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END-TIME
CHURCH / PLURALISM
- GREETINGS
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- QUICK VIEW OF UPDATED INDEXES
http://cephas-updates.cephasministry.com
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-
"But, beloved, remember ye the
words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the
last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These
be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others
save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the
garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep
you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen.(Jude 1:17-25 kjv)
- To the 7th church applies
to today: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans
write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that
thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and
have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee
to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the
shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at
the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches. (Revelation 3:14-22 kjv)
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- : We believe every word in the KJV Bible and believe it is
the Word of God and that Jesus is the Christ, God Himself, who
spilled His blood on the cross for our sins and rose again to
prepare a place for those who repent and accept 'His' righteousness
as their righteousness and repent. They are those who accept
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, Jews first and then Gentiles.
"Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
We invite you to take this opportunity to say 'yes' to Jesus
and commit your life to Him only by clicking on this link: Salvation
- Luke 12:20,21 "But
God said unto him, "Thou fool,
this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth
up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
We pray the Lord will bless you with a thirst for truth and a
desire to serve Him exclusively, in Christ Jesus, Cephas Ministry
/ Cephas Library.
- For the updated (red sparkles) main index go to http://www.cephasministry.com/index2.html
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- We at Cephas Ministry cordially invite you to subscribe
to our free newsletters for controversial News Updates regarding
Church / Global Issues / Israel, edited by Rita
Williams, Cephas News Pulse and Rapture Watch by
Jamma Mokhriby at http://www.cephasministry.com/mail/
- If you have questions you might check out related websites:
- http://rapturewatch.cephasministry.com
- http://rock-to-salt.cephasministry.com
- http:/www.cephasministry.com/index2.html
- http://www.cephasministry.com/index_news.html
- MORE GREETINGS to all and the newcomers to this list. We'd
like to introduce ourselves. George and Rita Williams founded
this ministry. We were Mormons (Temple Mormons) for 20 years.
We prayed to God in 1992 to allow us to do a ministry speaking
out against Scientology. Six months later God led us to the truth:
out of the cult of Mormonism. We did not know at the time we
were in a cult. No-one had witnessed to us in 20 years.
- The Holy Spirit brought us to information about all the cults
and the present development of the New World Order. We began
bringing our research to you. Because all the research was already
done, we decided to build a library within Cephas Ministry. Our
newsletters are not designed to provoke
anger which is strictly prohibited in Scripture. It is to shed
light on activities by those who would deceive those who are
recorded in the Book of Life by devious methods and systematic
plans.
- We are Bible students and have left all worldly organizations.
We attend church if the message is from the authorized Bible.
The focus of these newsletters is to prove why we had to leave
the world system. We are called 'Watchmen on the Wall' which
God always had during the Old / New Testament Times.
- To understand what is happening, one has to know the Bible
to compare notes.
- The first section is about the church.
The news about churches is unedited unless indicated by Ednotes.
The church as we knew it, is undergoing disintegration. This
began on a fast track in the early nineteen sixties when the
Catholic Church produced liberal Vatican II to replace Vatican
I.
- The trend since then has been ecumenical which is truly what
the word 'Catholicism' means: a universal religion all
inclusive and multicultural. The Bible calls for a final church
which doesn't resemble what Jesus taught. The Word of God has
undergone many changes to fit the present mode. The Bible calls
for a falling away from the truth before Jesus
comes back for His Bride, the true believers are called 'Ekklesia.'
Our newsletters prove this fact and prove that the Bible is true
from beginning to end.
- The second section is about globalism
where we bring your attention to the social, political and global
trend, so called democratizing what is left. One third of the
world still remains to be taken over. It again proves that we
are moving to closure of the times of the Gentiles prophesied
in the Bible.
- The third section compliments End Time
teachings with what is happening in Israel. We describe and watch
for signs of the coming Tribulation to confirm that we are moving
into that space of time.
- Watchmen on the wall do not solicit memberships. We have
an email group that gets information when we upload new information
and a newsletter whenever it is possible time wise. We love the
Lord with all our hearts and minds and we love all people God
has created but especially those who love our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Our Statement of Faith is at http://www.cephasministry.com/statement_of_faith.html
- To email go to: http://www.email-cephas.com
- To subscribe or unsubscribe go to: http://www.cephasministry.com/mail/
-
 TODAY'S 'HOLY SCRIPTURES' STUDY:
THE ASSAULTS ON DOCTRINE
- (continued from the March Newsletter). (Please Note:
Corruption of the second witness can be a problem even when the
passage in question has no obvious impact doctrinally, the passage
occurs in one of the four Gospel accounts, and if it has an irrefutable
parallel in another of the Gospels, the extra differences introduced
by Codex B (**) have the inevitable effect of causing further
doubt in the reader’s mind as to the reliability of Holy
Writ. For example, the word “wife” has gone missing
in both Matthew 19:29 and Mark 10:29 but has been allowed to
remain in the parallel statement in Luke 18:29.)
Earlier I likened Satan’s attack on the Bible to a knife
through the heart. Sure enough, the enemy’s main target,
in terms of doctrinal corruption, is the heart of the Gospel.
It goes without saying that the heart of the Gospel is the Lord
Jesus Christ, The above list included two instances of our Savior’s
nature and ministry being injured. Here is a selection of further
occasions, to show how wide-ranging the attacks are. (Again,
more examples are available in the aforementioned book by Les
Garrett.)
Was Christ Mary’s “firstborn” son? Regrettably,
B (*) removes this teaching from one of the two places it should
occur (i.e. Matthew 1:25), but this question has major ramifications
for the nature of our Lord, as Peter Johnston has eloquently
explained. (26) The issue is directly
related to the doctrine that Jesus Christ has “come in the
flesh”— a doctrine that serves as the pivotal test
of a false brother according to 1 John 4:2-3. Presumably this
is the very reason Codex B (**) drops this clause from verse
3! (You can easily “confess Jesus” without confessing
that He has come in the flesh.)
• As a child, did Jesus grow “strong in spirit”?
This too has serious implications for His nature, yet Codex B
(**) has taken it out of Luke 2:40, leaving only one clear witness
to this truth.
• Was the Lord Jesus sent to “heal the brokenhearted”?
This statement occurs only twice in the Bible, but it has been
excised from one of those places (Luke 4:18) thanks to B (*),
even though it appears in the middle of an “Old Testament”
passage the Lord is quoting.
• Was Christ Jesus really “numbered with the transgressors”?
Only two verses in the whole of
Scripture make this specific statement, and Codex B (**) has
taken one of them away (Mark 15:28).
This “2 or 3 witnesses” issue may not impress every
reader, but it is clearly a problem—especially when we consider
that it takes only a small amount of alteration to pervert the
Gospel.
One can ruin the Gospel just by adding a solitary extra teaching
to it, which is why Paul and Barnabus needed to have such an
enormous dispute with some men who tried to do that (Acts 15:1-2).
Just a single change to the Gospel can turn it into “another
[ i.e., false] gospel” (Galatians 16; 2 Corinthians 11:4).
This is undoubtedly one reason why God made it so plain that
we are not to add or delete any words when it comes to Holy Scripture
(a fact we discussed at some length in Part 1).
Remaining Witness Now Questionable
Hort’s theories lead to the conclusion that even the Greek
text he himself published is significantly flawed (i.e., mankind
is still very much in the process of restoring the original Greek
as we find more evidence). Those Bibles translated by people
who follow Hort equip false teachers to argue that the lone remaining
wimess for a given teaching in those Bibles is only present due
to the original text still being in the process of reconstruction.
By this means, such people can expunge some doctrines completely!
The problem doesn’t stop there. Consider this matter
alongside the doubts that people justifiably develop about the
accuracy of the Bible as a result of all the physical, geographical
or logical impossibilities in translations based on B (*). Then
consider the additional doubts about the accuracy of the Bible
that are induced by Hort’s claim that textual accuracy attracted
hardly any interest among early believers, and that the insertion
of explanatory notes was common. Suddenly it can be argued that
the lone surviving witness to a given teaching was an uninspired
addition to the true text, and that the very fact it is a lone
witness — when every matter must be established by at least
two or three witnesses—means it is almost certainly not
part of the true Bible.
- Similarly, if a particular article of the faith has been
removed from, say, fifty percent of the passages in which it
should appear, then there is still a problem even if two or more
witnesses remain. This is because, if a person is shown these
differences between Bible versions but is taught that Codex B
(**) represents the better Greek, they will assume that someone
inserted these “extra” entries as part of the creation
of family A (*). This could easily lead such folks to wonder
why someone was so keen to add this point into the Bible. Might
they not then speculate that the occurrences which are still
present in B (*) were also additions, and thus conclude that
the article of faith does not belong in the Bible at all? If,
as B’s (*) fans assert, some Bibles have a whole extra twelve
verses added in a row, it is easy to argue that the occasional
single verse, or partial verse, has also been added to the Bible
from time to time. (27)
-
- The issue of fasting is quite a striking example. The assaults
on this important aspect of Christian practice are copious. For
instance, did Christ teach that “prayer and fasting”
was required by the disciples in order for them to be able to
cast out the more powerful devils? In Codex B (*) this point
has been removed from both of the only two times it is made (i.e.,
Mark 9:29 and Matthew 17:2 1). Was Cornelius fasting when God
told him to send for Peter? The reference to this has been deleted
from Acts 10:30. According to 1 Corinthians 7:5, should married
couples set aside times to devote themselves to prayer and fasting?
Not if one reads Codex B (*)
-
- Notes:
- 26 Quoted in Green, op. cit., p. 330. (Please
note, however, that would not endorse everything ni Green’s
writings.)
27 It is all very well for B’s supporters to say that the
number of passages in dispute between Greek texts is relatively
small (although 5,600 doesn’t seem terribly small to me),
but unless a believer happens to know precisely which passages
are in dispute then they are bound occasionally to wonder if
a given passage is one of them, even if it isn’t.
- * Family A / Family B: ("[Manuscript]
B stands quite alone, its reading must never be lightly rejected,"
according to Penton J.A. Hort. Manuscripts (also called scrolls)
are divided up into two families: A and B. They can differ from
each other up to 10,000 words and all sorts of other respects
also. According to A.J. Dager, Media Spotlight, Family A is where
the true text resides, and family B is the product of individuals
opposed to God's truth." . If a believer is presented
with many differences on a single topic, will this not lead to
confusion at best?
- ** Codex A / Codex: B Codex is simply another
word for Manuscrips. The diference between A and B read (*) above.
- Taken from Media Spotlight * Vol 29 - No
4 Winter 2006 page 21
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- THE GREAT BATTLE FOR THE RAPTURE
- BY JOSEPH CHAMBERS - A great battle for the Rapture is raging.
The master of this battle is Satan because he stands to suffer
his greatest defeat when the Rapture occurs. Remember, how Satan
defiled the first woman in the garden and has attacked the seed
of woman every moment since that occasion. The Father God declared
this continuing battle in His first Messianic statement. "And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel." (Genesis 3:15).
- Womanhood and her purity have been at the center of every
great conflict since the Garden of Eden. Our Father had to miraculously
deliver Sarah from the Egyptian Pharaoh because of Abraham’s
unbelief. If Sarah had been defiled, the godly seed of the coming
Christ would have been destroyed. Twice, our Father reached into
the Gentile world to redeem a Gentile woman and to purify her
that the seed of woman might continue undefiled all the way to
Calvary.
- The last seed of woman is prophetically pictured in Revelation
chapter twelve. There is a great debate over this prophecy but
the whole Bible has prepared us to interpret this simple truth.
The sun-clothed woman is a visible picture of the church, both
First and Second Testament, and the man-child is that final seed
of woman, which is caught up to God and His throne. There was
a church within the Nation of Israel. Luke wrote about this church
in the wilderness. "This is he, that was in the church in
the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount
Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to
give unto us." (Acts 7:38). The Second Testament church
has had its visible form for nearly two thousand years.
- In both Testaments there has been nurtured within the visible
church an invisible company of the Godly seed. This company of
saints does not love this world or its fashions. Whatever the
world is doing, this Godly seed is doing the opposite. The world
can scorn this man-child, but this godly seed will only shine
the brighter and witness the louder. This crowd of saints cannot
be bought because they are already purchased. The hatred of Satan
for the true seed of woman will never diminish for all eternity.
Even after the Rapture, the Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will
stand on the earth and blaspheme toward the heavens where the
raptured saints have been removed. "And he opened his mouth
in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven." (Revelation 13:6). No wonder
there is such a battle for the Rapture.
- The devil, Lucifer or Satan, has stood before the sun-clothed
woman throughout her existence. He hates every expression of
godliness and separation. Holiness is the antithesis to the false.
The one religious expression that Satan cannot imitate is purity
or Biblical Holiness. He will promote his own prayer plan, his
own worship, and his own music; but every time the element that
is rendered unnecessary will be holiness. Look at the prayers,
music, or worship at a religious rock event and the entire picture
will be anything but pure and sensible in both action, dress,
and beauty. The whole affair has the air of uncontrolled emotion
and wild conduct. Unsaved, but moral people can discern this
better than our modern church world. The visible sun-clothed
woman has been defiled, but she still bears an invisible company
ready to be "caught up." Continued:
- http://www.pawcreek.org/articles/endtimes/THEBATTLEFORTHERAPTURE.htm
- -----
 [Ednote: Enlightenment from Uganda,
Africa well worth reading.]
- THERE IS A MYSTERY IN CHRIST!
- By Br Patrick Bwayo - Excerpt: " ... What prevents the
church or souls to enter the kingdom of God? It is the plan of
God. It is the operation of God of allowing the church to go
into slavery because of disobeying Him and be ruled by the earthly
kingdom systems for '70' years of/ by the handwritten old Covenant
to serve earthly, temporal, visible principalities and dominions
which are shadows of heavenly things while waiting for the revelation
of the real, everlasting, invisible rule of heavenly kingdom
by /of the Holy Spirit new Covenant Bible Word.. Heb.10; 2 Peter
chapters 2 & 3.
What is the greatest Sin?
It is the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit
reveals and teaches the scriptures in a perfect way. They shall
be taught of God as it is written in the scriptures.
The greast SIN is worshipping of a different god or gods. We
cannot worship the true God unless He gives us His Spirit to
do so. You can eliminate the sins of works but if you still worship
a different God, you can not be free from this great evil and
sin. You are the devils child. It is Only by His grace that we
are adopted to be sons of God by Him giving us His Spirit in
our souls. Without the Spirit to enable us read the new Covenant
we are none of His. Roman. Chapters 6,7,8.
If the enemy comes under the camouflage of the name 'Christ'
teaching the word of God in carnal knowledge and wisdom, he can
deceive and can get followers as we see now millions and millions
of followers who have been deceived and are being deceived who
are following the devil unknowingly. If devil came openly and
said that he was the devil, few people would follow him, because
many souls would not like to spend their eternity in hell and
not get the promise of the eternal life that God has and gives..
.eternal life promised for those who overcome the world.
Therefore it is in name of Christ where we can be deceived or
we can get the truth.
In this name of Christ, many false christs have arisen up to
deceive many and are holding them hostages, kidnapped, slaves
to serve the Egyptian kings of Covenant Agar or serving Earthly
Jerusalem Covenant or serving the Mt. Sinai Law of bondage. GAL
4:21-25. Why because those serving there, they and their forefathers
resisted and resist the true God in their hearts to this day
2006. If you are still reading first Covenant Bible
Word by your natural knowledge and wisdom without the enabling
of the Holy Spirit, you are a slave of the Egyptian kings of
this day of 2006. You are Agar's son tormenting the people of
God. You and the folk or Church under you serve the Egyptian
idol gods. 1 Corinth 10. They worship BAAL to this day of 2006.
The opposite of Holy Spirit is evil spirit. The Holy Spirit is
establishing a New Covenant and by doing so He is separating
the evil spirits from holy people who are mixed up among the
followers of the old Covenant Bible Word of the LETTER. After
which He will judge the evil spirits that are cutoff to have
fellowship with God in the New Covenant. Read Book of Jude
The entrance into the New Covenant is by God first giving you
His Spirit to enable you read the New Covenant Word without
this grace in your soul or your mind or understanding you will
remain reading the old covenant and therefore you are cutoff
to have fellowship with God in the New Covenant Word..."
See whole article from Uganda Africa: http://www.cephas-library.com/allnations_africa_there_is_a_mystery_in_christ.html
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- THE KINGDOM GRANT
- The vision that God gave Dennis and Alison for funding the
church is a reflection of His love for His body and the world.
They believe God wants to provide things that we haven’t
dared to dream of.
- http://www.kingdomgrant.org/wwf
-----
- TAKEN FROM AN EMAIL TO RITA:
- The DVD's [from cephas-library.com/library/]
were great. My wife gave them to the ladies at the Bible study.
she is doing part 2 next month with the ladies. She sent the
DVD's home as their homework assignment. Most of the ladies at
this study are unsaved. Phone calls are already being received
about what an eye opener regarding "Israel Islam and
Armageddon." [by Dave Hunt]... Anticipating greater
interest. This is excellent timing considering the heating up
of Iran and Israel.
- We certainly know that our Salvation draweth nigh!!
- I am thankful the Lord led me to Cephas ministries.
- By the way, the United States is a "dress rehearsal"
for the one world government and the risen/revived Roman Empire;
In fact, the empire was never gone. The United States is clearly
carrying out the Roman Empire dictates.
- First, we are a "melting pot" of all ethnic groups.
- Second, all religions are practiced freely.(with Biblical
Christianity becoming an exception)
- Thirdly, we have a Roman form of government, a representative
republic.
- Fourthly, read the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783. It gives
the United States of America the freedom to rule, granted by
"King George the Third.. Prince Elector of the Holy Roman
Empire..." We have always been part of the Roman Empire
according to the Treaty of Paris. Our military and economic excursions
are just like the Roman way.
- It is exciting with the anticipation of the LORD coming soon.
Until then we must remain faithful...We know that many in the
last days will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits. Also, the likes of Billy Graham , Jerry Falwell and
the rest of the false prophets are drawing men into the ecumenical
swill hole.
- Thank you for your ministry. May the LORD bless you.
- In the Love of Christ, MM
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- PRE-TRIB RAPTURE TAUGHT IN 1742
- By David Cloud - The following article by E.L. Bynum is from
the Plains Baptist Challenger, September 1995 (P.O. Box 3100,
Lubbock, TX 79452) -- John L. Bray, a Southern Baptist Evangelist,
has been publishing little booklets for years, in which he ridiculed
the pre-tribulation rapture of the saints. He believes the saved
will go through the tribulation period. For several years he
has offered $500 for anyone who could produce a documented statement
that anyone taught the pre- tribulation rapture before 1830.
Since no one claimed the $500 many supposed that he might be
right. Of course, he is not the only one to make such preposterous
claims. Others have done so as well.
- In his newsletter of May 25, 1995, he announced that an amazing
thing had been discovered. Here are his own words:
- "We have uncovered some startling information: For some
number of years many thought that a 15-year-old girl by the name
of Margaret MacDonald in Scotland was the originator of the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture teaching back in 1830. "Then my own research indicated
that it was Emmanuel Lacunza, a Jesuit Catholic priest, who in
the 1812 book The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty, first
taught this theory. And for 13 years, in 114,273 books which
contained the offer, I offered $500.00 to anyone who would give
a documented statement earlier than Lacunza's time which taught
a two-stage coming of Christ separated by a stated period of
time.
- "No one ever rightfully claimed that $500.00 offer until
recently. Now I have the photostat copies of a book published
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1788 but written in 1742-1744
in England, which taught the pre-tribulation rapture before Lacunza
(the book was published just two years prior to Lacunza's finished
manuscript of 1790); before Margaret MacDonald was every born;
before The Morning Watch ever published the teaching; before
J.N. Darby ever came to his first view on the subject in 1827;
before Darby ever developed his ideas; and before Darby ever
came to America with his teachings.
- "The author of this book was a pastor of the Baptist
Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1761-1771) and his book
was published in Philadelphia in 1788" (John L. Bray, newsletter,
May 25, 1995).
- WHO WROTE THE PRE-TRIB BOOK?
- Morgan Edwards (1722-1795) was one of the most influential
Baptist preachers of his time. In 1795 the Minutes of the Philadelphia
Association carried a notice of his death. He was the founder
of Brown University, the most influential Baptist school of that
day. The Baptist Encyclopedia says of him: "Morgan Edwards
was a man of refined manners, and shone to peculiar advantage
in good society." It further states, "His attachment
to Baptist principles was intense, and no man since the days
of the Apostles ever showed greater love, or made more costly
sacrifices for them than he did."
- If Morgan Edwards wrote a book in 1742-44, teaching the Pre-Trib
Rapture, then many people must have read it. If he was one of
the most prominent Baptists in America, then he must not have
been considered an heretic by his peers. No doubt there must
have been other preachers who read the same Bible that Edwards
did, and preached the same truth. Continued: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/pretrib.htm
- -----
- [Ednote: IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER, LISTEN TO THIS MP3 OF STAN
MONTEITH AND BARRY CHAMISH. IT IS THE MOST REVEALING I HAVE WITNESSED
ABOUT ISRAEL. THE POPE WANTS MOUNT ZION AND HENRY KISSINGER HAS
BECOME HIS CLOSE ADVISOR]
- STAN MONTEITH OF LIBERTY RADIO INTERVIEWED BARRY CHAMISH
12.15.2006 WE MAY HAVE CELEBRATED THE LAST HANUKKAH
IN 2006
- Stan Monteith Radio Liberty
- Interview
with Barry Chamish 12.16.2006 He tells how close we are!
- Barry's Books at a2z Book Depot http://www.a2zbookdepot.com/israel_bookx.html
- Barry's Books at LuLu http://www.lulu.com/
- Barry's Website: http://www.thebarrychamishwebsite.com/
- More programs by Stan Monteith: http://www.soundwaves2000.com/radio%5Fliberty/
- -----
- STRAIGHT FROM HELL LISTEN TO BENNY HINN "LET THE BODIES
HIT THE FLOOR!"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok4Hv0LQiIA
- -----
- MUSLIM EXTREMISTS - SAUDI KIDNAP, RAPE VICTIM FACES LASHING
FOR 'CRIME' OF BEING ALONE WITH MAN NOT RELATED TO HER
- FOX news, USA - March. 6, 2007 - http://www.foxnews.com -
A 19-year-old Saudi woman who was kidnapped, beaten and gang
raped by seven men who then took photos of their victim and threatened
to kill her, was sentenced under the country’s Islamic-based
law to 90 lashes for the “crime” of being alone with
a man not related to her.
- The woman is appealing to Saudi King Abdullah to intervene
in the controversial case.
- “I ask the king to consider me as one of his own daughters
and have mercy on me and set me free from the 90 lashes,”
the woman said in an emotional interview published Monday in
the Saudi Gazette.
- “I was shocked at the verdict. I couldn’t believe
my ears. Ninety lashes! Ninety lashes!” the woman, identified
only as “G,” told the English-language newspaper. Five
months after the harsh judgment, her sentence has yet to be carried
out, “G” said she waits in fear every day for the phone
call telling her to submit to authorities to carry out her punishment.
Lashes are usually spread over several days. About 50 lashes
are given at a time.
- The woman’s ordeal began a year ago when she was blackmailed
into meeting a man who threatened to tell her family they were
having a relationship outside wedlock, which is illegal in the
desert kingdom, according to a report in The Scotsman newspaper.
She met the man at a shopping mall and, after driving off together,
the blackmailer’s car was stopped by two other cars bearing
men wielding knives and meat cleavers. During the next three
hours, the woman was raped 14 times by her seven captors. Full
story:
- http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17647/barberic-islamic-law
- -----
- SOME TARGET STORES CHANGE DUTIES FOR MUSLIM CASHIER
- Cashiers Object to Ringing Up Pork - AP, via FOX News, USA
- March 17, 2007 - http://www.foxnews.com - MINNEAPOLIS —
Muslim cashiers at some local Target stores who object to ringing
up products that contain pork are being shifted to other positions,
the national retailer said Saturday. Some Muslim cashiers
had declined to scan products such as bacon because doing so
would conflict with their religious beliefs. They would
ask other cashiers to ring up such purchases, or some customers
scanned the items themselves. Minneapolis-based Target Corp.
has offered the cashiers the option of wearing gloves, shifting
to other positions or transferring to other stores. “We
are confident that this is a reasonable solution for our guests
and team members,” Target spokeswoman Paula Thornton-Greear
said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Saturday.
- Islam teaches that eating pork is forbidden, and some Muslims
feel selling or handling pork is also forbidden because it would
make them complicit in the sins of others. Greear said the situation
was a local problem only.
- “It is not an issue in most of our stores in the Twin
Cities,” she said in separate comments via e-mail. “There
is also no indication that this is an issue in the Minnesota
market overall or nationwide.” As the local Muslim population
grows, fueled by immigration from East African countries such
as Somalia, efforts by Muslims to live by the rules of their
faith often conflict with American realities.
- In one dispute, some Muslim cab drivers who serve Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport refuse to take passengers who are
carrying alcohol. The Metropolitan Airports Commission
is expected to vote in April on a proposal that would hand out
30-day license suspensions to cabbies who refuse service for
any reason.
- Suhara Robla, who works at a SuperTarget, told the Star Tribune
newspaper that more than a dozen Muslim cashiers were asked Thursday
to do other jobs.
- “They told all of us who don’t touch pork to go
to the sales floor,” she told the newspaper. “They
really didn’t say why. They just said it was a new policy.”
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17747/muslims-target-pork
- -----
- HONEST SINNERS AND PHONY CHRISTIANS
- http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor108.htm
- -----
- WHO CONTROLS AMERICA? IS THE CONSTITUTION THE LAW OF THE
LAND? THIS FILM WILL DEMONSTRATE THE POWERS THAT ARE RULING AND
SHAPING AMERICA'S FUTURE UNDER GODS AUTHORITY http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4510890308809206540
- -----
- MIAMI CHURCH BRANDS MEMBERS WITH '666' TATTOOS
February 24, 2007 - DORAL, Fla. —
Surrounded by a mob of news cameras, a group of smiling, well-dressed
church members crowded into a South Beach storefront parlor on
a recent muggy evening and got matching tattoos of their prophet's
symbol: 666.
- Members of Growing in Grace, a controversial religious sect
headquartered in Doral, said they were following the example
of their leader, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, who has claimed
to be Jesus and recently declared himself the Antichrist.
- Critics have called De Jesus a cult leader who manipulates
followers. Church members say he has brought them happiness and
spiritual fulfillment.
- "This is backing up what I truly believe," said
Alvaro Albarracin, 38, who heads a film production company and
joined the church more than a decade ago. He showed a bandage
that covered the freshly tattooed "666" on his forearm.
"It's like a brand. It's like a sign."
- It's a sign most Christians would shun, because for centuries
the numbers have been associated with Satan. But for the 30 or
so church members who branded themselves with 666 and SSS —
the initials of De Jesus' motto, "salvo siempre salvo,"
or "saved always saved" — it's a mark of their
absolute faith in De Jesus. Full story
- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C254360%2C00.html
- MAN SAY HE'S JESUS, FOLLOWERS GET 666 TATTOOS
- YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15wsrNBxbI
- FORMER FELON LEADS CONGREGATION OF ANTI-CHRISTS AND CLAIMS
TO BE JESUS
- Creciendo en Gracia, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, Growing
in Grace: Former felon leads congregation of anti-Christs - Sun
Media, via CANOE, Canada - March 17, 2007 - March 17, 2007 -
Thane Burnett
http://cnews.canoe.ca - Both Jesus and Devil - And in brotherhood
and bandwidth, they are also joined by an undetermined number
of international locations — all religiously following the
path of their controversial leader.
- Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, a 62-year-old former Puerto Rican
heroin addict and felon now based in the southern U.S., claims
to be the reincarnation of Jesus as well as the much maligned
anti-Christ. In cities like Miami and New York, members, including
apparently some children, are following De Jesus’ lead and
being tattooed with “666? and “SSS.” ... "
The full story: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17746/jose-luis-de-jesus-miranda-8
- -----
- JAY BAKER TEACHING A NEW KIND OF THING... FROM LOST SOUL
TO PUNK PASTOR
- Jay Baker
is Preaching a New Kind of Thing Video
- The Hartford Courant, USA - December 12, 2006 - Roger Catlin,
Courant TV Critic www.ctnow.com
His was a face that popped up, timidly, among the swirl of events
nearly two decades ago that sunk the televangelism empire of
Jim and Tammy Bakker, splitting their marriage and sending the
father to jail.
- For young Jay Bakker, the only son of the infamous couple,
the collapse was more than frightening.
- “It was terrifying,” he says. “We had to move
out of our houses. We had to leave. My friends weren’t allowed
to play with me anymore because usually their parents had worked
for my parents.
- And the people who had taken over my dad’s church said,
“You can’t be seen with the Bakkers. You can’t
be around them or anything.”
- All the people who had glommed onto “The PTL Club”
“to get their 15 minutes on the couch with my dad - I thought
they were all these loving, great people - all of a sudden didn’t
want to have anything to do with us either,” he says.
- So Jay Bakker moved all over the country for a couple of
years, only to cope with more pain - his father was sentenced
to prison in 1989; his parents divorced in 1992. But notoriety
followed him.
- “Different schools, different things,” he recalls.
“I would get in fights in school because I remember one
guy asked me how my dad likes getting raped in prison.”
- How did he get through it all?
- “Well, lots of booze got me through it for a little
while,” he says sardonically. Continued:
- http://www.cephas-library.com/bakker_from_lost_soul_to_punk_pastor.html
- -----
- PICTURES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
- ROCKEFELLER ADMITTED ELITE GOAL OF MICROCHIPPED POPULATION
January 29, 2007 - Paul Joseph Watson - Hollywood director Russo
goes in-depth for first time on the astounding admissions of
Nick Rockefeller, including his prediction of 9/11 and the war
on terror hoax, the Rockefeller's creation of women's lib, and
the elite's ultimate plan for world population reduction and
a microchipped society
- Hollywood director and documentary film maker Aaron Russo
has gone in-depth on the astounding admissions of Nick Rockefeller,
who personally told him that the elite's ultimate goal was to
create a microchipped population and that the war on terror was
a hoax, Rockefeller having predicted an "event" that
would trigger the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan eleven months
before 9/11.
- Rockefeller also told Russo that his family's foundation
had created and bankrolled the women's liberation movement in
order to destroy the family and that population reduction was
a fundamental aim of the global elite. Russo is perhaps best
known for directing Trading Places starring Eddie Murphy but
was more recently in the spotlight for his exposé of the
criminal run for profit federal reserve system, the documentary
America From Freedom to Fascism .
- Currently undergoing more treatment in his fight against
cancer, Russo made time for a sit down interview with radio host
and fellow documentary film maker Alex Jones in which he dropped
bombshell after bombshell on what Rockefeller had told him about
the direction the world was being steered towards by the global
elite.
- You can watch a fourteen minute segment of the interview
below.
- After his popular video Mad As Hell was released and he began
his campaign to become Governor of Nevada, Russo was noticed
by Rockefeller and introduced to him by a female attorney. Seeing
Russo's passion and ability to affect change, Rockefeller set
about on a subtle mission to recruit Russo into the elite. During
one conversation, Rockefeller asked Russo if he was interested
in joining the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) but Russo rejected
the invitation, saying he had no interest in "enslaving
the people" to which Rockefeller coldly questioned why he
cared about the "serfs."
- "I used to say to him what's the point of all this,"
states Russo, "you have all the money in the world you need,
you have all the power you need, what's the point, what's the
end goal?" to which Rockefeller replied (paraphrasing),
"The end goal is to get everybody chipped, to control the
whole society, to have the bankers and the elite people control
the world." Rockefeller even assured Russo that if he joined
the elite his chip would be specially marked so as to avoid undue
inspection by the authorities. http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/290107rockefellergoal.htm
- -----
- 9/11 TRUTH FILMMAKER [JEWISH] AARON RUSSO SAID 9/11 WAS A
FRAUD [VIDEO]
- If you can't find it on YouTube we have it in the video library
at http://www.cephas-library.com/library
- in the New World Order Section 'videos'.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLrWV6ObwI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efreedomtofascism%2Ecom%2F
- -----
- LIST OF ALEX JONES' INTERVIEWS ETC. ON VIDEO CLIPS
- http://www.prisonplanet.com/video.html
- February 11, 2007 - Empire Of Oil: The Hidden History Of
9/11 - Learn the secret history behind the events leading up
to the September 11 attacks, seldom revealed to the public and
who actually may have benefited the most from the attacks and
why.- http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2007/110207Empire.htm
- -----
- ANTI-WAR PROTESTERS GATHER IN WASHINGTON
Christian group calls Iraq war ‘offense against God’;
police arrest hundreds - Nicholas Kamm / AFP - Activists
from the Mennonite group the Psalters pray before taking part
in an anti-war procession from the National Cathedral to the
White House on Friday. WASHINGTON - Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators
and supporters of the U.S. policy in Iraq shouted at each other
Saturday from opposite sides of a street bordering the National
Mall as protesters formed a march to the Pentagon to denounce
a war entering its fifth year. The anti-war group carried signs
saying “U.S. Out of Iraq Now,” “Stop Iraq War,
No Iran War, Impeach” and “Illegal Combat.” The
other side carried signs saying “Peace Through Strength,”
“al-Qaida Appeasers On Parade” and “We Are At
War, Liberals Root For the Enemy.” ...
- Police on horseback and foot separated the demonstrators,
who were on opposite sides of Constitution Avenue in view of
the Lincoln Memorial. Barriers also kept them apart. Saturday’s
march was the main event in demonstrations around the country,
stretching to the anniversary of the invasion Tuesday. Police
on horses ensured anti-war protesters and counterdemonstrators
stayed apart at the staging area. Several thousand people, many
of them service members, rallied in support of the war. They
played “The Battle Hymn of the Republic;” the anti-war
crowd danced to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17655224/
- -----
 "NEW"
Updated Version 2007
- The
Grand Design Exposed
- by John Daniel
- Paperback, CHJ Publishing, 411 pages
- 1999, ISBN 0927022419
- Free PDF
File to Download 2007
-
- -----
- RICK WARRN AND PUPRPOSE-DRIVEN STRIFE
ABC News / Nightline, USA - March 7, 2007 - Martin Bashir and
Deborah Apton - http://abcnews.go.com
- Pastor’s Unconventional Approach Inspires Some, Alienates
Others - Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California
may be the best-known pastor on the planet. His book, “The
Purpose Driven Life,” has been translated into 56 languages
and has sold 30 million copies. However, the idea behind “purpose
driven” is not something Pastor Warren takes credit for
creating. “The history of this idea — ‘purpose
driven’ — is not something I thought up in the first
place,” Warren explains. “There have been hundreds
of books throughout history that talked about worship, fellowship,
discipleship, ministry and evangelism.”
- But while these five purposes are biblically based, there
is no denying that Warren has popularized these purposes around
the world. He says he has trained 400,000 pastors worldwide to
start purpose-driven churches. But it’s Warren’s
untraditional use of the Christian language that may be the reason
for his enormous following. Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17672/rick-warren-and-purpose-driven-strife
- -----
- RICK WARREN LOSING HIS FLOCK? ACCUSED OF SPLITTING CHURCHES
AND MIXING THE GOSPEL WITH POPULAR PSYCHOLOGY - ABC VIDEO
- http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2933487
- -----
- AMERICANS GET AN F IN RELIGION
USA TODAY, USA - March 7, 2007 - Cathy Lynn Grossman - http://www.usatoday.com
Sometimes dumb sounds cute: Sixty percent of Americans can’t
name five of the Ten Commandments, and 50% of high school seniors
think Sodom and Gomorrah were married. Stephen Prothero, chairman
of the religion department at Boston University, isn’t laughing.
Americans’ deep ignorance of world religions — their
own, their neighbors’ or the combatants in Iraq, Darfur
or Kashmir — is dangerous, he says. His new book, Religious
Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t,
argues that everyone needs to grasp Bible basics, as well as
the core beliefs, stories, symbols and heroes of other faiths.
Belief is not his business, says Prothero, who grew up Episcopalian
and now says he’s a spiritually “confused Christian.”
He says his argument is for empowered citizenship.
- “More and more of our national and international questions
are religiously inflected,” he says, citing President Bush’s
speeches laden with biblical references and the furor when the
first Muslim member of Congress chose to be sworn in with his
right hand on Thomas Jefferson’s Quran.
- “If you think Sunni and Shia are the same because they’re
both Muslim, and you’ve been told Islam is about peace,
you won’t understand what’s happening in Iraq. If you
get into an argument about gay rights or capital punishment and
someone claims to quote the Bible or the Quran, do you know it’s
so?
- “If you want to be involved, you need to know what they’re
saying. We’re doomed if we don’t understand what motivates
the beliefs and behaviors of the rest of the world. We can’t
outsource this to demagogues, pundits and preachers with a political
agenda.”
- Scholars and theologians who agree with him say Americans’
woeful level of religious illiteracy damages more than democracy.
“You’re going to make assumptions about people out
of ignorance, and they’re going to make assumptions about
you,” says Philip Goff of the Center for the Study of Religion
and American Culture at Indiana University in Indianapolis. Goff
cites a widely circulated claim on the Internet that the Quran
foretold American intervention in the Middle East, based on a
supposed passage “that simply isn’t there. It’s
an entire argument for war based on religious ignorance.”
“We’re impoverished by ignorance,” says the Rev.
Joan Brown Campbell, former general secretary of the National
Council of Churches. “You can’t draw on the resources
of faith if you only have an emotional understanding, not a sense
of the texts and teachings.”
- But if people don’t know Sodom and Gomorrah were two
cities destroyed for their sinful ways, Campbell blames Sunday
schools that “trivialized religious education. If we want
people to have serious knowledge, we have to get serious about
teaching our own faith.” Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17671/americans-get-an-f-in-religion
- -----
- HOLLYWOOD'S WAR ON GOD
- IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE DA VINCI CODE IS THE FULFILLMENT
OF A MUCH LARGER CODE THAT REVEALS THAT SATANIC FORCES WOULD
ONE DAY DECEIVE THE ENTIRE WORLD?
- “The Da Vinci Con: Hollywood's War on God”, is
a mind-blowing, eye-popping documentary that reveals how satanic
forces are using Hollywood's most memorable movies and most popular
actors to propagate an ancient lie in fulfillment of biblical
prophecy. http://www.hollywoodswar.com/
- Must see video clips http://hollywoodswar.com/videoclips.html
- V
for Vendetta
- The
Da Vinci Con
- The
Matrix
- Explode
the Code Conference
- Movie
Stars and Gnosticism
- Kirk
Cameron's Response
- Audio Messages
 Pastor
Joe Schimmel's must hear messages Exposing
the Da Vinci "Con".
- Download
- Dan Brown &
the Balaamites
- The Mona Lucy
- The Da Vinci
Code: D-Con for Humans
- The Resurrection
vs The Da Vinci Code
- The Da Vinci-ites
Part 1
- The Da Vinci-ites
Part 2
- -----
- CALVARY CHAPEL'S UNMITIGATED LOVE FOR ROCK & ROLL
- Friday Church News Notes, March 9, 2007, http://www.wayoflife.org
- The Calvary Chapel fellowship of churches founded the Jesus
People movement in the 1970s, which birthed the rock & roll
Christian philosophy. The movement began when California hippies
began to "come to Christ" through the ministry of Chuck
Smith's Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. While rejecting the gross
immorality and drug abuse associated with the hippy movement,
they kept their long hair and rock & roll. The Jesus People
founded the Contemporary Christian Music movement and popularized
the philosophy that music is neutral and that sensual party music
can be used for the worship of a holy God. Today there are more
than 1,000 Calvary Chapels, and they are still at the heart of
the CCM movement. For example, Calvary Chapel Redmond (Washington)
is pastored by Michael Bloodgood, founder of the CCM rock band
Bloodgood. In a biographical sketch at the church's web site,
Bloodgood mentions the Beatles at least 13 times in the most
favorable manner, with not a hint of warning. He lists the Beatles
as one of his favorite bands and one of the bands that influenced
him the most (together with such morally vile bands as Nirvana,
Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Dio). He lists watching the Beatles
on the Ed Sullivan Show as one of his favorite childhood memories.
Collecting Beatles memorabilia is one of his favorite interests,
and "The Word" from the Beatles Rubber Soul album is
the song he would most like to cover. There is no excuse for
this type of thing on the part of a man who claims to love the
Lord, a pastor, no less. The Bible plainly states that you cannot
love Christ and the devil at the same time. "Ye adulterers
and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world
is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). "Ye cannot
drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be
partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils"
(1 Corinthians 10:21).
- -----
- CHURCH WITH THE ROMANTIC NIGHTCLUB FEEL
- Friday Church News Notes, March 9, 2007, http://www.wayoflife.org
- The West Ridge Community Church in Elgin, Illinois, was described
by a secular newspaper as the "house of worship" with
"a nightclub feel" ("Church Playing It Cool,"
Chicago Sun Times, March 4). This nine-year-old contemporary
church recently moved into a new facility that was built to look
like a nightclub, the House of Blues in particular. It features
a "dimly lit sanctuary in the shape of a piano, flanked
by cafe tables, couches, and comfy chairs." The music, which
is a vital aspect of the contemporary worship experience, is
described as "everything from tribal rhythms on Irish bodhrans
to U2-ish sounding praise songs." The church is not only
described as nightclubish but also as romantic. "And throughout
the service, the flickering light from a couple of dozen pillar
candles on the stage and tiny tea lights on the cafe tables gave
the sanctuary an almost romantic feel." A true New Testament
church does not imitate the world, nor does it seek to make sinners
comfortable by means of worldly music and a toned down message.
The apostle Paul said that if a church is doing right and prophesying
(preaching) boldly and biblically, sinners will be convicted
of their sin (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). "And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).
- -----
- N.Y. MOSQUE LEADERS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS FOR ROLE IN MONEY
LAUNDERING SCHEME
- AP, via The Collegian, USA - March 9, 2007 - http://media.www.collegian.com
- ALBANY, N.Y. - Two leaders of an Albany mosque who were snared
in an FBI sting involving a fictional terror strike were sentenced
Thursday to 15 years in federal prison. The former imam, Yassin
Aref, professed innocence before his sentencing and criticized
the government’s treatment of Muslims. “I never had
any intention to harm anyone in this country,” said Aref,
a 36-year-old Kurdish refugee. “And I don’t know why
I’m guilty.”
- Pizzeria owner Mohammed Hossain, a founder of the Masjid
As-Salam mosque, said in a voice choked with emotion that he
knew nothing about bombs and terrorism. “I do not know why
it was me who was chosen. I was not a criminal,” he said.
“I was not even thinking of committing a crime.” The
two were convicted in October for their roles in a money laundering
scheme involving an FBI informant who posed as an illegal arms
dealer. The informant asked Hossain to launder $50,000 from the
sale of a shoulder-fired missile from China that would be used
to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City, authorities said.
The informant said he needed to conceal the source of the income
and asked Hossain to take the money and return it through a series
of $2,000 checks, according to court documents. Authorities said
Hossain agreed to issue checks from his businesses and planned
to keep $5,000 for laundering the money. Aref, spiritual leader
of Hossain’s mosque, acted as a witness to the transactions.
- Though the assassination plot was fictional, prosecutors
in 2004 accused the pair of supporting terrorism. Continued:
- http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17673/ny-mosque-leaders-sentenced-to-15-years-for-role-in-money-laundering-scheme
- -----
- CHRISTIAN OR CHRIST FOLLOWER
- It's a distinction that is being made more and more today,
and often the latter term, Christ follower, is replacing the
former term, Christian. Even many Christian leaders are making
the switch. But just what does it mean? Emerging church leader,
Erwin McManus says
his "goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion
and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ." In
McManus' book, The Barbarian Way, he talks about being
"awakened" to a "primal longing that ... waits
to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ."
McManus says that the "greatest enemy to the movement of
Jesus Christ is Christianity [i.e., Christians]." A video
series on YouTube.com called "Christian No More"
(by Christian
Community Church) exemplifies this view by portraying those
who call themselves Christians as shallow church-goers who wear
suits and ties, have Christian bumper stickers on their cars
and prefer the King James Version. This video is evidence that
it is increasingly more popular to call oneself a Christ follower
rather than a Christian.
Interestingly, most of those leaders who seem to be downplaying
the name Christian and promoting the appropriation of the term
"Christ follower" are contemplative spirituality proponents.
One contemplative advocate, Rick Warren, has the term throughout
his pastors.com website. Lee Strobel refers to it in his book
Case for Christ (Student Edition), and Wesleyan pastor
David Drury has a Christ
Follower Pop Quiz on his web site to help determine if you
are really a "Christ follower."
This theme of anti-"Christian" sentiment is not going
to disappear any time soon. Book titles, for example, express
this growing attitude. One book, Why
One Can Be a Christian or a Christ Follower (But Not Both),
by Floyd Henderson, is a case in point. Emerging church
leader and labyrinth promoter Dan Kimball has a new book coming
out next spring called, "They
Like Jesus, But Not the Church."
- The idea is that you can go for Jesus, but you don't have
to identify yourself as a Christian or part of the Christian
church. This concept spills over into some
missionary societies too, where they teach people from other
religions that they can keep their religion, just add Jesus to
the equation. They don't have to embrace the term "Christian"
(see The
New Missiology).
So what's the problem? So what if you want to be a Christ follower
instead of a Christian. Well, the problem, when identified, will
show you why the Spiritual Formation movement (which is promoted
by Purpose
Driven, Willow Creek, the emerging
church, etc) is so dangerous and misleading.
Let us explain. If you have researched the teachings of contemplative
authors, you may have noticed a common message. That message
says: If you want to be like Christ, then practice these certain
disciplines and you can be like Him. Chuck
Swindoll has bought into this when he wrote his book, So
You Want to Be Like Christ: Eight Essential Disciplines to Get
You There. But Swindoll exalts one particular discipline
- the silence. In fact, he goes so far as to say you can't become
a deep, meaningful Christian without it. Beth
Moore, in the pro- contemplative film, Be Still, says:
"[I]f we are not still before Him [God], we will never truly
know to the depths of the marrow of our bones that He is God.
There's got to be a stillness." And this is what contemplatives
teach. The one common thread woven throughout spiritual
formation teachings is that the silence and being a Christ
follower are practically synonymous. You can't have one without
the other. And of course, this silence is induced through meditative
practices such as centering prayer, lectio divina, etc.
So what we are witnessing is countless teachers, authors and
leaders telling people they can become like Christ through
a method that can be learned. Richard
Foster teaches that anyone, not just believers, can practice
contemplative prayer and become like Christ.
Now here lies the difference between a Christian and a Christ
follower. A person who is truly born-again has Jesus Christ indwelling
him. Jesus lives inside that person. And it is His life in him
or her that gives the power to become progressively more like
Him (sanctification), as Paul said in his address to Corinthian
Christians: "But we all, with open face beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"
(II Corinthians 3:18). The believer draws his strength and power
from Jesus Christ (who indwells him), and he realizes his salvation
and any good thing in him is from Christ; as the Scripture says:
"Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians
2:9). Continued:
http://www.cephas-library.com/apostasy_christian_and_christ_follower.html
- -----
- MUST READ DEBUNKING THE 'SUICIDE FOR 72 VIRGINS' MYTH
- Myth One of the biggest Israeli propaganda myths is the invention
of 72 virgins as a Muslim reward for suicide. This has been repeated
to the western world so often that most people accept it as fact.
The media wants us to believe that there cannot be anything wrong
about Israelis – who must be seen as eternal victims –
to cause anyone to commit suicide as a means of striking back
at them. Heavens no! The motivation for suicide bombings in Israel
has nothing to do with Jewish treatment of Palestinians. Instead
it has to do with the evilness of the Palestinians and their
religious beliefs. This is the “bill of goods” they
sell the western mind while at the same time faking most, if
not all the “Islamic suicide bombings” to blame on
Muslims. It is a sick and despicable mind that feels that it
has a right to attack, steal, murder and cause harm to others
but if the others dare fight back they are wrong and therefore
terrorists. This one sentence describes Israeli thinking and
their policies. They believe they are superior and entitled and
they have a right to do anything to other people and those people
better not retaliate. As a result they have done more by way
of propaganda to take the legitimate fight of those who are against
their wrongs and demonize them
- Continued: http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/debunking-the-suicide-for-72-virgins-myth/
- -----
- MAYAN 2012 PROPHECY
- Is the Mayan 2012 prophecy the arrival of the biblical end
times prophecy? Read my viewzone magazine article entitled Will
the Mayan Prophecy Really Happen? in Viewzone and decide for
yourself. Gene D. Matlock
- by Dan Eden for ViewZone.com - ViewZone asked me to write
a story about the Mayan Calendar. There is a common belief that
the calendar holds a prophecy that the end of the world will
happen in 2012. At the time, I knew very little about the whole
topic and when I began doing the research, I like to think I
had an open mind. My investigation began with mainstream archaeology
and the expert interpretations of the calendar. But it soon took
a turn that made my hair literally stand on end. I am now convinced
that these prophecies are true. To understand what is likely
to happen to Earth and it's people, you will need to remain calm
and try to follow the facts. It's not as simple as some people
describe. It requires an understanding of some fairly complicated
scientific realities, but I think I can explain them in a way
that you will easily understand. http://viewzone.com/endtime.html
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- THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE A SELF-EVIDENT PROMISE
By Tim Osterholm · http://www.SoundChristian.com - "All
truth goes through three phases, First, it is ridiculed
Second, it is violently opposed Third, it is accepted
as self-evident" —Arthur Schopenhauer, German Philosopher
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- I. Introduction
- II. Israel's role: keys to understanding prophecy and world
history
- Rapture:
1. Clarifying the confusion of Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27
2. Clarifying the confusion of Matthew 24:9-13
3. Clarifying the confusion of Acts 3:21
4. Clarifying the confusion of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
5. Clarifying the confusion of the teaching of the rapture before
the Reformation
6. Clarifying the confusion of the word "rapture" being
found in the Bible
- III. Conclusion
- Excerpt: "....The Church Age is also called "The
Time of the Gentiles" or the "Age of Grace," and
began at Pentecost when Jesus had risen from the dead and the
disciples received the Holy Spirit. That happened in the year
30 A.D. (exactly 483 years after Daniel's prophecy of the issuing
of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem—see The Chronology Of
The Old Testament by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones, p. 220) and will
conclude with the Church being removed from the earth:
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with
him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we
that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall
in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left,
shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
Bible scholars concur the above passages describe the rapture
of the Church, ending the Church Age. After the Church is caught
up (raptured), God will then turn His focus back to the Jewish
people for the final "week" or 7 years, called Daniel's
70th week, completing the 490 years decreed for the people of
Israel (Jews). As previously noted, we are now living in the
Church Age, a period of time between the end of the 69th week
and the beginning of the 70th week.
So how do we know when the end of the Church Age will come? Jesus
gave us a guarantee, and He uses the fig tree as an example.
In fact, Jesus said the generation which sees this "blossoming"
will be the one that witnesses the events of the last days:.."
For the full article: http://www.cephas-library.com/bible_the_pre_tribulation_rapture_self_evident..html
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- JESUS CAMP
- "... The camp philosophy and program depicted in the
recently released Jesus Camp film, a documentary by Magnolia
Pictures, are not truly representative of those in most Christian
camps in the United States.
Unfortunately, both Spirituality & Practice and the CCCA
have misunderstood what this film really conveys. Spirituality
& Practice got it wrong when they said this film exposes
what conservative Christianity really is. What is taking place
in this film is not indicative of conservative biblical Christianity,
which holds to the fundamentals of the faith, and is much different
than the spirituality being taught to kids at the Kids on Fire
camp. What S & P fails to understand, as does much of the
secular media, is that there is a large segment of Christendom
(Rick Warren falls in this camp) that believes the Church can
and will change the entire culture, turning the world into a
Christian world before Christ returns. Such beliefs fall within
the parameters of Dominionism and Reconstructionism. So in actually,
when S& P says that the film exposes a "campaign to
recruit the younger generation to fight for the very soul of
America" that may be an accurate assessment. Unfortunately,
most leaders who are Dominionists and/or Reconstructionists are
increasingly being drawn into mysticism and contemplative spirituality
as a tool to implement their goals of changing the culture. And
this film is further proof of this..." full article:
- http://www.cephas-library.com/dominion_theology_jesus_camp.html
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- ARCHAEOLOGIST: MORE THAN 900 TOMBS LIKE THIS ONE
- Tova Bracha immediately phoned the archaeologists from Israel’s
Antiquities Authority. They sealed the tomb and studied the bones.
For years it was just another of the many tombs of ancient middle
class families that lived roughly in the time of Jesus. Two years
earlier Israeli archaeologist Professor Amos Kloner was the first
to find the tomb. He found the tomb and the ossuaries —
the urns or vaults used to hold the bones of the dead —
interesting, but of no particular archaeological importance.
He says there are more than 900 buried tombs just like the “Jesus”
tomb within a two-mile radius of Talpiyot. Of them, 71 bear the
name Jesus and two Jesus, son of Joseph. The tomb in Talpiyot
is one of them. But the inscription, he says, was barely decipherable
and therefore questionable.
- February 26, 2007 - In late 1982 Tova Bracha’s family
moved into a modest apartment in a cluster of cookie-cutter housing
units in Talpiyot, a Jerusalem neighborhood. It’s a place
better known for its body shops and illicit casinos Full article:
http://www.cephas-library.com/jesus_Scholars
Criticize Jesus Documentary.html
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- 'I AM A WICCAN' SHE WRITES: A DESCRIPTION BY ARDENT SPIRIT:
WHAT IT MEANS
- Ardent Spirit was asked to share her testimony: "Hello,
for the sake of security, I'm not using my real name.
- To begin, I am a Wiccan. I would just like share this information
with you. Below is a set of 13 principles that most Wiccans would
agree with. This was adopted by The American Council of Witches
in 1974:
- 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief:
- 1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural
rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the
seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
- 2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility
toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature,
in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness
within an evolutionary concept.
- 3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent
to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary,
it is sometimes called "supernatural," but we see it
as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
- 4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting
through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this
same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through
the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither
above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other. We
value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of
Life and as one of the sources of energies used in magikal practice
and religious worship.
- 5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological
worlds - sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective
Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. - and we see in the interaction
of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and
magikal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other,
seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
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