C

Contending ontending
earnestly
December 2013
IMAGINE THE SCENE Editorial by Philip L. Powell

cetf Ffaith
for the

aith

Volume 19.4

Issue 65

He could have called 72,000 angels

saints (hagios=holy ones angels) Jude 14. In the final case scenario, Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, who now sits at the right hand of the Father, will arise and call from the ranks of ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands (Rev. 5:11) that's more than 12 legions of angels - to join Him as He rides forth on a White Horse as described in chapter 19 of the last book of the Bible: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no one knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written, {THE} KING OF {THE} KINGS, AND {THE} LORD OF {THE} LORDS Revelation 19:11-16. The one who could have called more than twelve legions of angels and didn't, has given an assurance that all those who Love Him and remain faithful to Him will share His final victory Praise the Lord. Lesser skirmishes are of no ultimate consequence. He could have called 10,000 angels - The Hymn by Ray Overholt. The setting is at night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, surrounded by a crowd of enemies with swords and staves, and some friends, has just been betrayed with a kiss from Judas. Impetuous, courageous Peter (cf. John 18:10), one of only two of the disciples of Jesus who were armed (cf. Luke 22:38) unsheathed and wielded his sword and severed the ear of the high priest's servant, Malchus (John 18:10). Calmly and quietly Jesus replaced the severed ear, healed Malchus, gave a mild rebuke to Peter (Luke 22:51 cf. John 18:11) and then made one of the most dramatic claims of scripture. Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Matthew 26: 53-54. In 2 Kings 19:35 we read how just one solitary angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty five thousand Assyrians in one night. After the event and somewhat humorously we read and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. Think of what 72,000 angels would do. The entire Roman and Israeli nations wouldn't have stood a chance. So why didn't Jesus exert a bit of force in His own defence? The answer is very simple how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? The scriptures will always be fulfilled both in Christ's first coming and in His second advent and when we submit to God's Will and Word in our lives also. This remains the greatest test to which we can appeal in respect of the unfolding of history in the trying times in which we live. Theologically, Christologically and eschatologically these things are a certainty but there is another practical lesson that we are so slow to learn. It's a principle of Christian Living - before triumph comes trial. The way of the cross i.e. surrender, always leads to the crown. Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his Ray Overholt 1924 - 2008

in this edition...
He Could Have Called 72,000 Angels ......................................................1 Christian Vote and Christian Morals. ......................................................3 Though We With Giants Fight: Lives and Testimonies from the Battlefield ......................................10 What is Biblical Discernment. ..............................................................12 Amos A Prophet from the Past A Message for the Present. .............................................................14 Pressing Hard on the Door The Relentless Political Pressure of the Sodomite Age .....................17 CWM Resources...................................................................................19 Pope Francis Elected, Mystery of Iniquity Moves On .........................................................24 Zechariahs Flying Scroll .......................................................................30 The Gospel According to Bill Johnson: Part 3 ........................................33 Annual Donation Appeal......................................................................38 Christian Witness Ministries 2014 Conference .....................................39
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All error and heresy focuses ultimately on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ His TRUE DEITY
Ray's Hymn and his story as he related it: I had left my television show 'Ray's roundup' and entered the nightclub scene. I was drinking pretty heavily. I began thinking there must be a better life than the nightclub, show business whirlwind. I was so intent on changing my lifestyle that I went home and told my wife that I was quitting all of the smoking, drinking and cursing. I wanted to clean up my own life. One day I thought to myself: I've written secular songs, I'd like to write a song about Christ. I opened the Bible, which I knew very little about, and began to read the portion of Scripture that describes Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane telling Peter to put away his sword. I read where Jesus told Peter that He could ask His Father and He would send twelve legions of angels. I didn't know at the time that would have been more than 72,000 angels. I thought a good title for a song would be He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels. I didn't know what happened during the life of Christ, so I began doing a little research. The more I read about Jesus, the more I admired him for what He had done. I then remembered that He did this all for me. I was playing in a nightclub in Battle Creek, Michigan, when the Lord impressed me to write the song. I wrote the first verse and put it in my guitar case. I then gave the club my notice that I was quitting. As I opened my guitar case to put my instrument away, one of the other musicians saw the music written out and he asked, 'What are you doing there?' I told him I was writing a song about Jesus. He asked the title and I told him. He said, 'It will never go.' I asked, Why? He said, 'I don't even like the title.' But I finished the song and sent it to a publishing house, which reluctantly agreed to publish it. Sometime later I found myself singing at a small church. I sang 'He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels.' Following my singing, the preacher spoke a message that gripped my heart. I knew I needed Christ, so I knelt there and accepted, Jesus as my Saviour, the One whom I had been singing and writing about. Ray Overholt became a travelling singer and preacher. He has written a number of other songs, but none so moving as 'Ten Thousand Angels' http://www.hymnalaccompanist.com/Story/Ten%20Thousand%20Angels.html They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed; They led Him thro' the streets in shame. They spat upon the Saviour so pure and free from sin; They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame." He could have called ten thousand angels To destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called ten thousand angels, But He died alone, for you and me. Upon His precious head they placed a crown of thorns; They laughed and said, "Behold the King!" They struck Him and they cursed Him and mocked His holy name All alone He suffered everything. When they nailed Him to the cross, His mother stood nearby, He said, "Woman, behold thy son!" He cried, "I thirst for water," but they gave Him none to drink. Then the sinful work of man was done. To the howling mob He yielded; He did not for mercy cry. The cross of shame He took alone. And when He cried, "It's finished," He gave Himself to die; Salvation's wondrous plan was done. All error and heresy focuses ultimately on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ His TRUE DEITY i.e. that He was truly God and His REAL HUMANITY i.e. that He was God manifest in the flesh. On these issues the Bible is absolutely clear so much so that Christ says if we do not believe them we will die in our sins viz. we will be eternally lost cf. John 8:24. These things are very dear to me and I will fight to the death to maintain them and I am always very careful about the use of words in respect of these things - inspite of some having misquoted me. I am NOT "docetic" and have never been, nor was my statement in anyway docetic - see www.cwm.org.au. At Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship here in Brisbane, Australia, I have commenced a series of teaching based on Titus 2:13: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. As we go to press the plan is that our future 9:30am to 11:30am Brisbane, Australia (GMT +10 hours) Sunday morning services will be Live Video Streamed so that interested people around the world can listen and watch by clicking on http://cwmf.sermon.net. The message itself will be from approx. 10:30am to 11:30am Brisbane time (GMT +10 hours). Eventually the series will be published, God willing, on our CWM YouTube station to be downloaded at will www.youtube.com/user/CWMFellowship I do not intend to avoid controversy but will endeavour to be dogmatic only where the Bible is clear and FLEXIBLE where the Bible is not clear. We are not told to look for the ANTICHRIST but for CHRIST who may come at anytime. For me the doctrine of IMMINENCE (i.e. Christ may RETURN at anytime) is a vital part of the Bible. This is one reason why I am convinced the correct view about Christ's Return is what is known as the Pre-Tribulation Return of Christ. I think other views such as Post-Tribulation, MidTribulation, Pre-Wrath etc are wrong but I do not classify those who hold to those particular views as false teachers, and have never done so. Only the pre-tribulation return of Christ fits in with the doctrine of Imminence Christ may return at anytime. It views the RETURN OF CHRIST in two stages 1. The RAPTURE or catching away [Greek harpazo] of the saints which may occur at any time (1 Thess. 4: 16-18); 2. THE SECOND COMING when Christ will return with His saints (cf. 1 Thess. 4:15) and every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7 cf. 2 Thess. Chapter 2). The event of the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST is interchangeably called the Day of Christ, The Day of the Lord etc and it relates to judgment. At the 2nd Coming Christ will return as King and Judge. The events of the antichrist or the Beast of Revelation chapters 11 and 13 have particular reference to the Great Tribulation and not to the RAPTURE per se. It is false to claim that Christ cannot return until the faithful have identified the antichrist. In my opinion the faithful will never identify the ANTICHRIST simply because they will have been raptured prior to His appearance. We have started to look systematically at these truths and will continue in the weeks and months that lie ahead. Some of the material may be published in CETF and/or on one or more of our websites www.cwm.org.au and/or www.cwmfellowship.org and/or on my new blog - http://philiplpowell.wordpress.com In the meantime once more we commend to you the following articles in this issue of our CWM magazine CETF # 65. Our authors have covered a wide range of topics from Discernment to Devotional to Doctrinal to Anecdotal. May the Lord bless you as you read. Please help us to spread the word by passing this CETF to someone else when you have read it. Once more we acknowledge the Lord's provision through His people to maintain the printing and postage costs this quarter which is the last issue of CETF in 2013. Have a happy Christmas and a wonderful God blessed New Year. Philip L. Powell Editor.

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The Christian Vote and Christian Morals

By B. Michael Bigg The Federal Election what an exciting subject! So why discuss it? Why mention it? In a western democratic country like Australia (or England, the USA, Canada, and many other countries) the right to be able to cast your vote is as much a privilege as it is a right; but if Christians don't vote then the non-Christian population will be the only people determining who will get elected, and what policies are important. Politicians pander to loud voices most of the time. Just because politicians go to church or say, for instance, God bless America, that does NOT make them Christians. Just because a political party SEEMS more closely aligned to Christian beliefs and/or standards in their speeches and advertising that does not make it so. For example, America's so-call conservative Republican Party is just as un-Christian as the Democrats despite popular opinion amongst Americans to the contrary. Let's have a quick look at the history of the conservative, Christian, Republican government in the USA: it was Dwight Eisenhower's appointed Earl Warren Supreme Court that ordered God out of the class room as it was Richard Nixon's Warren Berger Supreme court that ordered God out of the maternity ward with Roe v Wade. Not least of all however is the enduring saga of Ronald Reagan and his evil, evil lies. It was Reagan's Supreme Court Justice Sandra day O'Connor who ordered God out of the judiciary. After promising Christian America he was pro life, Reagan did nothing pro life but rather stabbed a dagger into the backs of the nave and undiscerning people who believed him and appointed a pro abortion Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. While some conservatives found her pro affirmative action decision an outrage that is a secular issue. It was O'Connor who ordered the 10 commandments out of the Alabama Judicial building. Moreover however, it was Ronald Reagan's Sandra Day O'Connor who wrote the court's decision against the Texas anti sodomy law legally opening the very door for same sex marriage triggering the state by state avalanche of demands for it. Whether the advice Reagan so often relied upon from his wife Nancy who regularly consulted fortune tellers accounts for his wickedness and treachery we cannot say, although it might be a reasonable explanation as it may for his arming terrorist Iran and then denying it. Like most presidents, Reagan was a (sic) also a Freemason. His arch betrayal of his gullible pro life supporters and his judicial appointments however are the true legacy of Ronald Reagan and the true nature and character of the Republican Party. They are as evil, as demonically manipulated, and as anti Judeo-Christian as their liberal Democrat opposition. [1] In Australia we have the conservative Liberal-National Party (LNP) and left-wing Labor Party which had been in government for two terms losing the last election in
Footnotes:
[1] James Jacob Prasch, Once the Salt Has Lost its Taste. WWW page. <http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/uk/once-the-salt-has-lost-itstaste>. 30 Jun 2013, cited 3 Sep 2013.

September 2013. Australia's Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party coming into the election was Kevin Rudd, whilst the leader of the opposition was Tony Abbott. Though there are other political parties, the above two are the main players, and both Labor's Kevin Rudd and the LNP's Tony Abbott, claimed to be Christians. Mr Rudd is an Anglican who attends St John the Baptist Church in his Bulimba electorate, though he was raised a Roman Catholic, and it is said that he has not formally renounced his Roman Catholic faith. In a 2007 article in The Australian newspaper, Mr Rudd said in relation to his Roman Catholic origins and his marriage to Anglican wife Thrse, It's a unity ticket, but I never resigned from Rome.[2] When in the nation's capital, Canberra, Mr Rudd attends St John the Baptist Church in Reid. Mr Abbott is a Roman Catholic, who attended a Roman Catholic high school where he was taught and influenced by Jesuit priests; in his mid-twenties he attended St Patrick's Seminary but did not complete his studies. Mr Abbott has been accused of wearing his Roman Catholic beliefs on his sleeve and thus being too influenced by them. So who should one have voted for in the September 2013 election? Who should Christians vote for? Mr Rudd, Mr Abbott, someone from a minor political party, or an independent? We have great freedom and great privilege being able to vote. But is our vote inconsequential? As Christians is it irrelevant who we vote for? One person votes Labor, the other LNP, who's right and who's wrong? Are both right, are both wrong? Sadly modern political choices are coming down to choosing the (perceived) lesser of two evils, as the saying goes. In some respects one person and one political party might be better economically for Australia and the other worse; but the same too applies with regard to laws and morals. The question, then, is what is more important for Christians when voting? Which aspect is more important from God's perspective? Might Christians give account to God as to their (voting) moral stand, or lack thereof? There are a myriad of opinions on what is better economic policy, foreign policy, health and welfare, etc., but such policies are, for the most part, influenced and determined by what is better overall - for the prosperity of the nation and its people. Yes morality does influence these decisions, but it is the laws and legislation that governments make, and the judgments of its courts, that have the biggest impact on its morals.[3] Similarly, perceived public opinions and standards can influence politicians and changes to laws: for good or bad. As such, I wish to discuss a moral issue for Christians in regard to voting at elections; and it is for this reason that this article will concentrate on the beliefs, perspectives, opinions and
Footnotes:
[2] Christopher Pearson, Rudd a cafeteria Christian. WWW page. <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/christopher-pearson-rudd-acafeteria-christian/story-e6frg6zo-1111112970215>. 10 Feb 2007, cited 3 Sep 2013. [3] Some would argue that what is shown on television has the greatest impact on a country's morals; however it is the laws and standards of censorship which determine what can, ultimately, be shown.
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if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman comments by the then Prime Minister of Australia leading up to Australia's September 2013 election Kevin Rudd. Policy and Q&A During the August 10, 2013, election debate Mr Rudd said that if the Labor Party was re-elected that within the first 100 days the Labor government will introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage[4]; and on Monday, 2 September 2013, Kevin Rudd appeared on the ABC's Q&A program, reiterating his support of homosexual marriage. A man, who is a church pastor and speaker on the radio, queried Mr Rudd at the Q&A show over his apparent toing and fro-ing in his opinions and perspective (as it seemed to this pastor's radio listeners) just to win votes. Mr Rudd's response[5] included: Rudd: three, four, five months ago, I concluded in my conscience, through an informed conscience, and a Christian conscience, it was a right thing to do. And let me tell you why. Number one: I do not believe people, when they are born, choose their sexuality. They are gay if they are born gay. You don't decide at some later stage in life to be one thing or the other. It is, it is, how people are built, and therefore, the idea that this is somehow an abnormal condition is just wrong. I don't get that. I think that is just a completely ill founded view. Secondly, if you accept that it is natural and normal for someone to be gay, because that's the way they are, then it follows from that, that I don't think it right to say that if these two folk here who are in love with each other, and are of the same gender, should be denied the opportunity for legal recognition for the duration of their relationship by having marriage equality. If you accept that your starting point is that, um, homosexuality is abnormal; I don't know if that's your view.
Footnotes:
[4] Matt Young & Malcolm Farr, Rudd pops question on gay marriage during election debate. WWW Page. <http://www.news.com.au/national-news/ruddpops-the-question-on-gay-marriage-duringelection-debate/story-fncynjr2-1226695075218>, 11 Aug 2013, cited 4 Sep 2013. [5] Transcribed by me, after watching the video clip on, Your say: Kevin Rudd makes impassioned defence of gay marriage on Q&A. WWW Page. <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-03/yoursay-kevin-rudd-makes-impassioned-defence-ofgay-marriage/4931144>. 3 Sep 2013, cited 3 Sep 2013.

Host: well we can go back, and arh Rudd: I just need to know Host: , just, we will go back to our question; we need to ask, What, what it is, that you believe, Christians in particular, are upset about? Pastor: I think the thing is that, ah, you know, every pastor we do marriages between husbands and wives, and Jesus said, a man shall leave his father and mother and be married. That's the biblical definition. I just believe what the Bible says, and I'm just curious for you Kevin [Rudd], if you call yourself Christian, why you don't believe the words of Jesus in the Bible?

chopping and changing, I wrote a two or three thousand word essay, stuck it online, months, and months, and months ago before returning to the prime ministership so everyone would know, why I had changed my position, the reasons for it, and it was the product of some many, many months and years of reflection in good Christian conscience. Christian conscience?! In some ways, it is hard to know where to start in regard to Mr Rudd's reflective position. Do we start with his misrepresentation of Saint Paul? His misuse, misrepresentation, of the word natural in regard to slavery? Whether changing social conditions means the Gospel, and/or Christian moral standards, should change? What of the true fundamental principle of the New Testament; and what of universal love and its meaning let alone its outworking? For starters, loving your fellow man does NOT mean what homosexuals think it means! That Mr Rudd suggests that a form of sexuality be it for or against homosexuality is the centrality of what the Gospel is about is delusional! What Mr Rudd has done here is prefix Christian to the word conscience to justify his point of view. To be a Christian is to be Biblical. Mr Rudd's obvious Biblical ignorance shows that any reflection he has undertaken is neither Biblical nor Christian. Slavery Concerning slavery Paul did indeed say, Slaves be obedient to your masters (cf. Eph 6:5; Col 3:22) BUT he did NOT say this was natural certainly NOT in the sense that Mr Rudd is using natural in relation to homosexuality. Paul said, Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called. - 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 (Emphasis Mine) Let me suggest that anyone who thinks

Rudd: Well mate, well mate, if I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition. [Applause from audience]. Because Saint Paul said in the New Testament, Slaves be obedient to your masters, and therefore we should have all fought for the Confederacy in the US Civil War. I mean for goodness sake. The human condition and social conditions change. What is the fundamental principle of the New Testament? It is one of universal love. Loving your fellow man, and if we get obsessed with a particular definition of that through a form of sexuality then I think we are missing the centrality of what the Gospel, whether you call it a social gospel, a personal gospel, or a spiritual gospel, is all about. And therefore, I go back to my question, if you think homosexuality is an unnatural condition then frankly I cannot agree with you based on any element of the science; and therefore if a person's sexuality is as they were made then you've got to ask yourself a second question, Should therefore their relationships be legally recognised? And the conclusion I've reached is that they should. And on the question of

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that the Bible, or any of the apostles, taught that slavery is a natural condition has either not read the Bible, or is so blinded by sin, that God has given them over to their delusion. Christians are to remain WITH GOD in the condition they were called, either as the Lord's freedman or Christ's slave. Paul was addressing the culture of Rome at around 50AD. What is Mr Rudd suggesting that Saint Paul should have said? Maybe rise up and kill your masters? Is that the solution to Mr Rudd's idea that slavery is natural? Rome was a pagan nation, the principles and laws of which were based on GrecoRoman pagan worldview. A runaway slave could be put to death. What does Mr Rudd suggest Paul should have said to slaves who had turned to Christ? Run away? Be disobedient? Hinder, backchat, disrespect your masters? Seriously! Paul told Christian slaves AND Christian MASTERS alike to keep in mind that GOD is the ultimate master. Therefore act accordingly. To suggest that slaves be obedient to your masters means that slavery is a natural condition is a conclusion based on ignorance of both the Bible and history. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOUR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. - Ephesians 6:1-9 The Christian Gospel and teaching showed that before God, [free] men had no more privilege than women, children and slaves. To a first century Roman society this was scandalous. It is for this reason Christianity was viewed as turning the world upside down, and why it was being slandered. Subsequently, Paul told the members of the churches he founded to do what they would be culturally expected to do even though, in reality, they were free. Imagine a society where women are possessions, children are nothing until adulthood and slaves are the lowest of possessions chattels. Now add the Gospel and tell them they are ALL precious in God's sight and NONE has more favouritism with God than any other. Now consider the tensions that might arise in a household where slaves might grumble at being slaves when THEY ARE NOT inferior to their masters, and so on. (Note however that there are differences between the Greco-Roman world and Jewish world). It is in this framework that Paul (and Peter) addressed things in Eph 5:21-6:9; Col 3:18-4:1; 1 Pet 3:1-7; 1 Peter 2:1825; 1 Tim 2:8-15, 5:1-2, 6:1-2; and Titus 2:1-10. So amongst all this, Paul in Ephesians, tells wives, children and slaves to submit (which is NOT something new, but rather something culturally expected), BUT what he does say to husbands, fathers and masters is ENTIRELY radical to the social and cultural context. Life is NOT all about husbands, fathers and masters. The welfare they (husbands, fathers and masters) should be looking out for is the other party's and NOT theirs (which they were used to and was the cultural norm). Fortunately, there have been other ministers of some churches who have pointed out the erroneous nature of Mr Rudd's comments. Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, says Rudd "misquoted the Bible" and was "profoundly wrong". Aristotle, not the Bible, defined slavery as a natural condition. As Canon Sandy Grant, senior minister at Wollongong's St Michael's Anglican Cathedral, pointed out, the Bible actually ranks "slave traders" among "the ungodly and sinful". Grant added: "I am appalled at how this national leader . . . misrepresented the Holy Book of the faith he confesses on its teaching on one matter (slavery) to avoid its teaching on another matter (of marriage) . . ." But the Left-leaning Q&A audience applauded Rudd wildly for abusing the pastor and Christianity and the ABC's clip went viral, watched 330,000 times. In fact, Rudd's rant perfectly illustrated how Labor has failed: how it confuses abuse with persuasion, Twitter for the public, fashion for substance. Note how Rudd repeatedly made the pastor seem a bigot for holding an opinion Rudd himself held until last May. In fact, Rudd used to argue - just like the pastor - "marriage is between a man and woman" and "it's just been our traditional, continuing view". Was he then a gay hater? But with a convert's zeal, Rudd showed no respect for the opinion he used to hold or for the pastor. He sought to win an argument by bullying, not persuading. Hasn't that been Labor's way? To denigrate people for holding opinions Labor itself once held or has since adopted?[6] What is Natural? From a socio-economical perspective what is natural as in the social and/or economic climate to which you were born into does NOT mean you have to remain there. In Roman times slaves could be freed, gladiators in the arena could be freed, the poor could do well in business and become rich, and a rich person could become enslaved as a result of debt. The natural state had nothing to do with one's DNA (or any other such perspective). Your DNA didn't make you poor or rich though your heritage, i.e. parents, could. Your DNA didn't make you slave or free, though your heritage, i.e. parents, could. And in either so-called natural circumstance one might be able to change one's circumstances, or by decree of one's master or Caesar, have it changed.
Footnotes:
[6] Andrew Bolt, Outburst a Pointer to Labor Fall. WWW page. <www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/outbursta-pointer-to-labor-fall/story-fni0ffxg1226710915894>, 5 Sep 2013, cited 5 Sep 2013.
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Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent If slavery were TRULY a natural state then the apostle Paul's suggestion that slaves should try to become free (1 Cor 7:21) if possible would mean that Paul is advocating people become UNNATURAL which is absurd. This is putting things in reverse and the likes of Australia's Christian then Prime Minister were and are, in effect, saying that the unnatural is natural, and the natural is unnatural. Since Mr Rudd raised the issue of what is natural and introduced the subject of science, then let me propose an elementary scientific experiment. Let us place a community of homosexual men on one island, and a community of homosexual women on another; if after 50 years their populations have (NATURALLY) increased then I will wholeheartedly say that homosexuality is natural. What? This won't work! you say. Why not? It is obvious that no one is going to seriously suggest that semen in the bowels of a man is natural? After all, will this naturally produce offspring? No? Then how can anyone Christian Prime Minister or not claim that homosexuality is both naturally or scientifically supported. How delusional do you have to be, or how much of a liar are you? Fundamentals and Centrality So much for slavery and what is natural! How about what is the fundamental principle of the New Testament and the centrality of what the Gospel is all about. Let's look at the New Testament and let God's Word speak for itself: John the Baptist: speaking to Jews Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. - Matthew 3:2 Jesus: Speaking to Jews From that time Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Matthew 4:17. Peter and the Apostles: Speaking to the Jewish Council He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Saviour, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. - Acts 5:31 Peter: Speaking to the other Apostles and Disciples concerning Cornelius 6
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When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. - Acts 11:18 Paul: In Athens speaking to the Athenians on Mars Hill Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, - Acts 17:30 Paul: In Miletus speaking to the Ephesian Elders solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:21 Paul: before Festus and Agrippa at Caesarea but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. - Acts 26:20 Repentance! This is what the New Testament proclaims as well as Christ's sacrifice to take the penalty for man taking the punishment that is due us for our rebellion before God if only we submit ourselves to God. The Gospels proclaim this message, and the book of Acts records the proclamation of this very same message that the apostles took to the world. But how can anyone REPENT of something unless there is a rule, law or standard of God's which people have broken and by which they are compared? And once one has REPENTED (i.e. turned from doing things your own way) it is EXPECTED that you do things God's way and have God's opinion because repentance is turning TO GOD not turning away from Him. Homosexuality and Sexual Sin in the Bible Mr Rudd's criticism of those Christians who disagree with his liberalism was undertaken with much applause by the studio audience by comparing attitudes to slavery as being on par with attitudes to homosexuality: it's a cultural thing, a societal thing, after all the human condition and social

conditions change Mr Rudd says. But the Bible the Word of God remains consistent, irrespective of time and culture. Days of Noah (approx. 2400 BC) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually - Genesis 6:5 Sodom and Gomorrah (approx. 1900 BC) Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. - Genesis 13:13 And the LORD said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. - Genesis 18:20 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." - Genesis 19:1-5 Laws of Moses
(Israel in the wilderness, approx. 1440 BC)

If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. Leviticus 20:13 King Jehoshaphat of Judah (approx. 870 BC) The remnant of the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he expelled from the land. 1 Kings 22:46 Isaiah (approx. 750 BC) For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against His glorious presence. The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. - Isaiah 3:8-9

Such were some of you...but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ...
Jesus (Israel approx. 30AD) Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the centre of the court, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the centre of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." John 8:2-11[7] Paul and Roman Corinth (circa. 50AD) Roman culture was very open, very pluralistic and very pagan. Homosexuality was accepted in Roman society, just as prostitution, and temple/cult prostitution was. Yet Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians notes that, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Footnotes:
[7] Beware lest the 'moral of the story' regarding Jesus and the woman caught in adultery end with the idea of not judging. Jesus DID judge (though he did not condemn her to be stoned) and he told the woman to sin no more.

Such were some of you, but you were sanctified. Sanctified i.e. set apart to be holy. They were these things in the PAST but no longer. They accepted Christ, they accepted Paul's Gospel, they REPENTED, they changed and they turned their backs on the previous lifestyles and turned to GOD stopping their unrighteous lifestyles. John and Revelation on Patmos (circa. 80 AD) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons [Gr. pornos fornicators] and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises lying. - Revelation 22:14-15 2nd Peter The entirety of the short epistle of 2nd Peter should be read which similarly addresses moral issues related to lust and desire. Mr Rudd in opposition to what the Bible clearly and repetitively says says, No God I/WE will decide what is acceptable, I/WE will decide what is right, and I/WE will come to You (God) according to the standards and things I/WE say are fine. How does God categorise such people? What is the true state of people who purport to be Christians and yet say, No, to God? The Fool Psalm 14 The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. Psalm 14:1 The Expositor's Bible Commentary says, The fool (nbl, GK 5572) is neither ignorant nor an atheist. The word fool is synonymous with wicked (cf. TWOT 2:547). It reflects the wisdom tradition where the fool aggressively and intentionally flouts independence from God and his commandments (cf. 53:1; 74:18, 22). The wicked were fools when they acted corruptly, shamelessly (Deut

32:5-6), and in wilful disregard for the ways of God.[8] Allen Ross in his commentary on the Psalms notes, The focus of this psalm is on the ungodly, but in a way that reveals what it means to be trying to live independently of God. What the psalm says is that the vast majority of the human race must be classed as fools; they try to deny that God exists, and because they do that, their way is completely corrupt and corrupting. It is one of the strongest passages in the Bible about the complete depravity of the human race [the] very existence [of the people of God] troubles the ungodly so that they are often persecuted by them The chief characteristic of the fool is the heartfelt decision to live a godless life, as if there were no God The negative particle (there is no) may indicate that the fool denies the existence of God relative to the speaker, at least in this context. As such the person would be a practical atheist, living as if there were no God. After all, the fool says this in his heart; it is a conclusion based on the will and not the intellect. The fool is one who chooses never to think of God as being involved with his daily affairs. What proceeds from the heart of a fool is moral perversion, according to the next few verses. The first declaration is that fools corrupt. It would be difficult to find a stronger word to use, for this verb means ruin, devastation, corrupt. It was used of the complete corruption of the human race prior to the flood (Gen. 6:11-12) and of the LORD's destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 13:10). Here it refers to moral and spiritual corruption; but the word reminds the reader that the corruption is as bad as it could be, so bad it would warrant the type of severe judgment God has used in the past.[9] James Boice says, The psalm is about atheism, of both a theoretical and a practical kind. In
Footnotes:
[8] Tremper Longman III & David E. Garland (ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Psalms (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008, Revised Edition), 174175. [9] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 1 (1-41) (Grand Rapids: Kregal Publications, 2011), 375-377.
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The fool has said in his heart, There is no God...

the first view are the fool's words about God. As far as he is concerned, God does not exist. Our text quotes him as saying, There is no God, but we should note that in the Hebrew text the words there is are not present. They have been added to the English to make the psalm read smoothly. The fool actually says, No God! That is, No God for me. So his is a practical as well as a theoretical atheism. Not only does he not believe in God he also acts on his conviction. He is a fool because he knows there is a God and yet chooses to deny it. The reason the person is a fool and not merely mistaken is that he knows there is a God and yet chooses to believe and act as if there is none.[10] And just like Psalm 14, Psalm 53 likewise says, The fool has said in his heart, There is no God, They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. Psalm 53:1 The King James Version of this Psalm 14:1 puts There is in italics indicating that the translators have added these words for clarity's sake but they aren't actually there in the Hebrew. So these verses read, The fool has said in his heart, 'No God'. So who is the FOOL who says, No, God? Who is the one who professes to be Christian whilst passionately saying to God, His Word, His Gospel and His ambassadors - the apostles, NO! Lessor of two evils. Which candidate was the lesser of two evils? The Roman Catholic (Tony Abbott) who believes in purgatory, rather than the sufficiency of Christ and His sacrifice; or the Christian who says, 'No, God You don't understand. This is a different time, a different culture and different society. I will believe those things which I say are right, not what You, and not what Your Word says is right'? Well God says, Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and
Footnotes:
[10] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms: an expositional commentary, Volume 1 (Psalms 1-41) (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 114-115.

light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! - Isaiah 5:20-23 He said, Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. - Daniel 12:9-10 Mr Rudd said that if his party was reelected: within the first 100 days the Labor government will introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.[11] If such legislation was passed then any criticism of homosexual marriage would become illegal and the Bible would ineffect be categorised as hate speech. This is but the first step to having the Bible outlawed. The so-called tolerant are themselves intolerant of any view opposed to theirs. The so-called openminded are themselves militantly bigoted accepting no other view as being valid apart from theirs. The wicked will continue to do wickedly. Mr Rudd claims he is being honest to his socalled Christian conscience. A conscience it may be, but Christian? Hardly! But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their
Footnotes:
[11] Matt Young & Malcolm Farr, Rudd pops question on gay marriage during election debate. WWW Page. <http://www.news.com.au/nationalnews/rudd-pops-the-question-on-gay-marriageduring-election-debate/story-fncynjr21226695075218>, 11 Aug 2013, cited 4 Sep 2013.

fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. - 1 Timothy 1:8-11 (Emphasis Mine) But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching - 1 Timothy 4:1-3, 13b (Emphasis Mine) Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. - Timothy 5:20-25 (Emphasis Mine) Yes the Gospel is about the Love of God and what He has done to reconcile us to Himself. But there is no love outside of God's truth, God's laws, God's Word. Sin is sin be that in the Old or New Testaments. There is no change as to what constitutes sin between the Old and New Covenants not when it

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CETF ANNUAL DONATION APPEAL - see page 38 to find out how you can help us bring CETF to you and others
comes to the moral laws; there are, however, changes in the way these laws are to be fully understood. Adultery, for instance, is not merely about the act, but lusting after someone, desiring to have them (Mat 5:28); similarly a hatred in which one curses another person is equated to murder (1 John 3:15). If we have hardened our hearts so much that we accept that which God calls abominable then can we really claim to be Christians? Can we claim to have been given a new heart, a heart of flesh? Or are we still in our old state, having a heart of stone, a seared heart according to our OWN conscience? Furthermore, what does it say about the church one attends and the pastor (shepherd) who is supposed to be protecting God's flock. How miserably has he failed? Or how lax are his standards or regard for God that he allows such pseudo-Christians to keep attending, or that he fails to rebuke them. Do they fail to consider the warning that teachers will be judged more strictly by God (James 3:1)? Furthermore, what of Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things [Gr. diestrammena to distort, pervert, corrupt, oppose, misinterpret] , to draw away the disciples after them. Woe The pro-homosexual agenda is already being pushed in many parts of society and they are even trying to push it in all levels of education, from primary, secondary to tertiary; and all this with the backing and support of Australia's Christian ex-Prime Minister. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. - Matthew 18:5-9 Mr Rudd can claim the title of Christian all he wants, but when it comes to the crunch, he does NOT believe the apostles, does NOT believe the Bible, does NOT believe God, and does NOT believe Christ. Such rejection of God's moral law comes from a LOW VIEW of God. It comes from a view that God is NOT King (not for this Prime Minister, and others like him). The FOOL has indeed said in his heart, No, God. The question then, is, the same that was proposed to King Jehoshaphat, Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord? - 2 Chronicles 19:2 God is love, God is Righteous, but God is also Holy, Just, Pure, King and Judge. Rejection of God and His Word leaves only the judgment of God and His wrath.

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about the author

B. MICHAEL BIGG, and his wife, Kathryn, came out of the WordFaith movement. Michael has a concern for the preaching of the truth (or lack of it) in many of today's churches. He has a desire to assist in the education of the elect and reaching the lost. Brett works in the Information Technology (IT) industry.

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Selected CWMF Messages are available online

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THOUGH WE WITH GIANTS FIGHT

LIVES AND TESTIMONIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
By Philip Bray 3rd in the series Duncan Campbell's Personal Testimony: From the Trenches to the Pulpit (1898 1972) Prologue Duncan Campbell is best known for the mighty work that God performed through him in the Revival on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland from 1949 - 1952. It was perhaps the last true revival that Britain has known. However, Duncan Campbell's first profession after his conversion was as an infantry soldier in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders a unit of the British Army. This article, abridged and adapted from his own words,[1] recounts how the Revival Preacher of the Isle of Lewis came to a personal knowledge of Christ, was preserved spiritually and physically through the horrors of the trenches of World War One and then called into Christian service. The Greatest Discovery and Enlistment I am here to tell you of three outstanding experiences in my life story; first of all the night that God in His mercy saved me. I was a piper, playing and dancing at a concert in 1913 when suddenly God spoke to me. I had a praying mother and a praying father and I believe that they were deeply burdened that night because I had gone to the dance. While I was playing a Scottish tune called The Green Hills of Tyrol, God spoke to me. My fingers were busy, but my soul was frightfully disturbed, and I found myself not dwelling on the Green Hills of Tyrone, but on the Green Hill of Calvary. I was so disturbed that when I had finished playing the song, I stepped off the stage, went to the chairman and said that I would be leaving the concert. He looked at me and asked, are you well? I said, yes, very well in body, but fearfully disturbed in my mind. I have just made a discovery that I am on the way to hell. The chairman was a minister (I regret having to say that) and looked at me and said, you'll soon get over that. I am thankful to God that I have not 'got over it' to this day. On my way home I passed a church and to my amazement I found it still lit at 11 o'clock at night. I could not understand it. Of course, I had been away from home on business and I did not know that two pilgrims from the Faith Mission were conducting a mission in the parish and here they were still in the church at 11 o'clock. I listened at the door and heard someone praying. Who should it be but my own father, pouring out his heart for the parish and for his own family? Oh God bless such fathers! Horses could not have dragged me past that meeting. I went in, still dressed in my piper's regalia,
Footnotes:
[1] Adapted and abridged from Sermon Audio: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=5300744235

carrying a set of bagpipes and two swords, which I had been using to demonstrate sword dancing. I left the bagpipes and the swords on the back seat of the church and walked up the aisle and sat down beside my father. He looked at me and said, I am glad to see you here boy. I am glad to see you here. After a few minutes one of the sisters who spoke our language rose and read a text of Scripture. God speaketh once, yea twice yet man perceiveth not Job 33:14.[2] I knew that God was speaking to me, but I was so afraid that I would disturb the meeting that I rose to leave. However, as I walked out I fell on my knees not once, but half a dozen times. I was so distressed in my soul; I was afraid that the very ground would open and I would fall into hell as I came under conviction of the Holy Ghost. When I did leave I remained deeply troubled and must have fallen on my knees and prayed six more times on my way home. I did not arrive home until after two o'clock in the morning and found my dear mother on her knees by the kitchen fire. She had not been able to attend the prayer meeting that night, as she had to look after some members of the family who had come to stay. I told her what had happened to me and my distress. She looked at me and said, your cousins are in your bedroom but I shall soon get a bed ready for you. But I would say this to you, my boy; (I was just in my teens) go out to the barn and tell God what you have just told me. I can still see the straw prepared for the horses in the morning and I fell on my knees on the straw. To this day I remember the prayer that I offered; God, I know not how to come, I know not what to do, but my God I am coming now. Oh, have mercy upon me. In less time than it takes me to recount the story, God had swept into my life and I was gloriously born again. A miracle had taken place. After all, is it not true that a born again Christian is a supernatural being; a supernatural being who has had a supernatural experience? Blessed be God! Since that day I have not had one occasion to doubt the work that God performed in my heart. It was real, it was definite and blessed be God it was supernatural. Shortly afterwards I enlisted into the Army at the outbreak of World War One. Battles Within and Without I had not been in the Forces for very long when I discovered that there were dangers living within me which were more
Footnotes:
[2] All references, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the KJV King James Version.

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O thou my soul, bless God the Lord and all that in me is, be stirred up His Holy Name to magnify and to bless than a match for me. I am thankful to God that He kept me from open sin. Oh how I praise Him for that! I also had a sense of His gracious presence in the trenches and I knew Him there; but I was also troubled by indwelt sin. It was an enemy in the garrison of my soul fighting against God. Again and again it brought me into bondage. I often fell on my knees in the trenches and asked God to forgive me for the thoughts of my heart, which sometimes were not too clean. I was terribly conscious of the truth that, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jeremiah 17:9. Then a remarkable thing happened; the second outstanding experience of my life. Somehow, someone in authority found out that I was a farmer's son and consequently I knew something about horses. I was immediately transferred out of the infantry into the Cavalry Corps. Oh God's ways are wonderful! It was because I was transferred to the cavalry that God met with me for the second time. While taking part in the last major charge of the British Cavalry at Amiens on 12 April 1918 I was severely wounded and was thrown onto the ground where I lay next to a dead horse. My own horse rolled onto me injuring my spine. I was bleeding heavily from other wounds. As I lay there the blood flowed out of me and I was convinced that I was dying. As these thoughts coursed through my mind suddenly a verse of Scripture came to me, and holiness, without which no man can see God - Hebrews 12:14. Even in the deep and glorious knowledge that I was born again, I felt very unworthy and unfit to meet God. Then in the providence of God another remarkable thing happened. The Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), known as the Canadian Horse, were ordered to continue the advance. As they charged over the bloody battlefield, covered with hundreds of wounded and dying men, a hoof struck me in the spine. I must have groaned in pain, and that groan registered in the mind of the rider. When the charge was over he was one of the few that came back; and I tell you that there were very few. It was a dreadful day. But he came right back to where I lay, dismounted, lifted me up and threw me across his horse's back and galloped to the nearest casualty clearing station. Now it was on that horse's back that the glorious miracle happened. I remembered a prayer of Murray M'Cheyne which my father used to pray, and I cried to God; God, oh God make me as holy as a saved sinner can be. God did it! God swept into my life and I knew in a matter of minutes an experience that I did not think was possible this side of heaven. His waters flowed throughout my soul and inner being and I was healed not physically, but spiritually. A sense of God flowed through me and at that moment I felt as pure as an angel. Do not misunderstand me; only God knows my true state, but that was how I felt. At that time I could barely speak a word of English. I spoke Gaelic, the language of the Highlands of Scotland. I could not praise God in English; I could not pray in English; I read and sang in Gaelic. However, I was too weak through loss of blood to sing that afternoon, but I could repeat the Psalms. As I lay in the station I repeated over and over in Gaelic the Scottish Psalm, O thou my soul, bless God the Lord and all that in me is, be stirred up His Holy Name to magnify and to bless. Not one person in that casualty clearing station could understand a single word of what I said. But God came in convicting power and within an hour seven Canadians had been saved. It was my first experience of Holy Ghost revival. I had not been there for very long when I was evacuated back to Scotland for further treatment. I remained in hospital for a further eleven months and there experienced the gracious moving of God. There was nothing more wonderful than to see God working and to see men and women being saved. I could not preach much, but just a word about the Lord Jesus Christ did it! After a year and one month I was sent back home to the farm and demobilised From Military to Christian Service I was now more or less fully recovered from my injuries and my parents were very keen for me to enter Christian ministry. However, what university or college would accept me with my very limited English? I immediately came to the conclusion that it was not necessary. Why should I spend 5 to 7 years in training when God in a matter of minutes could send revival? Therefore, with the permission of my parents, I just went out to the villages of Argyll in Scotland and preached. In a matter of days I saw what is commonly referred to as the Mid-Argyll Revival. The burden of my message was simple, 'He saved me and because He saved a sinner like me, He can save you.' For five years a young brother from Ireland and I saw the hand of God in revival. I think I could trace it back to that experience on the horse's back when God blessed me again. Epilogue In 1949, shortly after the end of World War 2, Duncan Campbell was invited by a local minister to visit the Isle of Lewis to take part in a mission. Many of the young men who had served in the Second World War had returned to a spiritual vacuum, confused and troubled by what they had experienced. Most had turned away from their Christian upbringing. With his own experience of the trenches, and real experience of God, Campbell was an instrument prepared by God. He went for 10 days and remained for 3 years, leading a work that shook the whole of Lewis. NEXT - DL Moody: a Willing Offering From the Official Biography by WR Moody, Edited by Michael Claydon

about the author

Philip Bray, since his conversion in 1995, has served the Lord at Stroud Green Christian Assembly, London, most recently as an elder and in the work of Christian Alliance Ministries. He is employed as an infantry officer in the British Army and has served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and most recently in Afghanistan. He is a member of the Soldiers and Airmens Scripture Readers Association, whose object is to encourage personal evangelism in the Army and Royal Air Force.
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What is Biblical Discernment?

By Peter J. Stringfellow PJ, along with his mother and sister, spent many years searching for a church that preached the truth of God's Word. After leaving a Baptist church due to its involvement with the 'Purpose Driven Life' programme, they spent a couple of years visiting and being involved with a couple of other churches. During this time PJ was all too aware how easy it is to be led astray by false teaching with these 'churches' being themselves caught up in the Apostles/Prophets movement, as well as other false teachings. Since the start of 2010 the author has been a part of the Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship (CWMF). The first draft of the following article was written while searching for the truth. The Bible is the most important and the most precious resource we as Christians own, and yet, there are few churches that preach the messages it holds, especially the good news of the gospel which seems to be vanishing from many church pulpits and messages. As is reported regularly in the CETF magazine many preach a self-help, emergent or seeker sensitive message, where the focus is on 'bottoms on seats' and dollars coming in, not on souls being won for eternity. With so much false teaching, being biblically literate and discerning is essential in the season and time in which we now live. Genesis 27 1-27 Here we see how easy it is to be deceived. Jacob tricked, deceived and lied to his father Isaac. Isaac however, was not tricked easily and did ask the question How is it that you have found it (Game) so quickly, my son? (NKJV[1]) Jacob's answer obviously satisfied Isaac, Why wouldn't it? It was the textbook answer, the Lord brought it to me how can you argue with that? Jacob wore the clothes of Esau (verse 15) so that he smelt like his brother and he put goat skin on his hands in order to feel like his brother. As Isaac says in verse 22 The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. He was not 100% sure but was blinded, not just literally but because of Jacob's lie. In verse 24 Isaac asks, Are you really my son Esau? to which Jacob replied I am. Which was enough to convince Isaac of Jacob's Esau-ness. He was deceived by what smelt and felt like the real thing. This passage serves as an illustration for what is happening in the church today. As many of us know the prosperity, purpose-driven, emergent, social, seeker sensitive and watered-down gospel is taking over much of the church. This
Footnotes:
[1] New King James Version (Used throughout)

false gospel may feel and smell, like the real thing. However it could not be further from it. Many are blinded to this different gospel and are being led astray. As it says in John 10:10: The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. The enemy, the devil, is behind what is going on. As we approach the glorious day of the return of our Lord and Saviour the devil is out to lead as many away as possibleto steal, kill and destroy the flock of our good shepherd, Jesus Christ. This should not come as a surprise to us. Jesus warned us about this exact thing. Matthew 24:4-5: And Jesus answered and said to them Take heed that no one deceives you. For m any will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many' Matthew 24:23-26 Then if anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ! or There! do not believe it. For f alse christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, Look, He is in the desert! do not go out; or Look, He is in the inner rooms! do not believe it. In order to not be deceived we need to be discerning. Simply put discernment or being discerning is checking what one reads, hears or sees with the Word of God (Bible) to see if it is biblical and of God. As Charles Spurgeon put it, Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.[2] Being able to distinguish the difference between what is of God and what just 'looks and smells' as if it is. Two misconceptions about discernment There are two common misconceptions about discernment. The first one relates to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (spirituals) mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. Is discernment a spiritual gift that only some have? As Philip Powell points out in the book he co-authored with Aeron Morgan 'Gathering the Faithful Remnant'; this view is wrong. He states, Biblically there is no such gift as 'discernment', which really describes an ability, which some people are better to exercise than others. The gift is called the 'discerning of spirits' an enabling by which the
Footnotes:
[2] C.H. Spurgeon 1834 1892 - http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/CharlesSpurgeon-Quotes/page-8.shtml [3] Gathering the Faithful Remnant, Philip Powell and Aeron Morgan. Available from CWM Resources

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in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Holy Spirit discerns whether a person is operating by a false, wrong or evil spirit. [3] The Moriel Ministries website under The Problem with Discernment observes, Do you need a gift to distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, pure motive from impure? Do you need a gift to identify deception in others? Do you need a gift to determine the authenticity of someone's testimony? Do you need a gift to recognize inconsistencies in a teaching, prophetic message, or interpretation? These things can all be accomplished by the application of the Bible in your own hand! The only reason you would need someone to do this for you is if you are not a Christian who lives in the Word.[4] The second misconception regarding discernment is to do with publicly showing error in someone's teaching. Here many appeal to Matthew 7:1-2: Judge n ot, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. They say that we should not judge the teaching of others or speak against God's anointed. This is a wrong way to look at discernment; firstly we are not judging the person, only their theology, and understanding of scripture and we have to be doing it in love. Out of love for the person, we want them to know and understand the fullness of God and His grace and out of love for those hearing the false message; they need to find true salvation in Jesus Christ. Secondly these verses in Matthew 7 should actually serve as an encouragement to be discerning, we should be accountable to each other, using the Bible as the reference to test what others say and know that we will also be tested by the same means.[5]
Footnotes:
[4]http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/ch
urch-issues/the-problem-with-discernment

So what should our response be? How can we be discerning? In Acts 17 we read about the brethren at Berea, verse 11 These were more fair-minded (noble) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Matthew Henry Comments on this scripture: Their readiness of mind to receive the word was not such as that they took things upon trust, swallowed them upon an implicit faith: no: but since Paul reasoned out of the scriptures, and referred to the old testament for proof of what he said, they had recourse to their Bibles, turned to the places to which he referred them, read in context, considered the scope and drift of them, compared them with other places of scripture, examined whether Paul's inferences from them were natural and genuine and his arguments upon them cogent, and determined accordingly.[6] Dear reader this is what we are to do. We are to check everything with the Word of God, making sure that what we hear or read aligns with what God says in His Word. After all as Hebrew 4:12 says For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I would encourage you all to read your Bible on a regular basis as much as possible. I think a daily reading works best. I know it can be difficult and there are many times when I struggle to do it. However we need to know the Word of God, it is living and powerful. In 2 Timothy 3:13-17 we see an additional warning about the deception and an encouragement to continue in what has been learnt and in the
Footnotes:
[6] Henry, M 1991. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the whole bible. Hendrickson Publishers

knowledge of the scripture. It seems pretty clear that in order to avoid deception we should be grounded in the Bible and not following any new and seemingly exciting thing.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This section of scripture concludes beautifully with the purpose of scripture, which is that we 'may be equipped for every good work'. Brothers and Sisters the Bible is everything we need! In Conclusion - I am reminded of the old children's Sunday school song: The B-I-B-L-E Yes that's the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E. Let's stand on the Word of God alone. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment Philippians 1:9.

about the author

PJ Stringfellow, is a part of Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship (CWM- F) where he attends with his Mother and Sister. He has just finished studying at the Queensland University of Technology where he was involved with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) group. In 2014 he will be moving to Canberra for a job with the ACT Public Service. As a young man he has a heart to serve the Lord wherever he is, for the Word to be preached faithfully and to see others come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
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[5] ED The reader is directed to the exhaustive three part series based on this passage taken from The Sermon on the Mount, which concluded in this issue of CETF see the full series at www.cwm.org.au

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Amos a Prophet from the Past a Message for the Present

By David Yarwood Part 3 of a five part series So called Christian and church activity abounds in our world. Many great things are claimed in the Name of the Lord. Christian music and worship have become so popular it's now the focus for many church services. We see both men and women preaching new revelations that they have supposedly received from God, usually in some type of vision, while thousands of people flock to their meetings looking for the latest 'Christian' experience. The question is, however, what does God think about all of this? Let us turn to Amos Chapter 5. I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not savour your solemn assemblies. Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have you offered to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, 0 house of Israel? But you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts. - Amos 5:21-27 We can divide these few verses into four headings: 1. 2. 3. 4. The Problem Perceived The Solution Suggested The Focus Favoured The Punishment Promised message, here in Chapter 5. The overriding concept here is God's attitude to hypocrisy. It is clear that in God's sight, the actions of His people were hypocritical and He would judge that hypocrisy. Remember also, that this is one continuous book we are studying, so the attitude presented here has developed from what has gone before. In part one, we saw the four transgressions with which God charged Israel: 1. Perverting Justice; 2. Oppressing the Poor for Personal gain; 3. Sexual uncleanness, immorality and incest; 4. Idolatry- Profaning the Name of God. These are reiterated in the earlier verses of chapter 5: For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, Seek me, and live: But do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. (These were places of idol worship) Seek the LORD, and live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel. You who turn justice to wormwood, and lay righteousness to rest in the earth, Seek him that makes the seven stars and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark as night: that calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: That strengthens the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly. - Amos 5:4-10 Oh how true this is. People who stand for righteousness and speak out against much of what is occurring in the 'church' today are reviled and scorned. The danger is that we succumb to the problem of verse 13. Therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and you take from him taxes of wheat: you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: you afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. - Amos 5:11-13 Can we, should we be 'prudent' and keep silent in these evil

The Problem Perceived: What then was the problem with the worship being offered? What is the problem with most of the so-called worship being offered today? What is worship? It's certainly a lot more than singing a few songs. Perhaps the simplest answer to this question is to say that worship is the expression of our relationship with God. In everything we do, we should worship Him. If our thoughts and actions are not predicated on worship, then there is something wrong with that relationship. He is the almighty creator of everything, and by His very nature, He is deserving of our worship, He and none other. Therefore, God will not allow anything to supplant or replace Him in our worship. This was at the heart of Amos' 14
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Most of the so-called contemporary Christian music being produced today is worldly noise given a religious facade times? Unfortunately, many do; it's safer and easier, but it's NOT what God wishes from us. Ask yourself, What am I doing to help? It was while still practising this sin that they came to offer worship and sacrifices to their God. Thus were their actions judged as hypocritical in the sight of the Lord God Almighty. Earlier we considered the bread offering, here in verse 22 we read about three other offerings, the burnt offering, the meat offering, and the peace offering. Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts Amos 5:22. It's interesting to note, that some translations render meat offering as cereal, or grain offering, linking it to the earlier reference. Both are acceptable renderings of the original Hebrew. Either way, here are three more offerings which were unacceptable to God because of the hypocritical works of the people making them. Let's examine the significance of each. The 'burnt offering', is the Hebrew word Olah. It was the offering for sin that was totally consumed on the altar; nothing was to be spared. It involved the sacrifice of a pure and spotless lamb, which is always a symbol of Christ. This lamb, had the sin of the person who brought it, imputed to it by the laying on of hands. Note, the lamb bore the sin, it did not become sinful; it remained a totally acceptable offering, just as Christ was Himself. The blood of this offering was sprinkled by the priest in accordance with the rituals outlined in the book of Leviticus. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. This offering signified the total surrender of the worshipper's heart and life to God. It had to come first, for no other offering or sacrifice was acceptable if sin hadn't already been dealt with. It is no different today. Jesus is our perfect offering for sin and without Him, nothing we do will be acceptable to God. Our lives are to be totally surrendered to Him. It's a prerequisite for everything else. However, while the people of Israel were making an outward show with their burnt offering, there was no equivalent inner change in their heart. As we have already seen in previous studies, they were still enjoying their sin and there was no true repentance. God could therefore not accept this hypocritical offering, thus making all further offerings, a waste of time. The burnt offering, parallels the free offering made by our Lord, of Himself on the Cross at Calvary and therefore, should have been as central to the lives of the people of Israel, as the Cross should be to us. If the Cross is not central, then everything else we say and do is also a hypocritical waste of time and is unacceptable to God. The second offering is the Hebrew word Minchah which is used to signify both meat and grain offerings and is translated both ways, often depending on the context in which it is being used. Therefore, we can probably assume that either could be used for this offering. The key to this sacrifice is that it involved no blood. It was a gift, or an oblation that could take several forms. Not all was consumed by fire, as certain parts of this offering were reserved for the priests, as their portion. In a sense, this offering was a tribute, something owed. When the Romans, for example, conquered a nation, then those people owed and paid tribute to Rome. In return, Rome protected and administered their government. It was often something you paid for having your life spared, (by a conqueror). I think the Christian parallels are obvious. The third offering, is in some ways, the most interesting. It is the Hebrew word Shelem, which means a thank offering, usually for peace. This voluntary sacrifice did not entail burning the offering, rather, the animal was first consecrated and presented to God, then most of the flesh was eaten in a fellowship meal. It was the Old Testament equivalent of our Holy Communion. People were having fellowship and communion with God, sharing an offering dedicated to Him, to give thanks in remembrance of His goodness and provision in their lives. However, at the time of Amos, this offering too, was no longer acceptable. We can see the parallels for today, in the warnings about eating and drinking the Lord's Supper unworthily. Doing this causes some to become sick, or die cf. 1 Cor. 11:30. Today this can apply not only physically, but also spiritually. There are a lot of spiritually sick and dead 'Christians' out in the world today, who mirror the people to whom Amos' warning came unheeded. Just how applicable is verse 23 to the modern church. Take away from me the noise of your songs for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments - Amos 5:23. Most of the so-called contemporary Christian music being produced today is worldly noise given a religious facade. It certainly doesn't glorify God and is more about the worship of worship, than the worship of our Saviour. Its focus seems to be more on 'me' and less on Him. It is frequently unscriptural. I firmly believe that God is once again speaking to us through Amos in the area of music. The Solution Suggested: Verses 22 and 23, have presented to us the Problem. God cannot and will not accept unholy, hypocritical worship. What then is the Solution? This is to be found in verse 24. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream Amos 5:24. Judgement and righteousness, justice and mercy flowing through the land like pure, unpolluted, freely running water.
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We are to show forth His Love, and His nature and His character, not our own.
This is what God wanted, not the bribery, corruption, injustice and perversion we have seen abounding in the land in our previous studies. Do you comprehend the similarities with our own society? Consider these verses: Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother - Zech. 7:9. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings - Hos. 6:6. Or the following well known passage: And Samuel said, has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams - 1 Sam. 15:22. Righteousness, mercy, obedience, repentance, compassion and a knowledge of Him; in other words, to know the Lord and His nature. This is what God desires. One final verse on this issue: He has showed you, 0 man, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6: 8. These three things were not being done as we have seen in the earlier articles so a solution is suggested. The Focus Favoured: We find it in verses 25 and 26. Have you offered to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, 0 house of Israel? But you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves - Amos 5: 25-26. The focus is to be on God alone. God will not tolerate idolatry; the Bible repeatedly tells us that He is a jealous God. The people of Israel, while they wandered for forty years, seldom gave genuine sacrifices and offerings to God. 16
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In fact, some of the sacrifices and offerings recorded during this time, were made to idols. Yet, God watched over them, and protected them. He was ever faithful, while they were not. Stephen in Acts 7:43 quotes this passage in his final sermon as he castigates those who are about to stone him. Moloch, you will remember, is the god who demands child sacrifices by fire as part of his worship. Chiun, is variously represented as Saturn, reflecting the worship of the stars and planets so loved by the New Agers, and is even linked in some writings to the fertility gods such as the later Roman god Priapus, the god of debauchery. It is not a pretty picture. While God may excuse the outward, physical sacrifices as being mere ritual, He can never excuse the absence of the inner spiritual sacrifice involved in prayer, praise and worship. God never changes, and His Word tells us that He looks on the Heart, not on the outward show. That is where His focus lies. The Punishment Promised: Finally, in verse 27, we come to the Punishment Promised for this idolatry. Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts - Amos 5: 27. The greater the privileges, the greater the responsibility; the greater the sin, the greater the punishment! God's wrath and judgement on the surrounding nations were as nothing compared to His indignation over Israel. Israel's captivity was worse than that handed out to Damascus and they were to be taken into exile further from their homeland than any other nation. Since they loved their idolatry, they were to be taken captive by the Assyrians, an idolatrous people themselves. Great was to be their destruction. The message here is simple. If we follow the path of the people of Israel, then a similar judgement will be ours. We know what God demands and it is

our responsibility to fulfil His requests. We are to grow into the likeness of His Son; that's what being a Christian is all about. We are to show forth His Love, and His nature and His character, not our own. We are to have mercy and compassion to judge fairly and righteously, with the righteousness that can come from Him alone. Finally, we are to worship Him alone, with all our strength and with all our mind and with all our might. We have perceived the problem with not only Amos' generation, but also our own. We know what God's suggested solution is. We are aware where His favoured focus lies, and we recognise the inevitability of His promised punishment for disobedience and idolatry. What then is our response? Will we continue as did the people of Israel, to their eventual destruction, or will we repent, turn to the Lord and follow Him. That has always been His call; 'Come and follow Me; Learn of Me; My yoke is easy and my burden is light'. Now is the time to check out your relationship, your standing, with our Holy God. One day soon, everyone is going to come under one of His two outstretched hands. Which one will it be for you the hand of mercy and grace, or the hand of eternal judgement? Chose this day whom you will serve, says the Lord, the God of Hosts. Amen. NEXT AMOS PART 4

about the author

David Yardwood is a retired high school teacher, a semiretired church pastor and a foundation member of CWMF. After many years with both CLC and the AoG he and wife Margaret became associated with Philip and Kathleen Powell about 11 years ago and recently completed his current preaching series on the Book of Amos. David and Margaret have two adult children. They live in Tanah Merah Queensland.

Pressing Hard on the Door:

The Relentless Political Pressure of The Sodomite Age
LOT'S RECEPTION OF THE ANGELS As the nineteenth chapter of Genesis opens we find Lot, still ignorant of the impending judgment of God decreed against his city, being met by angelic agents of God arriving in Sodom as the sun is setting; both literally and figuratively. And there came two angels to Sodom in the evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and stay all night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, No; but we will spend the night in the street. And he insisted strongly; and they went in to him, and entered into his house; and he made them a meal, and baked unleavened bread, and they did eat - Genesis 19:1-3. According to both Scriptural and historical witness, one of the sins which characterized Sodom at this time was the abuse of strangers. The Prophet Ezekiel, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, bore this witness: Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw fit - Ezekiel 16:49-50. There are many modern apologists for Sodom who attempt to make this passage the sum total of her sins, wishing to deflect attention away from the clear historic record of the Genesis account. However, one does not need to do away with one passage for the sake of another. The account of Lot's concern in Genesis 19 is supported by the New Testament exhortation of the apostles Peter and Jude who urged Christians to shun the immorality of ancient Sodom who pursued strange flesh (2 Peter 2:6-9 and Jude 7). When one vice is present, others closely follow if self-justification is the goal. Selfcenteredness, which breeds indulgence of every kind, is one of the defining characteristics of our modern age (America and other prosperous cultures as well), and our cities are most inhospitable; characterized by the same sins listed in Genesis, Ezekiel, and the New Testament. One cannot hide behind Ezekiel to argue with Moses! But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men which came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may know them - Genesis 19:4-5.
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By Jeffrey L. Whittaker Charles Dickens penned one of the most profound insights and time-tested evaluations of the human condition in his classic work, A Tale of Two Cities, when he began: It was the best of times it was the worst of times. We too sense this same condition in our present generation, pulling and pressing us until we feel that we shall surely come to pieces due to so many voices and vices demanding entrance to our house of faith. Dickens' title also reminds us that we too are faced with the tale of two cities, two men, two generations, two religious houses which must make up their collective minds in light of God's unchanging Word.

Charles Dickens by Firth 1859

One segment of the church began pitching its political tent in the direction of the verdant valley of vice some time ago via scriptural compromise and humanistic accommodation; fuelled by the tar and pitch of philosophy and the promise of a prosperous political future; all in the name of love; while at the same time the other camp, within Christendom, striving to stay true to God's eternally settled revelation, is facing accusations of being hateful, bigoted, and unchristian for calling our present age to a full return to fidelity and submission to a loving Creator-Father-God; the two menAbraham and Lotthe two cities, Sodom and Salvationthe two choices, life or death.

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The restraining virtue of the presence of God's Spirit has held this level of violence (political or otherwise) at bay to this point in our cultures.

We do not need to belabour the point that even the most basic understanding of biblical texts and language can explain that the men of Sodom present that night were calling for the exposure and abuse of Lot's angelic visitors using the very same Hebrew used in describing the marital relationship which existed between Adam and Eve where we are told that Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived (Genesis 4:1). LOT'S CONTRADICTION Faced with this unthinkable ultimatum, Lot is moved to respond to his neighbours by defending his heavenly guests. And Lot went out at the door to them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not do so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, please let me bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes: only to these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof Genesis 19:6-8. Lot's willingness to sacrifice the innocence and virtue of his own daughters speaks of his disregard for his own flesh and blood and the warping effect of Sodom upon his judgment. No doubt this contributes to the future conduct of his daughters, whose stunted view of their post-Sodom world would lead to the horrific, incestuous acts which would perpetuate fraternal and spiritual antagonism against Israel for generations. We should pay close attention to the following statement: And they said, Stand back. And they said again, this one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will act as a judge: now will we deal worse with you, than with them. And they pressed hard upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door - Genesis 19:9. The Sodomites already comprehended Lot's true identity and position in their community; but now the sojourner and stranger has become an unwelcome judge! Scripture testifies repeatedly 18
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that the church is a body of strangers and pilgrims who are looking for a city whose maker and builder is God. As we strive to maintain a consistent witness amongst those in need of the Gospel, we are called upon (as were the early saints and apostles before us) to call a man or culture to forsake those vain things of their gods and customs in favour of the perfect Gospel of Christ. Throughout the generations we have sadly discovered, as Lot did, that the city in which we sojourn has no inclination to turn from their weak and beggarly traditions and way of life, and instead turn ugly. From the morning news programmes, trendy talk shows adorned with the ornaments of popular entertainers and social commentators, to overt legal action predicated upon an illogical equivocation with civil rights movements of yesteryear, the citizens of New Sodom are coming near to breaking the door of the house of refuge while threatening to deal worse with you, thereby ensuring that any other sojourners of Sodom are sufficiently intimidated into silence. DIVINE INTERVENTION In this hostile environment, only God's direct intervention, which we have already been experiencing whether we recognize it or not, can save us. But the men put forth their hands, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they struck the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they became weary trying to find the door Genesis 19:10-11. The restraining virtue of the presence of God's Spirit has held this level of violence (political or otherwise) at bay to this point in our cultures. The Words of our LORD Jesus continue to resound in truth of the predicted state of affairs just prior to His glorious return to earth; As it was in the days of Lot Whether the warning proves applicable for the entire globe in this hour, or simply for our modern cities of the plain, remains to be seen. What cannot be ignored is that we need the presence, power, and wisdom of The Holy Spirit

like never before. And the men said to Lot, have you here any besides? son in law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whatever you have in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them has grown great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD has sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that was joking to his sons in law - Genesis 19:12-14. It is tragic indeed that at the very moment of truth Lot finds that the ones he is attempting to rescue turn upon him in mocking unbelief due to his compromising lifestyle within the walls of the doomed city. We too must not love the world, nor the things in it (1 John 2:15), including our ecclesiastical tax exempt status or even harsher consequences which may very well begin to press against our houses (churches, ministries, careers) in the very near future. Many compromises will be made if tax laws are changed, especially if congregations are faced with the loss of new multi-million dollar cathedrals and seeker sensitive sodomite sanctuaries. Justifications and logical contortions will abound in an attempt to justify the compromise in the name of human compassion and politically correct conformity; ensuring their place in the gates of the city. The saving Gospel of Christ will have no power at this point, since our audience will see us as joking when we weakly declare that the whole thing is going up in smoke! And when the morning arose, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters, which are here lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful to him: and they brought him forth, and set him outside the city - Genesis 19:15.

Whats New For This Quarter?

DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs

FALLING TO PEACES Word on the Street Ministries Our everyday world offers many paths to peace, on an individual level to a global scale. Not all paths lead to the peace they promise. "Falling to Peaces" is a tool to help choose the right path when there are so many Peace movements in the world today. DVD232 AU$29.95 (3 x DVDs)

SUPERNATURAL POWERS Caryl (Matrisciana) Productions Shocking interviews reveal youngsters and adults who innocently dabbled with the occult and became involved in it. This DVD is a wake up call to all concerned about the negative impact of the supernatural. DVD196 AU$22.00 HOLLYWOOD UNMASKED Part 1 Dr Jason Kovar Good Fight Ministries Journey with us as we explore the dark recesses of the entertainment industry and pull back the curtain on the most powerful mind shaking institution in the world. DVD290 AU$29.95 HOLLYWOOD UNMASKED Part 2 Dr Jason Kovar Good Fight Ministries Is it possible the most popular actors of the 20th & 21st centuries have been possessed by demons? Listen to the confessions of the Hollywood elite as they describe how they are truly energised by demonic spirits for their performances. DVD291 AU$29.95 EVOLUTION V GOD by Ray Comfort What Evolution v God does that is unique, is that Ray didnt interview anyone who believed in intelligent design, but exposes evolution using their own experts. Their answers will amaze you. DVD200 AU$6.00 EXPOSING CHRISTIAN PALESTINIANISM Caryl (Matrisciana) Productions Controversy over the existence of the nation of Israel is intensifying and gaining worldwide acceptance. These 3 powerful programs expose the rising tide of apostasy gripping todays Church in regard to modern Israel. DVD273 AU$27.50 THE EVOLUTION OF A CREATIONIST by Dr Jobe Martin In this DVD Dr Martin will explain the distinct difference between evolution and creation. He will take a look at animals that break all the evolutionary rules and why the Bible is an excellent book of science. DVA228 AU$55.00 (3 x DVDs plus a 70 page work booklet

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CDs

CDs

CDs

CDs

THE FALL REDEMPTION THE NEW BIRTH by Bill Randles In these messages we examine Genesis 3 and portions of John 3 two chapters which are essential to understanding the great themes of the plight of man and his redemption. Excellent for new converts to strengthen their faith. CDA308 AU$38.00 (10 x CDs) HABAKKUK WRESTLING WITH GOD by Bill Randles Though it is little known by most, two thirds of the New Testament is centred around one verse in Habakkuk: The just shall live by faith. Pastor Bill explores issues such as how is a Christian supposed to see terrorism, violence, crime & human exploitation? Why do evil men seem to prosper? The prophesy is climaxed with the stunning vision of the return of Christ. CDA315 AU$18.00 (4 x CDs) THE KINGDOM PARABLES (Matthew 13) by Bill Randles The parables of the Kingdom are often presented as though there is no continuity to them. Pastor Bill Randles simple exposition shows the train of thought in these familiar and yet often misinterpreted parables. A very edifying series. CDA313 AU$15.00 (3 x CDs) DEALING WITH JACOB by Philip Powell Two men that stand out in the Bible are Jacob (Israel) and Simon Peter. Both men were great characters whose greatness blossomed only after God cornered, touched and changed them. In this series we look at Jacob. Titles: His name is Jacob; Your name shall be Israel; Your name is Israel; When Israel reverts to Jacob. CDA251 AU$18.00 (4 x CDs) IS THERE ANY WORD FROM THE LORD? by Philip Powell God has spoken in different ways at different times. Finally God has spoken through His Son. Since the canon of Scripture He has enshrined the revelation of His ways and His requirements in His Word which we call the Holy Bible. How everything is to be tested by it. Titles: Elisha the servant; Jeremiah the weeping prophet; Israel the enduring prophet; Habakkuk the trembling prophet. CDA273 AU$18.00 (4 x CDs)

BOOKS
IF YOU BITE AND DEVOUR ONE ANOTHER by Alexander Strauch Examine all the biblical passages on conflict, whether personal, Christian liberty in lifestyles, congregational matters or disagreements about important doctrines and more. B210 AU$18.00 THE NEW DEFENDERS STUDY BIBLE by Henry Morris This Bible is a must have when searching the Scriptures for a clearer understanding of Gods Word. B135 AU$40.00

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BOOKS
THE SEDUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY by Dave Hunt and Tom McMahon A timely and timeless reprint of the 1985 best seller. The Bible clearly states that a great apostasy must occur before Christs return. Todays Christians are being deceived by the new world view, more subtle and more seductive than anything the world has ever seen. B002 AU$17.00 HOW ISLAM PLANS TO CHANGE THE WORLD by William Wagner In this revealing book, a veteran Christian missionary to the Muslim world examines the rapid worldwide growth of Islam and credits it to a well financed missions strategy. This loose strategy is advanced through three tactical methods: Jihad (holy war), Da wah (missions) and mosques (presence). B354 AU$23.00 PILGRIMS PROGRESS IN TODAYS ENGLISH by John Bunyan, retold by Jamesh Thomas Written in the 1600s, this immortal classic is now available in modern day, understandable text. The story illustrates how Christians follow different paths but with the same destination: eternity with Jesus. An excellent read that will encourage you in your daily walk with the Lord. B160 AU$17.00 THIS LITTLE CHURCH HAD NONE by Gary Gilley & Jay Wegter This convincing volume is not merely a lament of the last days, but is packed with practical advice on redeeming the time for the days are evil. B170 AU$18.00 JESUS IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES by Meno Kalisher Did you know that in the Hebrew narrative Jesus was there as a Christophony i.e. an appearance of Christ before the incarnation, and was seen by well known men of faith? In various forms He met and conversed with some prominent Jewish figures. See what the Hebrew Scriptures teach about Jesus. B200 AU$17.00 MUDDY WATERS by Nanci Des Gerlais Nanci was raised on a native settlement with 15 brothers and sisters, a father and grandfather who were practicing medicine men. After years of struggle, oppression and spiritual darkness, Nanci found light and truth in the One who offered her freedom. B204 AU$18.00 FUTURE by Meno Kalisher A booklet that lists the future events in chronological order, along with a brief description of each event and relevant Scriptures. B167 AU$8.00 LAWFULY WEDDED by Renald Showers What constitutes marriage in the sight of God. This booklet will answer questions you may have. B182 AU$9.95

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...we must now take our stand in the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying earnestly...
I am reminded just now of the passage in the Book of Jude which states, And of some have compassion, making a distinction: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment defiled by the flesh verses 22-23. These verses seem to describe the very scene of deliverance of Lot and his family. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground - Genesis 19:24-25. Remember, when Lot and his dysfunctional, double-minded family were rescued, the house they had taken refuge in went up in smoke along with the rest of the city. Pastors and parishioners alike must not fall victim to the backward glancing of Lot's wife (against which our LORD warned us in Luke 17:32) due to our divided devotion and inordinate affection for this present age. KNOWING OUR PLACE, TAKING OUR STAND Having briefly examined the plight of Lot and his family, we must now invest additional lines to the redemptive position of our great patriarch, Abraham, within this tragic narrative. And Abraham rose up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and behold, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt - Genesis 19:27-29. We could digress to show his generous spirit when he gave the first choice of land to Lot following the contention between their herdsman and Lot's subsequent choice to pitch his tent towards Sodom (Genesis 13:12). This free-will decision would eventually bear bitter fruit for Lot and his family, but Abraham respected the decision of his nephew and allowed him to depart, much like the actions of the father of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. We could also show how Abraham was swift to take up arms to liberate Lot (along with his new neighbours) in the war of the kings of the valley in Genesis 14. The passage clearly states that Lot and his house were caught up in the military battle and eventual kidnapping of the valley dwellers. This attack was not due to Lot's actions, and therefore Abraham and his 318 warriors were vindicated in their right of rescue. We can take encouragement ourselves in this regard, knowing that any one of us would rise up to rescue a friend or loved one who was taken away against their will, by some hostile party or spiritual force. We should also note that after the successful deliverance, Abraham was careful to not take any personal gain or profit from the campaign. When met by Melchizedek he was quick to give God the glory for his victory via the tithe, while subsequently refusing to take so much as a shoelace from the sodomite sovereign, thereby maintaining the appropriate distinction between himself and the wicked king. However, the principal purpose of this article is to emphasise Abraham's position during the final outpouring of God's righteous judgment on the doomed cities of the plain. Where do we find Abraham in the crucial moment of truth? We find him in Genesis 18 engaging the LORD God in his famous intercessory negotiation. Though he took up arms to rescue Lot and his house as recorded in chapter 13. As Abraham did then, we must now take our stand in the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying earnestly for those dwelling in the modern metroplexes of the valley. The scriptures remind us that, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16), and that The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). We need to do our ministry in our tent, in the presence of our LORD, and not sitting in the gates of Sodom where both our witness and house will be lost. We are not to call fire down on those who are living in opposition to God's Word and Heart, but to rather be interceding down to the last man as we continue to look for the perfect city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).

about the author

Jeffrey L. Whittaker grew up in Niles, Michigan USA and is a 1981 graduate of Niles High School after which he attended Western Michigan and Indiana Universities at South Bend as music, theatre and communications major. From 1983 to 1985 he travelled in music ministry with The Spurrlows , ministering throughout the United States and appearing on Christian Television. In 1989 he graduated from North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, Minnesota while working for the Billy Graham Association. In 1994 he and his family returned to Niles to lead the Michiana Christian Embassy after six years of pastoral ministry at the Assembly of God in Luck, Wisconsin. JLW's calling has led him to 16 countries, ranging from Haiti to China, as a revivalist and crusade speaker, where he and the people witnessed the power of God demonstrated through the preaching of the incorruptible Word. He has also been published in several domestic and overseas magazines as well as on the internet. Jeff served the Assemblies of God as a Michigan District Presbyter for 5 years and in several other capacities, before severing his links with his denomination based on their perceived passive endorsement of false teachers and false teachings. He is an adjunct Professor at South Western Michigan College and is the co-sponsor of the Alpha Kappa Omega campus Bible fellowship. Jeff has been married to Doreen for 28 years. They have five children and one grandson. God willing Jeffrey, Doreen and their 11 year old daughter, Sophia will be guests at our CWM-INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE at the Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, NSW, Australia holiday resort, September 14 to 20, 2014. This will be Jeff's third visit down-under he is available for additional ministry on invitation during the days before and/or after the Conference. INVITATIONS please contact conference@cwm.org.au

CWM Conference see page 39 for more information

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Mystery of Iniquity Moves On

By Richard Bennett Berean Beacon Website: www.bereanbeacon.org Illustrations provided by Mike Claydon Apostasy Alert apostasyalert@hotkey.net.au EDITORIAL COMMENT In CETF #66, God willing we plan to publish RB's article - Pope Francis Shows His True Colours. The mind-boggling conclusions are documented in a professional Video located at: http://youtu.be/owK8PsaoItk In 330 A.D., Emperor Constantine moved the seat of the Imperial Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople. By that time, he had decreed Christianity the religion of the Empire in hopes that by means of its acceptance a new unifying strength could be infused into his crumbling empire. The new state religion was organised much like the Roman Empire's military. It was divided into four major districts, having a head over each. Without persecution, the simple faith of the early church had declined, so that by the fifth century, the church at Rome was no longer a fellowship of strong believers under Christ Jesus. Rather it had become part of an institution dominated by a hierarchy in which the Bishop of Rome eventually commanded the most power. Mystery of Iniquity Becomes Manifest

Pope Francis Elected,

Since the early 19th century the Office of the Papacy has been set on a course of action that no individual pope will reverse. As Pope Francis moves onto the world stage, many people are wondering how he will be generally accepted. The pleasant aura of John Paul II still lingers for many, while the shortcomings of Benedict XVI still colour the current scene. More importantly, given the Pope's exalted position in the world, many will be asking how this new Pope will change the Papacy. The fact remains, however, that since the early 19th century the Office of the Papacy has been set on a course of action that no individual pope will reverse. How can this be so? Setting the Stage for the Mystery of Iniquity

Emperor Justinian I, more than anyone else, was the one to establish the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in the sixth century AD. Scripture speaks of the mystery of iniquity. This particular lawlessness arose gradually within the church as the Imperial Roman Empire gave way to what became the Holy Roman Empire. The mystery of iniquity has been visible in the form of the man of sin for well over eight centuries. The Reformers and general population of the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century did not recognise it, however, until the recovery of the Gospel and the Bible. The outcome of apostasy is the deceivableness of unrighteousness. Such apostasy is marked by hypocrisy and deceit, while appearing righteous and holy, and is aimed at deceiving even the very elect, were that possible. For centuries, the reigning Pope has assumed to himself the titles of Holy Father and Vicar of Christ, which fulfils in the unqualified sense the definition of Antichrist given by the

Constantine decreed Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire. 24

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who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son Apostle John: who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son 1 John 2:22. The Pontiff, in taking these designations to himself, denies the supremacy and honour due both to the Father and to the Son alone. A further qualification of the man of sin is that he sits in the temple of God showing himself to be God. Since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., it is clear from Scripture that it is true Christians who are the temple of God. They are scattered throughout the world. While the Pope calls true Christians schismatics, because they are not in his church, he nevertheless purports to be the head of the church of Jesus Christ on earth and parades himself about under the titles of Holy Father and Vicar of Christ. Emperor Justinian I, more than anyone else, was the one to establish the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in the sixth century. He did it in a formal and legal manner, bringing even things religious under the control of civil law. Le Roy Edwin Froom summarised, Justinian I (527-565) [was the] greatest of all the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire ... [His] great achievement was the regulation of ecclesiastical and theological matters, crowned by the imperial Decretal Letter seating the bishop of Rome in the churches as the 'Head of all the holy churches, thus laying the legal foundation for papal ecclesiastical supremacy. Justinian's decree did not create the Office of the Papacy but rather set a legal foundation for the acquisition of civil ruling power by the bishops of Rome. Soon the bishops of Rome desired to reign like kings. The very thing that the Lord had warned against was now transpiring, And He (Jesus) said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship The Papacy began, through its courts of Inquisition, mandatory subjection to its unbiblical doctrines enforced by the civil state. This papal killing machine worked tirelessly for six hundred years. From the fourth century through the eighth century, much of the growth of papal power was acquired in trade-offs with kings throughout what had been the old Imperial Roman Empire. To be sure, in these centuries there was evangelism with the true Gospel throughout the area. However, the pagan religion of those still heathen was not so different from the religion of the Pope, which was more easily accepted than the Gospel. Then, too, in the eighth century, when the Pope needed defending against the Saracens and the Lombards, the French kings provided it and presented the Pope with ruling title to the cities they had won. As a reward, in 800 A.D., Pope Leo III famously crowned Charlemagne Emperor as Augustus. Thus began the Holy Roman Empire, ever in turmoil over issues of the legal limits of jurisdiction of each sovereign: In 1547, the Church of Rome went fully apostate at the Council of Trent when it formally declared: If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone by which we are justified: let him be anathema [i.e. cursed]. From the sixth century until the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the mystery of iniquity had acquired great political power and earthly wealth. Nevertheless, the murderous Inquisition of the Papacy was unable to stop the
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over thembut you shall not do so Mark 10:42-43. Vitalian the Bishop of Rome from 657672 A.D., was the first to actually be addressed with the title Pope, when he was called in Latin, Papa Vitalianus; i.e., Pope Vitialian. It took time for the Pope of Rome to spread the exercise of his state-given title over the bishops of Europe and the British Isles. For example, even in northern Italy in 800 A.D., Claude, the bishop of Turin, did not recognise the bishop of Rome's authority. The Papacy Grows Strong via Civil Power

the Pope on one hand, and the Emperor on the other. These issues could not be solved except throughout the actual course of history. Early in the thirteenth century, as head of the state religion, the Papacy began, through its courts of Inquisition, mandatory subjection to its unbiblical doctrines enforced by the civil state. This papal killing machine worked tirelessly for six hundred years, standing at least on par with the largest bloodbaths that Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, and other 20th century dictators managed to inflict on humanity. Thus the form of the mystery of iniquity, the state-ordained Roman Catholic Church with its Office of the Papacy, grew in strength and civil power throughout the Dark and Middle Ages. It had amassed to itself wealth, property, and influence through the Inquisition and other cruel, unethical, totally unbiblical means, including murder and wholesale theft. The Reformation Brings the Rise of the Modern Era

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In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, thousands of Bible believers were unmercifully persecuted.
spread of the Reformation throughout northern Europe, England, Scotland, and the Scandinavian countries. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, thousands of Bible believers were unmercifully persecuted. Providentially, many were able to flee to the new land of America, a country born out of the Reformation. In 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran and Calvinistic princes. The Reformation first of all had restored the absolute authority of God's written Word, the Bible. Then with the widespread recovery of the Gospel of Grace, and the Bible being made available in the ordinary languages of the people, the forms of civil government were bound to change because the religion of many people had changed. Thus, it was agreed that each nation was to be sovereign; there was to be no Holy Roman Empire to which sovereign nations bowed. With that idea manifested in force by treaty, the Modern Era began. Clearly, such a monumental change as the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire might have signalled the end of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the mystery of iniquity, the heart and soul of the Papacy, was not so easily finished. Mystery of Iniquity's Transition into a Modern Nation State VI from his throne by a staff general of Napoleon's army, it appeared that the Papacy as an institution of the collapsed Holy Roman Empire might also be at an end. That was not the case. Rather, throughout the nineteenth century, the Papacy was reorganising. True, it had lost its power in the civil arena, having now no official civil status over the modern nation states. However, it still had its visible institutional structure, infrastructure, and Jesuits; its religious rituals, false gospel, and traditions; its clergy and laity. All these remained in place; oiled and functioning. Externally, the Papacy lost no time in attacking England, which had produced so many strong and staunch Puritans in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the nineteenth century, England was still in the forefront of sending forth many Evangelical missionaries to far corners of the earth. Thus, in 1844, the Papacy launched the Oxford Movement through John Henry Newman to bring the Church of England back under its thumb. The strategy was to gradually remove by stealth the teaching of the Gospel and the great doctrines of faith from the Bible. These were to be replaced with rituals and personal testimonials. If the Papacy could accomplish this, England could again be a Roman Catholic country. Internally, to strengthen the hold on ordinary Roman Catholics, the Papacy in 1854 declared Mary to have been immaculately conceived. With their elevated Mary, the Papacy had manufactured an alternate but visible figurehead to which the Roman Catholic faithful could be united in prayer. The attention of the faithful was thus deflected away from the invisible Lord Jesus Christ and His Written Word. Without these, their attention naturally focused on the visible image in front of them as the centre of their prayers. Pope Pius IX was highly instrumental in bringing about the declaration of papal infallibility. this was made doctrine at Vatican Council I in 1870 In 1798, after the removal of Pope Pius 26
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only the Scriptural absurdity of the concept, but also in spite of the historical fact of popes declared heretical by the same Roman Catholic Church, this was made doctrine at Vatican Council I in 1870. This doctrine consolidated in the hands of the reigning pope dictatorial powers heretofore unknown within the Roman Catholic Church. Succeeding popes reestablished the Papacy internally by reorganising Roman Catholic law into the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Vatican Achieves Civil Status in the Modern Era

Vatican City is seated geographically within the city of Rome that encompasses all seven hills. The apparent mortal wound of 1798 was healed in 1929, when, under Mussolini, the Vatican was again recognised as a sovereign civil power, known as the Holy See, where Vatican City is seated geographically within the city of Rome that encompasses all seven hills. The concordat with Mussolini was only the beginning of many civil concordats, one of the most infamous being that between Pope Pius XII and Adolf Hitler. Thus, the Papacy had consolidated its power from within by the 1917 Code of Canon Law and from without by legal concordats with various nations. Consequently, the Vatican has a growing civil power with which to be reckonedfor it has its own faithful living within most sovereign nations around the world while its civil agreements with the same nations allow the Roman Catholic Church to teach the faith to its people. This is a double cord of power. The individual Roman Catholic fearing for his salvation, and laden with

Further, Pope Pius IX was highly instrumental in bringing about the declaration of papal infallibility. With remarkable ingenuity, against not

Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism previously called pagan religions were now accepted as religions that contain, what is true and holy.

his first allegiance being to Holy Mother Church, becomes a pliable pawn in the hand of the Papacy. Mystery of Iniquity Makes Strategic Change

enforceable through civil law as her Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church spells out by means of many deceptive words. The Pope's official position is that ecumenical encounter is not merely an individual work, but also a task of the Roman Church, which takes precedence over all individual opinions. The Papacy expects this process of dialogue to take time. The Roman Catholic Church's aim of bringing all Christian churches under her authority is her clearly stated goal. She says, little by little, as the obstacles to perfect ecclesial communion are overcome, all Christians will be gathered, in a common celebration of the Eucharist [the Mass] into that unity of the one and only ChurchThis unity, we believe, dwells in the Catholic Church as something we can never lose. Pope John Paul II, while initially having been thought to be liberal and modern, further consolidated the dictatorial powers afforded him by the 1917 Code of Canon Law and by his purported infallibility, bequeathed him by Vatican Council I. This he did by revising the 1917 Code, making it even more conservative than it had been, and he was careful to appoint new bishops in line with his centralised way of thinking. Like another Hildebrand, John Paul II was determined to build, by both Church and civil law, the structure by which the Papacy can again wield might and authority among the nations at the appropriate time. This same Pope John Paul II was adamant in his efforts to update the laws of the Roman Catholic Church. Since the days of Hildebrand, popes have seen the necessity of making ironlike, inflexible church laws before attempting to control their subjects, and those not Roman Catholic, by compulsion if necessary. In 1983, John Paul II's revision of the 1917 Code of Canon Law added to the Roman Catholic laws. For example, The Church has an innate and proper right to coerce offending members of the

Christian faithful by means of penal sanctions. Examination of these laws shows them to be even more absolute and totalitarian than those of the past. If one rejects submission of his intellect and will to the Pope, or rejects some doctrines of the Papacy, by church law he can be severely punished. For example, Canon 1312 Para 2 states, The law can establish other expiatory penalties which deprive a believer of some spiritual or temporal good and are consistent with the supernatural end of the Church. Mystery of Iniquity: Power Player in the Post-Modern Era

Vatican Council II (1962-1965) formally declared the Papacy's strategic change of tactics regarding the reunification of Protestants under Roman Catholicism, along with incorporating other faiths under its rule. Therefore, the Council moved from a position of separation from other religions to one of an all-encompassing ecumenism, not only with the religions of the world, but also with Bible believers in particular. Separated brethren was the new term for these Bible believers who previously were called heretics. Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism previously called pagan religions were now accepted as religions that contain, what is true and holy. This new approach was established by the Roman Catholic Church to win the world to herself, primarily by means of dialogue. The Council formulated its rules and goals of dialogue, which are carefully spelled out in her postConciliar Document No. 42, on ecumenism. It states that, dialogue is not an end in itself ... it is not just an academic discussion. Rather, ecumenical dialogueserves to transform modes of thought and behaviour and the daily life of those [non-Roman Catholic] communities. In this way, it aims at preparing the way for their unity of faith in the bosom of a Church one and visible. Unlike the Body of Christ, whose unity is in Jesus Christ, the unity for which the Roman Church strives is an outward, visible unity, and one that will be

The Compendium of Social Doctrine of the [Roman Catholic] Church is a catalogue of Roman Catholic law. It lays out the Papal ideas and strategies for restructuring the current civil political world and extends the application of its laws and dictates to all individuals worldwide. The Roman Catholic Church is not content to rule only over her own faithful. Rather, now with the dawn of the PostModern era, globalism is the manifesting idea of the day, a day for which the Papacy throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has been preparing. The Compendium of Social Doctrine of the [Roman Catholic] Church, which began to be collected by the end of the nineteenth century under Pope Leo, is a catalogue of Roman Catholic law. It lays
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For by grace you are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast

out the Papal ideas and strategies for restructuring the current civil political world and extends the application of its laws and dictates to all individuals worldwide. For instance, it states that all human individuals worldwide are part of the common good. Everybody has a share in the common good and everybody has something to contribute to the common good. The rallying cry of the Compendium is for fairness, equality, social justice, economic justice, etc., which defined by them means that everyone must participate in sharing what he has with whomever the state says he must, regardless of whether or not one agrees with this view. For a while, those who maintain such backward and recalcitrant attitudes will be tolerated; then individuals will be coerced into taking part. Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI called for a new governmental structure to rule over the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). This new governmental body, conferring among themselves, is to hand down laws and dictates which the nation states of the UN would then enforce in other words, a new sovereign world empire in which the nation states are simply to enforce the laws and dictates of a higher, unelected body. All goods, resources, and property of any kind would be subject to management by the UN and the nations. In a word, the Papacy wants a totally centralised world government, one in which the Roman Catholic Church will be the moral and juridical authority. To that end, the Roman Church has been increasingly bold in infusing into national and international public forums her agenda for restructuring the civil secular world. Regardless of the type of persona Pope Francis displays, he will not change this central objective of the Papacy. The Compendium is constantly being updated as information is gathered, collated, and taught to individual lay 28
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Catholics. Most Catholics have not recognised the agenda that is behind the change in what they are being taught. Yet, it is the specific duty of all lay Catholics to change the thinking within their societies to align with the Papal understanding of church and civil government. In the fifty years since Vatican Council II, dutiful lay Roman Catholics in every walk of life have been quite successful at rolling Roman Catholic social doctrine like a new Trojan horse into all sorts of religious, political, and social groups. The Evangelical Church, for the most part, has felt honoured to receive such a prize. For at least seventy years, Roman Catholic social doctrine has been mainstreamed into the political arena. Witness the buzzwords of today, coined not by Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists, but by the Roman Catholic Church: Phrases such as redistribution of wealth, social justice, economic justice, dignity of the human person, the common good, fairness, and the right to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, education, and employment. Roman Catholic social doctrine is pushed worldwide by individual Roman Catholics and their groups, as the latest addenda to what the Papacy says are included in evangelisation. The Papacy says this is the particular duty of the Roman Catholic laity. Thus, the mystery of iniquity, made manifest in the institution of the Roman Catholic Church and its Office of the Papacy, has for the last century been moving effectively into the civil governmental sphere, everywhere pressing its own unbiblical ideas into the public forum. These ideas are to be formulated into ruinous and unjust laws to the enslavement of those living under them. Utopianism, socialism, communism, totalitarianism these are children of the Papacy's doctrine and practice. These ungodly ideas are found in the Compendium as integral parts of Roman Catholic social doctrine.

Under the civil title of Holy See, the Roman Catholic Church has ambassadors in many nations. Declining to come under the dominion of the United Nations, she preferred to take an official place as observer rather than member. The Holy See has observer status in many other international bodies as well. Moreover, the Roman Church has a viable infrastructure in most countries of the world. Therefore, she is in an excellent position to take advantage of the burgeoning idea of globalism in every sector of life that the statists, utopians, and totalitarians intend to harness to their own ends. She, with her fifth column in every nation, is able to pervert the Gospel, sideline the truths taught in the Scripture as irrelevant or false, and deceptively divert Bible believers away from the love of the truth. What then is to stop her from once again making wholesale merchandise of men's souls in deals with modern leaders of the nations to the glory of her own power? IN CONCLUSION For by grace you are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast Ephesians 2:8.

The mystery of iniquity arose under the Imperial Roman Empire and survived the empire's demise. In 537 A.D., Justinian gave the legal base for it to acquire civil power, which it did throughout the course of the next ten centuries. Its temporal power was arrested by the recovery of the Bible and the Gospel during the Reformation of the sixteenth century. It was held at bay by the Puritans of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Nevertheless, it survived the demise of the Holy Roman Empire to become a sovereign nation in the 20th century and is now set to be a

For by grace you are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast

major power player in the Post Modern Era. Currently Pope Francis is the visible head of the Roman church; but the mystery of iniquity is still the power behind the throne. The mystery of iniquity is nothing less than the satanic counterfeit of the mystery of godliness. The Scripture states, ...without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory 1 Timothy 3:16. The mystery of godliness is the great revelation of God, which had its full manifestation in the Person of the Christ of God. Thus, Scripture proclaims, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Hebrews 1:1-3. As we behold the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Father, we also behold the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ; for as mediator, He has the nature and perfections of God in Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ alone can satisfy our hearts. There is absolutely no church system that satisfies; it is only our personal relationship with our Lord that truly satisfies. Thus, His Word expresses it, Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside you - Psalm 73:25. How trivial and vain are the promises of the Papal system compared to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealed as the chiefest among ten thousand Song of Songs 5:10. Were it not for the recovery of the absolute authority of the Bible alone and the Gospel of grace in salvation during the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the mystery of iniquity might still be undetected. Contrary to this, and in spite of the

mystery of iniquity being so rampantly displayed in the world today, the Holy Spirit still convicts individual men of their sin before a Holy God, sends them repentance to life in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast Ephesians 2:8. The true believer is thus accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7. The frightening words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:21 ought to ring in the ears of those who have spent their whole lives believing a religious system, Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. No person, by merely acknowledging Christ's authority, believing in His divinity, professing faith in His perfection and in the infinite merit of His atonement, shall have any part with God in His glory, but only he who does the will of His Father. The Lord put the command to believe in a nutshell when He said, this is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent John 6:29 Likewise, the Apostle Paul and Silas declared, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house Acts 16:31. The godliness of Jesus Christ stands, so also is His call on your life. Before you the question stands, have you tasted of the mystery of godliness? To personally know Christ Jesus is to know the everlasting arms of the AllHoly God. Does your very heart and soul cry out to Him, Abba, Father? The water of life is offered to you in the abundance of grace, which far surpasses the evils of sin. Thus, the Lord's call in Scripture says, ... the Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that hears say, come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely Revelation 22:17. Once a convicted sinner believes on Christ Jesus alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, as his only surety and refuge before the All-Holy God, he finds himself not only freed from his sins, but made to Reign in Life

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ Romans 5:17. Those who receive the abundant grace given by Christ are not only redeemed from the dominion of death, they live and reign with Christ as they are sanctified daily through His Word by the Holy Spirit, and by constant fellowship with Him. With Him, they shall reign forever and glorify Him for all eternity. Believe on Him alone and you will be secure in Him, to the praise of the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved Ephesians 1:6. Then you will behold the mystery of godliness. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new - 2 Corinthians 5:17. NEXT Pope Francis Shows His True Colours.

about the author

Richard Bennett originally comes from Ireland. He was trained by Jesuits in his early years, and received eight years of theological instruction and preparation for the priesthood with the Dominican Order. He completed his education at the Angelicum University in Rome in 1964. He spent twenty-one years as a Roman Catholic parish priest in Trinidad, West Indies. He had, therefore, the best of academic training in things Roman Catholic, plus twenty-one years of being a parish priest applying Roman Catholic teachings to everyday life. After an accident in 1972 in which he nearly lost his life, he began to seriously study the Bible. After nearly fourteen years of contrasting Roman Catholicism to Biblical truth, he was convicted by the Gospel message. In 1985, he saw that justification is not being inwardly just as Rome taught, but being accepted in Christ. He was then saved by God's grace alone and formally left the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood. He has founded an evangelistic ministry to Roman Catholics called Berean Beacon. Webpage: www.bereanbeacon.org and is now based in Texas, USA.
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Zechariah's Flying Scroll

By Geoff Toole Zechariah prophesied in the time after the Babylonian Captivity. His messages were an encouragement to Joshua and Zerubbabel, who were at that time rebuilding the community of Israel. When the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them, then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them Ezra 5:1,2 (NAS)*[1] Zechariah and Haggai encourage the work by pointing out the future glory of the temple being built. Zechariah gives a view from heaven of the events going on at that time and place. In this way, Zechariah is much like the book of Revelation, where John, in the midst of the early church's persecution, is given visions of the future glory of God's kingdom, the temple and God's judgment on evil. Revelation and Zechariah can only be understood when read together and along with the other prophets' writings. Let's look at one of Zechariah's amazing visions. *It is twenty cubits by ten cubits in dimensions. *It is written on both sides. *One side deals with theft, the other with perjury (swearing falsely). *It is described as a curse *It spends the night in the house of the thief and perjurer. A Heavenly Message A scroll contains a message, and this one happens to be flying. It is a message in mid-air, or rather a message from heaven. There are many occasions in scripture where a message, usually audible, comes from heaven. I understand this message, emphasizing God's law, to be the message of the two witnesses in the last days. The Olive Trees It is significant that this flying scroll vision follows immediately after the 'two witnesses' chapters in Zechariah. In Chapters 3 and 4, Joshua and Zerubbabel are likened to two olive trees, which appear again as the two witnesses in Revelation Ch. 11. He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side"- Zechariah 4: 2 3. Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves? - Zechariah 4: 11 12. Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth" -Zechariah 4:14. Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits[2]." Then he said to me, "This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. I will make it go forth," declares the LORD of hosts, "and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones" - Zechariah 5: 1- 4. By breaking it down and comparing its parts with other similar passages, we can fit this intriguing vision into the greater jigsaw puzzle of prophecy and revelation. Let's list the main ideas. *There is a scroll. *It is flying in the air.
Footnotes:
[1] New American Standard used throughout. [2] A cubit equals 45 centimetres or 18 inches in modern measurement.

Understanding the two witnesses is a puzzle in itself. There are many pairs of witnesses in both testaments that typify them and highlight their character and ministry. Zechariah's prophecy focuses on the 'olive branch' aspect. A lampstand appears with olive trees and olive branches on each side. From the olive trees comes the precious oil, which is drained into the lampstand. From the lampstand, of course, comes light. This illustrates how God always gives, and the two witnesses will ultimately give light (understanding) to God's people in the last days. The lampstand is a type of the church in Revelation chapters 1 and 2. Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path - Psalm 119:105. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches -Revelation 1:20. To the Ephesian church, Jesus said Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its placeunless you repent - Revelation 2:5.

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A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favour is better than silver and gold
Witnesses give light. The witnesses will somehow give the light of God's Word to the church and the world. The disciples were called to be His witnesses in Acts 1:8. The Israelites were called to be God's witnesses in Isaiah 43:10 & 12, and 44:8. We should all be God's witnesses if we are believers. However, in the last days, the job will eventually come down to two anointed ones, and given the timeframe in which they minister, the Great Tribulation, it is natural that their message is proclaiming God's judgment upon the world. Following on the heels of the 'witness' chapters - Zechariah chapters 3 and 4 comes the flying scroll prophecy. The scroll is the message of the witnesses; the message given from heaven. We can see the same pattern in Revelation chapters 10 and 11. Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land. So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey. I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings - Revelation 10:8-11. This too is a message, a book or scroll; given from heaven to be preached on Earth. Immediately following this, the two witnesses themselves appear. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth - Revelation 11:3 4. Zechariah and Revelation are talking about the same thingsthe witnesses and their message. The 'scroll' appears again in Revelation chapter 14 highlighting the message to be preached. And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters - Revelation 14:6 7. Notice that the 'eternal gospel' proclaimed in Revelation chapter 14 focuses upon God as creator and God as judge. Man's part is to fear Him and give Him glory. Compare this with the gospel declared by so many Christians today. They refuse to acknowledge God as creator; and consider 'judgment' to be a negative message! Nevertheless, the 'eternal gospel', which is truly the only power of God to salvation, includes an emphasis on creation and judgment. People who know God as their true creator and judge are well prepared to fear Him. Personally, when I was sure that God was creator, I was sure of my need of forgiveness and happy to receive it. Until then I had no fear of God at all. Putting these together shows us what the flying scroll really is. It is the gospel message, but one tailored to the last days. An eternal message to everyone, urging us to fear the God of creation and give Him glory, for He is also a God of judgment; and His judgment is coming! The flying scroll emphasizes the curse of the law and the judgment to come. The unique aspect of the two witnesses is that they prophesy up to and through the day of the Lord, when grace, as we understand it now, comes to an end. Therefore all that will be left in that time will be the law. There is a fearful declaring of the righteousness of God's imminent judgments against a sinful world. Hence after the rapture, the witnesses call down judgments from heaven; each one answering a certain aspect of this world's wickedness. As God spoke the law from Mt Sinai, so the flying scroll will cause the Earth to tremble once again. The true gospel includes both law and grace; law to point out sin, and grace to be saved from it. As we are not yet in the Day of the Lord, let's understand how the flying scroll message works today, presenting the law, in order to lead us to Christ. A Scroll Written on Both Sides The Thief There are numerous references to scrolls being written upon both sides. But we first find this pattern in the Ten Commandments. Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other - Exodus 32:15. The fact that the law tablets were written upon both sides is emphasized. The Ten Commandments can be split into two main categories: 1) Laws regarding sins against God, and 2) sins against man. Notice how Jesus also summed it up in a similar way. And He said to him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets Matthew 22:37-40. Zechariah's flying scroll does the same thing. Half of the scroll is a curse to the thief (who sins against man), and the other half is a curse to the one who swears falsely (who sins against God). Let me explain; beginning with the thief, and starting with the sixth commandment. If you murder, you steal someone's life. If you commit adultery, you steal someone's wife (or husband, daughter etc). If you steal, you steal someone's property. The ninth commandment is, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. This is also a terrible form of theft. The false witness against your neighbour is to slander; to make false accusations, whether in court or in the lunch room. What do you steal when you slander? A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favour is better than silver and gold - Proverbs 22:1. Someone's name is of far greater value than money. It is their reputation. I often read of schoolteachers who fall into sin with their students and it is scary, being a teacher myself. Their names and faces are displayed publicly on the news, especially the Internet news. Imagine being in their position! Where could you go? There would be nowhere to escape. Your reputation would precede you everywhere. Now imagine if you were FALSELY accused of immorality. Steal my wallet or car, but don't slander me and take away my 'good' name! That is a horrible kind of theft. I was falsely accused of cheating in a final year high school physics exam. Someone
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The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul...

got their facts mixed up and falsely accused me to the science department. Having to repeat the exam was a small matter. What grieved me most was that after six years of trying to be a responsible student, I would be seen as a cheat in the eyes of the teachers. Finally, the tenth commandment; You shall not covet Jesus explains what the spirit of the law is. To lust, or desire adultery, is actually a violation of the law against adultery. To hate, or desire someone's demise, is actually a violation of 'You shall not murder'. So too, to covet someone's belongings violates the prohibition of theft. You can take any one of these laws and apply it to the one you are sharing with. We will all be shown to be a 'thief' in one aspect or another. The fifth commandment requires us to honour our parents. This includes seeing that their needs are provided in old age. Jesus showed how the religious hypocrites, while falsely swearing of their piety, were actually stealing what rightly belonged to their parents. And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONOURS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN. Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." He was also saying to them, "You are ex p e r t s a t s e tt i n g a s i d e t h e commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'HONOUR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH'; but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother - Mark 7:612. The Pharisees were convicted of swearing falsely and theft; both sides of the scroll. That one is a double bunger[3] (For Australians who remember Cracker night).
Footnotes:
[3] An Australian idiom meaning a double hit - the double bunger was a pipe full of fire cracker powder, plugged up on both ends see http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/mediareleases/2012/12/13/new-years-eve-in-byron-baya-double-bunger AND http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/manufactu ring-outsourcing-a-double-bunger-afic-cha

A Scroll Written on Both Sides The One who Swears Falsely. The last six commandments forbid various kinds of stealing. Alternatively, the first four commandments, deal primarily with our relationship with God. Breaking one of these laws is, in essence, swearing falsely about your relationship with God. If we claim to serve God, yet place things above Him in our hearts, then we are swearing falsely of our faith. The second commandment forbids idolatry. Greed and 'the love of money' are called idolatry in the New Testament. Those who are greedy break the second commandment. The third commandment forbids taking God's Name in vain. People take God's Name in vain when they call themselves 'Christians' and wilfully continue to live in sin. They associate God's Name, (His good character), with their sinful ways. One who calls himself a Christian ought to live as Christ lived, and act as Christ acted. Paul reminded Timothy Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness - 2 Timothy 2:19 To do otherwise is to 'swear falsely', and take God's Name in vain. One of the things that helped open my eyes to the truth of the Gospel was seeing a scripture teacher compare the worldviews of Christianity, humanism and communism on the blackboard. When my classmates and I saw where these three worldviews really stood on issues like abortion, drugs, casual sex, etc, then we all realized that we were Christians in name but not in reality. We were essentially humanists. In calling ourselves, 'Christians' we were, in fact 'swearing falsely' and using the Name of Christ in vain. I am glad someone explained it to me in simple, straightforward terms. The fourth commandment is not deleted from the New Testament either. Keeping God's true Sabbath, in a New Testament sense, is truly entering His rest. Hebrews tells us that by believing, we enter that rest. Disobedience however, keeps us from it. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience - Hebrews 4:9-11.

So the flying scroll, God's message from heaven in the last days, reveals to a rebellious world the curse of the law. There is a curse for breaking the law. Christ paid the penalty on our behalf, but for those who will not receive His grace, the curse and penalty remain. The Eternal Gospel always begins with the law, and leads to grace for those who accept it. The law must be preached to prepare the heart of a sinner to receive God's grace. The modern message of 'grace' being taught by Joseph Prince and others becomes effectively a message of lawlessness. They try to remove the law from the Gospel completely, asserting that 'because we are saved by grace we have no need of the law.' This is completely wrong. Even if Christ is the fulfilment of the law regarding righteousness, the law has other functions too, and still plays a major role in evangelism. The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul... Psalm 19:7. 'Restoring the soul' here is literally, 'causing the soul to turn back' (to God). God's message from heaven emphasizes the law, His right as creator to hold us to it, and the punishment for disobedience. As with our scripture class in school, when we saw our own beliefs in the light of the Christian worldview (God's law), then we knew we were sinners. Some of my classmates were content to know they were humanists. For myself, that was the time I began to desire grace. In part two we will look at the dimensions of the scroll and the characteristics of 'flying scroll evangelism.' *All scripture references taken from the New American Standard Bible (Updated 1995)

about the author

Geoff Toole, originally from Sydney, has been a missionary in Kansai, Japan, since 2000. Geoff is also the co-ordinator of Moriel Ministries in Japan. As well as evangelism in his local area, he teaches regularly in the Philippines. Geoff and Fumie have four children whom they home school.

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The Gospel according to Bill Johnson

By James Smith Part 3 of a three part series Great End-Time Revival Bill Johnson is convinced there will be a great end-time revival initiated by an Elijah generation; a concept rooted in the heretical Latter Rain Movement (its name derived from a misinterpretation of Joel 2:23) which started in 1947 at an airport church in Canada. Sound familiar? The Toronto experience of the 1990s is also rooted in Latter Rain teaching and started at an airport church (in Canada). According to Latter Rain teaching an Elijah generation will arise to transcend all other generations of Christians in their ability to do great miraculous works of power; these people will be The Manifest Sons of God. In the Greek, antichrists means opposite or opposed to Christ, the anointed ONE. This special Elijah Generation of anointed ones certainly fits the description of antichrists claiming miraculous powers that John warned about. BJ claims: there will be no contest when such counterfeits go up against this Elijah generation that becomes clothed with heaven's power on the Mount Carmel of human reasoning [5]. God has provided us with much information about the signs and circumstances surrounding the return of His Son, so if this Elijah generation is going to change the world and prepare a kingdom for Jesus' return, surely it will be mentioned in God's Word. Let us therefore take a look at what God tells us about the end-times kingdoms. The End-Times Chapter 2 of the book of Daniel tells us how Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue, which was a prophetic representation of the global kingdoms that were to come throughout history, ending with the final kingdom before Christ's return. In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream we have a God-given roadmap of the future of humanity, leading right up to Christ's return.

BJ declares: We will carry the Elijah anointing in preparing for the return of the Lord in the same way that John the Baptist carried the Elijah anointing and prepared the people for the coming of the Lord [1]. William Branham first claimed to have the Elijah anointing. This is a demonic doctrine. Even if you look at this in the context of the Old Testament, before all believers were given the same anointing of the Holy Spirit, when Elisha asked Elijah for his anointing, Elijah said, in effect, it was not his to give. Even in the Old Testament the anointing was not transferrable in the way BJ falsely teaches at his School of Supernatural Ministry. BJ claims: The purpose of the anointing is to make the supernatural natural [2]. Just learn how to do it at his school (for a fee of course)! Frankly, that sounds more like Hogwarts and the supernatural manifestations occurring at Bethel would be more at home at Hogwarts than a Christian ministry school. This special generation of Christians with the Elijah anointing will allegedly initiate a great revival of signs and wonders greater than those of Jesus; a great revival that will prepare the way for Christ to be invited back to earth by a victorious bride. BJ states: I live for the revival that is unfolding and believe it will surpass all previous moves combined, bringing more than one billion souls into the Kingdom [3]. Contrary to clear New Testament teaching that all Christians are equally anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus Christ uniquely being The Anointed One, false teachers like BJ claim certain Christians can attain a special anointing. This is the special anointing BJ claims William Branham had that I referred to in part 2. BJ claims: He [the Holy Spirit] lives in all believers, but the glory of His presence comes to rest on only a few [4]. John warned about this kind of claim in 1 John 2:18: even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. Footnotes:
[1] When Heaven Invades Earth, page 184 [2] Ibid, page 133 [3] Ibid, page 23 [4] Ibid, page 149

The Interpretation Daniel's God-given interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream depicted Babylon as the great head of gold, Medo-Persia as the chest and arms of silver, Greece as the thighs of bronze and Rome as the legs of iron; legs because the Roman Empire split in two between East and West (with the Eastern Roman Empire outlasting the Western Roman Empire by almost a thousand years). Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream has thus far been fulfilled throughout history with staggering accuracy. The fourth kingdom Daniel saw was represented by the ten toes of the statue made of a mixture of iron and clay, giving clear indication that the final human empire will be an extension of the Great Roman Empire (iron), but mixed with something else (represented by clay). As iron and clay does not mix (or adhere) together the final kingdom in human history will be partly strong and partly weak, thus compromising its integrity and strength. God confirmed all this to Daniel in a vision, which is recorded in Daniel 7. Daniel's vision began with the sea, which (according to Isaiah 17:12-13; Matthew 13:47-51; Revelation 13:1 and 17:1, 15) represents the Gentile world. Four beasts arose from the sea. Verse four described the first beast as being lion-like and represented the Babylonian Empire. The lion is majestic and more powerful than all other lans creatures. The second beast Daniel saw arising from the sea was bear-like and represented the Medo-Persian Empire. The bear Daniel saw was lop-sided being raised up on one side, which represented the fact that whilst the Medes and the Persians were joined together in power, the Persians were by far the more dominant power of the two. Footnotes:
[5] Ibid, page 150
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Jesus in fact warned that such signs and wonders at the end of the age would be a deception (Matthew 24)
The bear had three ribs in its mouth, having devoured the flesh. The ribs represented the three kingdoms the Medo-Persian Empire conquered in the process of attaining their empire: Lydia, Babylon and Egypt. The bear is less majestic than the lion; it is slower and more weighty, representing the fact that the Medo-Persian Empire conquered by sheer size and force of numbers. The third beast revealed to Daniel was leopard-like with four wings, representing the Greek Empire. The leopard is less majestic than the lion and less impressive than the bear, but is more swift, so represented the speed with which Alexander the Great conquered the MedoPersian Empire and extended the Greek Empire. The four wings on the leopard-like creature represented how, after Alexander's death, the empire was split between his four generals: Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander and Lysimachus. The final beast, representing the final empire in human history, is described in Daniel 7:7-8. Unlike the other beasts, the fourth beast is not described in terms of an animal. It is described as being dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong and had huge iron teeth. It is far more ferocious than the previous three beasts and breaks into pieces all that preceded it. The fourth beast in Daniel's vision had ten horns, but an eleventh horn arose (a little one), which uprooted three of the ten other horns. In this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. These ten horns in Daniel's vision parallels the ten toes of iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and therefore provides more information to help us understand how the final empire in human history will work. The ten horns represent ten regions of government (or kingdoms as confirmed by Revelation 17:12) that the world will be divided into under a future one-world government, with the little horn arising and initially taking over three of these regions (or kingdoms). Once the three horns have been overcome, the remaining seven horns will capitulate to the little horn's power, thus making the little horn ruler of the world and ruler of the last empire in history. Scripture is clear that the little horn is the Antichrist and his empire will be defeated by the return of Jesus Christ as conquering King, but not before Antichrist is given power to wage war against the Saints (Revelation 13:7). So where in all this is the Christian Dominionist kingdom of the Elijah generation that is supposed to usher in the return of Christ? Did Daniel predict the previous kingdoms absolutely right with breath-taking accuracy, only to completely miss the mark in his interpretation of the final kingdom? I do not think so. Daniel 2:44 tells us that God's kingdom will be established and will destroy all the previous kingdoms, so if anyone thinks the kingdom made of iron and clay is the Christian Dominionist kingdom of the Elijah generation, they need to explain why God has said he will destroy it along with the other kingdoms. There are those who believe the stone cut out of the mountain without hands referred to in Daniel 2:45 is the Christian Dominionist kingdom of the Elijah generation. This is a very dangerous and flawed theology, because the stone cut out of the mountain without hands is a clear reference to Jesus Christ. Surely the best clue that it is not the man-made Dominionist kingdom is the fact that the stone is cut out of the mountain without hands (emphasis added). Proponents of this view are putting the church in place of Jesus Christ! The fact is that nowhere does Scripture teach that a special Elijah generation will arise to perform signs and wonders at the end of the age to usher in God's kingdom. Jesus in fact warned that such signs and wonders at the end of the age would be a deception (Matthew 24). Furthermore, rather than the church getting stronger and stronger prior to Christ's return, the Bible warns of a massive falling away (apostasy) from the faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In Matthew 24, Jesus warns that prior to His return the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). Of the three different Greek words for love used in the New Testament, the Greek word used for love in this passage is agape, meaning the Love of God. The only people who can express the love of God are born-again believers in Jesus Christ. So Matthew 24:12 is describing what will happen to believers prior to His return. Jesus Himself asked rhetorically whether He would find faith on the earth when He returns (Luke 18:8), and speaking of the last days Jesus also said, Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved (Matthew 24:22). All this hardly describes an Elijah generation of Christians taking dominion over the earth by supernatural signs and wonders in order to create heaven on earth before inviting Christ to return. The only way of getting the Bible to say that the church will end up triumphant in this age is to take Old Testament prophecies about Israel's restoration in the Millennial kingdom ruled by Jesus on earth (i.e. after His return as Messiah) and apply them to the church at the end of this age (i.e. before Jesus returns); but then replacement theology does go hand-in-hand with the over-realised eschatology of Dominionist theology. But it gets worse with prophecies of Joel's Army Joel's Army All this Elijah generation and Elijah list end-times world revival doctrine is rooted in the demonically influenced Manifest Sons of God heresy of William Branham, and given further oxygen by the demonic Joel's Army teaching of Branham's protg Paul Cain (and others in the Prophetic Movement such as BJ's friends Bob Jones and Todd Bentley). This doctrine declares that a generation of super-Christians will perform signs and wonders that will usher in God's kingdom on earth, much like the Elijah generation, but then goes further to reveal a darker militant side to this doctrine of demons, teaching that Joel's Army is a real army being raised by Jesus to take the earth by physical aggressive force (declaring civil war no less) as well as by signs and wonders. Dr Clifford Hill warned of this teaching in Prophecy Today: the 'new breed' is an elite group of believers endowed with supernatural power that would enable them to be part of the army of 'dread warriors' that God was said to be raising up in our generation According to John Wimber this is a type of Joel's Army, who will overcome all opposition to the gospel and eventually subdue the nations The government of the nations will be upon their shoulders and when all the secular authorities, governments, princes and kings have finally submitted to them, Christ will return and they will present the kingdom to Him (Volume 7, Number 1). This heretical teaching is based on a total misinterpretation of Joel 2, which when prophetically referring to an army in fact describes a demonic army of avenging locusts, and is further referenced as such in Revelation 9! BJ makes reference to Joel 2:28-29 on page 184 of When Heaven Invades Earth when making a case for the outpouring of the Spirit in the last generation. As with so much of BJ's teaching, what he writes about Joel 2 is partially right it is a mixture of truth and error. BJ rightly points out that Joel 2:28-29 was partially fulfilled at Pentecost when the church began (Acts 2:17-21), but contrary to BJ's claim, complete and final fulfilment of the prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) will not be on the end-time church (Elijah generation) but will be on Israel when Christ returns. Yet again we see the over-realised eschatology of Dominionist theology replacing Israel with the church. Followers of BJ should be warned to listen out for the terms Elijah generation, Elijah list, Joel's Army, Manifest Sons of God, New Apostolic Reformation, new breed, new wave, third wave, over-comers etc, as they are clear indications of heretical teaching. BJ has even spoken favourably of John Crowder of toking the Holy Ghost fame (i.e. getting high on the Holy Ghost by smoking it like pot, shooting it up in his arm like a heroin addict, or sniffing lines of the Holy Ghost from the pages of a Bible! watch it on YouTube and be repulsed. Just do a Google search on John Crowder toking the Holy Ghost). Crowder believes he has supernatural powers because he is a Manifest Son of God a new breed of super-Christian who are distinguished from ordinary Christians by their invincibility, immortality and divinity. John Crowder promotes his book titled Miracle Workers, Reformers and the New Mystics as a manual on how to become part of the supernatural generation. John Crowder practises demonic Roman Catholic Mysticism, including prayer soaking. There are a number of references on the Bethel School website to prayer soaking. This has nothing to do with biblical Christianity.

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Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM - John 8:58.

Jesus Man, not God Even more disturbing is BJ's belief about Jesus Christ. BJ believes that during His earthly ministry Jesus operated only as a man and not God. BJ says: He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God . . . . not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us [6]. I do not disagree with BJ's statement in itself; it is clear orthodox Christian doctrine that Jesus operated His earthly ministry as a man, through a perfect relationship with His Father, with an earthly mission to fulfil the will of the Father (John 6:37) and through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Luke 5:17 says that Jesus could only perform healings when the power of the Lord was present, and John 5:19 tells us: Then Jesus answered and said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. However, BJ's statement takes on a very different and less orthodox meaning when other declarations of his are taken into consideration about Jesus' divinity on earth. For example: He laid his divinity aside as He sought to fulfil the assignment given to Him by the Father [7]. Whilst I have already acknowledged Jesus operated His earthly ministry as a man, rather than as God, Scripture never suggests He laid aside His divinity; Jesus was always both fully God and fully man. Jesus laid aside His Majesty, the glory that His position of being God demanded, but He did not lay aside His divinity. He laid aside His divine privileges, not His divine nature. Look at Philippians 2:6-10: who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. BJ's claim that Jesus laid aside His divinity puts a more disturbing slant on his statement that Jesus performed miracles, wonders and signs, as a man in right relationship with God not as God; particularly when one considers the following statement from BJ, which blurs the distinction between us and Christ and diminishes the uniqueness of Christ: For us to become all that God intended, we must remember that Jesus' life was a model of what mankind could become if it were in right relationship with the Father [8]. Footnotes:
[6]Ibid, page 29 [7] Ibid, page 79 [8] Ibid, page 138

On the contrary, the Bible makes clear that Christ was the Creator and distinct from His creation (see John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2). Jesus was affirmed to be the unique divine Son (Mark 9:7) by a voice from heaven. Jesus' deity was affirmed many times in the gospels. The gospel writers used Jesus' mighty works to prove His deity, not just that He was in right relationship with the Father. If BJ is right and Jesus laid aside His deity whilst on earth, then the mighty works prove only that Jesus learned what anyone could learn if he had the right faith and relationship with God. This is the shaky foundation on which BJ's School of Supernatural Ministry is built. The basis of BJ's theology effectively nullifies the Gospel message. Jesus is no longer unique, but only a special anointed or enlightened one who could lead the way to many such anointed or enlightened ones in the future. BJ writes: The anointing is what linked Jesus, the man, to the divine [9]. Whether intended or not, this is disturbingly more akin to the New Age Christ rather than the biblical one. BJ claims that Jesus received His anointing when He was baptised by John the Baptist, and I will come back to this important point later. Serious Implications The mplications of what we find in BJ's teaching are serious, because BJ's statements create a slant on Jesus' nature that is far from orthodox Christology and is more in line with the kenosis heresy, derived from the Greek word kenoo, meaning to empty. It is the heresy that Jesus laid aside His divine nature whilst on earth, and BJ clearly says: Jesus laid aside His divinity. The kenosis doctrine is based on a misuse of Philippians 2:7 where Paul says Jesus emptied Himself. This is falsely interpreted as meaning Jesus emptied Himself of deity and became only a man during the Incarnation. BJ's claim that Jesus laid aside His divinity during His earthly ministry is disturbingly similar to the kenosis heresy and the connected Word of Faith heresy that denies Jesus' deity when He died on the cross. They claim Jesus lost His divinity and suffered in hell as a man, which meant that Jesus had to be born again; and guess what? BJ claims Jesus had to be born again! He does not just make this claim once; he states it openly many times, but just one example is a sermon to his church on 15/8/2010 where he declared: Jesus had to be born again, because He became sin. Let me first deal with BJ's declaration that Jesus was born again. As already referred to, the root of this claim is that Jesus laid aside His divinity whilst on earth; not in just the way He carried out His mission on earth, but that Jesus actually became a man, suffered in hell as a man and had to be born again because He was a man, not God; He laid aside His divine nature. Let me therefore spend just a little more time in refuting this heresy. Let us first consider the words of Jesus. Footnotes:
[9] Ibid, page 79

Jesus claimed: I and My Father are one - John 10:30. We need only look at the Jews reaction to this statement by Jesus to know He was claiming to be God, because they tried to stone Him and shouted, you, a mere man, make yourself God (John 10:33). The Jews clearly understood that Jesus was claiming deity. Jesus did not deny the claim. When Jesus declared, I and the Father are one, He was saying that He and the Father were of one nature and essence, not that He was just in right relationship with God. Here's another example: Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM - John 8:58. The response of the Jews who heard this statement from Jesus was fury. They took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy, as the Mosaic Law commanded. I AM is the name God gave Himself when addressing Moses in Exodus 3:14: And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' The Jews who heard Jesus declare I AM knew exactly what He was claiming and it was not that Jesus was merely in a right relationship with God! In Hebrews 1:8 we read how God the Father declared of Jesus: Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever. Jesus' disciples clearly regarded Jesus as God. For example, Thomas cried out, My Lord and my God! (John 20:28) and John stated that, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God (John 1:1). Peter declared, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus' disciples claimed He had the right to forgive sins something only God can do - as it is God who is offended by sin (Acts 5:31; Colossians 3:13; Psalm 130:4; Jeremiah 31;34). In connection with that claim, Paul declared that Jesus is the ONE who will Judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1) and described Jesus as God made manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Furthermore, Paul calls Jesus, Great God and Saviour (Titus 2:13). There are many Scriptures that teach the deity of Christ (see Revelation 1:17, 2:8, 22:13; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Psalm 18:2, 95:1; 1 Peter 5:4; Hebrews 13:20), but even just one of these is enough to show that Christ was considered to be God by His followers and not once did Jesus try to correct their understanding of Him as being God. Jesus is also given titles that are unique to YHWH (the formal name of God) in the Old Testament. The Old Testament title redeemer (Psalm 130:7; Hosea 13:14) is used of Jesus in the New Testament (Titus 2:13; Revelation 5:9). Jesus is called ImmanuelGod with usin Matthew 1. In Zechariah 12:10, it is YHWH who says, They will look on me, the one they have pierced. But the New Testament applies this to Jesus' crucifixion (John 19:37; Revelation
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Our sins were imputed to Christ and in return His righteousness has been imputed to us
1:7). If it is YHWH who is pierced and looked upon, and Jesus was the one pierced and looked upon, then Jesus is YHWH. Paul interprets Isaiah 45:22-23 as applying to Jesus in Philippians 2:10-11. Further, Jesus' name is used alongside God's in prayer Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2). This would be blasphemy if Christ was not God. The name of Jesus appears with God's in Jesus' command to baptize in the name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; see also 2 Corinthians 13:14). When BJ says, Jesus was born again people need to understand the huge false doctrine behind that very small sentence. It is a heresy that denies the very nature of Christ and therefore attacks the central tenet of the Christian faith; there is no doctrine more important than having a correct Christology. Jesus was not born again, but was resurrected because death had no hold on Him, and death had no hold on Him because He was without sin of His own. He paid for our sins, but had no sin of His own to pay for so He did not have to be born again, but was resurrected. Look at what the three Gospels say: He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (Matthew 28:6) But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him (Mark 16:6) He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee (Luke 24:6) All three accounts tell us that the angel declared Christ to be risen. The Greek word used is anastasis, meaning rising up, and is from where the word resurrection is derived. The term born again is derived from a completely different Greek word gennao. For example, in John 3:3 Jesus tells Nicodemus: Unless one is born again [gennao], he cannot see the kingdom of God. The root of the error declared by BJ that Jesus was born again is the Word of Faith heresy that Jesus died spiritually as well as physically, and the divinity of Christ was destroyed, thereby meaning He had to be born again. Divinity is not something that is subject to change. In John 3:6 Jesus says: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Jesus was conceived not by flesh, but of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Hebrews 13:8 tells us that: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. BJ shares this heretical doctrine with some very unsavoury bed-fellows such as Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts and of course E. W. Kenyon. I could quote all of these heretics referring to Jesus being born again as proof that BJ gets this doctrine from these false teachers, but as just one example, look at this extract from Kenneth Copeland: And this was exactly the opening God had been looking for. Seizing the moment, He spoke His faith-filled words into the bowels of the earth, and suddenly-that word of the Living God went down into that pit of destruction and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life. He began to look like something the devil had never seen before. He was literally being reborn before the devil's very eyes. He began to flex His spiritual muscles.Jesus was born againthe first born from the dead [10]. How many poor souls reading BJ's books or attending Bethel School will understand the heresy BJ is preaching (and the origin of it) when he says that seemingly simple statement: Jesus was born again? This is serious, serious error. Jesus Became Sin The second part of BJ's statement that Jesus became sin, seems at first glance much closer to orthodox Christian doctrine than the first part of his statement that Jesus was born again. But as these two statements are inextricably linked in his theology, it is important we look at what BJ is really saying. The teaching that Jesus became sin is mainly based on 2 Corinthians 5:21: For He made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The original Greek word used for sin in 2 Corinthians 5:21 is hamartia, which can be translated as either sin or sin offering; it is the very same word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) in Isaiah 53:10, which renders hamartia as sin offering or offering for sin: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand (Isaiah 53:10). So which rendering of the Greek word hamartia is correct when used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21; did Jesus become sin or a sin offering? To start to answer that question it is worth noting that the word sin (hamartia) is used twice by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21. It would therefore perhaps be unreasonable to presume that Paul would use two different renderings of the same word in one short sentence like 2 Corinthians 5:21. For example, if the meaning of sin offering is used for both occasions when hamartia is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21 the passage it would read as follows: For He made Him who knew no sin offering [hamartia] to be a sin offering [hamartia] for us. Footnotes:
[10] The price of it all, Believers voice of victory, Sept, 1991)

Does that really make sense of the passage? Obviously not. However, just because sin makes more sense than sin offering when translating hamartia in 2 Corinthians 5:21, I do not think that is evidence enough to conclude that the word hamartia should always be translated as sin, rather than sin offering. I do not believe it is a case of either/or, but of both/and; Christ became both sin and a sin offering for us. We should not shy away from accepting that Jesus became sin just because it seemingly (on the surface at least) lends weight to Bill Johnson's heretical claim that Jesus was born again. He did become sin for us and He was not born again. The huge problem lies with what BJ really means when he says Jesus became sin; as with so many false teachers, BJ uses the same vocabulary as orthodox Christian doctrine, but uses a very different dictionary. When BJ says Jesus became sin he actually means Jesus became sinful, which goes well beyond what Scripture says about Christ's atoning sacrifice and means BJ is guilty of doing exactly what Paul warned not to do in 1 Corinthians 4:6 when he declared, do not exceed that which is written. Jesus could only become sinful if He took sin into His own nature by committing sin Himself, which would of course cancel out Christ's perfection and nullify His atoning sacrifice. How then you might ask, does BJ believe Jesus became sinful, but still believe in the validity of His atoning sacrifice? The answer lies squarely in the other part of Johnson's declaration that Jesus was born again. BJ believes that Jesus had to be born again just like you and me because He not only became sin, but actually became sinful in nature like us. This is standard Word of Faith heresy. The context of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins once and for all (as per Hebrews 9:28) was of course the full and final fulfilment of the Old Testament animal sacrifice system. For example, if we consider the sacrificial offerings on the Day of Atonement, the two goats the Lord's and the scape goat were both subject to the imposition of the priest's hands to transfer (or impute) the sins of the people on to the goats. The people's sins were not imposed upon the animal's natures but upon their bodies. One goat died and one goat was released. Christ our sacrifice fulfils both not symbolically but literally. Our sins were imputed to Christ and in return His righteousness has been imputed to us (Romans 4:5-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21b). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus did for us what we could not do ourselves. His work, not ours, removed the curse upon us because of our disobedience to the law and placed it upon Himself. He accomplished this by hanging on the tree (cross) and shedding His perfect blood as our substitute. He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26). Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28). He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

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And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment
These verses speak of Christ bearing our sins and taking them away, but there was no sin in Him. His sacrifice under the law was perfect, without spot or blemish. Under the Old Testament law, it was the animals shed blood that covered the sins of the people temporarily. Under the new law of grace, it is the perfect shed blood of Christ that takes away our sin permanently, and He could not have done this had He become sinful: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7). But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). The Key to unlocking the contradiction Those who are familiar with BJ's teaching will rightly point out that whilst he does claim Jesus emptied Himself of divinity, he is at the same time totally comfortable declaring that He is eternally God [12]. Indeed on the surface at least, BJ would no doubt agree with much of what I have written about Jesus. How then can BJ hold in tension two contradictory positions on the divinity of Jesus? This is an important question, not least because it allows BJ to speak out of both sides of his mouth and cause confusion to his followers over the essential doctrine of the identity of Christ. Does BJ say Jesus emptied Himself of divinity on earth, but is eternally God because eternity by definition has no beginning and no end? Only BJ himself can answer these questions, and I am yet to find a biblical answer from him. However, there is no doubt that key to trying to unlock BJ's contradictory position on the identity of Christ is a particular theology I have already touched upon several times, but is so central to BJ's doctrine that we must address it again. I refer to BJ's doctrine of anointing. For example, BJ says of Jesus: Christ is not Jesus' last name. The word means Anointed One or Messiah[13]. This of course in itself is biblically orthodox and correct. However, as with so much of BJ's theology, he then goes beyond biblical orthodoxy by trying to redefine Christ as the anointing. He says: It [Christ] is a title that points to an experience. It was not sufficient that Jesus be sent from heaven to earth with a title. He had to receive the anointing in an experience to accomplish what the Father desired [14]. Does Scripture teach this? On the contrary, Luke 2:11 alone tells us Jesus was the Christ from birth, not after having an experience: For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Footnotes:
[11] When Heaven Invades Earth, page 92 [12] Healing and the Kingdom The Essential Guide to Healing: Equipping All Christians to Pray for the Sick, page 125, and Healing and the Authority of the Believer as above, page 132-133. [13] When Heaven Invades Earth, page 79 [14] Ibid

But BJ compounds his error by stating: The word anointing means, to smear. The Holy Spirit is the oil of God that was smeared all over Jesus at His water baptism. The name Jesus Christ implies that Jesus is the One smeared with the Holy Spirit [15]. So in BJ's Christology the experience Jesus had to have in order to be anointed with the title of Christ was His water baptism. The logic of BJ's statement would of course therefore demand that Jesus was not the Christ before he was baptised. Some reading this may think I am perhaps putting words into BJ's mouth. However, the following quote makes BJ's position crystal clear: The outpouring of the Spirit also needed to happen to Jesus for Him to be fully qualified. This was His quest. Receiving His anointing qualified Him to be called the Christ, which means anointed one. Without the experience there could be no title [16]. So Luke 2:11 must be wrong then! Bearing that in mind, perhaps BJ just has the timing wrong of when Jesus became the Christ? If only it was that simple! BJ believes that every believer can receive the same Christ anointing and this is the foundation of all his theology, whether it be on healing or anything else. BJ states: the outpouring of the Spirit comes to anoint the church with the same Christ anointing that rested upon Jesus in His ministry so that we might be imitators of Him [17]. In BJ's theology it is the anointing that is divine. He says: The anointing is what linked Jesus, the man, to the divine [18]. In BJ's Christology, Jesus lacked divinity whilst on earth, except by virtue of the anointing. This has nothing to do with what the Bible says about Christ, but has plenty in common with the New Age understanding of Christ. Conclusion When BJ's doctrine and practice is honestly tested against the Word of God (as we are instructed to do), there can be no doubt BJ is a false teacher; his doctrine is a mixture of truth, truth out of balance and downright heresy. First President of Dallas Theological Seminary, Lewis S. Chafer (1871-1952) said: All heresy is either the Bible plus, or the Bible minus. But that should not surprise anyone who considers the polluted pool from which BJ draws his doctrine. It is a pool already made rancid by the heretics who have gone before him. No doubt supporters of BJ may say God's grace and love covers all things as long as someone's heart is for God, and as they are sure BJ has a sincere heart for God, they can overlook certain errors. In response I would respectfully suggest that God's view of these Footnotes:
[15] Ibid [16] Face to Face, page 109 [17] Ibid, page 77 [18] When Heaven Invades Earth, page 79

matters is very different to theirs. Firstly, there is no mention in Scripture of God's grace or love covering false doctrine and false teachers. The Bible is in fact uncompromising in its stance on such matters. For example, Romans 16:17: Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. Furthermore, God's Word teaches that real love cannot abound unless it abounds in doctrinal truth and discernment of what is true and false: And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment (Philippians 1:9). The Bible never says we should embrace false doctrine (or false teachers) under grace or love, even if it contains part truth, because God hates the mixture, and a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Whether wittingly or not, supporters of BJ are being tolerant towards things that God is not. Secondly, it is not my place or intention to judge BJ's sincerity or heart for God; but without the truth of Scripture as the anchor, at best all you have is a bit of truth mixed with a lot of sincere error. I think I may have already mentioned once or twice that God hates the mixture! This cannot be ignored or overlooked; BJ's teaching is a mixture at best. God judges our love for him not by how much we cry about Him during meetings, or how fervent or animated we are in our prayer times, or how strongly we feel about Him, or by how much we appear to have a heart for God; God revealed to Jeremiah that: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:9-10). The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? The answer to the question is then given: only the Lord. The heart's capacity for selfdeception knows no bounds; the heart tends to tell itself what it wants to hear and is drawn to things that reinforce what it already desires; to follow after what it has always wanted. I believe this is what many who follow BJ are guilty of, because an honest look at Scripture exposes BJ (and those he associates with) as false teachers. God knows the heart of man. The way of the world is to follow your heart, but God says follow My commands. Do not trust your heart and do not follow it. Do not put your trust in someone else's apparent heart for God, no matter how sincere they may seem. Sincerity is no reliable litmus test for what is and is not truth. We need something outside of ourselves to determine what is and is not truth the Word of God! But BJ says, God is bigger than His book (11). On first glance that sounds right doesn't it? As if he is giving
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praise and glory to God? But it needs to be tested against what God Himself says. For example, when BJ refers to His book he of course means the Bible, the Word of God. What does God say about His Word: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). How does BJ's claim that God is bigger than His book in the light of what John states above? If the Word was with God, and the Word was God, how can God be bigger than Himself? He cannot! The Bible exposes BJ's claim to be empty of truth and is in fact a veiled way of giving licence to false prophets (like Bob Jones and Todd Bentley to name but two within the Prophetic Movement) to claim the most unbiblical things through extra-biblical means. Psalm 138:2 tells us the exact opposite of BJ's claim: For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. God has chosen to reveal Himself to humanity through words. In like manner, our worship of Him should be according to His Word. As John declares: Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17). The Word of God gives the parameters for our experience of Him and stepping outside of those parameters is disobedience. Notice the last part of Jeremiah 17:10, which refers to, the fruit of his doings. God judges us by what we do - the fruit of our doings, not how our heart feels about Him. What someone does is determined by what they believe; false doctrine leads to false practice. God judges our love for Him by how obedient we are to His commands: This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it (2 John 1:6). If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15). Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32). The Root Cause False teachers like BJ (and William Branham, Bob Jones, Todd Bentley et al) are in reality not the root of the problem. The root of the problem is my friend and people like him who refuse to endure sound doctrine because of personal desire(s). Paul warned Timothy that such a time would come: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers (2 Timothy 4:3). If people like my friend did not want to have their itching ears tickled, false teachers would not have an audience and would not survive; people like my friend are the oxygen false teachers need to breath and survive and it would be very easy to cut off their oxygen supply if there were not Christians

who want to heap up for themselves teachers who will tickle their itching ears. If only their priority was God's Word, rather

than their own desires. My friend has merely found teachers who have enabled him to articulate and express that which has always been in his heart. He is wilfully doing what so many Christians are guilty of: he is replacing biblical absolutes with an experience based faith of his own design; making the rhema (spoken Word of God) supersede the logos (the written Word of God). You get into serious trouble when you demote the importance of the logos and rely on false teachers like BJ, Bob Jones and Todd Bentley et al to provide you with the rhema, i.e. what they tell you God is saying. My friend (like so many other Christians) has specifically chosen Bethel School not to learn biblical truth, but to have his preexisting prejudices and false beliefs and practices confirmed and affirmed. He has gone to Bethel because that is where he believes the anointing is. I would ask you to pass on this article to anyone you know who is a follower of BJ or any of the other people I have mentioned in this article, and encourage them to do as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11) and carefully check to see whether or not what I have written is true. They need to know the truth and it is then up to them what they do with the truth. A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats. C.H. Spurgeon

about the author

James (Jamie) Smith is a financial adviser who gives specialist advice to doctors and dentists based in Sheffield, England, where he was born in 1970. He was raised in a Christian family and became a believer in his childhood. Jamie is married to Emma. They have two young daughters, Holly and Heidi, and are members of a small independent evangelical church in Sheffield. Jamie writes on various matters of the Christian faith with the aim of encouraging and equipping fellow believers to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3) by being able to give an answer to everyone who asks a reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15).

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