taking us into 1995: August: Bible Study (tips, techniques & methods) September: Praise, Prayer & Worship October: Aberrant Doctrine (includes "imbalanced" teachings) November: Walking the Christian Walk (articles by and for couples, singles, senior citizens, young adults, etc.) December: Missions and Missionaries January: Christian Music Finally, for those of you receiving this magazine essentially for free in one of the electronic formats, we need your financial help to keep the hard copy going. This hard copy is sent free to prison chaplains, missionaries and foreign churches who cannot afford a computer or an online service. These people can really use the magazine for instruction and inspiration to those not so well off as the rest of us. This is a great chance to bless someone who is "on the front line" for Christ. If you would consider a donation for MORNING STAR, please send a tax-deductible gift, no matter how small, to our publishing ministry: David's Mighty Men Inc. P.O. Box 5093 Beaumont, TX 77726 Enjoy this Prophecy issue and remember to share it with others when you are done with it. It may help open someone's eyes a bit. Who knows - this may be the last Prophecy issue we publish - Lord willing. Toby Trudel People Profile People Profile MORNING STAR editor Teresa Giordanengo conducted this interview on prophetic developments in the world today with Toby Trudel, the editor-in-chief of MORNING STAR. Toby has a great interest in the prophetic aspect of the Word of God and in 1990 published PROPHETEIA, a prophecy newsletter before becoming involved with MORNING STAR. Terri: I feel that Prophecy has everything to do with our future. Do you feel that individuals may get interested in Bible reading because of this reason? Toby: Absolutely. Although I grew up with some Bible knowledge when I was younger, my interest in events in the world in the late 1980's and what the Bible had to say about these things prompted me to do more and more reading. This curiosity in what the Bible had to say about the times we live in resulted in my finding the true Gospel message. I certainly feel that making people aware of the amount of prophecy in the Bible concerning future events as well as the accuracy of the Bible in its prophecies of the past are a great way to get people to start doing some serious reading. Some Christians seem to almost shy away from the prophetic verses in the Bible. I think this is both sad and foolish. After all, we have the word of the Father in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 46 where He claims that His prophecies show that He is the true God. Then we have Jesus arrive on the scene and in Matthew chapter 15 He criticizes the religious leaders for not recognizing the prophetic signs that pointed to Him. Following His resurrection, we read in Luke chapter 24 where Jesus shows the men He met on the road the prophecies concerning Him, going back to Moses in the Torah! We also have Peter who tells us in his second epistle that the sure Word of prophecy is our beacon to follow in these dark days. Finally, we have Jesus Himself, in the book of Revelation, the book my friend Pastor Geoff Kragen calls the "Epistle of Christ". Let me read from Revelation chapter one, verse three, what Jesus had to say about this particular book of the Bible. "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this PROPHECY, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." It sounds to me that Jesus final message - the book of Revelation - was something He wanted us to pay close attention to. I do want to say however that we aren't saved by reading the Bible and knowing prophecy - but by our relationship with Jesus. No one's eternal destiny is based on whether they hold the "right point of view" on the rapture or any other such matter. If you can take the Bible and convince someone that its prophetic messages are to be taken seriously, that is good. If you don't give them the Gospel message with this - you have failed. Terri: Are there signs evident today that indicate we might be nearing the return of Jesus and the events of the Last Days? Are they easily recognized? Toby: What is remarkable about events today is that we are seeing specific developments which concern every single thing the Bible mentions that will take place at the end of the last days - which in reality we have been living in since Jesus' time. The Bible has specific things to say about Israel, Europe, Russia, other nations and global unity involving politics, economics and religion. If the Bible is right, then these things should all show signs of being about to occur at the same time - not just one or two of them. Terri: Let's start with Israel. According to the Bible Israel is the apple of God's eye. Why will she face so many problems yet in the future? Toby: In the future? I'd say the nation of Israel has been facing unbelievable problems since it's recreation in 1948 - which by the way was the most significant prophetic event since God sent His Holy Spirit at Pentecost. I'm glad you wanted to start with Israel. To anyone wishing to study prophecy and understand just where we are in history, I would advise them to look for verses in the Bible, such as most of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 and Second Thessalonians chapter 2, that center on events in and around Israel. I would not however, recommend turning on the television or reading any newspapers to find out what is going on. Terri: Why don't you recommend watching the TV news or reading popular magazines for news in Israel? Toby: I get my information on events in the Middle East direct from various magazines, journals, letters and audio tapes from contacts I have in Israel - both Christian and secular. What you hear on CNN and the other networks concerning Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab countries is, on a "good day", biased and misleading. Much of the time it is pure anti-Israeli propaganda filled with half-truths and outright lies. There are several organizations that work staffs round the clock just combating the anti-Israel propaganda machine that feeds the media which is always anxious to bash Israel - because it sells. Terri: This sounds like an important issue to you. I don't want to get too political in this magazine - but I do a lot of work in that political area and stand by everything I just said. Anyone who wants to discuss this with me or would like sources of reliable information on Israel should feel free to write to me at the Post Office box. Anyhow, there are several prophetic developments that began in recent years and continue today. One of the most remarkable is the return of Jews from all over the world, especially Russian and Ethiopia to the land of Israel. There are Christians involved with this work - we covered this in a previous issue of MORNING STAR, back as October 1992, with the interview with Larry Baker. He's involved with the project Exodus 2 - bringing Jews from the former USSR to Israel. Another major issue we see today is that everyone seems to be real anxious in carving up the land of Israel to make a bunch of dictators, terrorists, politicians and businessmen happy. They're doing this under the banner of "land for peace." The Word of God says the land of Israel belongs to the Jews and that they are in it to stay. Man, some men that is, say otherwise. Guess who will win that battle? Isaiah 60:12 tells us that in the last days those nations who do not support Israel will be utterly wasted. We've published parts of a transcript from Lance Lambert's April 1994 "Middle East Update" in the Feature area of this issue - Mr. Lambert addresses this issue of the Land of Israel quite well. Terri: Do you see God intervening or giving signs as a warning? Toby: I have a couple of things to say about that. First off - in Ezekiel there is depicted an end-time attack on Israel by a number of nations surrounding her, including Russia, or at least some parts of Russia. I find it interesting that in Ezekiel 38:4 the Lord says He will CAUSE these nations to come against Israel. It's interesting that Israel seems to feel at peace as is implied in verse 11, where it is referred to as "a land of unwalled villages", with its people "dwelling safely." Secondly, in the book of Exodus it says that the Pharaoh of Egypt was so against the Hebrews leaving his land and going to their promised land that God Himself actually hardened Pharaoh's heart. In both these cases, we see God influencing the actions of those who were set against His people - the Jews. I believe we are seeing another form of that today with the leadership of some the countries around Israel. They could allow the Jews to have that tiny section of land and live in peace, but they refuse. A few thousand years ago, it was "let my people go," - now it's "let my people stay!" Once again the hearts of Israel's enemies seem to be hardened. The result will be the same. As for God giving warnings - well I am not a prophet and I don't want to say what events are specifically warnings from God - but when I look at this so-called peace deal cut in Norway and signed in Washington D.C. last September, I notice a couple things. The man behind the Israeli-PLO accord, which gives land God gave to the Jews over to the Arabs, Norway's Foreign Minister Johan Jurgen Holst, dropped dead four months after this deal was negotiated. A few month's ago, Syria's dictator, Haffez Assad, met with President Clinton in the aftermath of the deal and publicly demanded that Israel withdraw from what he called "all Arab lands." Five days after this meeting, Assad's son Basil met with an untimely death - a mysterious fog appeared out of nowhere and he crashed his car. He was a professional driver by the way. The day after this Assad-Clinton meeting, our country was hit with a terrible earthquake in California. Speaking of earthquakes - during the two days following this so called "peace accord" signed in Washington, six medium sized earthquakes, as high as 5.8 on the Richter scale, took place in Israel. They were followed by over 140 aftershocks. There were also earthquakes in the neighboring countries of Egypt and Lebanon which measured 4.3 and 5.2. The land shook. Those are the facts. People can draw their own conclusions. By the way, Norway, which hosted these talks, is part of greater European Community, and will be officially made part of the EC in 1995 - I see this as significant too. Terri: You mention Europe being significant. Many prophecy teachers believe Europe will play an important role in the end time scenario. Do you agree? Toby: Well, in a nutshell here is what I think. I believe that Europe will once again become a leader in every aspect of the upcoming one-world political, economic and religious system. If you look at what they are doing, bringing together all those countries under one system, creating a common law and a common currency - it all seems to be a mini-version of what is going to happen on a global scale in the near future. What I don't hold to is the absolute necessity that there is going to be a 10-nation European confederacy. The 10 kings under the antichrist in scripture may represent any number of possible economic or political alliances. It may be European powers and it may be something else that we just don't see yet - but will come together rather quickly when it does. Some prophecy teachers got all excited a few years back when the European Community reached 10 nations. This was the beast of Revelation for certain, they said, as it had 10 kings! Then Europe added two more countries to make the 12 we now have and suddenly the 10-nation confederacy didn't look like the correct interpretation of the scripture. Allow me to make a point here. There is one Bible teacher with his own television show who has been saying that the number will reach 13 when the EC adds Austria then drop to 10 when the antichrist eliminates three of the countries. He says that the book of Daniel teaches this 13 nations dropping to 10 idea - though he never taught this before in his long career and I can't find anything resembling this in Daniel of anywhere else in the Bible. He's out of luck anyhow as the EC has announced that four new countries, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Austria, plan to be added in 1995, bringing the number to sixteen. Maybe he will find something in Scripture to back a 16 down to 10 theory. I mention this for a reason. I don't mean to sound sarcastic or disrespectful, or to go too far off our subject, but things like this - trying to force events in the news to fit some scenario we believe will happen, or guessing the date of the rapture - those things all discredit legitimate prophecy teaching. I've put together a short article on recent headlines in a European newspaper which show the direction that the EC is going. That's also in this month's Feature area. Terri: What about the antichrist - will he come out of Europe? Toby: There are a lot of theories on that. Some say, Europe, others Israel, still others say one of the Arab nations. Some say he will be Jewish or part Jewish - or that he can't be Jewish! I believe that Daniel 9:26 speaks of the antichrist and says he will be of the people who would come and destroy the temple - which was done by the Roman armies in A.D. 70. This to me would indicate Europe. As for his being part or fully Jewish - I can't say one way or the other. He will at least pretend to be a friend to the Jews. Terri: The antichrist is supposed to bring a false peace. What does the Bible teach about a false peace and are there signs of it today? Let me give an example of how blind and desperate the world is. In 1993, over 4,000 people were killed in South Africa - an all time high. As we do this interview, dozens of people are being killed while they try to hold elections there. Over in Israel, 67 Jews were killed by Arab terrorists in 1993, compared to 26 in 1991 and 19 in 1990. It's clear that things got worse in 1993 and continue to do so. Countless Arabs were killed by other Arabs in 1993, often for allegedly "collaborating" with the Israelis. So, what's the reaction of the world to all this increase in violence in 1993? They give the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize to four men - Mandela and Declerk of South Africa and Rabin and Arafat in the Middle East. The PEACE prize. What peace have they brought? Things are worse than ever in those two areas. There are at this time more separate armed conflicts going on around the world than at any point in history. Many aren't even in the news. The world has no real leadership - we're seeing right now how inept the United Nations is in Bosnia and other areas of conflict. Thousands are being slaughtered as the diplomats run around in circles discussing "resolutions". The world desires a real leader that knows how to bring peace. It's not Boutros-Boutros Ghali. It's not Bill Clinton or Boris Yeltsin or John Major. The great leader the world desires will come one day and the world will follow him. Terri: What does the Bible say about One World Government? Toby: You can go back into the book of Daniel and read his prophecies about the coming empires of the Persians, Greeks and Romans. Every one of these had the same goal - to rule the earth. So did Napoleon and Hitler in more recent times. Revelation points to a final attempt and a great measure of success by the one we call the antichrist. I believe the Bible teaches that there will be a synthesis of world government, world religion and a world economic system at the end of the tribulation. Each of the three will support the other two. There are foreshadowing of this in Europe, right now. Terri: What role does the modern day technology have in the end times? Toby: Plenty! I've written an article on some of the recent developments in technology which is also in the Feature area of this magazine. Let me just say here that without the technological advances we've had in the past few years, none of the last days prophecies about a one-world economic system could come to pass. With the advancements we've seen, it could now be put in place overnight. I wonder what the apostle John thought about what Jesus revealed to him in the book of Revelation. The thought of no one being able to buy or sell anywhere in the world unless they had a mark in their hand must have had him scratching his head trying to figure out how that would all work! Terri: What about the rapture? Do you feel this is something that takes place before the final years of tribulation and how will it effect the earth? Toby: I happen to believe it will occur before the tribulation and will be the event that kicks everything into high gear, so to speak. The people left behind will be searching for an explanation and I for one can't see anything that would "explain" this phenomena better than some type of "alien abduction." People are already conditioned to some degree to accept this. Humans are regularly "beamed off" planets in shows like "Star Trek" and their have been movies with similar themes. There are a number of UFO and occult groups teaching that such an event is going to occur one day soon. An article in a recent edition of "UFO Universe" states that there is a planned removal of people from the earth by those who "guard the planet." In another occult magazine, "Valley of the Sun WINNERS," a reader writes in asking opinions on the teachings of Edgar Cayce and Ruth Montgomery concerning a "pole shift" that will decimate the earth's population, removing people to other planets - where they can better evolve. There's even a guy in Israel, Claude Vorhilon, going by the name "Rael," who is the leader of the world's fastest growing UFO cult. His followers are trying to get the chief Rabbi to proclaim Rael as being the Messiah. They want their alien embassy erected in Jerusalem (where else?) and claim it will be erected there exactly 666 days after December 13, 1993, when Israel began measures to withdraw from Gaza and Jericho. I haven't bothered to check the final date on that! People will buy whatever explanation makes them feel good at that time. Many will, I believe, turn to the Bible and to God and be saved as well. Terri: If people are interested in Prophecy and End Times, what books and resources would you recommend? Toby: There are a few people who are consistent and reliable in reporting only the facts. Unfortunately there are others, more and more it seems, that rely on speculation and guessing games to sell their books or keep their television shows going. I'd feel comfortable recommending anything from Zola Levitt, Peter Lalonde or John Ankerberg and their associates as well as material from people affiliated with Christian Friends of Israel in Jerusalem, Jewish Voice Ministries in Phoenix, or the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry in New Jersey. All these ministry addresses are published in MORNING STAR from time to time. Terri: Is there a final thought you would like to leave with our readers? Toby: Just three pieces of Biblical advice. First, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Second, "Comfort one another as that day draws near." And finally, "Look up for our redemption draws near!" Oh, one other thing. Please share this issue of MORNING STAR with a friend - especially one that may not believe but may be curious - and be ready to answer their questions! Ministry Focus Ministry Focus ZOLA LEVITT MINISTRIES INC. Dallas, Texas Principally a teaching and evangelistic association, Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc. is guided by the standard of Romans 1:16, "To the Jew first and also to the Gentile." Like the Apostle Paul, we work through the Gentiles to reach the Jews. We inform our Gentile viewers and listeners of those principles of the faith which will be most helpful to them in understanding and witnessing to their Jewish friends. The outreach presently spends most of its time and energy on the national television program ZOLA LEVITT PRESENTS, which is carried on the major Christian networks - CBN, PTL, TBN, ACTS - and numerous large city broadcast stations. The show features teaching, interviews, Middle Eastern film footage particularly directed to the studies of Israel and prophecy, and more recently a biblical musical. The prolific writings and music of Zola Levitt are offered on the program - including some 40 book titles and 7 musical albums - to help fund the television effort and enhance its educational value. Zola and his associates also undertake speaking engagements with churches, civic groups, university conferences and the like, giving updated Middle East reports and general Bible teaching. Zola has acted as lecturer and tour host on twenty-six trips to Israel, Egypt, the sites of the seven churches, Mediterranean islands and European capitals, etc. He formerly taught a course on "Christ in the Old Testament" at Dallas Baptist University and gives seminars at other educational institutions. The ministry publishes and services a correspondence course entitled "The Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies" which teaches the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Some 3,000 students are presently enrolled. Through the vast mailing list of the ministry, Zola and his staff serve believers and unbelievers in fifty states. Zola Levitt Ministries has sent hundreds of books to the Holy Land and planted thousands of trees throughout Israel. Zola is a Jewish Christian thoroughly educated in the synagogues and brought to the Messiah in 1971. He has, in his Christian walk, addressed millions of people concerning the Gospel through his top-rated talk show, "The Heart of the Matter" in Dallas. the former nationally syndicated ZOLA LEVITT LIVE talk show on the Satellite Radio Network, his books, speaking and the syndicated television program. His writings have been translated into several foreign languages, and the ministry has served believers in Europe, Scandinavia, behind the Iron Curtain, Africa, Australia, the Orient and Israel. By way of a doctrinal statement. Zola Levitt Ministries holds to a strictly literal and inerrant Bible interpretation, salvation through Christ alone, a soon pre-tribulation Rapture of all believers and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom on earth. The evangelism of the unbelievers and the exhortation of the believers take precedence over all other activities of this ministry. For more information write to: Zola Levitt Ministries P.O. Box 12268 Dallas, TX 75225-0268 Praise and Prayer Praise and Prayer PRAISE AND PRAYER is our international prayer link column. Send your praise report or prayer request to MORNING STAR for publication in our next issue. Call on your brothers and sisters worldwide and together we will call on God! PRAISE REPORTS CALIFORNIA Geoff and Janette had a blessed Passover celebration with Christian friends. Praise the Lord! FLORIDA Denise's husband found a job, a humble one. They are praising the Lord because they feel this is His provision for now. Keep this family in prayer. MICHIGAN David's wife was not admitted to a transplant program - all she has to do is take iron tablets. Praise the Lord! Continue to pray for her. SOUTH CAROLINA Dixon thanks the Lord for his four-month old daughter. VIRGINIA TLC sold a house in Virginia after nearly four years of being on the market. Praise the Lord! Cyndi teaches first grade Sunday School and two of her students accepted the Lord. Also at the musical at her church, several people were touched and accepted the Lord. Praise the Lord! OTHERS Ann praises the Lord that her father-in-law came through triple bypass surgery in good condition. Anastasia had a heart attack last summer and was not expected to live. Today she is doing GREAT! Praise the Lord! Continue praying for her. PRAYER REQUESTS CALIFORNIA Pray that Geoff will be hired as a full time pastoral counselor at the church where he is already serving. Pray for his dad, age 83, who has not been doing well for a month. Pray the Lord will touch him and give the doctors wisdom. Pray for Leslie who has Lymphoma (cancer of the Lymph glands). It was in remission but is active again, and Debbie has an infection that she can not shake. It is called MRSA. Both are Believers in the Lord. Eugene needs continued wisdom regarding job choices. Tom needs to come back to the Lord after being involved with many things that are displeasing to the Lord. Pray for this family that the Lord will grant them wisdom and peace in dealing with this situation in order to help him. John is recovering from throat surgery for cancer. Remember him in prayer. FLORIDA Jim is receiving radiation therapy for cancer of the prostate. Pray for a healing and for salvation too. ILLINOIS Mary Jane is very ill after a triple bypass. She has a horrible bedsore too. Pray for a healing. Toni asks for the Lord's leading in regard to going back to work at a part-time job. Erica is having her tonsils and adenoids removed. Also pray for her grandfather who is 87 and is having some tests done. Pray for Michele and her family of six children. She is a working mom and needs to have her life prioritized correctly. She is thankful for a helpful husband. KANSAS Kay asks for God's power and anointing in her life. MARYLAND Neal asks that the Lord will bring in the necessary funds through a Volleyball Marathon for the church camp trip benefiting the high school students. Also, pray that the Lord will find a help-mate for Neal. MASSACHUSETTS A husband and wife ask prayer for God to reveal clearly His will in regards to the potential opportunity to provide a home for a pregnant 16 year old girl. She has chosen not to abort her unborn child. MICHIGAN Dan, age 15, is rebellious. He is failing most of his classes and is courted by one of the local gangs. He gave his life to Christ at about age 6, but now he says he doesn't want to be Christian. Please pray for him. MINNESOTA Steve requests prayer for his Uncle Jerry who is not born again. He is to have open heart surgery. MISSOURI Doug's wife is having surgery. Pray that she will heal quickly. Pray for Marcy who has cancer. Also pray for a patient from her dental office, Grace, who is 75 and has cancer. She is all alone. NEVADA Ted needs prayer for healing and salvation. Jerry has just been divorced. He needs salvation and comfort from the Lord. NEW HAMPSHIRE Pray for a healing touch from the Lord for Toby's elbow. NEW YORK Jason prays that the necessary financial aid and the job he needs this summer will be provided by the Lord. He thanks the Lord that he has been accepted by The Rochester Institute of Technology. NORTH CAROLINA Pray for Robert who is in the hospital for possible surgery. OHIO John suffers from fatigue, but the doctor calls it depression. Pray the Lord will heal him. OKLAHOMA Pray for a family in Oklahoma. The father has cancer and was told he didn't have long to live. As believers, pray for the Lord's will and comfort. Also pray for his very good friend, whose mother has lung cancer, and the doctors say she has only six months at most. This friend has some problems with the law, and he is not a Christian. Please pray that God's Presence be real and comforting to him at this time. OREGON Brad may have a tumor in his lung. Pray for him as he takes the tests soon. PENNSYLVANIA Pray for the Lord's blessings on the upcoming marriage of Jon and Patti. SOUTH CAROLINA Bridget of South Carolina asks forgiveness of a friend and prays that he will accept and the relationship will continue. TENNESSEE The Lord is leading Bill to leave his good paying job to enter the ministry. Pray that the Lord will meet all his needs and help him find the church in which he is to minister. TEXAS Walter wants the Lord's perfect will in his life concerning a job. WASHINGTON Marsha was in a car accident and is depressed and in much pain. Pray for a healing and unswerving faith in the Lord. Pray for Mike and Vaughn's salvation. OTHERS Karina age 3 will be having very delicate spinal surgery. She has Cerebral Palsy. Pray also for her twin sister who may have difficulty understanding what is happening to her sister. Brian, 11 years old, has been under chemotherapy for cancer. Please pray that God would intervene and heal him. At this time his father has been open to the Gospel. Pray for his salvation. Kelly is going through her third round of chemo for lymphoma and is going to be one of the first people in the country to try a new therapy for this. She and her husband are Christians, but could use all the prayer support they can get. Carolyn and her husband desire to have a baby. They have completed an application for adoption, but would like to have one of our own. Pray for the Lord's will in their lives. Ian asks for prayer for a brother-in-law who was killed recently when opening his business. Jeff is in desperate need of a job. He also needs the motivation to work on a major paper. Pray that the Lord will provide a support group for him. Java asks for prayer for Judith in the hospital and her children who were exposed to some form of meningitis. Pray for Lynn who needs salvation. INTERNATIONAL REQUESTS CANADA Pray for Frank Jr., age 31, in Ontario. He is unemployed and has been a diabetic since age 7. He has developed bleeding ulcers and kidney problems, plus growths on his eyes that need surgery many times in order to try and help him. Pray for his father, Frank Sr., as he is in a depressed state due to his son and other family pressures. Pray for their salvation and healing. EGYPT Hanaan, a female age 26 is from a Muslim family in Egypt. Three years ago she became a Christian. Her relatives were outraged. She was isolated and not allowed to have any Christian literature. Pray she will be permitted to join her fiancee in Europe soon and that all Egyptian believers are strengthened as persecutions exist daily for them as well. Pray that Satan's hold on this land is broken. MONGOLIA Please pray for the Hogan family as they try to minister to the church in Mongolia in spite of the harsh laws against gathering together for worship. Pray that the courts will reverse this law and allow for freedom for the Church in Mongolia. PAKISTAN Pray for the Christians who are being persecuted. There is concern for the murder and wounding of several Christian brothers in Pakistan by Islamic extremists. SAUDI ARABIA Please pray the Saudi people will be reached with the gospel despite persecution and harassment by the govt. VIETNAM Brother Ka Philip, a minority tribe evangelist, is imprisoned for having planted 2 churches in the highlands. Please pray for his speedy release and that he converts many prisoners and guards while imprisoned - just like the apostle Paul did! Pray for salvation for Darupati and Dandelion. MORE THAN EVER, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6a). Book Review Book Review BROWSING WITH THE BOOKWORM It seems that I haven't written a book review in some months. And, I haven't. But so many good reviews have crossed my desk that I haven't had to write one. One of the magazines I regularly read is the "Christian Research Journal." (I'll provide CRI's address at the end of this review.) I find a lot of helpful material there. But a book review in the current issue really hit my hot buttons. As we near 2001 AD, the real start of the next millennium, we will seem more and more "Millennial Madness." And unfortunately this means a lot more sensationalistic books for me to crawl over. One recent one, that I have avoided was the subject of the review I read. And so I contacted Ron Rhodes at the Christian Research Institute and asked for permission to reprint it here. Thank you CRI for that permission. 1994? By Harold Camping Vantage Press, 1992 Reviewed by Stephen C. Meyers In his book "1994?" Harold Camping states the end of the world may occur this year, somewhere between September 15-17 (p. 531). He does not know the exact day because Scripture says "no man knows the day nor the hour" (Matt. 24:36). But according to Camping we can certainly know the month and the year that Christ will return. The main glue that holds Camping's book together is numerology: that part of ancient mysticism that endeavors to find hidden truths locked in literal terminology through numbers. Mystical numbers are the keys that allegedly unlock the hidden truths concealed in literal language. The basic theory this system operates on is that God created a perfect world and a perfect word (the Bible) which exhibit precise numerical and symmetrical design. Camping's interpretation of John 21:1-14 displays his use of numerology. Jesus tells the disciples who were about 200 cubits out in the Sea of Galilee to throw their net on the right side of the boat. The result was a catch of 153 fish. According to Camping the Scriptures are teaching that the 200 cubits represent about 2,000 years between the first and second comings of Christ (p. 503). Since Camping states that the most likely date for the birth of Christ is October 4, 7 B.C. when the Jubilee Trumpet allegedly sounded (p. 418), one needs only to add 2,000 years minus one year for the year 0 and out pops 1994. Concerning the 153 fish, Camping points out that the number 153 equals 3 times 3 times 17: "The number three signifies the purpose of God whereas the number seventeen signifies heaven. Thus we can learn that [the] purpose of God is to bring all believers that are 'caught' by the Gospel into heaven" (p. 504). Would it not be heremeneutically better to go to Matthew 24 where Jesus clearly teaches about the end of the age instead of trying to mystically find hidden secrets behind clear narrative prose? Camping's numerology has amazingly pinpointed the exact date of creation of man to 11,013 B.C. (p. 295). He does so by assuming the genealogies in the Bible have no gaps and additions in them, thus providing a direct link back to creation. However, it is widely recognized by biblical scholars that this is not the case. For example, Luke 3:36 includes the name Cainan while Genesis 11:12 omits this name. Which is right, Genesis or Luke? They both are. One is more complete than the other. The word begat can be used with reference to descendants generally, not just a direct father-son relationship, as Camping himself points out (p. 274). Yet by ignoring such Jewish customs he assumes the genealogies are chronological and sequential. The major purposes of the genealogies in the Bible were not chronological but domestic, legal-political, or religious. Omission of names is common, as seen in Matthew 1 where several names are left out so there can be exactly three groups of fourteen names. So one cannot assume a direct chronology back to creation. Allegory is another hallmark of "1994?" Allegory seeks the "deeper" spiritual truths from the literal text. For Camping the time of the Great Tribulation started in 1988 and has nothing to do with tribulation, troubles, or God's wrath (p. 218). Christians will not be martyred. What this term really means is that Christians will be kicked out of the churches that preach a false gospel (p. 198). It is a relief to know that the Tribulation does not really mean tribulation but temptation; killing does not mean killing but kicking; and the abomination of desolation is merely the different denominations being overrun by satanically inspired gospels like the charismatic movement (p. 438). However, if one looks back at the years since 1988 one does not find the terrible events of the Book of Revelation happening. In effect, allegorical interpretation allows Camping to twist Scripture to say whatever he thinks it should mean. Camping's book is also characterized by inconsistency. According to Camping, the seventy sevens of Daniel 9 are literal years, except for the last three and one-half. He calculates the years precisely up to the point of the death of Christ, which he says occurred in A.D. 33. He then turns around and says the last three and one-half years equal 2,000 years. Camping takes a page to explain the subtitle "The Prerogative of God to Use Numbers as He Desires" (p. 403). This should be amended to say that it is the prerogative of Harold Camping to use numbers as he desires (and then blame God for it). Ignorance is ecclesiology and eschatology also plagues Camping's book. He sees the church as being overrun by Satan. Some of the evidence he cites for this is Christians using birth control, divorce, Arminianism, the social gospel with its concern for feeding the hungry, not observing Sunday as God's holy day, and lack of preaching on hell. When one reads the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24, none of these things are mentioned. Camping devotes a chapter to how God will destroy the external church by Satan mainly through the charismatic movement. Does the New Testament teach that the church will be destroyed by Satan? Matthew 16:18 states: "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." I am afraid Harold Camping is another name we need to add to our long list of date setters. "1994?" is a great book if one is a hermeneutics student looking for a case study in mystical and allegorical interpretations of Scripture. Stephen C. Meyers, M.Th., pastors the Kensington Bible Church in Philadelphia and directs its inner city outreach to the poor and homeless. Reprinted by permission of the Christian Research Institute. CRI is an excellent source of information on issues of non-Christian religions, sects and cults, the occult and aberrant Christian teachings and practices. We previously reviewed the book "Christianity in Crisis" written by Hank Hanegraaff, the president of CRI. You can contact CRI at: Christian Research Institute P. O. Box 500 San Juan Capistrano, CAE92693-0500 Until next time, Lord bless, and good reading, Your Friend, The Bookworm S.C.U.D. WARNINGS! S.C.U.D. WARNINGS! S piritual C ounterfeits U ndermining D octrine W A R N I N G S By Jerry Johnson (This is to be sung to the tune of the western song, "Ghost Riders in the Sky") When I became a Christian I knew I should go to church. With great determination, I soon began my search. Soon after's when I met him and those piercing eyes I saw. The Reverend Pastor Chad West, the man without a flaw. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold He stood straight as an arrow in his suit of charcoal gray. His voice boomed out like thunder as he taught his church that day. His shoes were brightly polished and his belt was white as snow. He taught us with conviction the things that we should know. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold He said that God loved order and despised va-ri-ety; It pleases God when we suppress our personality. For God's peo-ple are called to be much better than the rest, So we must dress and act like the Reverend Pastor West. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold "We have to dress in styles that are ten years out of date, any doctrine differences we viciously debate. We play golf for distraction, but we'll never touch a card. If someone doesn't measure up we'll nail them really hard." Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold After that first service when I looked around the place; I saw the same expression on every single face. They all looked very pious with an Amen on each lip, these members in good standing the Stepford Fellowship. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold For months and months I struggled to be like dear Pastor West, I was near exhaustion as I strove to do my best. One day I went to seek some help from the man I held in awe, but he'd run-off with a stripper he'd met in Omaha. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold I'd focused on dear Pastor West I'd tried to be his clone. Instead of being in the church I now stood all alone. You must be very careful if you choose to follow men, I plan to check for references when I try this again. Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold Yippie Ky Yay Yippie Ky Yo Christians must fit the mold First off, let me apologize to anyone named Chad West. It just so happened that it fit my rhyme scheme best (see, it happened again). "The Myth of the Cookie Cutter Christian" If you've ever made anything by using a two-piece mold, be it plaster, playdough or plastic, you know that in order to have it turn out really good you have to start out with more plaster, playdough or plastic than you need. You put it between the two-mold forms and then mush it together with so much pressure that all the excess plaster, playdough or plastic goes oozing out. You then trim the seam edges afterwards to produce a nice quality duplicate. I think that's probably a good analogy of what happens when we try to fit people into a "Christian" mold. You end up putting lots of pressure on them until the extras the person came in with (some of which could be positive like a rowdy personality, a unique sense of humor or an odd way of looking at things) are gooshed out -- leaving a copy of the one that got gooshed before. Now I'd like to make it plain: Yes, we become believers with a lot of sin-tangled extras that we strive, with Christ's help, to divest ourselves of as we are being conformed to His image. That's NOT what I'm talking about here! What I'm talking about is the church's tendency to try to get attendees to conform to a preset, do's and don'ts, what you look like, what you act like, better not even think about it, we put our best (artificial) foot forward, this is what we're supposed to be like "Christian" mold. Unfortunately, I believe this pressure is the strongest from the other members, who are striving to be as Christian-like as possible ... and the pastor is frequently the one who gets gooshed in the mold the worst. We get all tangled up in acting like a Christian rather than being one. "Get off your high horse! Everyone knows that when you are 'being' a Christian you act like a Christian!" Actually, that's probably part of the problem. The Bible doesn't instruct us to be like a Christian, it tells us to be like Christ. "There you go, nit-picking again!" The difference here is HUGE! If we are to be like Christians then we set our sights on imitating each other and the only thing we can imitate is actions. So we end up with a series of do's and don'ts and what looks good and pious, and our Christianity ends up looking like "we don't smoke and we don't chew and we don't go with them that do." However, if we are to be like Christ, we run into a whole new set of challenges. Unless God decides to do something really miraculous, I cannot, as a pattern, walk on water, know the heart of every person I meet, raise the dead, heal the lame and blind, have the perfect answers to all the toughest questions, command the sea, multiply fishes and loaves, etc. etc. etc. In other words, I CANNOT act like Christ. I don't have what it takes. So if I am to be like Christ my focus must shift from his actions to his character. And the focus shifts from my actions to my motivation and heart ... and that's just where God wants us! This topic came up because a member of the singles' group my wife and I work with was upset with the group. After talking with her a while we came to two conclusions: 1) she had some valid points about the logistic way the group runs, and 2) she didn't like it if anyone had a significantly different personality than she did. She wanted everyone to be just like her (or, maybe, just a lot more like her). She wanted cookie cutter Christians cut from the same mold she was. What she doesn't understand is that God doesn't make duplicates ... he only makes originals. Sure, as we conform to the image of His Son there will be some character traits that will become similar, but if we choose to believe that everyone who becomes like Christ will basically become the same type of person, we have an extremely limited view of Christ's breadth, depth, character, creativity and personality. "How about coming up with something in the Bible that backs what you're saying." OK, let's look at a group of people that the Bible views as homogeneous: A man who preached for about 70 years without a convert, a man who was so unselfish he nearly "shared" his wife twice, a chronic liar and con-man, a hot-tempered stutterer, a kind-hearted hooker, a warrior who ended up worshipping gold underwear, a man who couldn't keep a secret, an adulterous musician warrior who arranged a man's death, and a bunch of guys who were tortured to death for speaking the truth. "Where'd you get that group of misfits?" Hebrews chapter 11. All these people are in the "Faith Hall of Fame," but they certainly aren't all alike. I understand that it is a human trait (and more likely than not a result of our sin nature) to be most comfortable with what you're most familiar with. So we tend to like to have people around us who don't surprise us too much, who don't leave us unsettled too often, who don't embarrass us and who are, to be frank, mostly like us. But God created diversity ... and I believe he loves diversity so much he set us up to experience diversity and the changes in us that it can bring. Look at Paul. Almost everyone will acknowledge how God used him and how yielded he was to God's purpose, yet look at what a distinct (and often abrasive) personality he had. He didn't become less of an individual as he followed God, he became more of one. I see that same trait in the more mature believers I know. It appears that the more yielded they are to God the more unique and varied they are, not the more alike. But the people in Hebrews 11 didn't fit any mold either ... except the unique one that God had chosen for each of them as individuals. As I stated earlier, God doesn't make duplicates ... he only makes originals and 1 Corinthians 12 makes it clear that it takes all of us being ourselves to supply all the necessary parts to the body of Christ. And all those parts have to be different. God didn't design the human body to be all ear, all eye or all foot, and he didn't design the body of Christ to be all mercy or all prophet or all administrator. Let's not goosh out all the good stuff ... there's some pretty interesting people out there. Next time: Reaching for the Prize(winner) Resources Resources MORNING STAR INFORMATION AND PRODUCT GUIDE June, 1994 ******* READING ******* The CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT (Prophecy and current events newspaper from Peter LaLonde) ($29.95 annual, 11 issues per year) US: P.O. Box 1440, Niagara Falls, NY 14302 Canada: P.O Box 5091, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4M2 DECISION MAGAZINE ($7 annually, 11 issues per year) Billy Graham Evangelistic Association P.O. Box 779 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-0779 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 35500 Colorado Springs, Co 80935-3550 (free upon request) HIGHWAY A magazine for Truck Drivers Transport For Christ - Highway P.O. 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Box 2727 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 phone: (714) 969-4600 FAX: (714) 969-4661 ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE -NRSV Concordance -NIV Atlas of the Bible 1-800-727-3480 Commentary Commentary Studying Prophecy OR Here's Something Else to Fight About This is our prophecy issue. We hope that it will be helpful in your study of God's word. But, anytime we discuss prophecy it is like trying to cross a minefield without a map. Of any study in scripture, prophecy can generate more controversy among believers than any other topic. Therefore, let's start this discussion by defining the word prophecy: "1.a. An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will. b. A prediction of the future, made under divine inspiration. c. Such an inspired message or prediction transmitted orally or in writing." (1) As you can see, prophecy is not limited to that which foretells the future. It also includes all inspired revelation given by God to the prophet. The prophet tells forth God's words. And, these messages may include foretelling, as well as forth telling. Generally, when Christians talk about studying prophecy, they mean the study of eschatology. And that is defined as: "The doctrine of the last things. Included are two distinct but inseparable questions: the destiny of the individual -- life, death, immortality, the intermediate state, and resurrection; and the destiny of history -- the Day of the Lord, the end of the world, judgment, and the kingdom of God in the new world." (2) Frequently, when Christians talk about studying eschatology, the concern is about future events. This is what leads to the battles. Often, we forget that the real issue when considering future events isn't the events themselves. What is vital is remembering that God is in control. He will restore His creation. He will bring an end to unrighteousness and suffering. I have been teaching the book of Revelation to an adult Sunday School class. It is difficult to do so without getting into the different prophetic systems. I have reviewed them all, pointing out which approach is most consistent with a proper handling of scripture. The primary message of Revelation is not about future events, it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Without the book of Revelation, we have an incomplete picture of the work of our Lord. The Gospels only present His first coming. His provision of the payment for sin is recorded there. This provision allows for peace between the Creator and humanity. And while Christ does refer to the coming kingdom, His role as the coming judge is not the primary focus. In the book of Revelation, Christ's Second Coming is depicted in detail. And with this coming, He will bring judgment on all who reject His shed blood as the only payment for sin. Without Revelation, we do not see that the righteous God must judge and send into eternal darkness all who reject Him. "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done,. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20: 13-15). I mention Revelation specifically because the problems with studying this book are typical of the study of prophecy in general. We spend so much energy examining every little detail and nuance through the microscope of our prophetic system that we lose sight of the big picture. And no matter how convinced we are that our system is correct, we may be wrong. Assume for a moment that we live in the pre-incarnation period. We are committed to understanding God's words. In studying the prophets, we may well come to the conclusion there will be two Messiahs. One will be the suffering Messiah. The other will be the ruling Messiah. This conclusion is wrong. This same problem arises when we are dogmatic about our understanding of future events. We will only have a complete understanding of God's program after the fact, not before. However, this doesn't mean we shouldn't study prophecy. Our prophetic system shouldn't be a test of our orthodoxy. Methods of interpretation should be of greater concern. How we view scripture affects our understanding of the Church and Israel, and therefore our comprehension of God's character and nature. Any system of interpretation that denies the distinctions between God's program with Israel and His program with the Church has an extremely detrimental effect on a complete understanding of scripture and future events. Nevertheless, eschatology is important. The study of prophecy is a study of major sections of scripture. Therefore, it must be undertaken. After all, we are told to study all scripture. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). John F. Walvoord states: "The importance of prophecy should be evident, even superficially, in examining the Christian faith, for about one fourth of the Bible was prophecy when it was written. It is evident that God intended to draw aside the veil of the future and to give some indication of what His plans and purposes were for the human race and for the universe as a whole." (3) The problem isn't studying future events, but getting obsessed by them. We can be so caught up trying to figure out what is coming that we lose sight of the fact that we are to continue working right up to the time Christ comes for us. Jesus put it this way: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns" (Matthew 24:45-46). An obsession with future events can undermine our ministry and Christian credibility. Some time ago, a group of people sold everything they had, went and sat on a mountain, and waited for the Rapture. And so now they have nothing, and their government is hostile about efforts to spread the Gospel. One ministry has had struggles with expansion, because of the founder's view of prophecy. He believes that since Christ is returning immediately, there is no point in expanding. In another case, an evangelist, who has had a successful ministry to a specific minority group, now spends more time pushing his prophetic theory than reaching out with the message of salvation. God will work out future events as He sees fit. Our understanding of these events has no effect on how they will occur. Although it is acceptable to disagree in the specific eschatological approach we take, we must never let this get in the way of unity on the fundamental truths of the Bible. No one is saved by their understanding of prophetic systems but only by the shed blood of Christ. The study of prophecy is vital. The war over systems is destructive. As we study prophecy we must never forget the words of Paul: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:3-6). 1. AMERICAN HERITAGE ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. 2. THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1982. 3. Walvoord, John F., THE PROPHECY KNOWLEDGE HANDBOOK, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1990, p. 10. Features The Pre-Trib Conference in Dallas The Pre-Trib Conference in Dallas THE PRE-TRIB CONFERENCE IN DALLAS By Thomas S. McCall, Th.D. From the LEVITT LETTER, March 1994 "There were giants in the earth," and some of them were in Dallas in December 1993. Many of us have come to know the giants of the Dispensational/Pre-Tribulation Rapture movement of our time in person or through their voluminous works, such as Walvoord, Ryrie, Lindsey, Feinberg, and Pentecost. They have been guiding lights for major Biblical institutions for decades: Dallas and Talbot seminaries, Moody and Biola Bible institutes, and numerous others. But now these same giants, along with their teachings of the Word, are under attack, not only by the outsiders who have always carped at them, but even by some who represent institutions that have been nurtured and taught by these very leaders. These dissenters who call themselves Progressive Dispensationalists have written books, spoken publicly and taught their classes in such a way as to bring into question many of the cardinal teachings of the dispensational interpretation of the Word of God which our schools and churches have been taught throughout this century. It was to counter this movement against time-honored Dispensationalism that the conference in Dallas was called. The following are the topics which were addressed by the speakers at the meeting: Dr. Charles Ryrie - Dispensationalism in the '9Os and its importance to the PreTrib position. Dr. Robert Gromacki - The multiple meaning of the last days. Dr. Paul Feinberg- Dispensationalism and the Rapture; a theological analysis. Dr. Jeffrey Panosian - When does the tribulation begin? Dr. Ed Hindson - Spiritual deception and the rise of false prophets in the last days. Dr. Hal Lindsey - A discussion of current events in the light of end-time prophecies. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum - The Biblical distinction between Israel and the Church. Dr. Stanley Toussaint - Is the Church or the Rapture in Matthew 24? Dr. Charles Dyer - The Biblical argument for the rebuilding of Babylon. Mr. Grant Jeffrey - Was the PreTrib position of the Rapture seen before John Nelson Darby? Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost - The kingdom of God and its relationship to the Church Age. Rev. Thomas Ice - Is the resurgence of preterism a threat to futurism and the PreTrib Rapture? Dr. John F. Walvoord - Is Christ reigning on the Davidic throne now or in the future? Dr. Robert Thomas - Dating the book of Revelation: Answers to preterism; an assessment of the internal evidence for early dating of Revelation. Dr. Elliott Johnson - The time placement of Ezekiel 37-39. One of the recurring themes throughout the conference was the emphasis on maintaining the distinction between the Church and Israel. Ryrie described this as the "sine qua non" (or the essential distinctive) of dispensationalism, which has been a hallmark of the dispensational teaching from the beginning. When you begin to blur this distinction, you end up seeing the Church in the Old Testament and in the Tribulation, the rationale for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture goes out the window, and you are on the road toward A-Millennialism. This is why these leaders of the faith are so upset at the Progressive Dispensationalist trend, while those who are not so doctrinally astute tend to treat the issue as a minor theological blip. The Progressive Dispensationalists claim still to be dispensationalists and that they believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, but they say the distinction between Israel and the Church is not so important, and they move in the direction of replacement theology, in which the Church becomes the New Israel. The trend, then, is to blur the distinction between the two Biblical peoples of God, and thus the theological underpinning of dispensationalism and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture are removed. This is why these leaders of the faith are so upset at the Progressive Dispensationalist trend, while those who are not so doctrinally astute tend to treat the issue as a minor theological blip. It might be good, then, to review how Israel and the Church are distinct, since this is such a pivotal point. Israel has an eternal covenant with God. This covenant does not ensure personal salvation for every Israelite who becomes an Israelite or Jew through his physical descendants from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It does, however, insure that God will preserve the nation until and through the Second Coming of Christ, that the Jewish people will be restored to the Promised Land, and that there will always be a remnant (minority) of Israelites in every generation who will have salvation through faith in their own Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Institutions which are peculiar to Israel are the Jerusalem Temple as the dwelling of the Shekinah Glory of God, the Levitical priesthood, circumcision, Sabbath worship, the writing of inspired Scripture, ownership of the Land of Canaan, the genealogy of the Messiah, and the hope of being the capital nation when Christ reigns on the earth during the Millennium. The Church is entirely different, and has a different covenant with God. It is a mystery which was not revealed in the Old Testament, and came into being only after Christ had died, risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven. The Church was created on the Day of Pentecost after His ascension, and will be completed at the Rapture of the Church when the Lord returns for His own. No one becomes a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, through physical descendants, but only by grace through individual faith, thereby ensuring eternal life and salvation. It includes Jews and Gentiles, men and women, adults and children. Institutions peculiar to the Church are baptism based on personal faith, the LORD's Supper, pastor-teachers, deacons, local bodies of Christ, the overall Body of Christ, participation in the Melchizedek priesthood, and the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. The only place where the Church and Israel intersect is with the Jewish believer in Christ during the Church Age. The Jewish believer is both a part of the Remnant of Israel and the Body of Christ. This can be diagrammed by two intersecting circles, one being the Church, the other being Israel, with the Jewish believers occupying the intersection. It is important to note that the Church never becomes Israel, or vice versa. Gentiles who believe in Christ never become part of Israel, nor are they ever called Jews in the Scripture. Once the Church is removed through the Rapture, Israel will be left in the world, and there will be no more intersecting circles. The Remnant of Israel will be manifested in the Tribulation by the 144,000 Jewish believers in Christ who come to faith after the Rapture, lead the Remnant, and proclaim the Gospel to many Gentiles. But, while there will be many believers during the Tribulation, there will be no Church, as such, on the earth at that time. When Christ returns and establishes the Millennium, Israel and the Church will both be on the earth, but will be distinct. The Church will reign with Christ as His bride, and Israel will be the central nation of His kingdom, with Jerusalem as the capital. One can readily see how important it is to keep the distinction between the Church and Israel intact. This leads to sound doctrine, and a clarification of the concepts of Dispensationalism and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. Four Types of Messianic Prophecy Four Types of Messianic Prophecy FOUR TYPES OF MESSIANIC PROPHECY By Rick Riker North Plainfield, New Jersey When studying general biblical prophecy we find four types of Messianic prophecy. A failure to look at and recognize any of these four is to miss a proper perspective of the prophets. This is clear when examining Jewish interpretation of predictive prophecy. This can be seen in failing to recognize the coming of the true Messiah, Jesus, and the tragic results following that failure. On the last day of his public ministry, Jesus said to the leaders of Israel: "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). The Apostle Paul, speaking in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia, said: "The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath" (Acts 13:27). Israel's failure to recognize the Messiah was not due to the lack of qualified scholars. There were many educated men who could understand the messages of the prophets. There were many devout students in the nation of that day. Failure was not due to a lack of faith in God or His Word. And for the people in general, the problem wasn't a perversion of the heart that blinded their eyes. While many of the leaders knowingly rejected him, the people were simply ignorant. It was true then, just as it is today: there were people who would not receive the truth. Rather, they chose their own ways instead of the ways of God. It is also true there were hypocrites among the people just like today. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matthew 23:13; also see the entire chapter). So, what is the source of the failure to recognize the Messiah? I believe the answer is in this: The leaders were blind. As Jesus said: "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matthew 15:14). Why were the leaders so blind they couldn't see the Messiah in the person of Jesus of Nazareth? This study intends to answer that question. First, I would like to list the four types of Messianic Prophecy, along with a few examples: 1. THOSE THAT DEAL EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE FIRST COMING "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9). "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). (Also see Psalm 16:8-11; 34:20; 40:6-10; 69:13-28.) 2. THOSE THAT FOCUS ATTENTION ON THE SECOND COMING "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill" (Psalm 2:6; also see entire chapter). "The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously" (Isaiah 24:23; also see entire chapter). (Also see Psalms 48, 72, 132; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 23:1-8; Amos 9:11-15; Isaiah 32-33, 60; Habakkuk 3; Zephaniah 3:8-20; Zechariah 2) 3. THOSE THAT BLEND THE PREDICTIONS OF BOTH COMINGS INTO A SINGLE PICTURE "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his" (Genesis 49:10). (Also see Psalm 22; Isaiah 9:6-7; Zechariah 9:9-10) 4. THOSE THAT PRESENT THE ENTIRE REDEMPTIVE CAREER OF MESSIAH "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope" (Isaiah 42:1-4). (Also see Psalm 110; Isaiah 61:1-4.) A careful student will examine the entire connection in which any given prophecy appears. This will show the exact message intended to be conveyed. An unbiased person, who doesn't have a theory to support, will recognize which of the four is present. The first class contains predictions that deal with the first coming of Messiah, His sufferings and His return to heaven. Scripture presents very few prophecies that only speak of the second coming and exclude the suffering of the Messiah. The second class contains a few more passages than the first. This type deals with the second coming of our Lord and the blessings that will be manifested at that time. In the list above, I only give a few examples -- but they are rich in their splendor -- a glimpse of creation's future hope. In the third class of prophecy (not so numerous as the second), are those predictions that place both comings into a single picture. To illustrate: My wife is an artist. When she does a portrait or a painting, she usually will block out a rough draft. Then in later sittings she will fill in the details to make the picture complete. However, with this type of prophecy both comings are shown. These are "drafts" in one shot. From this type of prophecy we can visualize scenes of suffering and of glories combined. Again, a few examples are given above, under 3. The final general classification of prophecy shows the entire redemptive career of Messiah. All four of these general classes are important. To the degree we know and recognize them we may see all the facts. But when we study the fourth type, especially in the light of the past and related passages of scripture, it becomes very clear that this group of prophecies is possibly the most important!! In the first three classifications we see only a partial view of the Messiah's redemptive work. This last type is a blueprint of the Messianic program which consists of the first coming of Messiah, the Tribulation and the Millennial Reign of our Lord. Isaiah 42:1-43:7; 52-53; 61; 65:1-25 and Psalm 110 with other related passages unroll the blueprint of King Messiah -- a whole panoramic view of His redeeming labors. Men do a lot of wishful thinking -- especially when times are tough. Israel did some too -- especially during times of trouble. During the Maccabees' struggle and the Roman occupation of the land of Israel, the hearts of Israel's leaders turned wishfully to the future. They scanned the sacred pages carefully looking at those predictions that talked of Messiahs glorious reign. Nevertheless, they largely overlooked those types that deal with the first coming. They were confused by the third type and gave little attention to type number four. The second group of Messianic prophecies predominated their minds. It occupied their thinking. The Messiah did not appear in the role expected. They were disappointed and did not recognize Him -- though He came on time and in the manner foretold by the prophets. What can be taken from this study is: God does deal in facts and we should do likewise. Why, one may ask? The answer is clear: So we may bring the truth to those who need to hear it. This is not easy in the day in which we live. We must not to jump on the latest bandwagon of "sensationalism" in the study of "prophecy." Let us have a sound and sober presentation of the facts. Use them to present the message of salvation and hope to the Almighty Creator's chosen people, Israel. They, like so many others, don't understand all the facts and therefore have drawn some wrong conclusions. Let me close with the words of the apostle, Peter, in Acts, chapter 3. He was addressing the Jewish people outside the Temple. This was after He and John had healed a man. "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you -- even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:13-21). (Scripture References taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1986.) The New Color of Money The New Color of Money THE NEW COLOR OF MONEY By Toby Trudel A very famous and specific prophecy in the Bible reads: "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:16,17 - NIV) One of the more interesting books I've come across in my Christian studies is "Dispensational Truths" by Clarence Larkin. This book was published in 1918, and is priceless for it's beautiful artwork, prophetic timeline graphs and Biblical teachings. Larkin was a premillinial, pretribulation teacher and his chapters on the last days which taught about Israel (which would not exist for yet another 30 years) a coming one-world political, economic and religious systems and the antichrist were particularly remarkable. Having lived before the development of computers and high technology, Larkin could only speculate how the antichrist would be able to enforce such a worldwide system where people could not buy or sell without the mark of the beast. He theorized that the antichrist would have agents stationed at all places of commerce who would inspect anyone wishing to buy or sell anything to be sure they had the mark. Of course this author was also aware that the prophet Daniel said that in the last days knowledge would greatly increase (Daniel 12:4) and he left the door open as to how this system would be put in place. Since Larkin's time, we have come to see the development of computers, information systems, satellites and fiberoptics which have brought us such benefits as accurate weather forecasts, live global television broadcasts and, of course, convenient electronic banking. There's been a lot of talk in the media over the past couple years about the "information superhighway" which will provide us with access to just about anything we want from sources all over the world. Is there a correlation between these developments and the end time prophecy of the "mark of the beast" that the Apostle John wrote down 1900 years ago? There is some irony in that these technological advancements which are being touted today as "bringing us more freedom", will in the end enslave the earth's inhabitants. A TIME magazine article from April 1993 stated, "Welcome to the information highway. It's not here yet, but it's arriving sooner than you might think." (1) The article goes on to explain some of the new developments that are moving things along so quickly such as; * Cable television and telephone companies collaborating together * The ability to store and compress information so that it can travel through existing phone lines * New switching techniques that can bring this data to EVERY home without any rewiring As the article states, "Once the storage and switching systems are in place, all sorts of interactive services become available . . . armchair shoppers could browse with their remote controls, see video displays of the products that interest them, and charge these items on their credit cards with the press of a button . . ." (2) The TIME piece also mentions that the Clinton administration's first budget had nearly $5 billion in it to develop this information highway. A pictograph shows how this system will work, connecting all sorts of services to local cable and/or phone companies which will in turn deliver them to any home - services including BANKING. All you will need to access your money from the comfort of your own home, once this is all in place, is your number. Of course this will need some government supervision and regulations - as the article lightly touches on. The following quote was most interesting: "All these services can be delivered easily and efficiently by the information highway, and they can be backed up by a threat with real teeth. As TCI chairman John Malone puts it, 'If you don't pay your bill, we'll turn off your television.'" (3) Turn off your television? What this really means is if you don't play by the rules, you will be shut out of the system. The last line of the article is equally prophetic: "Just as likely, it (the information highway) could veer off in surprising directions and take us places we've never imagined." (4) Europe isn't far behind the United States. The European phone system is in the process of being deregulated and competition is fierce among companies looking to provide new high tech systems. After providing decades of mediocre service, the new European Community is realizing that it needs major revamping in this area if it is going to compete with the U.S. and Japan. France Telecom and DBP Telekom of Germany are working together to merge services. They plan to invite AT&T in as a partner (rather than have them as a competitor) which has many people concerned over a monopoly being created. The French and German companies alone cover about 40 percent of Europe's phone lines and population. (5) I found the language used by Iain D. Vallance, chairman of British Telecommunications PLC, to describe this "threat" of a monopoly rather interesting: "We've seen the shape of the BEAST, and it's pretty horrendous." (6) Europe won't take long to "get with the program". According to the article in BUSINESS WEEK, "The billions that they're (U.S. companies) spending on the Information Superhighway at home will put them a long way ahead in interactive shopping, video on demand and other services - all of which can later be deployed in Europe." (7) Last year AT&T announced plans to build a $350 million pan-European network for business calls. Another company, Viatel Ltd. of New York, invested $50 million in a network to carry calls around Europe for major corporations like Sanyo and TWA. (8) Viatel is backed by George Soros, a world renowned stock market and financial expert and author of "The Alchemy of Finance." Most of this book is very dry reading - stock market analysis and financial theories etc. - but the last section, where he offers his "prescription" for the world's continually ailing economies, is very interesting. Here is part of Soros' analysis and solution: "Exchange rate misalignments have become a major source of disruption for the world economy." . . . "But stabilizing the relative values of the major currencies is not enough: the value of all the currencies taken together must also be kept stable if we are to avoid inflationary and deflationary excesses on a worldwide scale." . . . "What is needed is an institution that coordinates the growth of credit on a worldwide scale: an international central bank." . . . "The introduction of an international currency would avoid the turmoil." (9) (Interestingly, as reported in a recent issue of the JERUSALEM POST, Soros is also financing the establishment of an independent Palestinian TV production center in the disputed territories in Israel - but that's a whole different area of prophecy development!) Don't think that the rest of the world is light years behind the United States and Europe either. According to U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, telecommunication companies such as AT&T, Motorola and Northern Telecom are bringing the information highway to countries as far away as China and Thailand. "After fine-tuning technologies and marketing strategies in the highly competitive U.S. market, these companies are cashing in as Asian countries leap over basic telephone service and buy the most sophisticated technology available." (10) In China, the government is keeping a firm hand on this new technology. In October 1993, the Chinese government banned the use of private satellite dishes and issued new regulations on cordless telephones and pagers. The official government paper "Economics Daily" stated; "If China's information system is spread about and not grasped firmly in hand, how can people feel safe?" (11) In a peculiar way, China's government control of their section of the Information Superhighway may put it a step AHEAD of the rest of the world as it rushed toward the scenario of Revelation 13. The picture for economic unity on a global scale is becoming quite clear. The technology needed to create the universal system predicted in Biblical prophecy is available for the first time in history. But what about making such a huge system practical on the level of the individual? Certainly, large purchases like homes and cars would be easy to monitor and control, and bigger grocery purchases can be controlled by making people use either a debit or credit card to pay. How realistic would it be however, to have every small purchase entered into some type of international data bank for verification? What if someone wanted to buy a pack of gum or grab a soda from a vending machine? That problem has already been solved with the creation of prepaid "smart cards". These cards, which look like credit cards, have built in computer chips which are programmed for a certain dollar amount (or some other currency). When the card is used, the amount of the purchase is deducted from the worth of the card (which is stored in the memory of the chip). It's sort of a high tech version of the old paper-card with symbols on it that would use a special shaped "puncher" to mark every time you bought something. Video stores and pizza shops have used these for years. Here's how it works. The cards themselves would be purchased at a bank or store, using your personal account (your number in the global system is used at the point of this transaction). You could purchase these smart cards in different denominations. You might even be able to use your interactive-television to order your smartcards and have them mailed to you. You start with a card programmed at, let's say, $20. You use the card to buy a 75 cent soda at a vending matching. The soda machine is programmed with the technology (already available) to accept the card and charge 75 cents against it. The chip inside the card makes the deduction and its value is now $19.25. Sound futuristic? Not any more. Smart cards are being used throughout Europe and are making their appearance in this country. They are here and are the hottest thing going. Presently they are only being issued for single applications - such as the prepaid cards which can now be purchased for telephone usage in the United States and other countries. AT&T, MCI and SPRINT all offer versions of these. The technology is now being developed to create a multi-application card, one that can be used for a variety of services - one that will replace cash. CNN ran a story on these new cards on May 11, 1994. They're being marketed with clever colorful artwork on them - there are even "designer series" cards - to make them more exciting. If you haven't seen them yet, don't worry, you will soon! As a new television commercial for the northeast NYNEX telephone network says, "This isn't the future - this is right now." The only step left to take to have the prophecy of Revelation 13 become reality will be the transference of your number in the global system from some type of card, which can be lost or stolen, to your body. This is not a technological problem so much as it is a problem of public attitude. The chip on the smart card, which can hold enormous amounts of data, is the size of a grain of rice. Such chips are already being inserted under the skin of animals for the purpose of identification and tracking. As mentioned in a previous issue of MORNING STAR, the country of Spain is requiring pet owners to have these chips implanted into their cats and dogs. (12) Since that time, a similar program has been instituted in North America. According to Christian researcher and prophecy teacher Peter Lalonde, the North American database for the system being created by companies such as INFOPET of California and INFORMATION DEVICES of Colorado has the capacity to store information on 34 BILLION animals. (13) The European Community is also going forth with a chip-implantation program for all livestock in throughout the EC. According to THE EUROPEAN, the European Commission has installed a satellite surveillance system to combat fraud by farmers who collect EC subsidies. The Commission has, ". . . invested ECU 115 million in a scheme centralizing records on who farms what . . . listing every field and animal across Europe. It would be policed by satellite surveillance and a new electronic system of tagging livestock." (14) What is of particular prophetic interest is a comment in the actual promotional advertising from INFORMATION SYSTEMS, one of the companies providing the computer chip for this technology: "Consider how these innovations might be employed to solve the age-old problem of providing positive identification of PEOPLE, animals and equipment." (15) Though it may or may not be in anyone's current plan - the capability of using this technology to identify people - and the database needed to store the information (on the earth's 7 billion people), are now being put in place. We are indeed the first generation that could see the prophecy of Revelation 13 come to pass. It was never possible before this decade. All that remains is the final step - to convince the public that an implanted chip (far smaller than the birth control strips that many women are now having implanted) is the logical solution to many of the concerns we face in the world today. With the elimination of cash and the implementation of such a system we would begin to see the end of such problems as: Credit card fraud Food Stamp fraud Income tax fraud Paper money counterfeiting Deadbeat dads Large cash drug deals Illegal immigration Even robberies might come to a screeching halt. It's doubtful that anyone would walk into a store or bank and say, "Stick 'em up - hand over your electronic impulses!" It all seems so perfectly logical doesn't it? "There is a way which seems right unto man - but in the end leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) FINAL COMMENTS As I sat preparing this article on April 21, 1994, I had my television set on to watch the news. During the broadcast and in the subsequent program there were three commercials within a half hour period that caught my attention. It was remarkable timing. One was from AT&T announcing all the new services that they would be bringing in the near future - including BANKING over the phone. A few minutes later came an advertisement for the MCI "Worldphone" program. Finally, there was a GTE announcement stating that their new pocketphones would all be tied in to a national network. In my local bank they recently put up a large poster with a picture of their attractive blue-colored ATM card. The caption below reads, "THE NEW COLOR OF MONEY" The sure word of prophecy describes what will one day happen; "For as a SNARE shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. " (Luke 21:35) The Word of God also tells us why we need not fear; "The fear of man bringeth a SNARE: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." (Proverbs 29:25) Man has always chosen to snare himself than to follow the Lord. This was true in the Garden of Eden, and will continue through the system of Revelation 13 under the antichrist. It just goes to show, "There is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). (1) TIME 4/12/93 p. 51 (2) ibid p.52 (3) ibid p.55 (4) ibid (5) BUSINESS WEEK 12/20/93 p.97 (6) ibid (7) ibid (8) ibid p.98 (9) George Soros, THE ALCHEMY OF FINANCE (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1987), pp. 328-340. (10) U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT 11/22/93 (11) BUSINESS WEEK 11/8/93 p.52 (12) MORNING STAR Vol 3.4, January 1994 (13) MARK OF THE BEAST - Part 2 (Video from "This Week In Bible Prophecy" P.O Box 5091, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4M2) (14) THE EUROPEAN; July 30, 1992 (15) MARK OF THE BEAST - Part 2 Do All Roads Lead to Rome - Again? Do All Roads Lead to Rome - Again? DO ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME - AGAIN? By Toby Trudel The subject of Europe and the ten kings of the books of Revelation and Daniel often comes up in discussions on prophecy. I don't know for certain if these ten kings will one day be ten European leaders who support antichrist or if they may represent some other type of alliance. Regardless, there is a lot going on in the European Community which seems to support the idea that this union of nations, desired by many since the days of the old Holy Roman Empire, will be at the forefront of prophetic events in the days ahead. I have a lot of information on the upcoming global system that I've been collecting for years now - which I keep in three separate file folders marked; "Economic", "Political" and "Spiritual" - much of it involves Europe. I believe the Bible teaches that the "Mystery Babylon" of the last days will have something to do with a man-made global system involving those three aspects of life. This is not anything new to Europe. If you look back to ancient Rome, whoever was the Emperor was not only the political leader - he was also to be worshipped. One of his titles was "Pontifex Maximus", meaning High Priest. In fact, Roman emperors were high priests in the "order of Tammuz" which was an old Babylonian church/cult. Roman emperors took the title of "Supreme Pontiff of the Babylonian Order" until A.D. 376, when Emperor Gratian refused it. It's interesting to note that when Gratian refused the title, it was given to Damasus, the bishop of the church at Rome (later called the Pope). He was helped in attaining this position by the monks at Mt. Carmel which history shows to have been a school of Babylonian religion. It's also noteworthy that the worship of Mary can be traced back to the time of Damasus. I mention this for a specific reason. If you look at the flag of the EC - you see a blue background with a circle of 12 gold stars on it. Many people mistakenly believe this represents the present 12 nations of the EC. In fact, the artist chosen to design the EC flag a number of years ago, a devout Catholic, chose the 12 stars in a circle because it is a Catholic symbol. It has been used in the Catholic church for centuries to glorify Mary. This is based on a misinterpretation of Revelation 12:1 which the Catholic church applies to Mary, when in fact it represents Israel. I saw this first hand in a church in New Orleans on a recent visit to that city. Across from my hotel was an old, mammoth Catholic church which I went inside to look at as the decor was amazing. On the front wall above the altar area about 50 feet in the air is a huge statue of Mary with the same 12 gold stars around her head. I'm not sure what the EC-Catholic church connection will amount to, but it's certainly an interesting bit of information. As we know from a lesson Jesus taught, it was Caesar's picture on the empire's currency. The empire and the emperor were one religious, political and economic synthesis. So - what about Europe today? Do we see signs of Bible prophecy coming to pass in that part of the world? If indeed the EC is going to lead the way in a last days one-world system, and (in my opinion) likely be from where the antichrist would emerge from - then there should be some signs on the horizon. I believe there is Biblical support for the following concepts being a part of the end times, perhaps with Europe for now - and eventually for the entire world: SPIRITUAL BABYLON: There should be foreshadowings of some type of common "spirituality" based on man's "values" and ignoring the God of the Bible and His values and doctrines. POLITICAL BABYLON: The EC nations coming together in a military alliance in order to give their support unilaterally to one leader someday - the antichrist as the book of Revelation teaches. I'd also look for Europe to do more to gain support among poorer third world countries to gain early support for themselves (as the Communists did) and their coming "leader." The book of Daniel seems to indicate that the antichrist may be involved with a redistribution of wealth in order to gain popularity. ECONOMIC BABYLON: Signs of a single currency and/or a system that would give a single identification to all its members. In my mailbox this week, I received my latest copy of EP NEWS. This is the official newspaper of the European Parliament. There were a total of five articles on pages one and two of this March 1994 edition. The headlines of these five articles would be very interesting to anyone with an interest in prophecy. They read: "Europe needs spiritual dimension" (This was the lead article at the top of the front page.) "All For One Defence Aim - Move towards common security policy backed" "ID Cards idea faces British opposition" "Value of a single currency put to a test" "A leading player on the world stage" (That being the EC.) These were not the kind of headlines you see on the cover of a cheap tabloid which don't reflect the content of the article within. The first article reported on a address given by Czech President Vaclav Havel, to a formal sitting of the entire House of the European Parliament. He suggested the EC develop a charter laying down its basic principles and a "moral code" for all EC citizens. (The Czech Republic is seeking entry into the EC.) Havel spoke of a European unity; "the kind of order that would grow out of the free will of everyone and be based on mutual agreement and common longing for PEACE." Peace . . . of course. Part of Havel's speech on Europe's spiritual dimension was especially interesting as it tied in to the political realm. Concerning his own country one day joining the European Union he said the Czech people were, "happy to surrender a portion of our sovereignty in favour (sic) of the commonly administered sovereignty of the European Union, because we know it will repay us many times over, as it will all Europeans." Havel speaks of people surrendering to someone's leadership and moral code to be a part of their economic and political system. This should ring a bell with anyone familiar with the book of Revelation and its prophecy that people will one day surrender to the antichrist and his belief system. The second article on military union dealt with how to best go about creating a single European fighting force under one command. I found one part of this article especially interesting. There is an important EC conference scheduled to address these issues in 1996. An important plan on the discussion table is to bring the established Western European Union (WEU) fully into the EC and work closely with NATO, specifically the United States. The WEU is a nine-member European military organization that has been around for a while, usually working in the shadow of NATO. The nine-member WEU and the United States merging together into a new military alliance for the next millennium - that makes 10 nations doesn't it? It's just a thought! The article on ID cards concerned itself with problems on illegal immigrants in the EC. It seems there are over 10 million of them and most of the EC nations want to look into a compulsory European identity card. The British don't like the idea and have put a stop to it - for now. Of course the EC already has microchip ID's being implanted into all of its cattle and many domestic pets and THAT has popular support. The article on a single currency is one of many found in European journals today. It will happen - perhaps sooner than the EC has planned, which is the end of this decade. Of course, as long as there is a system connecting computers around the world - there may not be a need for an actual "global currency" as such. The same computers that can keep track of your personal account anywhere on the earth can certainly convert any currency into a recognized value in a split second. It's clear that economic "unity" is the direction everyone is heading to support international trading. Finally, the article on the EC's leadership in third world countries states clearly that; "The European Union (EU) is a leading player on the international stage in trade matters because of its position as the world's largest economic market. It is the developing world's major trading partner and is the most important source of development aid for poorer countries providing, in conjunction with EU member states, 40% of total assistance." The article also notes, ". . . the growing importance of the EU on the world stage was recognized by the Maastricht Treaty, which provides for the development of a common foreign and security policy . . ." The EC is holding new elections this June, 1994. Voters in the 12 countries will elect a new European Parliament - 567 members who will serve through 1999. I wonder if the "son of perdition" will be one of those voted in. Such is the state of affairs in the growing European Community in 1994. Some will insist that these developments are all "coincidences." I won't say any more other than what John said to close the book of Revelation, "Even so, come Lord Jesus." Beware of a False Alarm Beware of a False Alarm BEWARE OF A FALSE ALARM By Steve Herzig From ISRAEL MY GLORY magazine Suddenly the alarm sounded! Judging from the teachers' faces, this was no drill. All of the students filed out quickly and quietly, looking around for signs of trouble. Ambulances and fire trucks were soon seen, and their earsplitting sirens pierced the air. Fire fighters jumped out of their vehicles and ran into the school building, which had been completely evacuated. Everyone concerned waited for some word to come. There was no fire to be seen. Why had the alarm gone off? The wait was short-lived. An explanation was soon forthcoming: It was a false alarm. False alarms are not uncommon. I actually experienced the incident described above. It has happened to many others as well. Each time an alarm is sounded, it should be taken very seriously. Everyone concerned must be prepared to respond properly and promptly. However, if the alarm is false, time is wasted, human and financial resources are spent, and many innocent lives are placed in needless danger. During the last few years, an alarm of a different sort has been sounding in the Jewish community. It originates from a small but fairly significant group of religious Jews called the Lubavitch. The alarm is actually a series of similar messages, which can be seen on huge banners draped across buildings in Jerusalem and on bumper stickers in major U.S. and Israeli cities: "Prepare for the Coming of the Messiah!" "We Want Moshiach Now!" "Messiah on the Way!" These messages are taken very seriously by some Jewish people. In fact, the excitement created by this message has reached fever pitch. The man who is the focal point of all this frenzy lives in a three-story brownstone home located at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. He is regarded by many Lubavitchers as the most prominent man in the world. His name is Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He has a PhD in electrical engineering from the Sorbonne in Paris. He is a Lubavitcher rabbi and, to many, a miracle worker. For an estimated 250,000 Jews the world over, he is the Messiah. The hope for a Messiah is a doctrine burned into the very fiber of Judaism. The 12th of the 13 Principles of Faith clearly states, "I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. Though he may tarry, I will await him every day." Maimonides, who wrote the Principles, wanted to provide clear, concise statements by which to explain his faith. More than two dozen individuals have appeared on the scene claiming to be or proclaimed by others to be the Messiah. Rabbi Schneerson is the latest. Each time a messiah has emerged, excitement has been created and people have been challenged to prepare for his kingdom. Great claims have been attributed to these false messiahs, including incredible Torah knowledge, miracles, and visions. Certainly not all of these individuals could have been the true Messiah. For whatever their individual reasons for making these claims, these men have misled people, wasted their time, spent their resources, and, many times, endangered their lives. When it comes to the topic of the Messiah, there have been many false alarms. One of the best-known early messianic alarms to sound was in the person of Simon ben Koseva. Believed to be the Messiah by the famous Rabbi Akiva, Koseva was given the title Bar Kokaba, "star out of Jacob." (1) Bar Kokaba was looked upon as the great warrior who would remove the Romans from the land of Israel. In the year 135 A.D., after recapturing and holding Jerusalem for a short time, Bar Kokaba and his armies were defeated on the Judean hills at a place called Bethar. Several thousand Jewish people died, among them Rabbi Akiva and Bar Kokaba. This sounding alarm proved to be a fake. Menachem Solomon lived in the 12th century during the first crusades. Calling himself David (because of his claim to be the king of the Jews) Alroy (a corrupted Arabic last name) (2), he started a messianic fervor using the persecutions of the time as proof of his unveiling in 1147. Said to be handsome and learned, he also reportedly was skilled in sorcery. (3) Rumors circulated as to his miraculous powers. Alroy initiated a call for his people to return to Jerusalem, but before he had the chance to lead them, he was murdered. It is not clear who was responsible for his death. What is clear is that another false alarm had gone off. Yet another alarm rang in the 1660s from Smyrna, Turkey. This time it was Shabbetai Zevi. He is credited with starting Shabbateanism, referred to as the most momentous messianic movement in Jewish history since the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. (4) Zevi became very proficient in Kabbalah, a system of Jewish mysticism marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture. As a result, many young students desired to study with him. Living almost as a recluse, Zevi became what could be described as a manic-depressive. He did some very strange things, including taking part in a ceremony in which he "married" the Torah. His followers attributed his unconventional behavior to his unique position. A young rabbi, Nathan of Gaza, in his own right a scholar and a mystic, met Zevi and almost immediately proclaimed him to be the Messiah. Messianic fervor swept through the Jewish population. Literally thousands of Jewish people followed him, believing that he would lead them back to their promised land. In the year 1666, Zevi was imprisoned by the sultan of Turkey. While in prison, he did the unthinkable. This man who had been proclaimed the Jewish Messiah converted to Islam. A definite false alarm! Each time a messianic impostor has dashed the hopes of the Jewish people, the belief in that doctrine has deteriorated a little. As a result, the majority of the Jewish people have become more and more like the story of an old Russian Jew who was without a job. The community hired him, at a salary of one ruble a month, to get up at dawn and wait on the hill outside the town to welcome the Messiah, should he arrive. Asked how he liked doing it, the man replied, "The pay isn't much, but it's a steady job." (5) It does seem, however, that the world is ripe for a Messiah to come. Thousands of Jewish people are returning to their homeland. The Soviet Union has been dismantled, and there is a spark of hope for peace in the Middle East. At the same time, we see the need for a wise, strong, charismatic leader. Rabbi Schneerson has impressive credentials. He has been regarded as a Torah scholar since he was a child. He is the seventh rabbi of the Chabad Dynasty and, according to their tradition, the last rabbi before the arrival of the Messiah. He is said to have healed the sick and caused the infertile to bear children, and many of his predictions about the future have come true. Some believe that he need only speak and the weather will change. Schneerson has generated so much enthusiasm that his followers have built a brownstone house in Israel, an exact replica of his home in Brooklyn, for when he takes up residence there. They say of him, "Moses was the first redeemer, the Rebbe is the last." (6) The Rebbe has never stated publicly that he is the Messiah, but he has never denied it either. Currently, he is unable to speak at all. In March 1992 he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side. His faithful followers say the stroke is further evidence of his messiahship. They cite Isaiah 53:4-5 as a proof text: "Surely he hath borne our grief's, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." His followers are to be commended for using the Bible as a guide to the identification of the Messiah. Their claims, however, illustrate the danger of imposing conclusions that do not meet the biblical criteria of Messiahship. The prophetic Scriptures do have a great deal to say about the Messiah. When I was a boy, I collected baseball cards. Occasionally I would get a card that had the title "Checklist" written across the top. It listed the numbers of the cards in a particular series, along with the names of the players. Next to each name was a little box to check off when that card was obtained, enabling collectors to know which cards they had. It was a quick way to keep inventory and to know which cards were still missing. In like manner, if the Rebbe - or anyone else - claimed to be the Messiah, he would have to be able to check off all the boxes of fulfilled prophecy. Any unchecked boxes would mean a false alarm. Without citing all the prophecies, it can be easily determined that the Rebbe falls far short in his messianic credentials. He was not born of a virgin, nor was he born in Bethlehem. In fact, he has never set foot in the land of Israel. He cannot prove that he is from the tribe of Judah or that the scepter has not departed from that tribe. (7) The list goes on and on. It is very clear that the Rebbe is another false alarm. The messianic fervor surrounding Menachem Schneerson, even coupled with the zeal of his followers, cannot make this 91-year-old, infirm human being the long-awaited Messiah. These modern-day believers will experience the same disappointment and disillusionment as others before them who, through the years, put their trust in men not sent from God. Indeed, false alarms are costly. Almost two thousand years ago an alarm sounded. It was an alarm calling people to repentance. Most of the people thought it was a false alarm, and they did not heed the call. But that time, the alarm was real. Jesus is the promised Messiah, the real thing. Anyone can quickly run down the checklist to verify it. The banners and bumper stickers serve as valuable reminders to everyone. The difference between believers and unbelievers is that believers await His Second Coming. He came the first time as the Lamb of God to save sinners. He will come again as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Every one of us will meet Him one way or the other. (1) Numbers 24:17. (2) Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem: The Macmillan Company), Vol. 2, pg. 750. (3) Ibid. (4) Ibid., Vol. 14, pg. 1219. (5) Moment Magazine, April, 1993, pg. 37. (6) Ibid., pg. 32 (7) Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Genesis 49:10. (8) See "Will the Real Messiah Please Stand Up," tract by Will Varner (Bellmawr: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.); see also "Portrait of the Messiah," Israel My Glory Magazine, Vol. 50, No. 5, October/November 1992. Bible Prophecy Points to Tribulation Bible Prophecy Points to Tribulation BIBLE PROPHECY POINTS TO THE TRIBULATION By Sam Nadler Chosen People Ministries The Nazi holocaust of the 1930Os and 40Os has touched the lives of every Jewish person who survived. It has left an indelible scar on the souls of GodOs chosen people. Even today, nearly fifty years after the close of World War II, they continue to live under the shadow of that Holocaust. But as bad as it was, with more than six million Jewish lives lost, or one third of the Jewish people, the Bible says that there is a worse holocaust ahead. In Zechariah 13: 8-9, we read: OIn the whole land, declares the Lord, Otwo-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say OThey are my people, and they will say, OThe Lord is our God.O TWO REASONS FOR SATANOS ATTACKS ON JEWISH PEOPLE. Careful observers of Scripture see two very important reasons for these attacks: to undermine the promises of God and to stop the second coming of Messiah. Because of GodOs promises made to the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 31: 35-37), their very existence is a spiritual battleground and Satan uses them to challenge the testimony of GodOs faithfulness. Satan is trying to destroy the Jews in the present age just as he always has. That is why it is so important for true believers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and against the anti-semitic representatives of the evil one. The Jewish peopleOs survival is a witness to all the nations that we can trust in GodOs promises. OHe who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.O (Psalm121:4) and therefore, He will keep you according to His promises as well (Hebrews 13:5). JEWISH PEOPLE MUST COME TO FAITH Even as Satan hopes to make a liar of God, so he also attempts to prevent the return of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. His return is dependent upon the Jewish people coming to faith in Him as a nation (Matthew 23: 37-39, Acts 3:19 - 21). For nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people as a nation have rejected their Messiah. Therefore, they need to repent of this as a nation and trust in the Messiah that He might reign over them as a people (Luke 1:32-33). JEWISH BELIEVERS WILL HELP DEFEAT SATANOS FINAL ATTACK. Becoming "Christian" isnOt enough for Jewish people. Satan would not mind if Jewish believers would "act like regular Christians" and forsake their Jewish identity. Also, he would not mind if they maintained their Jewish identity but forsook the testimony of Jesus. But the combination of these two things is anathema to the evil one. This is heightened even more during the Tribulation period with the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish believers (Revelation 7:1-8) as they, along with the two witnesses in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:3-6), are empowered with miraculous ministry to be even more effective in the testimony of God. But even in this attack Satan will fail, for the testimony of the Jewish believers will prove effective at the end of the Tribulation period. The Jewish people will call out to the Messiah (Psalm 118:22, Zachariah 12:10). The Gospel seeds will bear fruit. The confession of faith will come from the Jewish nation. (Isaiah 53:4-6) The Messiah will return, establish His kingdom and Satan will be cast into the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). Today we face intense spiritual warfare. And every time a believer supports the work of God in Jewish missions, he moves to the front lines. These believers and proclaimers of the Messiah - you and I as we stand together - will be victorious. God has brought us together to celebrate eternity and the victory found in Revelation 12:11; "and they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the Word of their testimony . . . " THIS IS OUR ULTIMATE HOPE AND VICTORY. As the day of the MessiahOs return grows closer, may we understand, in truth and deed, the victory that is ours to claim. Middle East Update Middle East Update A special report direct from Israel MIDDLE EAST UPDATE Excerpts from the April, 1994 quarterly cassette By LANCE LAMBERT Jerusalem, Israel "For behold in those days and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. I will also gather all the nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land" (Joel 3:1,2). I think it is interesting that apparently in the last days after the pouring out of the Spirit, recorded in chapter 2, there will come a time when the exiled Jewish people will be brought back to the promised land, and Jerusalem again will be rebuilt and become their capital - the Lord says. And then He speaks of judgment coming. Why? Because the people have not helped - the nations have not helped in the regathering of the Jewish people - and they have sought to divide God's promised land. I think that is very sobering indeed. I want to add to this two more passages which I am taking from the Living Bible as this is the way the Lord brought them to my attention as well as to others here. "This is my warning to my people says the Lord of Hosts. Don't listen to these false prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with false hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for me! They keep saying to these rebels who despise me "Don't worry! All is well"; and to those who live the way they want to, "The Lord has said you shall have peace!" But can you name even one of these prophets who lives close enough to God to hear what He is saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? See, the Lord is sending a furious whirlwind to sweep away these wicked men. The terrible anger of the Lord will not abate until it has carried out the full penalty he decrees against them" (Jeremiah 23:16-20). "Will you permit a corrupt government to rule under your protection - a government permitting wrong to defeat right? Do you approve of those who condemn the innocent to death? No! The Lord my God is my fortress - the mighty Rock where I can hide. God has made the sins of evil men to boomerang upon them! He will destroy them by their own plans. The Lord our God will cut them off" (Psalm 94:20-23). THE SITUATION IN ISRAEL The Israeli public's growing disenchantment with this government has even reached proportions of violence that have rarely been seen on the streets of Israel in its 45 year modern history. This government you have to remember, did not come in (as the media in the world depicted it) by a landslide majority. Actually, more votes were cast against it than for it. It came in with the Arab vote and disgruntled new immigrant vote, and has virtually walked on a knife edge ever since. It does not have, in my estimation, a popular mandate for the enormous far-reaching decisions that it is taking. I would have said that the kind of decisions that are being taken, and the determination to push them through - it has even been said by one government minister, "we have very little time to do it." What does he mean? He means of course, that if they go to the electorate, in all probability this government would be out. So they are going to make things, to do things, that are basically in their mind, irreversible. I think that for a government with a majority of so few - literally a few votes - to push through decisions such as they are making and taking is a thoroughly dangerous position. The unprecedented ruling of the rabbis is another extraordinary strand in this whole situation. Two ex-chief rabbis are among them, Goren and Shapiro, have ruled that soldiers must disobey orders to evict settlers or dismantle settlements. Never before has such a ruling been made in Israel's modern history. It has set the whole religious establishment and as it were the government on a collision course. The danger of civil war is therefore a real one. I don't believe that we would descend to it - but it is a real possibility. When chief rabbis warn the nation that some course of action is absolutely wrong, then there is something to take note of. It is a very sad thing when a nation however it views its religious leaders comes into conflict, the government or establishment, with those who represent the faith of their people. I have to say that I cannot remember at any time when two ex-chief rabbis and a whole number of very highly moderate and respected rabbis make a ruling that is so clear in its definition - to tell soldiers that they have to disobey orders. Of course it comes into the context of what the Lord Jesus said in the New Testament when He said, "render to God what is God's and to Caesar what it Caesar's." Apparently the rabbis feel that when it comes to touching the settlers or the settlements, you are touching something that belongs to God, and has to do with the divine purpose and destiny of this people. Therefore they have felt that they have had to utter a warning. That we should have got to a place as a nation where rabbis have to verbalize something as serious as the disobedience of soldiers to their superiors, I think is terrible. I remember some years ago when our former President, Chaim Hertzog, made a very interesting statement when he was addressing the nation. If my memory serves me rightly, he said something along this line - he said, "Our problem in the future will not be between Ashkenazis on the one hand and Sephardis on the other. This problem which has been with us almost from the beginning of the recreation of the Jewish state in 1948 is over . . . the greatest danger in our immediate future is the division between the secular and the religious." This government has done more than any other government to make that division between the secular and the religious or observant, a gulf. If this process goes on, it does not all go well for the nation. A SHORT BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE PRESENT MIDDLE EAST The growth in power of the Islamic Fundamentalist movement has not been halted at all - it is growing in force. I have said repeatedly in the last two years or more on these updates, that the biggest, the most significant factor, the bottom line in much - is the growth of Islamic fundamentalism. It is winning the people by their thousands. Islamic fundamentalism cannot come to terms with Israel under any condition. There is no way. If it does, it has one small proviso that is made - that is if you negotiate anything with infidels, it can only be with the ultimate objective of destroying them. Israel is a Satanic miracle according to Islamic fundamentalism. It cannot be lived with. There can be no coexistence with Israel. I do not have any doubt at all in my mind that we are heading for a huge confrontation with Islam. When that will come I do not know - but that it will come, I have no doubt at all. Throughout the middle East the growth of Islamic fundamentalism is going on a pace. Perhaps the most serious development is the destabilizing of Egypt and Algeria. Algeria is the most powerful Islamic nation in North Africa as also Egypt is in the middle East. We are watching the destabilization of these two giants in the Arab world and it is wholly due to Islamic fundamentalism. The popular support for Hamas and the smaller militant Islamic fundamentalism group Jihad, amongst the Palestinians is enormous. It is not small. Many Fatah operatives and agents are openly supporting Hamas in Gaza, Hebron and Nablus, rather than the PLO and Arafat. As I have said, with Islamic fundamentalism there can be no negotiations with Israel, only her liquidation. She has to be removed - either by a single blow or by stages. She has to be weakened, demoralized, divided and finally destroyed. Therefore I want once again just simply to underline what I've said in previous updates that this Islamic fundamentalist movement is the most significant factor in the Middle East. The nerve center of this thing is threefold. Its main nerve center is Iran, its second nerve center is Sudan and its third nerve center is Libya. These three rejectionist states, that will have nothing whatsoever to do with any peace treaty or alliance with Israel, are the inspiration of this whole movement in the Islamic world. I want to make another point about the present Middle East situation and that is while all this talk of peace is going on and while we're sitting in various get-togethers with our neighbors - these same Arab nations are arming themselves to the hilt. Now it could be that they are afraid of Islamic fundamentalism, although Libya, Iran and Iraq are very much on the other side anyway. But why Saudi Arabia? We could understand that they want to arm themselves against Iran and Iraq. But it is I think a very interesting thing that whereas the world is generally beginning to shed its armaments, our neighbors are building up theirs, particularly Sudan, Libya, Syria and Iran. There is one other thing I would like to mention. What, we may well ask is the real objective of the PLO? Is it to really make peace with Israel? I find it very interesting that what Yasser Arafat is saying in Arabic is not particularly what he is saying in English. For instance recently he said, "the Intifada will go on and on and on and on, until all Palestine is ours." What does he mean by "all Palestine?" Our (Israeli) government says he means Gaza, Jericho, Hevron and parts of Judea and Samaria - to be settled. I do not myself accept it. I don't think this leopard can change his spots. When this whole thing was first broached, the PLO was to cancel and nullify the clauses (in the PLO charter) concerning our destruction and the invalid nature of Judaism. That cancellation has never taken place. The clauses are intact as of today. I think it is very interesting that some of the PLO leading operatives have said that their policy is to wage war and make peace. I would consider this one of the strangest ways of conducting a so called peace process in the history of the world. I cannot imagine the United States sitting down with somebody like Japan in the second World War, and while they are waging war say they are also making peace - it is unbelievable to me. Now they try to tell us that they are not involved - but in many of the incident of the past few months it is Fatah operatives who've been involved. Then the PLO disowns them and says, "No, they're Hamas" - but they're all working hand in glove. The fact of the matter is it's the pulling of wool over the eyes of the Israeli public and the world in general. I believe the PLO's policy is to stage by stage take Israel, divide her, demoralize her and finally bring about her collapse. It will fail - not because of the wisdom of our government, nor because of the discernment of our people - but, because of the God of Israel. Israel has arrived at the point of huge danger. The Intifada had all but died last August and has been totally resurrected to its worst level ever of violence. Since September 13, 1993 and the agreement on the White House lawn in Washington until today, 40 Israelis have been murdered, the highest number ever in our last years. Many more have ben injured - not to mention the Palestinians who've been murdered by Palestinians. The type and level of weapons being used and the sophistication of their operation all show a more advanced level of training and leadership then hitherto. If this is not the PLO but only Hamas, it does not all go well for the peace we are being promised. People say, "this isn't the PLO that's doing this, they're going to make peace with us." But if Hamas has mastered the training and the use of such weapons what does it mean for the future since Hamas really commands a majority in the Palestinian public? THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT Our government openly declares that it has to preserve Yasser Arafat. He has unbelievably low support among the Palestinians. So, we are making peace with a minority group amongst the Palestinians representing a majority who want and desire our destruction. The real power, Hamas, we cannot make peace with. What kind of peace in the world is this peace going to be if the majority of the people that are going to make this so called peace with us are out for our destruction. This government stands or falls with the success or failure of this peace process. They therefore have a vested interest in its success at whatever cost - even to Israel. They know very well, that if this peace process collapses, they fall with it. So they are going to, whatever it takes, they are going to capitulate in order to make this thing a success. Now I speak for myself - this government of ours is the worst government in Israel's modern history. I cannot think of another government at any time since the creation of the state in 1948 until now, that has been anything like this government. It is the most un-Jewish, the most un-Zionist and the most un-believing government that Israel has been cursed with. I think of the scripture of Jeremiah 23:16-20 - what an amazing scripture this is. Where is all this leading? Is this leading to peace or leading to war? Supposing there is a successful end to this present peace process - of what will it consist? What about the status of Jerusalem - how is that going to be settled? What about Hevron - is it going to be "Judenrein" - cleared out of Jews? What's going to happen? What is going to be the end of this whole thing? I believe Israel is in a predicament as serious or more serious than any she has been in since the beginning of her modern history. THE PROMISED LAND Two cities, interestingly, have seized the center of the stage as far as Israel is concerned - Jericho and Hebron. This is highly significant. Jericho was the gateway for the children of Israel to the possession of the promised land. They took the land through Jericho. Jericho was the beginning of the possession of the land. Hebron was the gateway to the gateway to the kingdom and the Messiah. It was the house of David that came to the fore in Hebron. There he was crowned king of Judah. There he was crowned king of Israel. There was the beginning of the kingdom - and that was to lead to the Messiah of the seed of David. I see our present situation as the most insidious attempt by the forces of darkness to nullify or destroy the purpose of God for the promised land - for its boundaries, its people, its statehood and its well being. I believe that it is no accident that the PLO has decided on Jericho as the place where the president of Palestine will live and not Gaza. Jericho is the beginning of an attempt by the enemy to destroy the proper boundaries of the promised land and to demoralize and divide the Jewish people and in some way or another to bring it all to an end. I also see the fact the Hebron has taken the center of the stage as an attempt by Satanic powers to avert the coming kingdom of God and the coming of the Messiah. It will all fail - and it will fail simply because it is the purpose of God to fulfill it. Woe but tide any nation, any superpower, any confederation of nations that meddles with God's purpose for this land and for this people. Concerning the coming of the kingdom, concerning the coming of the Messiah - God help anyone who gets in the way. God is not so old gentleman, sweet and benign, that you can pull the wool over His eyes, who sits somewhere in clouds in some kind of damp white nighty and sort of looks sweetly upon the whole world in a sentimental way. This is not the revealed God of the Bible - the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. God is the judge of all. It is very interesting to me that it says in Psalm 2 that "when the nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing and they say 'we will throw away his cords', that He who sits in the Heavens will laugh." His purpose is absolutely certain, absolutely sure - He's going to do it. This violent whirlwind the Lord has sent forth - it's not going to stop, it will fall upon the head of these wicked men and will remove them in the end altogether. Joel the prophet tells us that God will judge the nations because they have divided His land. In other words they've made it less than His boundaries. If they do that they come into collision of God and God says He will judge them. Why? Because they are scattering His heritage. In other words they're not providing the land for the return of the Jewish people according to the purpose of God as revealed in the Bible. Now if I am right on this, do you think it is fanciful to see what has happened in this last year in the United States, just as one example let alone other nations? Fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, the worst winter in living memory and worst to come. Is it all coincidence that these have been the most terrible events in living memory in the United States? What about Norway's foreign minister, a healthy man in his late forties, falling dead? He was the architect of this declaration of principles. What about Assad's son and the strange way that he died? An amateur racing car driver - He kills himself in a sudden fog that came down on his way to the airport. Far more is yet to come. The Lord is entering into judgment with the nations. I have to say one other thing. I hate to say it but I feel forced to say it. The present Israeli government is, I believe, on a collision course with the God of Israel - and I do not believe that it can remain intact for very much longer. God is going to remove it. I don't know how He will do it, but I don't have any doubt. They are on a collision course with the character of God, with the being of God, with the purpose of God, with the Word of God, with the covenants of God and with the Messiah of God. The one thing that will come out of all of this is that God works everything according to the counsel of His own will. CONCLUSION Let me finally draw all this up together and say this. I believe that you need to pray for this nation. You need to pray for her salvation. You need to pray for her deliverance. You need to pray that in mercy and grace God will intervene in the present predicament of Israel and save her from herself and from her own government. Then I suggest that you pray for your own nation. I believe that the judgments of God are abroad. Any nation that has any involvement in the division of this land or the supporting of it, or in any way investment in it, is going to come into trouble. Pray for the true church. There is a superficiality that has come into the life of the church of God. A lack of insight. There in many places people don't study the Word of God in the way they used to. This kind of Hollywood-style Christianity with all its tinsel and all its jazz, all its outward show and spectacle - it is obnoxious to God. It's not that the Lord doesn't want to be contemporary or doesn't want us to be, if necessary, colorful or in some way wholesome. But this kind of thing is neither wholesome, healthy or real. It has somehow removed the church of God from its calling to be a sacrifice, to be as it were a life laid down, to be a vehicle for the love of God and the grace of God. The fact that so many within church circles have no idea of the preciousness of the nation of Israel and its land to God - the central place it occupies in the age to come in the fulfillment of the divine purpose, is I think yet another symptom of something that is lacking in the church of God today. MIDDLE EAST UPDATE (MEU) is a quarterly cassette by Lance Lambert from Jerusalem, produced by Christian Friends of Israel. For the entire April MEU cassette or for more information on MEU and other CFI materials contact: Christian Friends of Israel PO Box 63-8703 Margate, FL 33063-8703 (305) 463-9100 Is Israel Ready to Rebuild the Temple? Is Israel Ready to Rebuild the Temple? IS ISRAEL READY TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE? The following are portions of transcripts from a recent series on "The John Ankerberg Show". This series featured discussions on recent prophetic events between Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. David Breese, Dr. Randall Price and Dave Hunt. For the purpose of this article on the Temple in Jerusalem, we have focused on the questions posed by Dr. Ankerberg to Dr. Randall Price, co-author of the book "Ready To Rebuild." Ankerberg: What I'd like to zero in on is that this person that we refer to theologically as the Antichrist who is going to come, he's going to proclaim that he's God but what I'd like to zero in on is the biblical statement here and in other places that there's going to be a Jewish Temple that he's going to do this in. Now, right now we don't have that in terms of the place that the Bible is talking about, but if we did, what would be the implications? Are we building up to that any place in the world today? Do we see signs that this might come about? A very interesting and controversial topic. Randall, you've spent a lot of time in the Holy Land and you know Hebrew and you converse in Hebrew and you have written a book, "Ready to Rebuild." And it's a very controversial book in the sense hat a lot of people are saying, "Listen, the Jews are not ready to rebuild the Temple. People that say that are just making this up." You have spent time there and you know many of the leaders. Bring us up to date right now. What's happening in the Holy Land? Is it true or false that for the first time, we are now having Jews in Israel that ... are they really looking forward to, are they planning to rebuild he Temple? Price: John, for the first time in my life, I'm amazed at how quickly these things have moved and really how extensive they are. When I began the research on my book, I was of the opinion that this was simply a grassroots radical or fanatic movement that was taking place in Israel. But the more I got behind the scenes and I saw that it was not only the secular Jews who were interested in the Temple as a national monument to solidify their purposes and somehow reunite the Jewish people, it was also the religious leaders and also this more radical fringe who were very activist. But now we see in Israel implements being prepared for the actual conduct of sacrificial worship; we find vestments being made for he priests; a training school called Ateret Cohanim where young men are being prepared for the actual function in priesthood. Ankerberg: And this is going on right now. Price: At the present time. And they declare that they expect in their lifetime to actually fulfill that kind of function. We see hat a site has been located for he Temple. We also see, very interestingly, that there is [sic] settlements being established all around the Temple Mount. Some of the things that are in the news about establishments of settlements in the city of David and in the Muslim quarter all have behind it the intent Or bringing a Jewish presence to the Temple Mount so that when the Temple is constructed people will be in place. Ankerberg: Why, Randall, have we heard other writers in America saying that nothing's going on, truly. What are the politics involved here? Why would some people want to downplay what is happening in Israel? Price: I think the primary reason is because of the great sensitivity connected with this issue. The rebuilding of the Temple, and even the Temple Mount itself, has the potential to ignite a conflagration in the Middle East of the proportions of a third World War. We have already seen, October 5th of 1990, the Temple Mount incident in which there was a stoning of Jewish worshippers and retaliation by the Israeli police. Seventeen Palestinian Arabs were killed. The UN condemned Israel and as a result of that, Saddam Hussein used that as justification to say, "Israel is the real occupier. They're the real aggressors in the Middle East." And he launched the SCUD missiles hoping to divert attention from his occupation of Kuwait and then draw the United States away from their Arab allies. And this kind of thing has that kind of potential. So on the Israeli side, there's a desire to squelch any type of interest in this and downplay it because they know that the Arabs take it very seriously and it could result in that kind of conflict. Ankerberg: In order for the Temple to be built, the Jews need to know exactly where it should be built. And this has been a matter of controversy for a number of years. Randall, tell us first of all about the kind of history behind this search for where the Temple should be at, what the speculation has been, and then now the bottom line is known, how did they come to discover exactly where the boundaries are at and where it should be built. Price: Let me say first that as we go back in the Old Testament to the original statements concerning the temple, as God promised that when His people were planted in the land that He had chosen for them and in the land of their inheritance, He would show them the place where He would establish His name. That was a particular place and that place in the providence or God became Mount Moriah where Abraham went and gave the sacrifice of his son Isaac and then eventually later David came to that same spot, knowing this history and the Scriptures, and there on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite first erected the tabernacle and then later¥through his son Solomon¥built the Temple. So, because of this precedent in Scripture, it has always been the understanding that the Temple would always be on that side chosen by God. So there's no question that the temple needed to be on the Temple Mount, the question was, " Where on the Temple Mount?" Because of the destruction of the Temple, first of the Temple in 586 B.C. and then again in 70 A.D., there were a lot of destructions that caused rubble and things to fill in valleys and fill in landmarks. Fortunately, however, the platform, the raised platform called "Azarah" where the Temple stood, remained intact. Fortunately, because Byzantine Christians preserved that site. They did it because of their feeling that the Jews were disinherited by God, that He had cast them away; that when Jesus cursed the Temple or at least said the Temple will be left desolate, that was a curse and so that the Temple should never be rebuilt and they left that site in a state of ruins and built nothing on that site and in the providence of God actually preserved that site. Later, when Islam came in, in the 7th century, it also preserved that site by commemorating the site of the Temple by building a little cupola that now today is called "The Dome of the Rock." And that also has kept that sight free from any building so that in one sense the location of that platform is known. But the exact location of the Temple on that platform was unknown. Now, a hundred years ago, British excavators going to the Holy Land began to do different types of probes around the Temple Mount. They still had to work with the Turkish authorities at that time, but they were able to establish some details about where the Temple might be. There were a number of conjectures about the Temple being in the south or being to the west or being to the north. Ankerberg: And one of the latest ones that I remember, even last year, was one fellow said, "Look, it's a little bit away from the Dome of the Rock and so therefore we could have the Moslem Dome of the Rock there; we could still have the Jewish Temple and we could even put up a Christian church there." That sounded like the way we were going, but now that's been disproven and tell us what the bottom line is. Price: Well, this was Dr. Asher Kaufman who is a physicist at the Rachman Institute in Israel and from his computations, not as an archaeologist because no excavation could be done on the Temple Mount, but simply as a research physicist he determined that the Temple was probably about 330 feet north of the Dome of the Rock. And that would allow then possibly a Temple and the mosque to remain standing. Ankerberg : Why was he wrong? Price: Well, he was wrong, primarily because not being an archaeologist he had no actual details to work with, no actual excavations that could be conducted, neither did he have some of the clues that were there that he could use in his favor. Also he had problems with where he wanted to place the Temple. It was a deep valley, a fossa, that Temple would have actually fallen into, and also the difficulty that Temple was really not leaving room for some of the other structures we know accompanied that Temple courtyard. So there were numerous problems. But archaeologists, also the chief architect of the Temple Mount excavations, Leen Ritmeyer, was doing research for a number of years and just published his doctoral dissertation at the Hebrew University and his conclusion is that after not doing excavation on the Temple Mount but determining the actual dimensions of that platform, where the walls were and from that, and from the actual historical sources, knowing where the Temple was located in relationship to those walls, came to the conclusion it was exactly on the site of the Dome of the Rock. So the Holy of Holies was over that rock itself called "as-Sakhra" and the Temple then was built around that. So it's the first time in history that we have archaeological confirmation of the location of the site. Ankerberg: Randall, can you explain to the folks why this is an upper and a downer at the same time to know exactly where the spot is that needs to be built. Take either one. Price: Well, it's an upper because now there is the evidence that would allow for the rebuilding of the Temple, and the downer is, there's no way the rebuild the Temple. The obstacle, one of the main obstacles to this time to rebuilding, is we didn't know where. Unless one knew where the altar was, the Holy of Holies, really couldn't begin that process. Now, with that information apparently confirmed, that could take place. The main obstacle, however, is that Muslim presence, that Dome of the Rock, because if it stands in the same place that the Temple stands, one will have to go. Ankerberg: Now, if it's there, we're at a stalemate it would seem. How in the world could the Jews ever rebuild when you've got the whole Arab world watching and this could just spark of World War III if that was somehow started to be destroyed and they started to build the Temple. So the question is, what's going to motivate that to take place? One of the sleepers, as I call it, that's out there that people have speculated a lot about, which I find fascinating, is this thing of the Ark of the Covenant. talk about this first of all from Scripture - why is the Ark or the Covenant important to the Jewish people and if this comes forth in our day, what will it mean to Israel? Price: We go back in Scripture to 1 Kings Chapter 8 where Solomon dedicated the Temple. He gives us a little bit of the idea from the theology of the Temple why the Ark of the Covenant is so important. In I Kings Chapter 8, verse 27 he said, "But indeed shall God dwell on earth? Behold, heaven and highest heavens cannot contain Thee much less this house which I have built." His point is that an earthly structure, how can it contain the eternal God? And yet that was the very purpose for that structure. God's presence was manifested in the place. In the very beginning when the tabernacle was erected, the term for tabernacle, mishkan means a dwelling place and even the word Temple itself means a house and so it's looking at a structure which housed this Ark which was the place where God's visible presence was manifested. The Ark itself was simply a box within which was contained three elements: the tables of stone which were broken at Sinai which have on it the commandments of God, a pot of manna, one of the last remnants of that particular provision of God to the Israelites in the wilderness, and then the staff of Aaron which had budded because it was a competition between him and Korah over who was actually the priest of God. Each of those elements represented some sort of defiance against the will of God, as a result represented human sin. Above that was a flat area called the Mercy Seat and upon that the blood was poured. And it was that beautiful picture to all of Israel of the redemption that God would provide. As those cherubim, these angelic creatures that were represented over the Ark, looked down into that box, all they saw was human sin, but when the blood covered that over the Mercy Seat, why God's presence which dwelt above it, it was hidden, covered by the blood. So it became a beautiful picture of what God intended to do as He sent the Messiah. So that becomes a very important object for Israel in terms of their worship. And whenever the Ark was, God seemed to be present, whether it be in warfare or it be there at the tabernacle or the Temple itself. Now, as we move forward in history, particularly for history as we looked at 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, it says that the Antichrist will seat himself in the Temple displaying himself as God. Well, the Ark of the Covenant was the place where God's presence was displayed, and to seat himself in that place and display himself as God might require that the Ark of the Covenant be present, so that he would seat himself in relationship to that, not be harmed in any way, and that would be one of the greatest testimonies to Israel that indeed a god was present with them. As we go back to the Old Testament, there may be an expectation of this in one of the Prophets. In Jeremiah, Chapter 3, verses 14-17. It's written in the context of the time period of the establishment of the Kingdom of God¥Messianic rule¥when Christ has returned already physically to this earth and set up His earthly reign. Verse 17 says "at that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations will be gathered to it¥ Jerusalem¥for the name of the Lord nor shall they walk any more in the stubbornness of their evil hearts." And so we have that picture of Israel regathered, regenerated, and now brought to that place to worship the Lord who now Himself physically is present in Jerusalem. But the verse before that has been very cryptic to a lot of interpreters. It says, "And it shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land, declares the Lord, that they shall say no more the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and it shall not come to mind nor shall they remember it nor shall they miss it nor shall it be made again." Because with the Lord physically present there is no need for an Ark to represent that presence. He has fulfilled all of its types and so He takes its place. And so there's no need to remember it or to miss it or to search for it. But the verse implies that the time just prior to that there would be a great bevy of activity of people searching for the Ark, concerned with the Ark, expecting the Ark, and that would be the period of the Tribulation. But the Ark is there and all of the concern for it. And we see in our present time an excitement over the Ark of the Covenant, whether we go back to Indiana Jones and all of the search for the lost Ark or look at some of the things in the paper today with Vendyl Jones and excavations at Qumran, all of these things together show that throughout the papers and throughout the media there's a concern over this historical object. Ankerberg: Yes, in brief what you're saying is that the Scripture sets it up that those that will live in those last days, there's going to be talk, maybe the Ark itself will show up and be present. Bring us to what you've heard in Israel. Is that the case? Price: What was the Temple for? To house the Ark. If the Ark came, it couldn't be put in a museum; it would have to be housed in within a structure such as the Temple - the only proper place for it; the only sanctified place for it. Ankerberg: So basically - let's stop right there - what you're saying is that if somehow the Ark was discovered, the Jews couldn't keep that in a museum, you'd want to have the Temple. And all of a sudden you'd have a grand motivating factor for rebuilding the Temple - at least among Israel, right? Price: Yes. It would exacerbate tremendously the Arab Israeli conflict because now you would have the historical verification to the right of Israel to that particular spot, and beyond that, of course, would unite world Jewry and bring them together. What we found is that in 1981 when excavators were doing their work at the Western Wall underneath right where the Wailing Wall is but down underground along the original line of that wall, that two of the chief rabbis of Israel, Yehuda Getz and Shlomo Goren were involved with students and clearing some or the rubble and discovered a passageway that had been discovered a hundred years previously but had been lost through time and found this gateway that led originally to the Temple Mount near to the Holy of Holies. As they went through this passageway, they described that they came to another chamber that led to a secret room in which they believe from historical Jewish tradition and documents the Ark of the Covenant lay deposited. They had not said that they actually physically saw it, but they said, "We were close to it. We could have touched it. We wanted to go in but it was not the time." But they say, "We know where it is without any hesitation." So that is what has been said today by leading figures in Israel, and there seems to be good historical and archaeological confirmation of it. Zechariah Chapter 13 (and Chapter 14) speaks of the fact that all of the nations or that time will be brought up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord at the Feast of Booths or the east of Tabernacles, which is one of the festivals that must take place in conjunction with the Temple. And then it goes on to talk about how if they do not do that, there will be a punishment that follows upon those nations. So that in the future, all nations will be included within some type or form of Temple worship with the Lord Jesus Christ present. It's a very fascinating thing. Let me say, it would be presumptuous to say that all of the problems have been solved and that the Temple could be built tomorrow. But we see how quickly events in this world come about¥the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall¥these type of things could be resolved very quickly. We have a Temple institute in Jerusalem which has a team or researchers and architects who are working at computers trying to establish all of the accurate plans for the rebuilding of the Temple. They've commissioned these architects at great expense to prepare these blueprints. Now, some of the plans I have in my hand are simply more simplified plans but they're preliminary work showing that the directions for the building of the Temple, how they would put up a temporary edifice, if not ultimately the Temple that Ezekiel had in his vision, and that, of course, is the Temple they expect. The quarries for the stones for the Temple are right there on the Temple Mount. That's where all the stones were brought from so there's no distance to haul the stones. There's no need to bring them from Indiana or someplace like this. The technology for doing this is already in place. They figured out how to use electricity within the Temple, which was something that didn't exist when the Temple stood in the days of Christ. All of these types of problems have been worked out. When the Temple can be rebuilt, I am told that for a temporary edifice, the type of thing they're looking at for a functioning Temple, they could put up within six months. Ankerberg: Why is it okay to put up a temporary Temple? What basis in Jewish history do we have for saying that? Price: Well, in Jewish rabbinical theology there is the understanding that the Temple must descend from heaven with fire and be established by the Messiah. And this is something that will happen ultimately as the Kingdom is established by Messiah. And the Temple for the Kingdom is also brought. But at the same time, in Jewish tradition, Maimonides, who is one of the codifiers of the Jewish Mishnah, one of their important law codes, said that it's the responsibility and the obligation of Jews whenever it is possible to build the Temple to build it. And so we cannot wait for a Messiah to appear, we must put some kind of intermediate structure up until the time He Himself comes. There are others who feel very strongly that He will not come unless this is done. In a sense, they will force the hand of Messiah, and their purpose in doing so is to in a sense provoke heaven to act on their behalf. They go back to statements in Midrash, which is interpretation of Jewish stories, and they say, "The Red Sea didn't part for the Israelites until they put one foot into it. When they set that foot there, then God parted it." Well, in the same way God will not send the Messiah. The ultimate Temple of Ezekiel's vision which will be a house of prayer for all nations will not come about until we do our part. And so the research and so the preparations at he present time. Ankerberg: What is this thing of the abomination of desolation, Randy? Price: "Abomination of Desolation" is, first of all, a figure of speech. The term literally "hashiqutz meshomen" means, "The one who makes desolate" or "desecrates." And so the idea is of some act of desecration, some act of defilement that renders impure whatever it touches - in this case, the Temple. Now, when we go back to Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives, teaching his disciples and speaking about those Jews who would live in the last days to His audience, He said: "When you see the image standing in the holy place as Daniel the prophet recorded, then you are to understand" - and actually this is an editorial note that's put in the Gospels: "Let the reader understand." And so it's very important that those who are living at that time understand what this is all about. This act of desecration is basically a usurpation of the place of God. Whenever there was an idol from the time of Manasseh onward put into the holy place in the temple, it rendered the Temple impure. They had to stop the sacrificial system, it had to be abated because now everything was ceremonially impure and so everything had to be cleansed before they could begin again. That happened many times in Israel's history. Whenever it happened, there was an act of cleansing that had to take place. For instance, when the Temple was desecrated by the Babylonians and destroyed, then there was an act of consecration in the time when the Temple was rebuilt under Zerubbabel and in the sense the Spirit of God came and put His stamp of approval on that new Temple. When the Temple was built shortly before Jesus was born, a Roman eagle was placed on that Temple and God sent the Messiah, Jesus, who later came during this time and because of the abuse of the Temple by some of the merchants and others He came in and cleansed that Temple Himself. When that Temple is defiled again by the Antichrist, it will be because he usurps the place of God; he himself takes that place. Not only will an image of the Antichrist be set up in the Temple, but he himself seats himself upon the Holy Place. And that will be the decisive act that Daniel the prophet talked about. It becomes the pivotal event by which those living in that time can recognize the Messiah is coming again to cleanse and restore His Temple. And so it becomes that event upon which all the eyes of the Jewish people focus. Reprinted with permission of the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute. P.O. Box 8977, Chattanooga, TN 37441 Studies New Testament Study New Testament Study With this column, we continue a special series from the New Testament. This article is the third of seven focusing on the "Letters to the Seven Churches" found in the book of Revelation. During this series, the column will be called "New Testament Studies." Future studies after this series will include Psalms and books from both the Old and New Testaments. THE LETTER TO PERGAMUM Revelation 2:12-17 The Christian life is frequently a balancing act. We are to balance between extremes of doctrinal views. We are to balance between enjoying the liberty we have and falling into either legalism or license. A difficult area to balance is being in the world without being of the world. Often, we confuse being of the world with the kind of music we listen to, what we eat and drink, or what political party we belong to. As seen in earlier articles in this study, we get caught up in secondary issues. We major in the minors. There are serious concerns over the mixing of worldly philosophies and biblical truth. New age teachings have crept into many of today's churches. Christians can get caught up in occult practices through involvement with the "Holistic" movement and the Masonic order. We have found believers buying into New Age teaching through salesmanship and "positive thinking" programs. The problem of worldly corruption in the Church is not a new one. It started in the Garden of Eden, when Satan came to Eve and distorted God's words. Satan used this deception to widen the chasm between God and man. "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). One of Satan's favorite tactics is to mix some truth into his lies. It was this ruse which concerned Christ as He wrote to the church at Pergamum. (The word Pergamum means marriage or elevation.) We will proceed by presenting the same overview approach as in the two previous articles. I. How Christ is pictured: Christ is pictured here as carrying a two- edged sword. The Greek word used here doesn't refer to a dress sword, but a functioning one. The sword blade is leaf-shaped. The overall sword is long and two-handled. This is the sword of judgment. "And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35). Christ's words speak of judgment. Believers, the church must remember that Christ does and will judge us. And the message of warning, which must be given to the world is: "The Day of Judgment is coming. Repent and be saved." II. Background: Pergamum was the political capital of Asia. It was seventy-five miles north of Ephesus. There still exists a city on the site. Bergoma, the name of this city, is a Turkish corruption of Pergamos. Pergamum contained one of the finest libraries of antiquity, containing about two hundred thousand volumes. This library was given by Anthony to Cleopatra. It was here at Pergamum that parchment was first used. Temples to Dionysus, Athena, Asclepius and Demeter as well as three temples dedicated to the emperor cult were found in Pergamum. Finally, its temple to Zeus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This was a thoroughly "modern city" for its day. (1) III. Commendation: a. The believers had kept the faith, in spite of the environment in which they were living. b. They held fast to Christ's name. IV. Condemnation: a. They followed the doctrine of Balaam. b. They practiced the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Willmington notes that some of the practices at Ephesus had now become doctrines. (2) V. Counsel: They were called to repent or Christ would come and judge them with the sword out of His mouth. VI. Challenge: They would receive hidden manna and a white stone on which is written a new name. Verse 12: Again, the letter, while addressed to an individual, is intended for the benefit of all within the church. The condition of the church at large had progressed to a state where Christ's primary focus is on His role as the righteous judge. There is a principal in scripture that sin in the body must be judged. We either take care of this within the church, or Christ will judge and correct. Therefore, it is better to judge ourselves. Johnson notes that Pergamum was one of the cities given the power of capital punishment by Rome. This power was symbolized by a sword. (3) Christ pictured Himself with a sword to remind the believers that while they were living under Imperial Rome, they were citizens of another kingdom. This is something we need to remember. We frequently get so caught up with a view of ourselves as citizens of our society, we forget we are citizens of God's kingdom. Verse 13: It was important for these believers to remember they owed their allegiance to Christ. This was because of the wickedness of their environment. Christ stated they were living in the midst of Satan's headquarters. The city was an occult environment abounding in temples to pagan gods. And, sometimes the gods did respond because they were really demonic entities. And don't question for a minute that these believers really did live there. The Greek used here refers to a permanent dwelling, not a temporary one. They had homes, businesses and other involvements within the community. Christ praises them because, while living in the midst of this pagan evil, they did so in a way that brought honor to His name. He identifies two specific points of commendation. 1. The believers were commended because they remained faithful in the midst of this evil. They did not accept the standards of the surrounding community. We need to remember that we are called to be salt and light. We are to do so, more by being living examples as Christ calls us to, rather than by trying to change our community. Christ calls us to be instruments of His change in individual lives, not the world at large. This means that as believers we must not cut ourselves off from the world around us. Do you have nonbelieving friends? If not, why not? Do you involve yourselves in the community, modeling Christ's love to sinners? Too often Christians flee from the world instead of reaching out to it. People are not saved by dragging them to church. Instead, we need to live with them and care for them, showing God's love and concern. We are to live in the sinful environment of the world because this is where caring takes place. God may chose to remove us from a specific situation, but He is the one to decide. We shouldn't leave a community, take our children out of public school or quit a job because we are frustrated. We need to look for the Lord's leading and until He leads us out, serve where we are. 2. These believers were commended because they didn't renounce their faith -- the basic doctrines of orthodox Christianity. They held on to their faith in spite of the death of Antipas, who was martyred because of the quality of his witness. The church at Pergamum was essentially sound. It stuck to the word of the Lord, His name and His doctrine. This was in the midst of what was a very religious environment. Satan was using commercial religion as a way to control the city. Creeping commercialism is also a threat to our church communities. Verses 14-15: For a while there was soundness in the church, there were also some serious problems. The believers had gotten entangled in two systems of false teaching. These are identified as Balaamism and Nicolaitanism. Balaam: Obviously these individuals weren't following Balaam, per se, but Christ was using this description to refer to a specific problem. We read of Balaam in Numbers 25:1-9: "While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshipping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel." So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshipping the Baal of Peor." Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them -- through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; -- but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000" (Numbers 25:1-9). Apparently these believers had become intertwined with the pagan community. They mixed the practices of the pagans with those of the church. This included idolatrous feasts in pagan temples, along with the related immorality. They used the temple prostitutes and entered into mixed marriages. We gather from the epistle of Jude that this was an ongoing problem within the church community. Speaking of individuals within the church he says: "Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion" (Jude 1:11). Now from God's perspective, mixed marriages, that is, believer with nonbeliever, are a form of idolatry. The believer is a child of God. The nonbeliever is a child of Satan. By the way, this does not refer to the marriage of two nonbelievers where one is saved after getting married. Christ is warning against the actions of a believer who knowingly marries a nonbeliever. The church and the world were intermixing. While at the time this letter was written, it was occurring on a limited scale, by the time of Constantine, Rome with its mystery religions took on a Christian form and there was a total mixing of the two. Believers would take communion and then run off to idol feasts. This is similar to the current situation in some areas. Some followers of Roman Orthodoxy attend mass and then attend some form of Satanic worship, although they do not recognize it as such. Some pagan practices that made their way into Christianity have included: prayers for the dead, worship of the so-called saints and angels, and worship of the Virgin Mary. Other false teachings that arose over time included the doctrine of Purgatory. Nicolaitans: As already noted, the followers of this cult were involved with an esoteric type of knowledge coupled with a libertine attitude. (4) They would have had much in common with the pagan environment surrounding the Pergamum community. The church became more enamored with the mystery religions. This led to the position that only those with authority within the organization could understand Scripture and teach it. The Word of God was intended for the clergy not the individual. The clergy would interpret for the laity. A final heresy was the denial of the imminent return of Christ. This truth was what characterized the early church and empowered evangelism. With the loss of this hope, the church appropriated God's promises to Israel and applied them to itself. This became the justification for anti-Semitism and the resultant persecution of the Jewish people. The problem for this church wasn't loss of doctrine, it was the blend of worldly philosophy and paganism with the truth of Scripture. If you examine the teachings of many false religions, you will find some of God's truth buried under the pile. Verse 16: Because truth and lies cannot be allowed to mix, Christ calls for repentance. There is only one solution to sin, and that is to recognize and turn from it. These believers had to repent, ask for forgiveness, and purge the lies from their midst. And if they didn't, then Christ would begin the process of judgment. They would eventually lose their effectiveness for Him. They would find it more and more difficult to remain separate from the world. And for practical purposes, they would become irrelevant. Verse 17: Finally, the letter closes with the general warning to all believers. We are to take heed of the words of this letter and apply them, for the believer that takes them to heart will receive the hidden manna. When the ark was still in the midst of the nation Israel, among the objects hidden inside was a sample of manna. This was the miraculous food that God supplied to Israel in the desert. Manna frequently is applied to Christ, the Bread of Life. He is the supplier of eternal life that we, as believers, will receive. He says that if you reject the false bread of the world's philosophies, then you will receive the true bread of salvation from Him. The second promise is that the believer, overcomer, will receive a white stone with a new name written upon it. This was apparently a colloquialism which is unclear. Ryrie believes that: "The white stone may refer to the custom of voting for the acquittal of an accused person by using a white stone (indicating that the believer can be assured of his acquittal before God, cf. Romans 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,"); Others see the stone as representing an invitation to Christ's banquet and the wonderful blessings of Heaven. The new name from God can probably best be understood as signifying our new relationship with Him. While it is not entirely clear what Christ is referring to, it is clear there are blessings awaiting us. Christ will more than compensate us in eternity for whatever we give up in this world. The warning of this letter is obvious. We are to stand firm for the truth of Scripture. We must not let false philosophies come in to corrupt truth. We are called to be in the world but not be of the world. We are to serve as an example and a conduit of God's light, love and mercy. We have something unique to offer. Why would we want to give the world what it already has? We are not to be in partnership with the world. Christ will one day destroy false practices. But the Church must be concerned about its infiltration today. We are responsible for the condition of the Church today, but we need not fear if we remember: "... if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment" (1 Corinthians 11:31). So, we cannot compromise. Are we married to the world, or Christ? Are we settling for fast food or holding out for God's manna? Do we party at the local bistro or are we looking forward to the banquet table in heaven? Let us walk in a way that allows us to be in the world, while not being part of the world. Let us not confuse secondary issues with concern over the false teachings of Satan. Let us be part of our society, as Christ was, so that it can see Him. At the same time, let us not confuse our need for involvement with buying into what the world is selling? Remember how Jesus prayed for us: "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it" (John 17:16). 1. Willmington, Dr. H. L., WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL, 1981., p.542-543. 2. Ibid. 3. Johnson, Alan F., THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY, "Revelation," Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981, p. 440. 4. Ibid., p 435. 5. Ryrie, Charles C., THE RYRIE STUDY BIBLE, "New Testament," Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1976., p. 460. New in Christ New in Christ "New in Christ" is a regular MORNING STAR column written primarily for people who wish to learn more about the basic teachings of Biblical Christianity. The editorial staff at MORNING STAR encourages all readers to use freely this information to help new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord. THE GOD OF THIS WORLD Part 1 of a 2-part series By Toby Trudel Don't let the title of the article fool you. The god of this world is not God the Father, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. Sorry, no points for any of those answers. It's one of the many interesting names found in the Bible for the Devil. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is also called the "prince of this world" (John 12:31). It's a sad truth that although the majority of people in this country believe that some god exists, the idea of there being a real "devil" is often scoffed at, even by professed Christians. This disbelief, as with all errors in spiritual matters, comes from people being ignorant of God's word. The Devil, whose most common name is Satan, is a real person, like God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Note that the term "person" does not always mean flesh and blood. There are different types of bodies in the heavens and on earth. "All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another" (1 Corinthians 15:39-40). The Devil is mentioned throughout the Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the last, Revelation. There's no doubt that he exists. He is the greatest enemy of God and all Christians. His goal for people is simple: Satan hates all of God's creations, especially men and women. As a result, he wants to keep as many people as possible from accepting the Lord. A study of his origin requires a trip through several Old Testament books. This would require more space than we have in this article. Therefore, to summarize, the Bible says that originally Satan was created a good angel with a free will. For some reason, apparently pride, he decided to rebel against God. He led many other evil angels against God. He was defeated and cast out of heaven. However, he was not cast into hell. Many people incorrectly think the devil is safely locked up in hell, just waiting around for some of us to be sent to him. Satan and his angels, also called demons, have free access to the earth and its surrounding atmosphere. For this reason another one of his names is "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is still allowed access to heaven to converse with God. "One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."" (Job 1:6-7). Satan spends his time visiting God to accuse Christians of wrongdoing. That's why he's also known as "the accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10). The good news is there are restrictions to his abilities. He is not all powerful. He can only do what God allows him to do. He can only be in one place at any given time. He can do nothing to change God's future program as described in His Word, the Bible. It's crucial that all Christians are aware of the power of Satan. They need to understand that his tactics are against both believers and non-believers. Remember: Satan's desire is to prevent people from being saved. It is Satan that blinds people to the truth of the Gospel, encouraging them to reject it. "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Because non-believers don't understand the Gospel, they don't realize many of their "harmless" actions follow Satan's will by opposing God's plan for them. Satan has millions of people in his "back pocket," and they haven't a clue about it. When Christians have to deal with being persecuted for what they believe, they are not just struggling against human beings. The battle is also against the powers of Satan whose spirit encourages people to do his will. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:1-2, also see 6:12). An awful and important truth provided by the Lord is there is nothing that a non-Christian can do to stop Satan from interfering with his life. This can only be stopped by becoming born again. Satan can toy with anyone who isn't born again. "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:25-26). He has no control over Spirit-filled Christians lives. However, Satan can make circumstances difficult for believers by causing them problems. Even the apostles, with their tremendous faith, had their travels to spread the Gospel hindered by Satan. "For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us" (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Why are people misled by Satan and his followers? Why can't they recognize him and the evil he represents? Because of clever tactics he uses to trick both believers and nonbelievers. The real Satan isn't a silly looking devil with a pitchfork and horns who scares people, as he is portrayed in the movies and on television. The Bible tells us that before he fell, Satan was God's most beautiful angel. Satan's greatest tactic, aside from getting people to deny his existence, is imitation. The people who do his will may appear good and kind, even religious. They are often intellectually appealing. God says the devil's followers can appear as "angels of light" and "ministers of righteousness." They can even pretend to be apostles of Christ, to deceive people. "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). It's easy for Satan to fool those who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them. He can mislead those who don't know their Bible well. This last point is important because Satan knows how to quote scripture and misuse it. It's easy to see how his earthly ministers can do the same. An amazing example of his deceitfulness is illustrated when he tried to tempt Jesus. Satan took Old Testament verses out of context and perverted their meaning. "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'" (Matthew 4:5-6). Satan misquoted Psalm 91:11-12, leaving out the words in "all your ways." The focus was on Jesus' obedience to the will of God. Satan's power to tempt and deceive will continue to grow. It will reach its peak in the last days before Christ returns to the Earth to set up His eternal kingdom. Besides influencing people to do his will, Satan himself has significant, but not unlimited, supernatural power. He can cause physical ailments in people. Here are three examples of handicaps he caused people during the days of Jesus on this planet. (Jesus cured all three.) Satan caused a man to be a mute. "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed" (Luke 11:14, also see Matthew 9:32-33). Satan caused severe mental illness in a boy. "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment" (Matthew 17:14-18). Satan caused a woman to be badly crippled for 18 years. "Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?" (Luke 13:16) There are other demonstrations of Satan's immense power in the New Testament. He brought Christ up to a high mountain and presented the Lord with a view of his kingdoms. "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me"" (Matthew 4:8-9) Since Satan is the god of this world, these kingdoms were his to give. But, if Christ had accepted the world this way, we would have not have had His sacrifice for our sin. This test was allowed by God, as are all of his activities, so Jesus could prove His sinless perfection. And by doing so, He serves as an example for us. Satan gave a man the power to perform small miracles through sorcery so the local people would think this man was a god. "Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, 'This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.' They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic" (Acts 8:9-11). He gave a young woman the ability to give accurate fortunes allowing her to make money for her masters. "Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling" (Acts 16:16) (This clarifies the apparent power of some psychics and astrologers of today.) We have seen that Satan was created perfect, but because of his arrogance, he rebelled and fell. He is powerful, affecting the lives of believers and non-believers. However, he is not all powerful. He cannot be every place at once, and believers can stand against him. ... And we will see next month, in part 2 of this article, what God has given to believers to combat the attacks we face from the god of this world. Growing in Grace Growing in Grace This column is part two of a series addressing the subject: Recovering the Simplicity of Your Faith. BREAKING THE CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE BARRIER By Pastor Russell Walden Remember the last time you were in crisis and some well-meaning Christian slapped you on the back. He or she bellowed "Just keep on believing!" or "Just have faith, brother - Keep walking in the Spirit." Most people have experienced variations of this experience at one time or another. When you were hurting and in need of support, you wound up fielding well-meant religious clich‚s faster than a goalkeeper on the US hockey team. Perhaps the problem was not lack of good intention. Rather, it was the banal, worn-out uselessness of time-honored religious expressions that have little or no meaning, when you are standing on the precipice of some critical circumstance. Overuse of any buzzword or slogan reduces the original meaning to triviality. Yet Christianity applies these generalized trite statements to hurting lives, with regretful regularity. Even in the Bible, whole passages have been quoted so much they hold little more than poetic meaning. Examples of these would be Psalms 23, John 3:16, Romans 12:1, and others. These verses and also important terms such as "holiness," "sanctification," and "righteousness" have been blurred in meaning through overuse. Total elimination of Christian parlance is not likely, nor desirable. Human beings speak in jargon because they become part of a group or society. Specialized terms or language affirm membership in the group. This is why for lack of any sane reason, doctors speak "doctorese," and lawyers speak "lawyerese," etc. When people are inducted into the group they quickly become conversant in its vocabulary. Unfortunately for the Church, when the language or "Christianese" becomes the only basis of communication, outsiders are alienated. That alienation may be fine for a sports club, or a riding club, but has no place in Christianity in light of the Great Commission. Viewed from an objective standpoint, Christianity is a subculture predominately found in the Western world. As with all subcultures (pop, youth or ethnic) it carries its own nomenclature, jargon and parlance. To illustrate, most Christians are easily identified as Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic or Catholic by merely taking a casual inventory of dress, mannerism, and vocabulary. Other groups in society readily acknowledge this and even foster the development of language, lifestyle and dress peculiar to their group. The different groups in Christianity for the most part, however, wear their peculiarities as badges of spiritual maturity. These supposedly make them better than other Christians. In the midst of this posturing, and religious preening, nonbelievers get left out in the cold, victimized by Christian self-absorption. New converts as well suffer the ill effect of overemphasis of issues of mere style or preference. They can spend more time acclimating to the new lingo, and the nuances of their newly religious lifestyle than in getting grounded in foundational truth. Even fundamental teachings of the scripture can be rejected unless the right phraseology is employed. Many believers cling to practices, beliefs and habits as though their spiritual survival depended on it. Closer examination would show many of these sacred cows simply fall under the heading of style, preference, or eccentricity. Charismatic Christians, for instance, have a particular style of worship, preaching and lifestyle. But in the fundamentals they are not that different from a Southern Baptist or a Evangelical. Yet these groups have very heavy undercurrents of division among themselves. These divisions are not often based on foundational truths, but rather matters of religious protocol. There is nothing wrong with being different from one another. These differences must not become the foundation of walls of separation. Perhaps there should be separation between one group and another. But let it be on the basis of a spiritual reality that carries eternal impact, not just an issue of style or preference. Jesus taught his followers to see themselves as being in the world but not of it. To the non-Christian the perception can be quite the opposite. The unbeliever readily sees Christian society is made up of people who fail, sin, love, laugh and live in generally the same manner as the average person. Yet in company with professing Christians the non-Christian is alienated, not by the greater spirituality of the Christians around him, but by the jargon. This is because he is uninitiated in the idioms and subtleties of "Christianese." His conclusion: "If that's Christianity, I want no part of it." "Christianese" is a confusing dialect. It utilizes metaphor, symbolism, and religious specific verbiage that leaves the uninstructed blank-minded. Words such as "sanctify," "holy," or phrases such as "walk in the Spirit," or "have faith in God," mean different things to different people. At one time certain basic definitions were commonly accepted by the churchgoing population. These phrases and words, however, have become icons used by Christians of all groups, as well as cultists, and New Agers. The need for specific, direct communication of the Christian witness calls for a fresh approach to communicating the faith. Any solution considered must not take for granted that the target for witness understands what is meant by these unclear sayings. The American community has shifted in its make-up over the years. It has moved from a predominately Judeo-Christian community to a multicultural blend. It is comprised of the full spectrum of religious and philosophical beliefs. In the midst of this change, the language used to communicate biblical truth has remained essentially unchanged from a very different time. The primary reason for this is, faith and conviction have become more closely tied to the semantics of Christian jargon rather than a spiritual experience with Christ. Most new convert programs place heavier emphasis on assimilating the new believer into the church family than in helping them appropriate intimate experience with Christ. This must be taken into account and adjustments must be made. Otherwise, we have succeeded in making proselytes, but not necessarily new believers. If you have jargon installed in your mind, it will mean certain things to you. Upon hearing a word or specific phrase, it paints an image in your mind. This is because we generally do not think in words but in pictures and emotional images. Failure to communicate is due to a prejudiced image called an "icon," which exists when words are spoken. You don't communicate because the depth of your emotional and visual experience is not conveyed by the words you choose. These icons do not necessarily mean the same to you as they do the person you are speaking with. This is true whether you are talking about hot rods or the most elevated spiritual themes. Many cults take advantage of Christian jargon by using the standard icons of evangelical Christianity to communicate their beliefs. But when the cultist says he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the mental image is far removed from a born-again believer's conviction of the divinity of Christ. The New Age philosophers and other misleading religions and spiritual disciples are adept communicators. In Christianity, language is everything. Faith comes by what? Faith comes by hearing, by comprehending. But because of the proliferation of Christianity as a religion rather than a vital personal experience, the doors of the Kingdom are closed to all save those who know the passwords. In order to reach an increasingly more sophisticated, educated public, the old clich‚s must be reworked to communicate practical truth rather than mere poetic phraseology. In order to minimize these problems, the following suggestion can be considered: If you want to reach others outside your group you should learn to speak their language. In America, the mistake often made is the equivalent of going to Africa and saying "here's the English Bible, now let's study the word of God." This is why translators spend so much time writing the scriptures in native tongues. You must find a common frame of reference as Paul did on Mars' hill. This is seen in the book of Acts when he declared the Unknown God to the Athenians. Start talking in terms of painting a clearer picture of what you are saying. Ask yourself "when the average person hears this term, what is he going to think?" Going from there, find common language to express your witness. This becomes very challenging when you seek to express the reality behind words like "Jesus," "God," etc. These names mean very different things to different people. To one, Jesus is a figure on a cross. To another Jesus is a concept or an icon that expresses the inward greatness of merely human potential. To still others he is a personal friend, unseen, but ever present to guide through life's experiences. The reference to God or Jesus then can be historical, religious, philosophical, political or personal. This all should be taken into account. The path of progress used in withdrawing from the counterproductive aspects of Christian subculture involves brutal analysis of your own religious mind-set. Butcher the sacred cow and grill your unsaved neighbor a hamburger or a steak. The vital truths of the Word must be broken down to their lowest common denominators. Just as a translator, you should be willing to take the time to know that you are communicating effectively to those you are trying to reach. Breaking the Christian language barrier has its challenges and inherent dangers. As when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, there are many unknown factors. Yet the potential benefits, in terms of personal insight and effective witnessing, far outweigh the drawbacks. This is not a task to leave to the Ivy League, the theologian or Christian philosopher. Jesus challenges us all to fulfill the Great Commission (the great what ... ???). The same Spirit that guided Him will guide you and empower you to communicate your faith with impact and results. Keep the Faith! The WORD for Today The WORD for Today This month, we will continue the series on Communication in Marriage. We intend to examine communication problems in marriage from a biblical perspective. We will show how couples can apply God's word to their marriage. The companion book to this study is H. Norman Wright's COMMUNICATION: KEY TO YOUR MARRIAGE. The book is published by Regal Books and should be available from your Christian book store. This is the fourth of ten articles inspired by a series given by Pastor Geoff Kragen through Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln, California. LET'S TALK In the last few articles, we discussed the biblical view of marriage. In this article, we will review some practical difficulties of communicating within a marriage. These problems are not limited to couples. Communicating effectively is a general problem of our society. First, it is probably a good idea to communicate what we mean by communication. The American Heritage Dictionary provides the following definition: "2.a. The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. b. Interpersonal rapport. c. communications. (used with a sing. or pl. verb). The art and technique of using words effectively and with grace in imparting one's ideas." (1) You can see from this definition there is more to communication than we think. Communicating is an art and requires technique or skill. Like any other skill, to communicate effectively, we must communicate frequently. There is reason to think that one of the primary factors in the decline of communication in this culture is television. Where once families talked or played games together, now they sit like zombies in front of the TV. People can't communicate because they don't practice the art of communication. But, before this becomes a diatribe against TV, let's move on. ... One major problem in communicating is the simple fact that each participant brings in his or her history, background, views and prejudices into a conversation. Therefore, they make assumptions about what the other person means. This is why the primary rule of communication is "NO MIND READING." When I talk to clients I describe these internal biases as filters. None of us see the world as it is, but as we perceive it through our filters. Part of the believers' maturing process is learning to see the world as it actually is, from God's perspective. This means recognizing our filters and depending on the Holy Spirit to remove them. Paul identifies it this way: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). Not surprisingly, our filters can also prevent us from communicating with God, and therefore from walking in His ways. These filters affect the way we express ourselves and hear others. This makes communicating difficult. H. Norman Wright identifies these factors in this way: 1. What you mean to say. 2. What you actually say. 3. What the other person hears. 4. What the other person thinks he hears. 5. What the other person says about what you said. 6. What you think the other person said about what you said. (2) Now, go back and read these statements again. Confusing, isn't it? It is no wonder that we have such a difficult time communicating with each other. So what is necessary to strengthen the possibility of our being able to communicate? Simple -- LISTEN! We need to be willing to listen, more than we need to speak. This is consistent with our responsibility to care for one another. We should put the needs of the other person ahead of our own. If we do, then we will be more concerned with hearing what they have to say and not with the need to get in our "two cents." Understand, listening doesn't mean quietly thinking about what you're going to say as soon as the other person is finished. Listening doesn't mean politely waiting for your turn. Listening doesn't mean hearing the person with one ear, and the TV with the other, while your eyes are roving all over the room. What does listening mean? Let's again turn to the dictionary for a definition: To Listen: "1. To make an effort to hear something. 2. To pay attention; heed." (3) Note: the definition states that to listen requires effort. This is not something that we do easily. This is because we are frequently self-centered, thus, we are more often concerned with getting our point across than listening to what the other person has to say. Much of what I observe in the marriage counseling setting relates to the combined factors of filters and inability to listen. The wife will make an observational statement. "It is going to be tight this month if we are going to pay all the bills." This statement only expressed the fact there were extra bills the month. For example, maybe the annual insurance premium was due, or the dog had to go to the vet, and the fees for the kids extracurricular activities had to be paid. But the husband, when he was growing-up, was constantly put down by his parents. They told him he could do nothing right. So, when his wife commented about their financial situation, he didn't hear her. What he heard was: "You can't do anything right! Obviously, You're not making enough money." What he then thinks is, Don't I work hard, in a bad job? I do this all for the family. Why did my wife always criticize me? Well I'll show her: "If you knew how to handle the money and didn't waste so much on food, you wouldn't be in trouble all the time." And so the wife is crushed. "I don't understand why he is so angry. I do the best I can. He just doesn't understand ..." And so the "conversation" deteriorates into a fight with angry words, hurt feelings, and all because the husband didn't hear what was said. He heard what he thought she said because of the way he feels about himself. The roles could as easily have been reversed. Does any of this sound familiar to you? So, since we all function this way sooner or later, what do we do? We need to have an attitude of communicating with our spouse in a loving manner. We must be more concerned about communicating clearly, rather than protecting our own territory. If we want to listen, then we must encourage the other person to talk. And unfortunately, we frequently have taught our spouse to keep his or her mouth shut. Our own tongue has stilled our spouse. In the above example the husband, feeling hurt, attacked his wife. This fits the theory that the best defense is a good offense, and he is certainly offensive. His cruel words had hurt his wife deeply. James points out this problem in his epistle, chapter 3:2-10. "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven 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 and have been 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." We need to consider how we can unintentionally wound our wives/husbands with an uncontrolled tongue. If we are listening, we aren't talking. If we really listen, we also may realize that we don't need to respond in anger and out of our hurt. And yes, if we listen we will sometimes be hurt. But we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. He chose to be more concerned about our need for salvation than His need to avoid pain. He chose to be hurt so we would gain an eternity with Him. He didn't desire the pain, but He wanted to be obedient. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. ... And being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:42, 44). If we really want to communicate with our spouse, we need to spend time with them. We need to listen. We need to control our tongues, encouraging our spouse to be willing to risk communicating, not teaching them to keep quiet. Finally, I'd like to share some suggestions that the participants in my seminar gave for effective communication: 1. Think before you speak. 2. Don't let your emotions control your words. 3. Letting the person finish what they are saying before coming up with a response. DON'T INTERRUPT. 4. LISTEN -- "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:19). 5. Say things that build up instead of tear down. 6. Don't use empty words. 7. Say it nicely. 8. Allow imperfection. 9. FORGIVE Use the next month to work on these suggestions and see how much this may improve your communication. But remember, the important issue isn't improved communication as much as acting toward your spouse as God desires you to. The bottom line is obedience to God, not results for your efforts. Next time: "From Clich‚s to Vulnerability" 1. AMERICAN HERITAGE ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992 2. Wright, H. Norman, COMMUNICATION: KEY TO YOUR MARRIAGE, Regal Books, Ventura, CA., 1974, p.54. 3. AMERICAN HERITAGE ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY The Roots of Our Faith The Roots of Our Faith THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH "... I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets." (Acts 24:14) BASIC DOCTRINES OF SALVATION - part 1 By Pastor Chuck Cohen King of Kings Assembly Jerusalem, Israel Messianic terms used in this teaching: Yeshua = Jesus Messiah = Christ Tanach = Old Testament (Unless stated otherwise, all scripture verses are from the New King James Version) All of the basic doctrines of the New Testament have their roots deep in the Tanach. It is hard to understand the full meaning of these doctrines unless we dig into their Hebraic soil. This background permeated the hearts and minds of Yeshua and the New Testament writers. Only with this foundation could they "fulfill" The Tanach (i.e., explain the true meaning) from a spirit-anointed point of view. The next several articles in the "Roots" series will explore some basic doctrines pertaining to salvation. Specifically, we will examine what the Tanach says about grace, faith, blood atonement and forgiveness. To give an overall picture, we will start with the Feast of the Lord known as Pesach, or Passover. This particular feast, the first of the seven yearly celebrations mentioned in Leviticus 23, is a dynamic picture of salvation by grace through faith in the blood of The Lamb. The whole story of Israel's redemption from the bondage of Pharaoh and subsequent freedom to receive God's law at Mt. Sinai is a pictorial type Or our redemption from the clutches of sin and Satan and our freedom to live under God's rule. Paul also, uses Tanach scriptures for examples of our walk with The Lord. Thus, this is legitimate exegesis (1 Cor. 10:11). Besides teaching us spiritual truths, Tanach stories recount the penetration of world history by the God of the universe, the God of Israel. These episodes actually happened to a real flesh and blood people. Israel is never just a symbol. Background of the Passover As he book of Exodus opens, Israel finds herself in severe bondage o cruel taskmasters under a tyrant who is using them to build a kingdom and glorify himself. God hears their cries and chooses a man whom He can use as His ambassador, an instrument to set His people free. Moses, who in many ways is a type of Yeshua (see Deut. 18:15-19), is sent as God's prophet to say to the god of this world, "Let My people go!" The Lord knows that Pharaoh will not listen (Ex. 3:19). Pharaoh hardens his heart. Then God stiffens Pharaoh's chosen state of heart, allowing ample opportunity for God to display His power and turn many to Him. This process, found in both Exodus 9:16 and Romans 9:17, is a clear attestation of God's sovereignty in the affairs of men (see Dan. 4:17, 25, 32, 35; 5:21). It is also an attack against the concept of dualism, i.e., that there is in the universe a good force and an evil force fighting for the souls of men. This doctrine is basic to many religions but cannot stand in the light of the Scriptures which declare that our God is the Lord of heaven and earth (Ex. 8:22; Ps. 2:1-9; Isa. 40:17-26; Matt. 11:25; Acts 10:36). We are all familiar with the story of the ten plagues the Lord sent upon Egypt (Ex. 7:14-12:30). Each of these plagues was a specific attack on the gods of Egypt, the last being on the future god-king of Egypt, Pharaoh's son (Ex. 12:12). Note two items that might be overlooked in all this excitement. 1. After three plagues he "Israeli" neighborhood of Goshen was set apart. God protected His people from His wrath to demonstrate His Lordship to the Egyptians (Ex. 8:22,23; 9:4,26; 10:23; 11:7). Believers also live protected from God's wrath. We face the wrath of man (Jn. 16:33), and the discipline of our Father (Heb. 12:511), but in Yeshua, we will escape the wrath God will pour out on this world (1 Th. 5:9). 2. God's judgments were for the specific purpose of redemption; not just Israel's, but also that of the Egyptians! The Lord states nine times that He sends these plagues so that "the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD" (Ex. 7:5,17; 8:10,19, 22: 9:14,29; 14:4,18). This is an example of Ps. 9:16, "The LORD is known by the judgment He executes". Our God still executes judgment on Israel's behalf and will continue to do so until the whole world knows that He is the Lord (Ps. 98:3; Rom. 11:15). On the cross, the Father executed His righteous judgment on our sin, which was laid on Messiah Yeshua (Isa. 53:4-6). Not only by this do we possess he knowledge that God is faithful, just, loving and merciful, but we also now have a heart knowledge of Him. His judgment on our sin removed the barrier, the veil. Now we enjoy a mutual love relationship with Him (Isa. 59,1,2). Exodus 12 - The First Passover As we examine certain verses in Exodus 12, the Egyptian Passover, we will see how they not only relate to our salvation through Yeshua, but bring out facets of God's glorious redemption that the New Testament alone does not. The reason the New Testament does not expand on many root issues is that all its writers, as well as the Spirit of God, assume that believers will study and know Yeshua's Bible, the Old Testament as their foundational scriptures (see 2 Tim. 3:16,17 and the first "Roots" article). v. 1.2 By telling Moses and Aaron that "this month...shall be the first month of the year to you", God indicates that this redemption from bondage in Egypt will mark the start of a new life. We also start a new life when we accept the sacrifice of our Lamb and become "new creatures in Messiah" (2 Cor. 5:17). v. 5 The "lamb without blemish" is a type of the Messiah as a man without sin (Heb. 4:15). In the life of sheep, a "male of the first year" is in the prime of his life as was Yeshua at 33, when He was sacrificed. v. 6 The lamb was examined for four days to see if there was any defect in it, then it was killed. Yeshua walked and taught openly throughout the land of Israel for three years (and some months) so all could examine Him. He once asked, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (Jn. 8:46) None. He is he spotless Lamb of God (I Pet. 1:19). v. 8-11 Israel is commanded 10 eat the flesh of the lamb, which is described in v. 11 as "the LORD's Passover". Compare this with vv. 21 and 27. God speaks of the lamb when He uses the term "the Passover". Paul, by the Holy Spirit said, "Messiah our Passover was sacrificed for us" (I Cor. 5:7). Calling Yeshua "our Passover" is identical to calling Him "the Lamb of God", the title used for Yeshua more often than any other in the New Testament except for "the Messiah", "the Christ" (Jn. 1:41). "Messiah our Passover was sacrificed for us" (I Cor. 5:7) makes perfect sense with this background of Exodus 12 in mind. The Last Supper, which was a Passover Seder, the meal commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, has its roots in Exodus 12. Yeshua broke the bread and told His disciples to eat it. "This is My body..." (Lk. 22:19). This bread, called "the bread of affliction" in the Seder. was unleavened as commanded in Ex. 12:8. Leaven represents the power Or sin (I Cor. 5:6-8). Yeshua, the sinless Lamb, used unleavened bread to represent His body. At the Seder, Jewish traditional calls the cup of wine after supper "the cup of Messianic redemption". Yeshua said this cup now represents His blood that seals the New Covenant promised in Jer. 31:31-34 (Lk. 22:20). "And they overcame him ("...that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan...", v.9) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev. 12:11 KJV) v. 12 This verse reminds us who destroys evil. The Lord says, "I will pass through...Egypt, and (I) will strike all the firstborn...and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am he LORD" (emphasis ours). If we compare this with vv. 13, 23, 27 and 29 we see that only in v. 23 is there reference to "the destroyer". This is not Satan! Satan would not destroy his own kingdom, rooted so firmly in Egypt! God says four limes that He Himself is the destroyer of Egypt's gods. This is none other than the pre-incarnate Son of God Who destroyed the works of the devil in our lives at His first coming (I Jn. 3:8) and will totally destroy Satan's kingdom when He returns (Rev. 11:15-17; 19 21)! v. 13 The children of Israel were commanded in v. 7 to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the door frames of their houses, then they were 10 go inside and eat the Passover meal. Once inside, they would no longer see the blood. The blood was a sign for God. The Hebrew word for "sign" is "ot" and can also be translated as "token", "flag", "monument" or "miracle". The inference here is that God the Father is looking for the blood of His Son applied to our lives and when He sees it, He not only passes over us, i.e., does not allow His wrath to fall on us, but He also protects us when it falls on the world. Yeshua presented His blood to His Father and the Father accepted it (Ac. 20:28; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12,22). We only need to trust in His sacrifice. Another similarity to our salvation is that, unlike the later sacrificial system, the Passover was a "once for-all" deliverance within enemy territory! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;...You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...my cup runs over." (Ps. 23:4,5) In the rest of this chapter the children of Israel are commanded to keep this meal to remember God's redemption for ever. Both Jews and the Gentiles who joined themselves to the house of Israel were to keep is feast (vv. 19, 47-49) as a way to teach the next generation about God's goodness and power (vv. 26,27). We teach this when we keep the Passover as well as when we celebrate Communion. "For as often as you eat this broad and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death [redemption from spiritual Egypt] until He comes" (I Cor. 11:26). The scripture passage instructing God's children to keep a yearly Passover observance is Exodus 12:25-27: "It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service....when your children shall say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' So the people bowed their heads and worshipped." If you can join one this year, you will find it edifying and exciting. "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things ...but with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish or spot" (I Pet. 1:18,19). Conclusion We stated that Passover "is a dynamic picture of salvation by grace through faith in the blood of the Lamb." It was by grace because it was God who delivered the children of Israel when, through faith, they obeyed His instructions to apply the blood. They rested and ate under it's protection until the Lord Himself destroyed His and Israel's enemy. Applying the blood of God's Passover Lamb, resting in Him, partaking of Him and remaining under His protection, we "Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD" (Ex. 14:13). The basics of salvation in both the Tanach and the New Testament are the same. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Ps. 34:8) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn. 1:29) Messianic Studies Messianic Studies "MESSIAH ACCORDING TO ISAIAH" - Part II By Steve Ger From THE LEVITT LETTER This is the second in a series based on the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Specifically, we are studying what this great prophet tells us concerning the life and ministry of our Messiah. What is remarkable about this is that Isaiah is not a New Testament book; it is an Old Testament message written some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ! Centuries before the Messiah Jesus would come to His people, His prophet Isaiah prepared the nation of Israel with a tremendous amount of information concerning what to expect from the Messiah. Although Isaiah doesn't specifically spell out all the details, "the ultimate man, the ultimate king, he does provide the ultimate Davidic figure ...'' many clues, insights and particulars about what the Messiah and His ministry would be like. Last time we focused on Isaiah's revelation of the coming Messiah's humanity, deity, royalty and Davidic lineage. This month we will examine Messiah's roles as prophet, priest and servant. Remember, this is just an overview, not a detailed analysis, so we won't be discussing any one area for too long. Just fasten your seat belts as we sweep across the Messianic map Isaiah has laid out for us! In ancient Israel, there were three holy offices - positions that were set apart and distinct from all other positions in the nation. These three offices were that of prophet, priest and king. We have already seen Isaiah's revelation that the Messiah, who will somehow be both man and God, would be king of united Israel. As a descendant of King David, He would rule from David's throne; the ultimate man, the ultimate king, the ultimate Davidic figure. Just as King David functioned in positions other than that of king of Israel, so will the definitive Davidic king. David also functioned in the role of priest, not a Levitical priest, but one after the order of the king of righteousness, Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). As the chief agent of God's kingdom in Israel, David performed many priestly, worship related activities. For example, David supervised the ark of the covenant (2 Sam. 6), prayed and interceded on behalf of the people (the Davidic Psalms), guided the Levitical music ministry (1 Chron. 6:31; 15:16), wrote Levitical liturgy (2 Chron. 16 and many other psalms) and generally administered the work of the priests (1 Chron. 23). In Isaiah 53:1 0, we learn that Messiah would represent the people to God and intercede on their behalf. He would accomplish this not by offering an animal sacrifice (as a Levitical priest would) but by offering Himself as a sacrifice for their sins. As the definitive priest after the order of the "king of righteousness," Messiah would pay the ultimate price and offer the supreme gift of worship to God. King David, as the author of many of the Psalms, was also a prophet. In fact, he is called a prophet in the New Testament by no less an authority than Peter himself (Acts 2:30). In the same way, Messiah would also be a great prophet. Moses foretold of a great prophet who would be like himself and come some time after his ministry (Deut. 18:15). In fact, the preeminent Jewish messianic expectation has always been for the great prophet of God who would deliver his people and establish the Kingdom of God. Isaiah presents this great prophet in 61:1-2 as bringing good news to the afflicted, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty and the favorable year of the Lord as well as a day of vengeance. Isaiah makes it crystal clear that Messiah would fulfill the prophetic office in the Spirit and anointing of the Lord. These promises from the Old Testament are the very same ministries Jesus enacted in the New Testament (Luke 4). Therefore, we see that the Messiah, according to Isaiah, would execute all three holy offices - king, priest and prophet. There is also another Messianic title found in Isaiah's writings. This is of particular significance because it is a title which both Messiah and Israel share. The title is that of the Lord's Servant. This is a topic which, by itself, could sustain a whole series of articles. The importance of this particular aspect of Messiah's ministry cannot be overemphasized. In a sense, Messiah is not only the perfect Davidic representation but also the perfect embodiment of the nation of Israel. The Lord promises through Isaiah that Messiah will succeed where Israel failed. He will fulfill God's will within Israel and among the nations. Contained in several large passages of Isaiah (42:1-7; 49:1 -7; 52:13-53:12) are what are called the great "Servant Songs." In these sections the prophet describes the ultimate Servant of God. The Servant will perform the will of God in His power and righteousness. The Servant/Messiah will be gentle, submissive and obedient (42:2; 50:6; 53:7). He is also vaguely described as a costly cornerstone and foundation to be believed in (28:16). In His short ministry, Jesus was proven to be the ultimate servant of the Lord. His life was a fulfillment of the promised attributes of Isaiah's Messianic Servant. Because He was able to succeed where the collective nation of Israel failed, we believers have a true foundation and cornerstone for our faith. These descriptions lead us directly into the ministry and accomplishments of the Messiah, but for those deeds and what they will lead to, namely the suffering, death and exaltation of Messiah, we must be patient until next month! Columns Anee M'Amin Anee M'Amin A HARD NUT TO CRACK The Testimony of Sheila Caudill London simply would not do. It was far too damp and polluted - an unsuitable atmosphere in which to properly nurture a frail sickly girl. So, on doctor's orders, Hyman Bukmuz and his wife packed their seven-year-old daughter's belongings and sent her to a boarding school on the coast of England. They had selected it carefully, and, most importantly, it was all Jewish. Hyman Bukmuz was a Latvian ŽmigrŽ. At the age of 16, not knowing a word of English and with the equivalent of about $20 stuffed in his pocket, he boarded a cargo ship for England and set out upon a long arduous journey to freedom. If he imparted anything to young Sheila, it was that Jewish people and Gentiles were "different." Neither Hyman nor his wife practiced religion. In fact, they never mentioned the name of God and understood nothing about faith. But one thing he knew for certain: They were Jews, and Jews and Gentiles did not mix. Sheila's health improved quickly, and six months later she returned to London and entered a private girls' school where she was one of nine Jewish students among 500 Gentiles. "I was told not to affiliate with the others," she recalls today, over 60 years later. "We had Old Testament as a subject, and I was permitted to study it; but we also had New Testament, and I was not permitted to study that. And I couldn't bring any friends home, because all of my friends from school were Gentiles." Through a sense of duty and obligation, Hyman took Sheila to the synagogue on two or three occasions, but each time she left unimpressed by the ritual observance that seemed devoid of joy and genuine faith. She had heard at school that Gentiles worshipped a Jew, and the idea intrigued her, so one day she asked her mother, "What is the New Testament, and why don't we read it?" Her mother replied curtly, "It's a book of lies. We don't use it." By Sheila's 11th birthday, Hitler had seized control of Germany. Jewish people were arriving on the shores of England with only what they could carry on their backs, grateful to have escaped with their lives. In September 1939, England declared war on Germany. Sheila turned 18 the following year and joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. After the December 7, 1941, Japanese bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II and American troops were dispatched to Europe. One day two Americans in a military jeep stopped to ask Sheila directions. The driver of the jeep was the first American to whom she had ever spoken, and in October 1943 Raymond Caudill, of North Carolina, became her husband. Her parents were very upset and bitterly opposed the wedding. "Too many differences," they said. He was an American, much older than she, and his cultural background differed from hers. But worst of all he was not Jewish. "My parents stuck to the old traditions. You only married your own kind." The war ended, and Raymond, a career serviceman, was transferred to California in May 1946. The Caudills settled into a new home south of San Francisco and Sheila met her new neighbors - Bible-believing Christians. "They were Baptists, and I had never heard of Baptists! Soon they learned what we were - nothing - and they began to pray." Her neighbors talked constantly about the Lord, as though they knew Him personally. "I had never heard anyone talk like that. It was very strange." As time passed, Sheila grew more curious and accepted an invitation to attend their church. The message "sounded like a foreign language to me," she said. For some time, Sheila had been contemplating her standing before God. Her days in the Jewish boarding school had instilled in her the importance of righteousness, and she knew that she didn't have any. "If I am to become righteous," Sheila thought, "God Himself will have to make me so." Therefore, a few months later she accepted another invitation to attend her neighbors' church, this time to hear Rev. Louis Berks, a Jewish man who worshipped Jesus as the God and Messiah of Israel. "It's not possible," she insisted. "How can a man be a Jew and believe in the Christ the Gentiles worship? It's just not possible!" She was curious. Attentively she listened as Rev. Berks explained the Lord's Supper in relation to the Jewish Passover. Following the service, she told him that she was Jewish. He led her into the pastor's study and, opening the Scriptures, began to teach her that Jesus fulfilled more than 300 Old Testament prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah, or Christ in the Greek language. Rev. Berks would turn to the Old Testament, read each prophecy, then turn to the New Testament and show her its fulfillment - back and forth, back and forth. She marveled as they journeyed into the Book of Exodus and saw how God had required the blood of a sacrificial lamb to spare the Israelites in Egypt from the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn. "Jesus," he said, "was the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), also slain on Passover (Jn. 19:14)." He explained that just as Moses had used the blood of animals to initiate the covenant made in the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 24:8), Jesus used His own blood to initiate the new covenant that God had promised to the house of Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31-33). "This cup is the new testament [covenant] in my blood, which is shed for you" (Lk. 22:20). "His blood," said Rev. Berks, "must be applied, not to doorposts, but to our lives (Jn. 6:54). Where His blood is applied, there is forgiveness of sins (Rev. 1:5) and eternal life (John 3:16)." Then he read the clearest description of Jesus Sheila had ever heard (she was amazed to learn that it had been written by the Prophet Isaiah more than 700 years before Christ's birth): "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:5-6). Jesus was the Passover Lamb who died for your sins so that you can be spared from eternal death¥ separation from God," Rev. Berks explained. "For he [God the Father] hath made him Jesus], who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Righteousness! God had, after all provided a way for her to obtain His righteousness. How paltry man's feeble good deeds now seemed. For Sheila, the pieces of a hopelessly fragmented puzzle suddenly fit tightly together, forming a beautiful picture of God's righteousness and grace, abundant and free, through faith in the blood of the Lamb. Rev. Berks then read Romans 10:11-13, "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek (Gentile); for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." No difference between Jew and Gentile! All her life she had been taught that there was nothing but difference. It had been drilled into her over and over. How wrong her parents had been. All men are sinners, but the same God who loves the Jews also loves the Gentiles and has made a way for both to obtain His righteousness by placing their faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. On May 16, 1948, in a little Baptist church in California, a whole new world opened for Sheila Bukmuz Caudill as she bowed her head, prayed, and by faith became a daughter of the King. The following year, her husband also gave his life to Christ. For the past 43 years, Sheila has served her Messiah. Raymond was called home to be with the Lord in 1985, but God in His grace has provided the deep and enduring peace that comes only from knowing Him, His faithfulness and love, and the wonderful promises He has given to His children. Her church family has enriched her life over the years with the joy of being "one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28) with all who are members of "the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Truly, she has savored the profound blessing of Ephesians 2:14, "For he (Jesus) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." From ISRAEL MY GLORY magazine Testimony Testimony FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT By John Mulledy My name is John Mulledy. My wife Michelle and I have three sons: John (12), Ryan (10), and Daniel (8). At present we live in Albany, New York and attend Trinity Christian Church. Michelle's grandmother, Philamena Lanno, has been a member of Christian Assembly in Boston, Massachusetts for many years and has never stopped praying for her family's salvation. God started to answer Philamena's prayers one day. Here is how it all happened: I married Michelle in 1980. Our life together was always a battle, full of strife. I lived in a broken home, the son of two alcoholic parents (both parents died suddenly just before and just after my marriage). I became a heavy drinker. I was "Irish Catholic", very religious, but I did not know God and I was lost in sin. At 26 years of age I became the owner of a prosperous auto repair business which grew to be worth about $40,000 in assets and profiting about $250,000 per year. I had several capable employees. I drove expensive cars. We owned a nice home; in fact, I had everything anyone could want. Yet, I was never content. I had no peace in my life. After many arrests for drunk driving, I stopped drinking. My occasional use of marijuana and cocaine was slowly increasing. In 1986 we sold our home. We had $100,000 in the bank and things went from bad to worse. I really started to squander my money. I was spending about $400 per day on drugs (cocaine, marijuana, pills, sniffing heroine). I was extremely depressed and my family life was a disgrace. My sweet wife began to notice how miserable I was and would constantly question me, but I could not tell her the truth. The bills were piling up and we were going into serious debt, even owing the IRS. Everything was collapsing. On one occasion I went to the Bahamas with Michelle. I was still keeping my habit a secret. Michelle thought I was having a nervous breakdown and thought it would be good for me to get away. However, while vacationing, I became terribly ill from withdrawal, and it was at that time that I had no other choice but to tell Michelle the truth; I was hooked on heroine. Afterwards I slept for 12 hours, but what I didn't know until much later was that my wife who was also a Catholic, had prayed for God to reveal Himself to us if He was real, and for help. Four days later on our return flight home, it was there on the plane that it occurred to me that I needed God. At that time, Ed Carroll, one of my clients who had been miraculously delivered from a corrupt lifestyle would continually tell me that I needed Jesus in my life. Ed repeatedly invited me to Bible study but I resisted. Again, the day after Michelle and I returned home from the Bahamas, Ed came to my shop and again invited me to Bible study. This time for some strange reason, I accepted the invitation. It was there that I accepted Jesus into my life. I was elated! I started to attend church with my wife's Grandmother. My life began to change radically and Michelle could not understand. She really thought something was wrong with me when I told her I had Jesus in my heart. She would see me read the Bible, pray, attend Bible studies and church. Then, one night after a few visits to church, during a service, Michelle accepted the Lord and was suddenly enlightened to it all. Later we both obeyed the Lord's command and were baptized in water together. After accepting Christ, our lives were truly changed. The shop was prospering and things were looking like they were getting back in order; even our marriage was healing. How content and peaceful we became. Everything was fine for about five months, then I fell into Satan's trap. I was tempted and I gave into temptation. I left Bible reading, church-going and returned once more to the rotten life of drugs. I lost God's peace and eventually became a bum on the streets of Brighton. The addiction multiplied and all my money was consumed by drugs. In just one year I went in and out of seven secular rehabilitation programs. I could not persevere. The doctors I encountered said that there was "no hope" for me; they said I was "too far gone." The business was now in my wife's name. She obtained restraining orders to keep me away from both the business and the house because I was constantly breaking in and stealing. I went through dreadful periods of hallucinations which horrified my family. With no more access to money I would pray to find $5.00 on the street so I could eat. One day after my wife sold the business (for a small amount) and we had lost everything, I broke into the house and took the last $100 she had. At that point, Michelle realized she was trying to change me in her own strength, and although she was having a hard time letting go, there was no more she could do to control the situation. She screamed out to God to take me away and make it so she could not help me anymore. The next day her prayers were answered. I broke into the house again; and while hallucinating I jumped through a window, ran to a neighbor's house and called the police myself telling them someone was trying to kill me. A few minutes later, approximately 25 police officers arrived. I was arrested and sent to jail on a $500,000 bail! No one could do anything for me now. It was in jail that I returned to God. Thanks to my Pastor (Eugene Palma) and his wife who tirelessly showered my family with God's love, compassion, and wisdom, I was accepted into New England Teen Challenge. The wisdom and love of God in the director, Jim Vitale, and the staff, helped restore me. Michelle's faith in God never faltered. Through God's direction and the advice of Brother Palma, Michelle and the boys moved to Albany, New York to get away from the situation. There she hoped and prayed along with many others that the Lord would complete the work of restoring our lives together. Much prayer was raised for me on a daily basis. I was released from Teen Challenge 14 months later with an added knowledge of God's Word and a sincere determination to serve the Lord and do His will. I went to Albany to join my family. Michelle had already found a wonderful fellowship with Trinity Christian Church and I joined her there. We now have a wonderful home; our marriage has never been better. The Lord has provided me with a fine job at Sears, Inc. and has also given me the opportunity to open my own business again. We are very happy in the Lord and extremely thankful for what He has done and is continuing to do in our lives. We are also grateful to the many who never ceased praying for us. It is my desire that this testimony will be an inspiration to the many who might be going through similar circumstances. God IS faithful in spite of all our failures. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We did. It works. Praise the Lord! Printed with permission from Vista, May-June 1994 issue. The testimony of John Mulledy is endorsed by Pastor Eugene Palma, Rochester, New York. Mission Field Mission Field PERU - 190 TERRORISTS ARE WON TO CHRIST A testimony from an ex-Senderista ... Call me Juan Jose. I'm 37 years old, married and have three children. I'm in the Miguel Castro Castro prison, sentenced for fifteen years of prison because of being a terrorist. I became aware of the Communist Party of Peru ("Shining Path) in January, 1982. At that time I was mayor/justice of the peace in the state where I lived. I had a deep feeling of pity toward the poor people of my community. "Something has to be done," I always said. The political parties didn't do anything. A schoolmate, Jorge, began to tell me that there was hope; that everything could charge and invited me to a meeting. "But don't tell anyone about it," he said. That is how I began to be in those so-called meetings. The ideas seemed to be fabulous. Something had to be done, the whole system had to be changed. The most important thing was to destroy everything and begin to create the new, just society with the debris. I remember that the first thing they told me was: "Companion, what you have to do is to forget everything you've been taught. You are going to be a new type of man. The most important is forgetting about God." In the beginning, this was shocking to me, but soon I was thinking that if there was a God, why doesn't He lighten a bit of this poverty? They used this question to tell me that God doesn't exist; and that was the way I began. First I attended the "school." That is what the meetings for political indoctrination were called. Soon I was going with my companions to learn how to work with dynamite. In February 1984 I was converted to a militia man. Now I officially belonged to the "Ejercito Popular Guerrillero" (The People's Guerrilla Army) or the "Shining Path." This filled me with pride. Now I was known to my superiors. They taught me military tactics¥how to enlist others and how to kill and destroy. In the month of April I traveled to Canta to organize a charter group. Because of my organizational talents, I was getting in higher ranks. Slowly I was unfolding. In one meeting I received a direct greeting from "President Gonzalo" (Abimael Guzman). During this time I began to hate God with all my strength. Every day I convinced myself that He didn't exist. I composed some music for Gonzalo entitled: "Drums of War. This received the recognition of the Metropolitan Committee. As more time went by, the more I gave myself to the cause. I never stayed at home, and in 1985 I was promoted to "Mando Politico" (political command) in the central zone from Vitarte to Chosica. This was a big responsibility so I was able to know more about the Marxist Party. In 1986 they trusted me to do annihilating work. I had to provide my detachment with weapons, dynamite, etc. The objective was a high-ranking government worker. My mission consisted of offering guidance to my companions who were actually going to carry out the annihilation. With 2 lbs. of dynamite for each one, we posted ourselves in the surrounding area where the action would occur. Now God interfered¥He did not allow the man to die. The action failed and I was captured when I tried to flee. So I was brought to the dungeons of the Direcote. At that time people imprisoned for terrorism were placed in the new prison of Canto Grande. Because of the fact I was captured without the dynamite and there was no "proof," I was released in January 1987. I spent six months in prison; far from frightening me, this gave me strength to continue. Every day I was more convinced that we were what the country needed. I was promoted to higher ranks, participated in many terrorist acts, and had regular meetings with the central committee. Now I was an active part of the intellectual movements of the Shining Path, filling myself with more hate every day. In June 1988 I was arrested for a second time in a public school. They found my flyers, documents, flags and two revolvers that belonged to two policemen. I was taken to the prison Miguel Castro Castro. In no time I was taking on the responsibilities of the "Luminosa Trincherade Combate" (L.T.C./ Shining Combat Trench) - teaching others Marxism and terrorism, thus keeping myself occupied day by day. In the month of May 1989, I was sentenced to 15 years of confinement. My wife was following the trial step by step; but soon after the sentence, she no longer wanted anything to do with me although she knew I wouldn't give up my ideals. In the "trench" is a motto that says: "Nothing is impossible to whom dares to scale the heights." This sentence was my motto. In May 1990 a young man with Christian ideas came to the Trench. In a staff meeting, we agreed to let him work" for one week to see how the compatriots could fight him ideologically. To me it was an assignment to persuade him to join our ranks. When I saw Fernando the first time, he appeared to be nice. I started a conversation with him and he asked me a question which made me think for a whole week: "If you die, where are you going?" I was convinced that God doesn't exist, but there came a young man and asked me things I didn't understand. He was telling me that Jesus loved me despite all I've done. At the same time I had to inform the Party of the progress I was making with this young man. They asked me what was happening with me and why I was being so acquiescent. They took me from the position of being his guardian and gave him another one with sharp character. I advised Fernando about this, but he only smiled. It was on June 12 that I couldn't resist any more and gave my life to Christ. Fernando gave me a book entitled Tortured for Christ. Fernando had smuggled this into prison with the help of another person. They also smuggled in flyers entitled "The Way of Salvation through our Savior, Jesus Christ," other books, Bibles and lessons to be studied. My change became well-known as I was ranked number six within the L.T.C. When the group met on June 29, they did not believe that I was an evangelical believer! The night Fernando made a public statement that I had accepted Christ, the Marxist group met and proposed we scare him. I advised against this stating he wasn't doing any harm. The party didn't believe that and began to watch me. Fernando continued to preach and won more people to Christ. I remember one day he told me: "If you gave your life for the Party and the revolution, today give it to Christ our Lord." So on July 3 I renounced the Communist Party/Shining Path for Christ's love. I witnessed how they treated Fernando and his family. In turn, he witnessed what we Christians went through¥we were blackmailed with threats from the Marxists that they would kill our families, they burned our Bibles, we suffered bad physical treatment, and they treated me as if I were mentally ill. On August 24 a group of us Christians left the prison wing for terrorists, area 4-B. Nineteen new brothers in Christ still remain there. There are now 190 Christians altogether in this section of the prison. Now I give thanks to God for Fernando and The Voice of the Martyrs' help. We identify with this group after being saved by Jesus from a diabolic doctrine Today I am pastoring a flock in the prison. We have many needs here. Before, I organized "People's Schools." Now I organize Sunday schools. I know my life isn't worth anything, but I have Christ; and I know when I die, I'm going to be in God's presence. We may not see each other here on earth, but one day we will see each other in heaven. I hope that my testimony is an inspiration and help to other young people to choose the right way. Jesus is the only way. Juan Jose NOTE: Fernando has been a member of our mission for many years working with our director Jose Zapata. One day he was taken to prison in a most unjust way, according to human eyes, but in accordance to God's plan. There he received the answer to his prayers. One time he told me, "I want to witness to the Shining Path terrorists who are in prison." I answered him, "Pray to our Lord and He is going to use you as an instrument to bring the Communists to the feet of our Lord Jesus." Fernando's family suffered very much when their exemplary son was taken to prison. The prosecuting attorney asked for a penalty of ten years and in the end Fernando was absolved. In prison, he was not mistreated physically or psychologically. But he led more than 100 terrorists to Christ. Many of them are now free and others work in the prison. One of these Senderistas told me, "Pastor, today I'm really free in Jesus Christ, our Lord." Today Fernando is married. The Lord has given him and his faithful wife a precious son. Does Fernando still work for our Lord? Yes, more faithfully than before. May the Lord bless him and his family! From THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS - April 1994 P.O. Box 443 Bartlesville, OK 74005 (918) 337-8015 Prison Ministry Prison Ministry WHAT DOES "FATHER" MEAN TO YOU? Father. What does that word mean to you? Sunday, June 19, is Father's Day. If you are a father, perhaps your children will do something special for you. Or maybe you'll drop a note or do something special for your own father. Then again, maybe not. For many people, "father" is not a positive word. Some have little or no memory of a father. Theirs was never there or he walked out early in their lives. For others, "father" brings horrible memories of abuse, violence, or betrayal. They have no model for how a father ought to be. The Bible consistently calls God "Father." He's the right kind of father. Loving. Consistent. Corrective. Kind. Tender. Tough. Forgiving. Join the family Whether or not you have known the positive love of an earthly father, your Heavenly Father wants you as part of His family¥right now. But He won't force you. You have to make the move. Here are the steps: > Admit you're a sinner. The Bible says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) > Confess your sin and ask forgiveness. In I John 1:9 God promises, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." > Accept the gift. God gave us His Son, Jesus. Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. John 14:6 says. "No one comes to the Father except through me." Here's a sample, prayer: Dear God, I know I'm a sinner. But I also know that You love me. I accept Your forgiveness by inviting Your Son, Jesus Christ, to come and live in my heart. Thank you for the forgiveness of sins. Thank you also for the gift of eternal life which comes by making this decision. In Jesus' name, Amen. Praying this prayer with sincerity makes you a Christian, a new member of God's family. To grow in your new faith, read the Bible regularly. Talk often with God (that's prayer). Get into fellowship with other believers so you can learn and grow. Your commitment to follow the Heavenly Father makes Him rejoice. Happy Father's Day! From INSIDE JOURNAL May/June 1994, P.O. Box 16429, Washington, D.C. 20041-6429. Education Education JUST THE TURN OF A PAGE By Mr. William F. Stevens, Jr., Headmaster Schenectady Christian School, Scotia, New York "Time passes so quickly," people say. We look at our children and wonder where the years have gone. We look in the mirror and have similar thoughts! We long for the "good old days," when life seemed simpler, when values were clear and there was a basic understanding of good and evil . . . right and wrong. Those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's have seen a dramatic difference in the ethics of our society, yet we are now experiencing, not only a longing for those former times, but a cry of emphasis on the need for returning moral character to the educational process. (1) The Bible provides a vivid illustration of this in just the turn of a page. The book of Joshua states that Israel "served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders . . . who had experienced everything the Lord had done." (2) Yet just one page later in the book of Judges we read, "After the whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done." (3) It doesn't take long, does it? Just the turn of a page. I remember when I first came to the Christian school and was invited to lunch by the local school district superintendent. After discussing a variety of subjects, he shared with me a story of how the parents and community leaders of the district had come to him with a united outcry that ethics be taught in the schools. When he asked, "Whose ethics should we teach?" they responded, "Yours!" How I thank God that I teach a morality that has already been established by a "Higher Authority!" How I praise Him for raising up Christian schools where the eternal truths of God form the basis for all learning. God has given us moral principles, based on His Word, upon which our whole society is to be grounded. As in the case of Israel, it will only take one generation that forsakes God to change the moral focus of a people. Just the turn of a page. The monumental (and historic!) work of the CoMission, in a unique Christian outreach to public school teachers in the former Soviet Union, is the 20th century antithesis of what happened in Joshua. The people of the Soviet Republics are feeling the void in their lives and searching for the "solid ground" on which to build a new society. We in America, who have possessed a godly foundation, are forsaking the God of our heritage. On one of my trips, a university professor in Perm, Russia told me, "Bill, I do not believe in this Jesus of yours, but if Biblical ethics are not taught in our schools, our society will collapse!" What a sobering statement . . . a non-believer who would still believe in the importance of Biblical morality being taught to the next generation. Who would have thought this could be happening in Russia in our lifetime. Yet it was simply the turn of a page. We, who have dedicated our children, our teaching, and our careers to the ministry of Christian education, can take tremendous encouragement from the testimonies of The CoMission laborers. We can be refreshed in knowing that our Christian schools serve as a light in the darkness, holding forth the Word of light. We can take courage in hearing how former Soviet schools are willingly adding Bible curriculum to their programs, and how children are hearing God's Word . . . many for the first time. In the most recent issue of Educational Leadership, the focus is on the "Public Schools and the Christian Fundamentalists." While it makes for interesting reading in how the public educational system views Christianity, there is one thread that seems to run throughout . . . that the Christian mindset "conflicts" with that of the established educational culture. Robert J. Marzano in his article "When Two Worldviews Collide" states that, "although education has not written credo, it does have a strong culture that implicitly passes on certain assumptions and operating principles." (4) This is true for all education in every country. That is why God made it quite plain in the Scriptures that His people were not to integrate their culture (and their children) with those that do not hold to the Biblical worldview. Unfortunately, it did not start out this way, but look at where we are now . . . with just the turn of a page. These are exciting days for us in the Christian school movement. In the words of Jim Braley, "God has raised us up for such a time as this." Alexander Solzhenitsyn predicted the fall of Western culture because "Men have forgotten God." (5) Christian schools exist to support the home and the church in their work of remembrance. The Psalmist states that, " . . . so the next generation would know, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands." (6) God knew how important it was for us to remember Him. The Russian people are turning to Him, while our society continues to forget that we knew Him. It frightens me to think where our nation would be without Christian schools. Let us pray we never find out. After all, it could be just the turn of the page. (1) Kilpatrick, William, Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1992. (2) Joshua 24:31. (3) Judges 2:10. (4) Marzano, Robert J., "When Two Worldviews Collide," Educational Leadership, Vol. 51, Dec. '93. pp. 6-11. (5) Solzhenitsyn, Alexander, "Men Have Forgotten God," The Templeton Address, 1983, in National Review, July 22, 1983, p. 873. (6) Psalm 78: 6 & 7. Used with permission from the Publication of the Association of Christian Schools International, Whittier, California. Music Music PATRIOTIC MUSIC By Teresa M. Giordanengo I am humbled and deeply moved when I think of the beautiful music that was written as a tribute to our blessed country, The United States of America! Surely, God has shed His grace on these fifty states. One of my favorite patriotic hymns is, America the Beautiful. The inspirational words were written by Katharine Lee Bates, and the beautiful music by Samuel A. Ward. Katharine Lee Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts and graduated from Wellesley College, in 1880. After teaching high school for six years, Katharine returned to Wellesley and eventually became head of the English Department. During her long professional career at Wellesley, she became widely acclaimed for her many books, of which she authored or edited more than twenty on various subjects. Miss Bates was first inspired to write patriotic verse, in 1892, in recognition of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America, a year every elementary school child knows so well, 1492. The following year she was visiting and teaching, during the summer months, in the state of Colorado. It was while viewing the countryside from the beautiful summit of Pike's Peak, a summit which towers more than 14,000 feet above sea level, that she was further inspired to write a national hymn. This hymn would describe the majesty and vastness of our great land. She writes, "It was there, as I was looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under the ample skies, that the opening lines of this text formed themselves in my mind." Still later in that same year of 1893, she visited the Columbian Exposition of the World's Fair that ran for several years in Chicago. On the side of this exposition, magnificent buildings were erected. Every structure, designed by Daniel Burnham, was a masterpiece of planning, construction, and beauty. Thousands of people came from all over the world to marvel at the splendor and to stand enraptured before the grandeur of such a spectacle. She writes, "The expression 'Alabaster Cities' was the direct result of this visit. It made such a strong appeal to my patriotic feelings that it was, in no small degree, responsible for at least the last stanza. It was my desire to compare the unusual beauties of God's nature in this country with the distinctive spectacles created by man." It is interesting to note, that each stanza is rounded off with the earnest prayer, that God will always help our land to attain its real destiny. The hymn also reminds us forcibly of our noble heritage, the Pilgrims as well as the liberating heroes. In this hymn, as in her other writings, Miss Bates spoke often of the truth, that unless we crown our good with brotherhood, of what lasting value are our spacious skies, our amber waves of grain, our mountain majesties or our fruited plains? She would add, "We must match the greatness of our country with the goodness of personal godly living." She also spoke often of the two stones that played such important roles in our nation's history: the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and Plymouth Rock. "If only we could couple the daring of the Pilgrims with the moral teachings of Moses, we would have something in this country that no one could ever take from us." The first stanza of this beautiful hymn is as follows: O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea. I was privileged to hear a male vocal group, The Couriers, sing at a church near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their pianist, Neil Enloe wrote the words and music to a thought provoking patriotic hymn, Statue of Liberty. The hymn is about the lady in New York harbor who stands with a torch raised to the sky. All who see her know she stands for liberty for you and me. In the second stanza, Neil Enloe wrote about the cross that stood on lonely Golgotha, with our Lord raised to the sky. All who kneel at the cross of Jesus, live forever. This rugged cross is our Statue of Liberty. As the statue liberates the citizen, the Cross liberates the soul. On July 4th, for many years, a boat sailed in the New York harbor around the Statue of Liberty, while the people on board sang this beautiful hymn. I am sure many thanks and praises were offered to the Lord at this time. What an exhilarating experience this would be! How thankful we should be that we can put our trust in God and know that He has everything under control. Flo Price wrote the words and music to Trusting is Believing. I especially like the way she describes the phrase, Trusting is Believing: "It's like giving your hand to Jesus, and knowing He won't let go. We will trust Him because He loves us so." What encouraging words! Irving Berlin wrote the words and music to God Bless America. In this solemn prayer, Mr. Berlin asks God to bless the land that is so dear to his heart. The chorus is as follows: God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her, Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains to the prairies, To the oceans white with foam. God Bless America, My home sweet home. God Bless America, My home sweet home. I can't help but get a lump in my throat when I hear this inspirational music about America, the home of the free and the brave. Yes, I am proud to be an American and so thankful to God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Let's continue to pray that God will bless the U.S.A. Pray for our people and for our leaders. Pray that the Lord will guide us and keep us always in the hollow of His hand. Proverbs 14:34 says, "righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always! Chef's Corner Chef's Corner THESE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH RECIPES WERE GRANDMA'S FAVORITES. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM TOO. OLD-FASHIONED APPLE DUMPLINGS - Combine 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a saucepan and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup butter. Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons baking powder, and cut in 3/4 cup shortening. Add 1/2 cup milk and stir until just moistened. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut into 6 equal squares. Pare and core 6 small (Jonathan) apples, and place one in the center of each square. Sprinkle with additional sugar and spice and dot with butter. Bring up corners of pastry and pinch edges together firmly. Place one-inch apart in well-greased baking dish and pour sauce over all. Bake in a moderately hot over (375 degrees Fahrenheit) 45 minutes, basting frequently. Serve warm. Yield: 6 servings. NOTE: Red cinnamon candies may be added to syrup for color and flavor. CHESTNUT SOUP - Shell and blanch 1 cup chestnuts. Place two cups of chicken stock in the soup kettle and cook the chestnuts in it until they are tender. Then drain and salt and pepper lightly (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Set the chestnuts aside, add the chicken stock in which they were cooked to two more cups of chicken stock, place all in the kettle, and bring to a boil. Put the chestnuts in the soup tureen, pour the stock over them, and serve at once. Yield 4 servings. ALMOND BALLS SOUP - Blanch and chop 1/2 cup almonds rather fine. Mix with 1/3 cup bread crumbs, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the beaten white of two eggs to bind. Form into tiny balls, roll in what remains of the egg whites, drop into hot oil, and brown lightly and quickly. Shake the pan constantly while the almond balls are browning. Remove when golden and drain on brown paper. Place in tureen and pour about 4 cups chicken stock over them. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings. FLANK STEAK - Score 1 good-sized flank steak on both sides, rub with a half lemon and rub in 1/2 teaspoon sugar. For the stuffing combine, 1 loaf stale bread cut fine, 1/4 cup cold water, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 beaten egg, and 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning. Spread thickly on the steak, roll and tie. Brown on top of the stove in a pan containing 2 or 3 slices of bacon. Slice 1 onion over the steak, add 1 cup of water and place in the oven at 325 degrees. Roast slowly for 3 hours. Yield: 4-6 servings. VEAL WITH SOUR SAUCE - Dredge 1 rump of veal in a little flour and salt and pepper. Place in a pan with a little shortening, and sear quickly, turning until brown. Place in kettle, add water to cover, and pot roast for two hours. When water is cooked down and veal is becoming tender, add 1 cup vinegar (or cooking wine), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 minced onion, and 1 cup hot water. Cook 45 minutes longer. Pour sauce over veal and serve. Yield: 6-8 servings. SWEET POTATO BALLS - Blend 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 2 eggs, beaten separately, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Form into balls. Let stand for a while, then dip first into bread crumbs to which 1/4 teaspoon salt has been added, then dip the balls in 1 beaten egg, and then again in the crumbs. Fry quickly in deep, hot oil. Drain on absorbent paper, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Yield: about 10 potato balls. GERMAN SWEET-SOUR BEANS - Cook 1 quart fresh butter beans in boiling water until tender, about half an hour. Drain. Slice 1 onion and mix through the beans. Make dressing by beating together 1 cup sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour over the beans and onion. Let stand for an hour and serve. Yield: 6-8 servings. BAKED LIMA BEANS - Cover 2 cups dried lima beans with cold water and soak overnight. In the morning, pour off the water, cover with fresh water in a pan, and simmer until beans are tender. Drain, put in bean pot with 6 slices bacon. Mix 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger, with a little water. Add 3 tablespoons molasses and mix. Pour over the beans to cover. Add about 1/2 cup boiling water if there is not enough of the liquid. Bake in bean pot, covered, for 4 hours at 250 degrees. Add more hot water if necessary. Stir occasionally. Uncover and raise the heat to 300 degrees until beans are tender and browned on top. Yield: 6 servings. POTATO TWISTS - Place 1 cup hot mashed potatoes, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 tablespoon melted shortening, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1 cup scalded milk. Let stand until lukewarm. Beat 1 egg lightly, and add. Add 1 1/2 yeast cakes, dissolved in 1/2 cup potato water. Stir in about 6 cups flour gradually until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Cover tightly and let rise until light - about an hour. Turn out on floured board and knead vigorously, adding flour if needed. Return to bowl and let rise again. Knead again, chopping through the dough with a knife to make the bread fine textured. Return one third of the dough to the mixing bowl. Divide the remaining dough in two parts. Roll one of the parts into three long, narrow strips. Pinch together at the end and braid these to form loaf. Repeat with other part. Place in greased 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 inch bread pans. Take the dough remaining in the bowl, divide in two parts, and make two similar smaller braids. Moisten tops of large braids in pans with a little milk, place small braids on large braids. Brush with melted butter. Let rise until loaves have doubled in size. Bake in oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until loaves have commenced to brown. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and finish baking, about 50 minutes. Yield: 2 loaves. COFFEE CAKE - Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt with 1/2 cup shortening and butter that has been mixed together in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons flour and 1 yeast cake that has been dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water that potatoes have been boiled in. Set aside in a warm place to rise. About an hour later, beat in 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup cream. Sift 4 cups flour three times and add, alternating with 1 cup scalded milk that has been cooled to lukewarm. Add 2 beaten egg whites and set aside again for another hour. Slightly warm deep pie tins, grease them, flour lightly, and fill two-thirds full with the paste. Set pans aside to rise, and when the dough has risen to the tops of the pans brush the cakes with a little melted butter. FOR CRUMBS - Mix 1 cup sifted flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/3 cup shortening or butter. Spread this mixture thickly over the cakes and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes - or until golden brown on top. Yield: six 7-inch cakes. STREUSEL-FILLED COFFEE CAKE - Sift 1 1/2 cups flour and 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup shortening, as for pie. Add 1 egg, well beaten, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. STREUSEL FILLING - Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1/2 cup nutmeats. It will be stiff and break into crumbs. Put half the cake batter into 9-inch pans, spreading well over the bottom of the pans. Sprinkle well with the streusel, add another layer of the batter, top with the streusel. Bake in 375 degree oven for about half an hour. SHOOFLY PIE - FILLING: Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over 1 teaspoon baking soda and stir into 1 cup molasses. Line 2 pastry tins with pie crust, pour in mixture equally, to half fill pies. CRUMBS: Mix 4 cups sifted flour, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup shortening, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle on top of filling. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Yield: two 8-inch pies. BUTTERSCOTCH PIE - Line a pie tin with rich pastry. RICH PASTRY: Sift 1 cup flour into a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut in 5 tablespoons butter. Mix lightly. Stir in 1 egg yolk. Add 1 tablespoon ice water. Chill. Roll out lightly on a floured board. One tablespoon of lemon juice may be added if preferred, for fruit pies. Makes one 9-inch crust. Chill again before filling. To make the BUTTERSCOTCH PIE, line a pie tin with rich pastry. Bake the shell until medium brown. Cream 2 tablespoons butter with 1 cup brown sugar and add 2 scant tablespoons flour. Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler and bring to a boil. Beat 2 egg yolks lightly and mix with 3/4 cup water (or milk if preferred); add to the mixture. Simmer until thick and smooth. Place the custard in the baked pastry shell, having added 1 teaspoon vanilla last, when the custard was taken from the stove. Beat 2 egg whites stiffly with pinch of salt. Mix lightly with 2 tablespoons white sugar and spread over the top of the pie. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. Turn off heat, let stand in oven for a few minutes. Yield: one 8-inch pie. DUTCH SHORTBREAD - Grate the rind of 1 lemon and mix with 2/3 cup sugar. Cream 1 cup butter and add the sugar and lemon rind. Cream together. Beat in 1 egg with a pinch of salt. Add 6 hard-boiled egg yolks, put through a sieve. Stir in 3 cups sifted flour. Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts. Flatten with a fork. Dip them in 1 egg white, slightly beaten. Roll them in 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and 1/3 cup chopped nuts. Bake in 325 degree oven until golden brown. PEACH PUDDING - Cream 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/2 cup sugar, add 1 beaten egg, 1 cup milk, 2 cups sifted flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, pinch of salt, and mix well. Butter a loaf pan, line with 2 cups sliced peaches, pour the batter over the peaches, and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Yield: 6 servings. MORAVIAN PLUM PUDDING - Sift 1 1/2 cups flour several times and resift with 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix together 1/2 cup chopped suet, 1/2 cup currants, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped citron and dredge lightly with a little of the flour. Resift the rest of the flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup brown sugar. Combine with the fruit and suet and mix with 1/2 cup molasses. Add 1/2 cup cream and 1 wineglass brandy. Pour the batter into a greased pudding mold and cover tightly. Steam for 3 hours. Uncover and place in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes to dry a little. Serve with wine sauce or hard sauce. Yield: 8 servings. WINE SAUCE - Cream 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 cup butter, add 1 egg. Place the bowl in a pan of boiling water and stir until the mixture melts. Add 1 cup wine and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. HARD SAUCE - Sift 1 cup confectioners' sugar and cream with 1/2 cup soft butter, adding 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring. If preferred, beat in 1 egg. When sauce is smooth, chill until firm. To Serve the Lord To Serve the Lord TO SERVE THE LORD By Michael Wilkinson "Turn from the wayward passions of youth, and pursue justice, integrity, love, and peace together with all who worship the Lord in singleness of mind; have nothing to do with foolish and wild speculations. You know they breed quarrels, and a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome; he must be kindly to all. He should be a good teacher, tolerant, and gentle when he must discipline those who oppose him. God may then grant them a change of heart and lead them to recognize the truth; thus they may come to their senses and escape from the devil's snare in which they have been trapped and held at his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26). The Christian life is to be a one of service for God. Although we are not all professional clergy, we all are to profess our faith by the way we live and how we communicate with others. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the way Christians should act when we serving God. He spoke of our call to lead others to the knowledge of His truth. Paul was concerned that the message of the gospel might not be received. This could occur if its messengers did not conduct themselves properly or have proper concern for the fate of the listeners. First, he warns that we must flee from youthful passions that would have us serve our sinful natures rather than the Lord. A Christian, who is sold out to passions of hatred, greed, malice, lust, selfishness, envy or pride will not be able to serve the Lord. This is because no one will believe the Lord can be found amidst such hypocrisy. Next, we need to be gentle, and not quarrel, in order to minister God's grace to those around us. His purpose is for us to win souls, not arguments. "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle" (Proverbs 18:19). Therefore, we should be concerned with our relationship to the person we minister to. We must not allow our pride to make us lose sight of the goal of winning our brother for the Lord. Paul then discusses the need for us to teach and correct others who oppose the truth. No one is able to do this who does not study and obey the Bible. "Urge the younger men, similarly, to be temperate in all things, and set them an example of good conduct yourself. In your teaching you must show integrity and seriousness, and offer sound instruction to which none can take exception. Any opponent will be at a loss when he finds nothing to say to our discredit" (Titus 2:6-8). The goal in serving the Lord is to honor Him before men so that they may repent and be saved. And having been saved, that they may grow in Him and not depart from the truth. Satan is our opponent, for he seeks to keep the lost imprisoned with him. It is God's goodness that leads men to repent and be saved (see Romans 2:4). How great is our calling, that we may be a part of God's plan to reach lost souls. Let us live good lives and reach out to those who need Him. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30). Poetry Poetry THE GREAT JUDGMENT MORNING I dreamed that the Great Judgment Morning Had dawned and the trumpet had blown, I dreamed that the nations had gathered, For Judgment before the white thrown. From the Throne came a bright shining Angel, Who stood on the land and the sea. And swore with His hand raised to heaven, That time was no longer to be. The rich man was there but his money Had melted and vanished away; A pauper, he stood in the Judgment; His debts were too heavy to pay. The great man was there but his greatness When death came, was left far behind; The angel that opened the records, No trace of his greatness could find. The widow was there and the orphan God heard, and remembered their cries. No sorrow in heaven forever, God wiped all the tears from their eyes. The gambler was there, and the drunkard, And the men that had sold them the drink; With the people who gave them the license, Together in hell they did sink. The moral man came to Judgment, His self-righteous rags would not do. The men that had crucified Jesus, Had passed off as moral men too. The souls that had put off salvation, Not tonight; I'll repent by and by; No time now to think of religion, But alas, they had found time to die. Then O what a weeping and wailing As the lost were told of their fate; They cried for the rocks and the mountains; They prayed, but their prayer was too late. THE FINAL BATTLE Gene Ilten Nevada City, CA We are here, waiting. All the infinite amount of training and practice. All the time. Hours, days, eons. How long has it been? It all seems a blur. A distant memory. Of a life lived and gone. Yet still a part of me. How long have I been a part of this army? Still we wait. Swords drawn. Armor shining white. Awaiting the call to battle. Awaiting the King's command. Horses prance in anticipation. We shift in the saddle. The forces wait. The King, great and good. Paces at the head of the troops. Dressed in white, shining as the sun. He looks at the objective, face furrowed in concern. Do I see a tear in His eye? Does he still bear the pain even at this late hour? Does He still have compassion upon an enemy people? Who do not listen, who have hardened their hearts. Yes our King, full of compassion and grace. Sits upon His white horse. Eyes flaming fire. He is called Faithful and True. Robe dipped in blood. His name The Word Of God. On His robe and thigh is written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. How long will He wait? The call comes. Like the rolling of thunder and the flashing of lightning. The Father gives the command. Our King looking up, Says, "Holy Father, righteous and true, are there no more to come into the Kingdom?" Again the sound of the thunder, almost too loud to endure, "No my Son. Your time is now. Let us bring all things to completion. Let it be done." The King now turns to us. His face now resolute, full of judgment. It is fierce to look upon. His wrath, about to be poured out. There will be no more mercy. He draws his sword. The trumpets sound. He calls, "Now my children, now is the day of fierce judgment." "Now we ride to bring all to completion. We go to establish My Kingdom upon the Earth. We ride to bring righteousness and peace." We raise our swords and shout "Amen, Lord we ride, For the Father, for the Son, For the Holy Spirit." We sound the battle cry, "For the King and For the Lamb!" "Let the kingdom of the world become the kingdom of our God, and of His Christ!" We turn toward our objective; the place called Har-Magedon (Armageddon) And we ride.