By Dennis Edwards
Chapter Titles
1. Introduction: You Can Know the Future by Understanding Bible Prophecy
2. The Bible: a Book of Prophecy
3. My Testimony – The Early Years
4. The Tough College Years
5. Miracle and Answered Prayer
6. The Ellenville Christian Community College
7. Sought by the FBI: God’s Plan and Way of Escape!
8. The Test and the Reward
9. Filthy City Babylon: Witnessing in Greenwich Village
10. The God of Daniel – Revealer of Secrets
11. Daniel’s Mentor Joseph or the Imhotep Connection
12. The Daniel – Isaac Newton Connection
13. Jesus, the Book of Daniel and the Temple Institute
14. The Genesis Messianic Prophecy
15. Bible Prophecy – Mathematically Impossible
16. The Noah Prophecy
17. The Wild Man Prophecy
18. Isaac’s Prophecy
19. Prophecies of Consequences
20. Are You a Prophecy Nut?
21. Is America in Bible Prophecy?
22. Is the Babylon of Revelation America?
23. Revelation 17 and Commentary
24. Who is the Great Harlot of Revelation?
25. The Boogie Banker Man Will Get You if You Don’t Watch Out or the Banks of Marble
26. The World, Brother, the World! or Money, Money, Money Makes the World Go ‘Round!
27. The American Dream of Easy Living
28. Revelation Chapter 18
29. Music is the Message or the Sirens of Babylon
30. Football, Fatima, and Fado or the FIFA-Olympics Connection
31. Arms, Arms, and More Arms! or It’s Blood Money, Baby!
32. Israel of Old and America: a Parallel History
33. Consequences, Consequences, and More Consequences
34. Blessing or Curse – Which Will You Have?
35. The Divided Kingdom
36. We Are Sister, We Are Harlots, and We Are Not Ashamed!
37. Is Revival Possible?
38. Will We Also Be Buried In Profound Obscurity?
39. Paul’s Understanding and Vision for a New Nation
40. Jesus and a New Spiritual Israel
41. To Believe or Not to Believe, that is the Question, or The Evolution Connection
42. The Scofield Connection or the Pre-Tribulation Fallacy with Corrie Tem Boom’s Perspective
43. Moses’ Exhortation to Israel, America and the World!
44. The Illuminati, the Protocols of Zion, or How Deep is that Rabbit Hole?
45. The End is Coming!
Chapter 1
The Introduction:
You Can Know the Future by Understanding Bible Prophecy!
By Dennis Edwards
Many people are worried about the future. They look around them and see a world full of confusion, strife, economic failure and corruption, constant threat of war, terrorism, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. There are problems at home, problems at school, problems at work, problems with the neighbors, problems in the family, problems at church, financial problems, and health problems. But the biggest fear and worry is the constant fear that tomorrow will be worse, that there is no help in sight.
Man has seemed to have forgotten that there is a God who helps and who has told us that He is an ever present help in time of trouble.[1] Because we do not know the future and how things will work out, we become anxious. We worry for ourselves, for our children and for their children. With the world in such a mess, as we see it, is there any hope for the future? If we knew the future, would it help us to have faith that God is in control, even if it looks as if He has abandoned us to our own devices? Would it give us the confidence we need to struggle on and keep fighting in spite of all the obstacles that besiege us daily?
Would knowing the big picture of the future comfort us and help us to understand where the world is heading and why? I believe it would. Although some of what I am going to share with you may be shocking, in the end, I believe, it will comfort you and will help you to face the future bravely and unafraid knowing that God is in control. He is in control and he will not let anything happen to you that is not for your good and for drawing you closer to Him. He is the great Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.[2] In Him is fullness of life.[3] He has told us not to take any anxious thought for tomorrow.[4] But He has also told us to prepare and not be foolish.
I propose that an understanding of Bible prophecy will help us to be ready for the future. It will help us have the right attitude towards others and towards life itself. It will prepare us to face the difficult days ahead with faith and confidence that God is ultimately in control. With God’s love in our hearts and knowledge of his word in our minds, we will be able to confront the difficulties that lay ahead, unafraid and confident that all things will work together for good because we love Him.[5]
It is my earnest prayer and hope that the information I am about to share with you will be an impetus for you to dig deep into God’s word. I pray this information will draw you closer to Him. I pray that it will help and encourage you so that you will be able to help and encourage others in the difficult days that lie ahead. One day we will meet together at Jesus’ feet where He will wipe every tear from our eyes and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more.[6] Are you preparing for God’s tomorrow? May the words the Lord has given me in this book, be a blessing to you and your family and open your eyes to the events that shall soon suddenly befall us.
[1] Psalm 46:1
[2] Revelation 1:8
[3] John 10:10
[4] Matthew 6:31
[5] Romans 8:28
[6] Revelation 21:4
Chapter 2
The Bible: a book of Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
I was listening to a lecture by Bill Salus entitled “The Future of America in Bible Prophecy.”[1] Bill is a famous American author, radio host and lecturer on Bible Prophecy. He starts off his lecture by quoting Isaiah,
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.[2]
Can we know the future? God’s word says that we can, because God can reveal it. The prophet Amos said,
Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.[3]
Here, Amos is making a conditional statement. God is going to reveal his secrets, not unto everyone, but unto his servants the prophets. The prophets were chosen of God, because of their love and obedience to him. They were tested by God and had proved their faithfulness to Him. They desired to serve God, rather than man. They chose God over material things, over comfort and conformity. They preferred to live and die for the truth, than to live a life of compromise. Therefore, because of their dedication to God, to truth, to righteousness, God revealed his secrets to them.
The prophet’s job was to give the word of God to the people, to follow God’s instructions in spite of opposition by family, friends or community. Many of them bemoaned their fate as God’s mouth pieces, because they were ill received. In Chronicles we read,
And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy.[4]
In this book, I am going to reveal to you what God has revealed to me, one of his servants. I am going to talk about where I believe America fits in Bible prophecy. It will be an interesting study. I hope you enjoy it. But first I must share a little about who I am and what qualifies me as one of God’s servants. In these first chapters of the book I will share my story and I will let you judge from there. May God bless us as we study His word together.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] Isaiah 48:9-10
[3] Amos 3:7
[4] 2 Chronicles 36:15-16
Chapter 5
The Miracle and Answered Prayer!
By Dennis Edwards
A few days passed and I still did not know what I would do about the draft. I knew my time was short and the FBI would soon find me in Marietta, as I was making no efforts to hide. In the end, I had decided to resist the draft and go to prison if need be. Resistance was a stance which every young American youth could take; white, black, educated, uneducated, rich or poor. Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Mohammed Ali, the famous boxer, had made this stand and had been jailed for it. I thought it was the most honest position to take, as it was open to every man and not just to the middle or upper class white boys who could find a deferment or escape to Canada or Sweden.
Chapter 7
Sought by The FBI: God's Plan and Way of Escape!
By Dennis Edwards
After graduating from Marietta College, I began working as a teacher at Friendship School in Marietta, Ohio. I had a class of twelve slightly physically and or mentally handicapped children from ages seven to thirteen plus one autistic boy. I had requested that this job be counted as my alternative service, if I had been granted conscientious objector status. But my request was denied. However, even knowing of my problem with the military, the director of the school had hired me as I had worked as a volunteer for two years doing fifteen hours a week as teacher assistant. I had even cut down on some of my studies to make volunteering possible. But on Monday, November 9th I had not showed up for work. Neither had I called. This was unusual for me, as I was generally conscientious. What had happened?
[4] John 14:27
[5] 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
[6] Ephesians 6:12
[7] Matthew 6:33
Chapter 9
Filthy City Babylon - Witnessing in Greenwich Village
By Dennis Edwards
Another part of the college program was the witnessing adventures into New York City, especially Greenwich Village, a gathering place for hippies and beatniks. After a few weeks of intense classes, inspiration and scripture memorization it was time to share my new found faith with others. I was roaring to go in spite of my natural shyness. Friday afternoon rolled in the Prophet Bus, an old converted school bus with red sack cloth as curtains on the windows and red carpeted floor. “Maybe they are communists after all,” I thought again. Nevertheless, I piled into the bus with the other students and got ready for my next adventure, witnessing for Jesus.
[4] Genesis 39:20-23
It is interesting how through history we remember the Arabs as living by the sword or being very good with the sword. We even see ISIS in Iraq and Syria cutting the throats of foreigners with a knife or small sword! Some Bible scholars believe that “the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven above;” refers to Arab oil which is not something they obtained through hard work but rather as the dew of heaven, they have just been blessed with its richness. Another part of the prophecy says,
And it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[5]
Some believe that sometime in the future the Arabs may break off the yoke of Jewish world control. Some scholars believe that the yoke was broken back in 1973 when the Arabs raised the price of oil and started to amassing huge sums of money through their oil sales. Other theories and interpretations exist, also. In any event, the fact that nearly three thousand years ago a rich shepherd in the land of Canaan prophesied the events above is not only very interesting, but surely miraculous.
[1] Genesis 27:37
[2] Genesis 27:38-40
[3] Genesis 28:8-9
[4] Genesis 16:12
[5] Genesis 27:40
Chapter 19
We had been invited to the National Dance Theater in downtown Maputo to watch Mozambique’s National Dance Troupe perform a dance rendering the country’s defeat of the Portuguese imperialistic power. It was a war drudge if ever I saw one honoring the National Police among whom we sat. However, after an un-entertaining hour of Africans dancing to war rhythms, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” by the visiting Kenyan dancers. The two renditions were like night and day. One was of war, while the other was of love and compassion. The words of Simon and Garfunkel’s song seemed as if God was speaking, His Holy Spirit calling down comforting words of assurance. God would himself be the bridge over troubled waters and as Jesus had laid down his life, so His Holy Spirit would be with us to help us in our moments of trial and difficulty and encourage us to be bridges over troubled waters for one another.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.[4]
In talking about the waste caused by excessive military spending, Eisenhower, a military man himself, said the following:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, (and) the hopes of its children.
The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 (in) population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.
This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. (No), this is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.[5]
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.[9]
[1] Michael Klare, Do Arms Sales by Major Powers Signal a Move to a 21st Century Cold (Or Hot) War?, Tom Dispatch, May 30, 2013
[2] Edward Wong and Nicola Clark, China's Arms Industry Makes Global Inroads, NY Times, October 20, 2013
[3] Revelation 18:24
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y
[8] http://www.biblebelievers.com/moody/12.html Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D.; The Life and Work of Dwight L. Moody
[9] Matthew 5:3-12
[18] Zechariah 8:16
[19] Isaiah 9:6
Chapter 32
Israel of Old and America: a Parallel History
[2] Proverbs 14:34
[3] Hosea 8:14
[4] Hosea 13:6
[5] Obadiah 1:3-4
[6] Obadiah 1:15
[7] Jeremiah 12:17
Chapter 33
When asked by his disciples:
What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?[15]
Jesus answered with not just one sign, but numerous. He said,
Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows…
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold…
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.[16]
The culmination of these events comes in the next few verses where Jesus says,
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:)
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.
And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.[17]
I am sad to say that the horrible days Jesus was warning about are coming closer every day. From what we see in Bible prophecy mankind is moving to the brink of destruction, no doubt because of the use of nuclear weapons or some other weapon of mass destruction.
The good news is Jesus has promised to shorten the days of tribulation so that some of mankind is left on the earth. He has also promised to return to save his own in a super natural event known as the rapture. He has promised to bring peace on earth for a thousand years.
But before those promises come to pass, mankind is going to go through its worst period in all of history making the Inquisition, the Holocaust and Stalin’s persecutions look like boy’s play. Like Jesus said,
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.[18]
Are you ready for the days prophesied by Christ, his disciples and various Old Testament prophets? It’s not too late to open your heart today to the King of Kings and begin your training in discipleship. Stop hesitating and decide. It won’t be long!
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7] Edwin Griffin, The Rise of the Fourth Reich of the Rich
[8] 2 Thessalonians 2:3
[9] 1 John 2:18
[10] Revelation 13:3-18
[11] Daniel 11:21
[12] Daniel 11:22
[13] Daniel 11:36-37
[14] Daniel 11:31
[15] Matthew 24:3
Chapter Titles
1. Introduction: You Can Know the Future by Understanding Bible Prophecy
2. The Bible: a Book of Prophecy
3. My Testimony – The Early Years
4. The Tough College Years
5. Miracle and Answered Prayer
6. The Ellenville Christian Community College
7. Sought by the FBI: God’s Plan and Way of Escape!
8. The Test and the Reward
9. Filthy City Babylon: Witnessing in Greenwich Village
10. The God of Daniel – Revealer of Secrets
11. Daniel’s Mentor Joseph or the Imhotep Connection
12. The Daniel – Isaac Newton Connection
13. Jesus, the Book of Daniel and the Temple Institute
14. The Genesis Messianic Prophecy
15. Bible Prophecy – Mathematically Impossible
16. The Noah Prophecy
17. The Wild Man Prophecy
18. Isaac’s Prophecy
19. Prophecies of Consequences
20. Are You a Prophecy Nut?
21. Is America in Bible Prophecy?
22. Is the Babylon of Revelation America?
23. Revelation 17 and Commentary
24. Who is the Great Harlot of Revelation?
25. The Boogie Banker Man Will Get You if You Don’t Watch Out or the Banks of Marble
26. The World, Brother, the World! or Money, Money, Money Makes the World Go ‘Round!
27. The American Dream of Easy Living
28. Revelation Chapter 18
29. Music is the Message or the Sirens of Babylon
30. Football, Fatima, and Fado or the FIFA-Olympics Connection
31. Arms, Arms, and More Arms! or It’s Blood Money, Baby!
32. Israel of Old and America: a Parallel History
33. Consequences, Consequences, and More Consequences
34. Blessing or Curse – Which Will You Have?
35. The Divided Kingdom
36. We Are Sister, We Are Harlots, and We Are Not Ashamed!
37. Is Revival Possible?
38. Will We Also Be Buried In Profound Obscurity?
39. Paul’s Understanding and Vision for a New Nation
40. Jesus and a New Spiritual Israel
41. To Believe or Not to Believe, that is the Question, or The Evolution Connection
42. The Scofield Connection or the Pre-Tribulation Fallacy with Corrie Tem Boom’s Perspective
43. Moses’ Exhortation to Israel, America and the World!
44. The Illuminati, the Protocols of Zion, or How Deep is that Rabbit Hole?
45. The End is Coming!
Chapter 1
The Introduction:
You Can Know the Future by Understanding Bible Prophecy!
By Dennis Edwards
Many people are worried about the future. They look around them and see a world full of confusion, strife, economic failure and corruption, constant threat of war, terrorism, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. There are problems at home, problems at school, problems at work, problems with the neighbors, problems in the family, problems at church, financial problems, and health problems. But the biggest fear and worry is the constant fear that tomorrow will be worse, that there is no help in sight.
Man has seemed to have forgotten that there is a God who helps and who has told us that He is an ever present help in time of trouble.[1] Because we do not know the future and how things will work out, we become anxious. We worry for ourselves, for our children and for their children. With the world in such a mess, as we see it, is there any hope for the future? If we knew the future, would it help us to have faith that God is in control, even if it looks as if He has abandoned us to our own devices? Would it give us the confidence we need to struggle on and keep fighting in spite of all the obstacles that besiege us daily?
Would knowing the big picture of the future comfort us and help us to understand where the world is heading and why? I believe it would. Although some of what I am going to share with you may be shocking, in the end, I believe, it will comfort you and will help you to face the future bravely and unafraid knowing that God is in control. He is in control and he will not let anything happen to you that is not for your good and for drawing you closer to Him. He is the great Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.[2] In Him is fullness of life.[3] He has told us not to take any anxious thought for tomorrow.[4] But He has also told us to prepare and not be foolish.
I propose that an understanding of Bible prophecy will help us to be ready for the future. It will help us have the right attitude towards others and towards life itself. It will prepare us to face the difficult days ahead with faith and confidence that God is ultimately in control. With God’s love in our hearts and knowledge of his word in our minds, we will be able to confront the difficulties that lay ahead, unafraid and confident that all things will work together for good because we love Him.[5]
It is my earnest prayer and hope that the information I am about to share with you will be an impetus for you to dig deep into God’s word. I pray this information will draw you closer to Him. I pray that it will help and encourage you so that you will be able to help and encourage others in the difficult days that lie ahead. One day we will meet together at Jesus’ feet where He will wipe every tear from our eyes and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more.[6] Are you preparing for God’s tomorrow? May the words the Lord has given me in this book, be a blessing to you and your family and open your eyes to the events that shall soon suddenly befall us.
[1] Psalm 46:1
[2] Revelation 1:8
[3] John 10:10
[4] Matthew 6:31
[5] Romans 8:28
[6] Revelation 21:4
Chapter 2
The Bible: a book of Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
I was listening to a lecture by Bill Salus entitled “The Future of America in Bible Prophecy.”[1] Bill is a famous American author, radio host and lecturer on Bible Prophecy. He starts off his lecture by quoting Isaiah,
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.[2]
Can we know the future? God’s word says that we can, because God can reveal it. The prophet Amos said,
Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.[3]
Here, Amos is making a conditional statement. God is going to reveal his secrets, not unto everyone, but unto his servants the prophets. The prophets were chosen of God, because of their love and obedience to him. They were tested by God and had proved their faithfulness to Him. They desired to serve God, rather than man. They chose God over material things, over comfort and conformity. They preferred to live and die for the truth, than to live a life of compromise. Therefore, because of their dedication to God, to truth, to righteousness, God revealed his secrets to them.
The prophet’s job was to give the word of God to the people, to follow God’s instructions in spite of opposition by family, friends or community. Many of them bemoaned their fate as God’s mouth pieces, because they were ill received. In Chronicles we read,
And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy.[4]
In this book, I am going to reveal to you what God has revealed to me, one of his servants. I am going to talk about where I believe America fits in Bible prophecy. It will be an interesting study. I hope you enjoy it. But first I must share a little about who I am and what qualifies me as one of God’s servants. In these first chapters of the book I will share my story and I will let you judge from there. May God bless us as we study His word together.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] Isaiah 48:9-10
[3] Amos 3:7
[4] 2 Chronicles 36:15-16
Chapter 3
My Testimony - The Early Years
By Dennis Edwards
Recently I have been reading through the documents I presented to my local draft board back in the year or so before receiving my notice for induction into military service in November 1971. I had applied to the board for a deferment as a conscientious objector. I was asked by them to explain my beliefs and where, from whom and how I arrived at them. I will quote from the documented I presented to the board in this first part of “My Testimony." Remember, I was twenty-one years old when writing this.
"I am the second son of Roman Catholic middle-class parents. My parents are good people. My father is a good-natured man who reads only the comics and the sports page. My mother passes the time away with television soap operas. I have never talked seriously with my parents, but I remember in high school my mother´s words in regard to my sister's dating...."Do what comes naturally," which I interpret as, "Do what you think is right." It is from my parents that the philosophy of love has been so deeply ingrained in me, though I suspect they are not aware of it."
Article to the military continued:
"I attended public school and with childhood resistance the Tuesday afternoon Catechism classes. As a young Catholic, I learned to fear the "Almighty Lord" from nuns who seemed out of the tradition of Jonathan Edwards. In my childhood years, I would every night before sleep say prayers for all the people I liked and especially for those I disliked. My fear of God made me overly conscious of my behavior. I constantly watched and scrutinized my behavior to be aware of sins."
"In the sixth grade, I was appointed captain of the safety patrol, though I hated the leadership position because of my shyness and my inability to tell others what they should do. With the advent of Junior High School came puberty and peer group relations. At 15, I had a complete falling out with my father and our relationship remained distant until just recently. In High School, I was very religious and obsessively conscious of the commandments. I tried to imitate the life of Christ. I was an average student, with friends that were "jocks," and friends that were "nerds." The most intriguing reading I did in High School was Thoreau's Walden Pond. I also enjoyed Ralph Waldo Emerson. One quote of his still remains with me,
My Testimony - The Early Years
By Dennis Edwards
Recently I have been reading through the documents I presented to my local draft board back in the year or so before receiving my notice for induction into military service in November 1971. I had applied to the board for a deferment as a conscientious objector. I was asked by them to explain my beliefs and where, from whom and how I arrived at them. I will quote from the documented I presented to the board in this first part of “My Testimony." Remember, I was twenty-one years old when writing this.
"I am the second son of Roman Catholic middle-class parents. My parents are good people. My father is a good-natured man who reads only the comics and the sports page. My mother passes the time away with television soap operas. I have never talked seriously with my parents, but I remember in high school my mother´s words in regard to my sister's dating...."Do what comes naturally," which I interpret as, "Do what you think is right." It is from my parents that the philosophy of love has been so deeply ingrained in me, though I suspect they are not aware of it."
Article to the military continued:
"I attended public school and with childhood resistance the Tuesday afternoon Catechism classes. As a young Catholic, I learned to fear the "Almighty Lord" from nuns who seemed out of the tradition of Jonathan Edwards. In my childhood years, I would every night before sleep say prayers for all the people I liked and especially for those I disliked. My fear of God made me overly conscious of my behavior. I constantly watched and scrutinized my behavior to be aware of sins."
"In the sixth grade, I was appointed captain of the safety patrol, though I hated the leadership position because of my shyness and my inability to tell others what they should do. With the advent of Junior High School came puberty and peer group relations. At 15, I had a complete falling out with my father and our relationship remained distant until just recently. In High School, I was very religious and obsessively conscious of the commandments. I tried to imitate the life of Christ. I was an average student, with friends that were "jocks," and friends that were "nerds." The most intriguing reading I did in High School was Thoreau's Walden Pond. I also enjoyed Ralph Waldo Emerson. One quote of his still remains with me,
“Every Stoic was a Stoic, but where in Christendom is the Christian."[1]
"In my senior year I gained a deep relationship with a girl, my first intimate girlfriend. I seldom read a book or the daily newspaper. I graduated High School president of my senior class, with the American Legion School Award for courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. I had a vague hope of becoming a social worker or "something like that." I toyed with the idea of joining the military "to do my duty." But I was accepted to a college in Ohio and decided to go there instead."
[1] Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Self Reliance, essay
Chapter 4
The Tough College Years
By Dennis Edwards
Moving to Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio in September of 1967 was the beginning of a new life. I was thrown into a society in which I was a “nobody.” No one knew I was president of my senior class. No one knew I was on the Central Jersey Group III State Champ football team. No one knew my girlfriend was secretary of the student body and a cheerleader. No one knew my best friend was president of the student body. No one knew what or who I was. An identity crisis was in full gear.
It was some time in that first year, that my former girlfriend came and told me she had another boyfriend. I was destroyed. Here I had been trying to keep all the church rules against premarital sex and the thing that I loved the most, my girlfriend, "God" took from me and gave to another. I fell into a deep depression. I was mad at "God." I stopped believing in Him and threw away my "religious" faith and threw myself into atheism, evolution and political anarchy. I had been taking a geology course that first year that fed me evolution and billions of years. I swallowed it all in as a rational justification for our existence without the need of a “God.” I began attacking the faith of Christian girls I would date. I tried to convert others to my new found beliefs proving through science that the Bible was wrong.
But with time my furry subsided and while smoking hash with a close friend a few years later, I had a "God" experience. (I want to make it clear here I am not advocating taking drugs to find God, but God used this experience on my path to Him). In a vision, I saw a ball of light coming closer and closer to me. When it finally touched me, I was enveloped in an energy of unexplainable love. It was like a spiritual orgasm, a spiritual epiphany. My whole being had been transformed in an instance. My first thought was "Is this what Jesus is all about?" From that moment I knew love was the power and the force of the universe. On that day, I went home and apologized to my parents for the way I had acted as a rebellious teen, even having fought with my father. All I wanted to do was love others. But now I had to consolidate my experience and find out where this power of love came from.
I started searching through different religious philosophies for truth. Buddhism was one of the first to catch my interest. I studied the eight-fold path of Siddhartha. I read Herman Hesse´s books which contained Buddhist philosophy. I became an organic vegetarian. I also dabbled in Judaism as I had a Jewish girlfriend for a time. I read heavily on transcendental meditation and used as my Bibles, the books Be Here Now by Ram Dass, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Erich Fromm´s The Art of Loving amongst others. I steered clear of Christian Evangelicals and Christianity and Catholicism which I had assumed to be false because of the hypocritical actions of their followers and my previous experiences in childhood.
However, the question of war and my involvement in it, as I was due to be drafted after my four year college deferment ended, led me to start reading heavily on the subject of conscientious objection to war and draft resistance. In my reading, I came across Leo Tolstoy's "Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer,"[1] and The Kingdom of God is Within You.[2] As Tolstoy mentions the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount in these writings, I started to read and study Jesus´ words found in those chapters specifically Matthew five through seven in the New Testament.
In June of 1971, I graduated from Marietta College with a Bachelors of Arts diploma in History on the Dean’s List with a straight B average. But by the month of October I had been refused conscientious objector status by the military and after refusing to take the various examinations had been ordered to appear for induction into the US military or face the consequences. My mother, God bless her soul, telephoned me at the end of October telling me the FBI had been around to arrest me as I had not appeared for induction.
I was working as a low salaried teacher of special needs children in Marietta, Ohio at the time. However, when I put down the phone from speaking to my mom, I dropped to my knees and with tears falling called out with all my heart to "God," if He indeed existed, to save me. I was not asking Him to save my soul, but to save me from the problem of having to go into the military and having to kill and be killed in Vietnam. But after having prayed, I rose from my knees and spit on the floor and said, "There´s no God, so why am I praying?"
But I was soon to find out that God does answer prayer when we call upon Him with all our heart even if our mind sometimes gets in the way.
[1] http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/tolstoy/officer.html
[2] http://www.classicly.com/library (free download)
"In my senior year I gained a deep relationship with a girl, my first intimate girlfriend. I seldom read a book or the daily newspaper. I graduated High School president of my senior class, with the American Legion School Award for courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. I had a vague hope of becoming a social worker or "something like that." I toyed with the idea of joining the military "to do my duty." But I was accepted to a college in Ohio and decided to go there instead."
[1] Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Self Reliance, essay
Chapter 4
The Tough College Years
By Dennis Edwards
Moving to Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio in September of 1967 was the beginning of a new life. I was thrown into a society in which I was a “nobody.” No one knew I was president of my senior class. No one knew I was on the Central Jersey Group III State Champ football team. No one knew my girlfriend was secretary of the student body and a cheerleader. No one knew my best friend was president of the student body. No one knew what or who I was. An identity crisis was in full gear.
It was some time in that first year, that my former girlfriend came and told me she had another boyfriend. I was destroyed. Here I had been trying to keep all the church rules against premarital sex and the thing that I loved the most, my girlfriend, "God" took from me and gave to another. I fell into a deep depression. I was mad at "God." I stopped believing in Him and threw away my "religious" faith and threw myself into atheism, evolution and political anarchy. I had been taking a geology course that first year that fed me evolution and billions of years. I swallowed it all in as a rational justification for our existence without the need of a “God.” I began attacking the faith of Christian girls I would date. I tried to convert others to my new found beliefs proving through science that the Bible was wrong.
But with time my furry subsided and while smoking hash with a close friend a few years later, I had a "God" experience. (I want to make it clear here I am not advocating taking drugs to find God, but God used this experience on my path to Him). In a vision, I saw a ball of light coming closer and closer to me. When it finally touched me, I was enveloped in an energy of unexplainable love. It was like a spiritual orgasm, a spiritual epiphany. My whole being had been transformed in an instance. My first thought was "Is this what Jesus is all about?" From that moment I knew love was the power and the force of the universe. On that day, I went home and apologized to my parents for the way I had acted as a rebellious teen, even having fought with my father. All I wanted to do was love others. But now I had to consolidate my experience and find out where this power of love came from.
I started searching through different religious philosophies for truth. Buddhism was one of the first to catch my interest. I studied the eight-fold path of Siddhartha. I read Herman Hesse´s books which contained Buddhist philosophy. I became an organic vegetarian. I also dabbled in Judaism as I had a Jewish girlfriend for a time. I read heavily on transcendental meditation and used as my Bibles, the books Be Here Now by Ram Dass, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Erich Fromm´s The Art of Loving amongst others. I steered clear of Christian Evangelicals and Christianity and Catholicism which I had assumed to be false because of the hypocritical actions of their followers and my previous experiences in childhood.
However, the question of war and my involvement in it, as I was due to be drafted after my four year college deferment ended, led me to start reading heavily on the subject of conscientious objection to war and draft resistance. In my reading, I came across Leo Tolstoy's "Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer,"[1] and The Kingdom of God is Within You.[2] As Tolstoy mentions the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount in these writings, I started to read and study Jesus´ words found in those chapters specifically Matthew five through seven in the New Testament.
In June of 1971, I graduated from Marietta College with a Bachelors of Arts diploma in History on the Dean’s List with a straight B average. But by the month of October I had been refused conscientious objector status by the military and after refusing to take the various examinations had been ordered to appear for induction into the US military or face the consequences. My mother, God bless her soul, telephoned me at the end of October telling me the FBI had been around to arrest me as I had not appeared for induction.
I was working as a low salaried teacher of special needs children in Marietta, Ohio at the time. However, when I put down the phone from speaking to my mom, I dropped to my knees and with tears falling called out with all my heart to "God," if He indeed existed, to save me. I was not asking Him to save my soul, but to save me from the problem of having to go into the military and having to kill and be killed in Vietnam. But after having prayed, I rose from my knees and spit on the floor and said, "There´s no God, so why am I praying?"
But I was soon to find out that God does answer prayer when we call upon Him with all our heart even if our mind sometimes gets in the way.
[1] http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/tolstoy/officer.html
[2] http://www.classicly.com/library (free download)
Chapter 5
The Miracle and Answered Prayer!
By Dennis Edwards
A few days passed and I still did not know what I would do about the draft. I knew my time was short and the FBI would soon find me in Marietta, as I was making no efforts to hide. In the end, I had decided to resist the draft and go to prison if need be. Resistance was a stance which every young American youth could take; white, black, educated, uneducated, rich or poor. Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Mohammed Ali, the famous boxer, had made this stand and had been jailed for it. I thought it was the most honest position to take, as it was open to every man and not just to the middle or upper class white boys who could find a deferment or escape to Canada or Sweden.
Two weeks after my mother´s call, I went for two days to Columbus, Ohio to attend a teacher´s convention. It was on the return to Marietta that I picked up the hitch hiking young couple on their way to Ellenville, New York. He was an American and she was from Mexican descent. They asked me what I believed. We soon got into a conversation with me sharing my philosophy of life developed from my four years at college and my search for the truth. Slowly, they began to talk to me about Jesus. At first, I remember thinking, “Oh, no, I´ve got two Jehovah Witnesses.” But they were different.
After a time talking, we stopped at a restaurant where I bowed my head and asked Jesus, if he really was the Son of God, to come into my heart and life and show me. Later as he drove further, Chris talked with me about the importance of the Holy Spirit. So, while driving my brother´s Volkswagen bug down the motor way, I prayed to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Only a few more miles up the road was where I needed to drop them off to start on my descent back to Marietta, about one hundred miles south of Columbus.
Chris talked with me further. He encouraged me that it was no coincidence that I had met them. Now, he questioned, was God calling me to discipleship? I was already used to doing things on the spur of the moment, so I decided to take them to Ellenville and see this college community for myself. Could there really be a college to teach young Christian disciples to live for God? What impressed me the most about Chris and his partner was that they were just as much against the war as I was. This was the first time I had met “Christians” against the war. I had read about a famous Catholic priest in Chicago, but I had never met personally a Christian against the war. Most of the people I knew against the war were non-believers, or at least, they weren’t church goers.
I had spoken with Christian youth on the college campus. Those dedicated to Christ were usually always very pro- American, anti-communist and therefore willing to support the war effort in some way. I even had a very close friend who had been a conscientious objector and had served as an army medic in Vietnam. But as much as he had tried, he could not convince me that the conscientious objector was the most righteous or moral stand.
During my search for conscientious objector status, I had also gone and spoken to both Catholic Priests and Protestant Ministers. They had always told me it was my Christian duty to obey the government and don the army uniform and perform my duty for God and country. I had already come to the decision from reading Tolstoy and others, including Mark Twain's famous War Prayer [1] and the New Testament, that this pro-war stance was a compromise and not in accordance with the words of Jesus. I had finally met some Christians who believed as I did about the war and I now was going to see what made them tick.
[1] http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/making/warprayer.html
Chapter 6
The Ellenville Christian Community College
By Dennis Edwards
We rolled into Ellenville, New York after an all night journey through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ellenville was a beautiful little town in the Catskill Mountains, some one hundred miles north of New York City! It was already November and the trees were beginning to change their colors.
That first morning I remember meeting Don Slovenski from a Catholic-Polish family like my own. He had been President of the Catholic Young People's Association and had represented the Association in the Washington, DC’s Christian Young People´s Convention. He picked up a conversation with me and we were soon immersed in an interesting Bible study of Daniel 2 and end-time prophecy.
He then showed me Matthew 24 about the signs Jesus gave concerning his return to Earth and the end of the world. I had tried to read the Bible before, starting at Genesis, but had gotten bogged down soon afterwards in Leviticus or Deuteronomy. But reading with Dan, the Bible made so much sense. In the Bible, I was finding confirmations of the experiences I was going through and the conclusions I had been making as a person. The Bible was confirming my own thought out conclusions and showing me they were right. Jesus was indeed the truth I had been looking for. My search of many years into different religions and world views ended. I had found the answer: the way, the truth and the life[1], the Word of God, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.[2]
I was in no hurry to go back to Marietta, with the FBI on my trail, so I decided to stay at the Ellenville Community College and enter its three month course called Biblical Evangelism & Ministry Training. The course comprised of Bible studies, lectures, scripture memorization and afterwards personal witnessing in Greenwich Village in the City. I was also required to be part of the work crew as there was no tuition, but an obligatory work load. I was assigned the job as breakfast cook and also dishwashing overseer. That sounds simple enough. The only problem was there were around two hundred people living on the Campus.
The College campus was actually a group of summer cottages and one main house which was used for meals and united meetings. The breakfast was not too complicated as I had worked as an assistant breakfast cook during my years at Marietta College. However, the dishwashing overseer was a greater challenge, as I was still quite shy and found it difficult to correct others and enforce discipline.
I was actually one of the older people at the camp and one of the few with a college education. My work crew was mainly rebellious 18 and 19 year olds coming from the hippy scene who did not take kindly to schedules and overseers. As a result, many times I stayed up late until 2 to 3 o’clock in the morning finishing up the dishes. The problem was I had to be up at 5:30 am to start breakfast. After a few weeks of this grueling schedule I was suffering from physical exhaustion from lack of sleep.
Also, I was still holding unto my old vegetarian eating habits. But here, very little vegetarian proteins were available to eat as most of the food was donated by local businesses or fast food joints and consisted of sandwiches, donuts, pastas, and some local in-season fruits. I remember on various occasions fainting from exhaustion. I finally saw the necessity of eating what was set before me as Paul so wisely admonished.[3]
[1] John 14:6
[2] John 1:14
I had spoken with Christian youth on the college campus. Those dedicated to Christ were usually always very pro- American, anti-communist and therefore willing to support the war effort in some way. I even had a very close friend who had been a conscientious objector and had served as an army medic in Vietnam. But as much as he had tried, he could not convince me that the conscientious objector was the most righteous or moral stand.
During my search for conscientious objector status, I had also gone and spoken to both Catholic Priests and Protestant Ministers. They had always told me it was my Christian duty to obey the government and don the army uniform and perform my duty for God and country. I had already come to the decision from reading Tolstoy and others, including Mark Twain's famous War Prayer [1] and the New Testament, that this pro-war stance was a compromise and not in accordance with the words of Jesus. I had finally met some Christians who believed as I did about the war and I now was going to see what made them tick.
[1] http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/making/warprayer.html
Chapter 6
The Ellenville Christian Community College
By Dennis Edwards
We rolled into Ellenville, New York after an all night journey through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ellenville was a beautiful little town in the Catskill Mountains, some one hundred miles north of New York City! It was already November and the trees were beginning to change their colors.
That first morning I remember meeting Don Slovenski from a Catholic-Polish family like my own. He had been President of the Catholic Young People's Association and had represented the Association in the Washington, DC’s Christian Young People´s Convention. He picked up a conversation with me and we were soon immersed in an interesting Bible study of Daniel 2 and end-time prophecy.
He then showed me Matthew 24 about the signs Jesus gave concerning his return to Earth and the end of the world. I had tried to read the Bible before, starting at Genesis, but had gotten bogged down soon afterwards in Leviticus or Deuteronomy. But reading with Dan, the Bible made so much sense. In the Bible, I was finding confirmations of the experiences I was going through and the conclusions I had been making as a person. The Bible was confirming my own thought out conclusions and showing me they were right. Jesus was indeed the truth I had been looking for. My search of many years into different religions and world views ended. I had found the answer: the way, the truth and the life[1], the Word of God, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.[2]
I was in no hurry to go back to Marietta, with the FBI on my trail, so I decided to stay at the Ellenville Community College and enter its three month course called Biblical Evangelism & Ministry Training. The course comprised of Bible studies, lectures, scripture memorization and afterwards personal witnessing in Greenwich Village in the City. I was also required to be part of the work crew as there was no tuition, but an obligatory work load. I was assigned the job as breakfast cook and also dishwashing overseer. That sounds simple enough. The only problem was there were around two hundred people living on the Campus.
The College campus was actually a group of summer cottages and one main house which was used for meals and united meetings. The breakfast was not too complicated as I had worked as an assistant breakfast cook during my years at Marietta College. However, the dishwashing overseer was a greater challenge, as I was still quite shy and found it difficult to correct others and enforce discipline.
I was actually one of the older people at the camp and one of the few with a college education. My work crew was mainly rebellious 18 and 19 year olds coming from the hippy scene who did not take kindly to schedules and overseers. As a result, many times I stayed up late until 2 to 3 o’clock in the morning finishing up the dishes. The problem was I had to be up at 5:30 am to start breakfast. After a few weeks of this grueling schedule I was suffering from physical exhaustion from lack of sleep.
Also, I was still holding unto my old vegetarian eating habits. But here, very little vegetarian proteins were available to eat as most of the food was donated by local businesses or fast food joints and consisted of sandwiches, donuts, pastas, and some local in-season fruits. I remember on various occasions fainting from exhaustion. I finally saw the necessity of eating what was set before me as Paul so wisely admonished.[3]
[1] John 14:6
[2] John 1:14
Chapter 7
Sought by The FBI: God's Plan and Way of Escape!
By Dennis Edwards
After graduating from Marietta College, I began working as a teacher at Friendship School in Marietta, Ohio. I had a class of twelve slightly physically and or mentally handicapped children from ages seven to thirteen plus one autistic boy. I had requested that this job be counted as my alternative service, if I had been granted conscientious objector status. But my request was denied. However, even knowing of my problem with the military, the director of the school had hired me as I had worked as a volunteer for two years doing fifteen hours a week as teacher assistant. I had even cut down on some of my studies to make volunteering possible. But on Monday, November 9th I had not showed up for work. Neither had I called. This was unusual for me, as I was generally conscientious. What had happened?
Back at Ellenville, I had no access to a land phone and was unable to go into town because of my classes and work responsibilities. There were no mobile phones at that time. I was actually learning so much in the lectures and Bible studies that was satisfying my soul that I was bathing spiritually. Finally, I got a letter off to my parents which they received eleven days after I had gone “missing.” In the meantime, when my parents learned I had not showed up for work nor had phoned, they put in a missing person´s report with the police in Ohio. Little did I know the heartache I was causing to my whole family: parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, friends . . . everyone!
The college paper published an article saying I had gone missing. Another article came out in the local paper about the young graduate, now teacher, gone missing. My parents even travelled from New Jersey out to Ohio in search for me. They feared I had had a car accident and may have been injured and in need of help. They travelled the same route I had taken stopping at every roadside ditch in search for a sign of me or my brother´s car which I had been driving. My sister and brother-in-law called every police department and hospital along the route from Marietta to Columbus, Ohio desperately seeking for me.
While I was finding Jesus, they were sleep deprived with worry asking God for my safe return. It was a horrible time for them. I need to acknowledge here the pain my actions caused them. I am sorry I caused them so much pain. It was an intensely emotional time for me. I was in dire straits and was thinking more about myself than anyone else! It was a time of tough decisions. I had decided to stand up to the American Military and say no to war. The FBI was after me! Would I serve time in jail, or be forced to join the military? I felt like a drowning man going down for the third time. I needed to save myself first before I could be of any use or help to others. But God had answered my prayer and as I began to study His word the emotional turmoil I had been encountering began to surcease. I was lost in His love and it was wonderful! But it had not been wonderful for my friends and family.
Maybe that is why we will need eternity in Heaven to work out all these heart aches we have caused one another through our lack of love. They do take time to mend and heal. We will be doing a lot of apologizing and forgiving and being forgiven. Jesus says,
Maybe that is why we will need eternity in Heaven to work out all these heart aches we have caused one another through our lack of love. They do take time to mend and heal. We will be doing a lot of apologizing and forgiving and being forgiven. Jesus says,
I will wipe away all your tears,[1]
so obviously there will be tears in Heaven as we acknowledge our wrong doing and try to make things right! I am sorry family for how I hurt you. Please find a way to forgive me. Looking back on these circumstances and all that happened, I can see it was God's plan to save me from the FBI who must have been totally confused by these events. I could not have invented a better plan had I tried. But God manufactured His own way of escape for me, to enable me to spend time in His word learning of Him and His will for my life. As He says in His word,
God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it![2]
[1] Revelation 21:4
[2] 1 Corinthians 10:13
Chapter 8
The Test and the Reward
By Dennis Edwards
God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it![2]
[1] Revelation 21:4
[2] 1 Corinthians 10:13
Chapter 8
The Test and the Reward
By Dennis Edwards
When my family finally had word from me by post, my parents came to see me at the college. The conditions at the college were very basic. The college was not an official recognized institution, but rather more like a Christian community and run as a training center for disciples. Some of the Jesus People movement from California had started it. I remember sleeping on the floor at night in a thinly-walled cabin. But I was learning to be a disciple for Jesus. Whatever physical sacrifice I had to make was hardly important.
My parents wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. They were quite reluctant to let me stay at the community. If I wanted to serve God, why could I not become a Priest or find some other way. But seeing I was twenty-two years of age at the time, and they could not convince me otherwise, they left hoping it was a passing phase.
My father later told me something when he was near to the end of his life. He had found Jesus through some woman he had met at the day center he frequented. He said, “Dennis, you found Jesus when you were young and dedicated your whole life to Him, which I could never understand. I lived almost my whole life without that personal relationship with Jesus. I do not know how I did it, but now that I have found Jesus, I understand your decision and life choices.”
My parents wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. They were quite reluctant to let me stay at the community. If I wanted to serve God, why could I not become a Priest or find some other way. But seeing I was twenty-two years of age at the time, and they could not convince me otherwise, they left hoping it was a passing phase.
My father later told me something when he was near to the end of his life. He had found Jesus through some woman he had met at the day center he frequented. He said, “Dennis, you found Jesus when you were young and dedicated your whole life to Him, which I could never understand. I lived almost my whole life without that personal relationship with Jesus. I do not know how I did it, but now that I have found Jesus, I understand your decision and life choices.”
A few days afterward my parent’s visit, a close friend from childhood named Chris came for an afternoon. He was going to bring me home “one way or the other.” That´s what he told me when we went for a ride in his car. But seeing the conviction and happiness I had and that I was staying at the college community under my free will, he also left, though somewhat disappointed. Finally, some of my college friends and my brother came from Ohio to convince me I was making a bad decision and bring me to my senses. But again, it was fruitless. My will was sure and I could not be moved. I must apologize here to my brother for the way he found his car. All his music tapes were missing. The tires of his car were flat and no compensation was given, though he did recover some money from my bank account back in Marietta. With close to 200 young people, many coming off drugs and out of hippy lifestyles, not everyone was as “Christian” as they should have been.
I remember thinking during my first days at the college community that maybe it was all a communist plot to subvert American young people against the war using the Bible. But the Word of God I was learning in the classes could not be refuted. The Word had become a light unto my path and a lamp upon my feet.[1] I was building my foundation of faith based on God´s Word, and it was refreshing. It was like taking a bath and getting cleansed from all the filth of my life! I was being born again. But, like in the movie The Matrix, it was not easy. I had to let go of old, false mindsets, and accept new ones. As Jesus said,
If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth & the truth shall set you free.[2]
Paul also said,
If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.[3]
I was becoming that new man in Christ. In December, there was a heavy downfall of snow. I was responsible for bringing the food to the director’s office in the evenings. One evening I overheard the directors talking about testing some of the new students to see if they were really there for the right motives. The following morning a group of us were taken on a job to move a broken-down vehicle to a more accessible location on the campus. Besides the snow, it started sleeting, and I remember I did not have adequate winter clothing, as I had never gone back to Marietta to pick up my things, seeing it was so far away.
It was freezing cold and I ended up fainting as we tried to push the vehicle. I, also, had not been eating properly. The group of students carried me back to one of the unused cabins. Someone tried to light a fire in the wood stove to warm us up. However, the chimney was blocked and all the smoke filled the room. Here we were freezing cold, wet, choking from the smoke. But I was happy. My heart was with God and I had found His peace and truth. Love was indeed the answer.
Peace I leave with you,
I remember thinking during my first days at the college community that maybe it was all a communist plot to subvert American young people against the war using the Bible. But the Word of God I was learning in the classes could not be refuted. The Word had become a light unto my path and a lamp upon my feet.[1] I was building my foundation of faith based on God´s Word, and it was refreshing. It was like taking a bath and getting cleansed from all the filth of my life! I was being born again. But, like in the movie The Matrix, it was not easy. I had to let go of old, false mindsets, and accept new ones. As Jesus said,
If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth & the truth shall set you free.[2]
Paul also said,
If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.[3]
I was becoming that new man in Christ. In December, there was a heavy downfall of snow. I was responsible for bringing the food to the director’s office in the evenings. One evening I overheard the directors talking about testing some of the new students to see if they were really there for the right motives. The following morning a group of us were taken on a job to move a broken-down vehicle to a more accessible location on the campus. Besides the snow, it started sleeting, and I remember I did not have adequate winter clothing, as I had never gone back to Marietta to pick up my things, seeing it was so far away.
It was freezing cold and I ended up fainting as we tried to push the vehicle. I, also, had not been eating properly. The group of students carried me back to one of the unused cabins. Someone tried to light a fire in the wood stove to warm us up. However, the chimney was blocked and all the smoke filled the room. Here we were freezing cold, wet, choking from the smoke. But I was happy. My heart was with God and I had found His peace and truth. Love was indeed the answer.
Peace I leave with you,
Jesus said,
My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.[4]
I was not worried or afraid anymore. God was real and He was going to take care of me somehow. The time at the Ellenville was like being at a boot camp or in the war together. Instead of having my military boot camp at Fort Dix, I had my spiritual boot camp at the college in Ellenville. I learned that we are in a spiritual battle and we must use spiritual weapons to defeat the enemy. Like Paul has said,
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty thorough God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into capacity every thought to the obedience of Christ.[5] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[6]
Great bonds of friendship were formed, some of which, I have until this day.
Upon graduating from the three month course, I sent my certification of ministry training into my draft board. A few months later I was notified that my draft status had been changed and I was no longer 1-A, or immediately available for induction into military service. For some reason, not explained by the draft board, I had been reclassified. God had done the miracle and rewarded my decision to serve him no matter what. From that moment on, I dedicated my life to the service of bringing souls to the kingdom of God.
Jesus said,
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty thorough God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into capacity every thought to the obedience of Christ.[5] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[6]
Great bonds of friendship were formed, some of which, I have until this day.
Upon graduating from the three month course, I sent my certification of ministry training into my draft board. A few months later I was notified that my draft status had been changed and I was no longer 1-A, or immediately available for induction into military service. For some reason, not explained by the draft board, I had been reclassified. God had done the miracle and rewarded my decision to serve him no matter what. From that moment on, I dedicated my life to the service of bringing souls to the kingdom of God.
Jesus said,
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.[7]
God had answered his promise and delivered me from the hand of man. I in turn had promised Him I would love and serve Him to my dying breath.
[4] John 14:27
[5] 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
[6] Ephesians 6:12
[7] Matthew 6:33
Chapter 9
Filthy City Babylon - Witnessing in Greenwich Village
By Dennis Edwards
Another part of the college program was the witnessing adventures into New York City, especially Greenwich Village, a gathering place for hippies and beatniks. After a few weeks of intense classes, inspiration and scripture memorization it was time to share my new found faith with others. I was roaring to go in spite of my natural shyness. Friday afternoon rolled in the Prophet Bus, an old converted school bus with red sack cloth as curtains on the windows and red carpeted floor. “Maybe they are communists after all,” I thought again. Nevertheless, I piled into the bus with the other students and got ready for my next adventure, witnessing for Jesus.
We travelled down the one hundred miles to the George Washington Bridge. One of the teachers pulled out his guitar and started singing a song called “Filthy City Babylon,” with illusions to chapters seventeen and eighteen in the book of Revelation. The bridge and the city were decked out with all manner of lights. After the song, another teacher read verses right from the book of Revelation:
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY; BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, wherefore did thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and the beast that carries her, and has the seven heads and ten horns.[1] And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.[2]
Here we were entering that “great city,” New York City, which truly reigned economically over the kings of the earth through her banking system and commerce. The teacher kept on reading.
And the angel cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues; For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.[3] For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[4]
Surely this was a picture of the American Empire with its financial capital in New York City, which uses its great financial power to suck the natural resources and wealth from the nations of the earth. And yet all the nations wanted to sell their merchandize here in America where they could make good money. They would close their eyes to America's sins of war and oppression of the poor nations, as long as they were making money and filling their own pockets. We entered into New York City and over to Greenwich Village. It was great to be able to share my new faith with others. But not many were really interested. Most people were into their own trip and could not be bothered. Nevertheless, there always was someone searching and looking for they knew not what and they were ready to hear my story and meet my Lord. Are you?
For the past forty-four years, I have been sharing my faith with others in such places as: Canada, England, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, Portugal, Mozambique, Bosnia, Algeria, and South Africa. I have found the heart of man is the same worldwide. His search and desire for love, happiness, peace and freedom are not unique to one group or nation of people, but are common to all men everywhere.
But how can I so rapidly come to the above conclusion that America is the modern day fulfillment of Babylon the Whore of the book of Revelation? Let’s get back into our study of the Bible as a book of prophecy to see how. Let us “rightly divide the word of truth”[5] to see if these things are so. First we will go into a little Bible history to see if we can actually trust the Bible as an accurate book of prophecy. Here we go.
[1] Revelation 17:4-7
[2] Revelation 17:18
[3] Revelation 18:2-5
[4] Revelation 18:23
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY; BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, wherefore did thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and the beast that carries her, and has the seven heads and ten horns.[1] And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.[2]
Here we were entering that “great city,” New York City, which truly reigned economically over the kings of the earth through her banking system and commerce. The teacher kept on reading.
And the angel cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues; For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.[3] For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[4]
Surely this was a picture of the American Empire with its financial capital in New York City, which uses its great financial power to suck the natural resources and wealth from the nations of the earth. And yet all the nations wanted to sell their merchandize here in America where they could make good money. They would close their eyes to America's sins of war and oppression of the poor nations, as long as they were making money and filling their own pockets. We entered into New York City and over to Greenwich Village. It was great to be able to share my new faith with others. But not many were really interested. Most people were into their own trip and could not be bothered. Nevertheless, there always was someone searching and looking for they knew not what and they were ready to hear my story and meet my Lord. Are you?
For the past forty-four years, I have been sharing my faith with others in such places as: Canada, England, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, Portugal, Mozambique, Bosnia, Algeria, and South Africa. I have found the heart of man is the same worldwide. His search and desire for love, happiness, peace and freedom are not unique to one group or nation of people, but are common to all men everywhere.
But how can I so rapidly come to the above conclusion that America is the modern day fulfillment of Babylon the Whore of the book of Revelation? Let’s get back into our study of the Bible as a book of prophecy to see how. Let us “rightly divide the word of truth”[5] to see if these things are so. First we will go into a little Bible history to see if we can actually trust the Bible as an accurate book of prophecy. Here we go.
[1] Revelation 17:4-7
[2] Revelation 17:18
[3] Revelation 18:2-5
[4] Revelation 18:23
[5] 2 Timothy 2:15
Chapter 10
The God of Daniel - Revealer of Secrets
By Dennis Edwards
In the book of Daniel in the Old Testament we find Daniel and his friends living in captivity in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Since they were sons of noblemen they had been chosen to be trained in the sciences of the Babylonians. However, when they go to the Babylonian school for training they are presented with foods which they are not used to eating, foods that were forbidden in the laws of Moses. They decide to keep to their convictions and refuse to eat the Babylonian foods preferring the basically vegetarian diet of their culture. As a result, God blesses them. In the end, they pass their exams in the Babylonian sciences so well that the Bible says,
And in all manner of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his kingdom.[1]
In the Psalms we read these promises:
Chapter 10
The God of Daniel - Revealer of Secrets
By Dennis Edwards
In the book of Daniel in the Old Testament we find Daniel and his friends living in captivity in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Since they were sons of noblemen they had been chosen to be trained in the sciences of the Babylonians. However, when they go to the Babylonian school for training they are presented with foods which they are not used to eating, foods that were forbidden in the laws of Moses. They decide to keep to their convictions and refuse to eat the Babylonian foods preferring the basically vegetarian diet of their culture. As a result, God blesses them. In the end, they pass their exams in the Babylonian sciences so well that the Bible says,
And in all manner of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his kingdom.[1]
In the Psalms we read these promises:
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.[2]
Those that meditate on God’s word and follow His precepts are accorded wisdom from on high.
In the process of time, Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, has a troublesome dream which he cannot remember. He calls for all the wise men in Babylon to divine the dream for him and its interpretation. The wise men protest saying the king could not ask such a thing as it was impossible for them to know the king’s dream, if he himself could not remember it. But the king insists and says, “Tell me the dream and the interpretation of it or you will all be slain.”[3]
It is at this point that Daniel tells the captain of the guard to give him time and he will find out the dream and its meaning. Daniel and his friends get down in desperate prayer and pray that God in his mercies will reveal the dream unto them. Daniel in a vision in the night sees the King’s dream and learns the interpretation of it. And Daniel thanks God:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. I thank you, and praise you, O thou God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known unto me now what we desired of you: for thou has now made known unto us the king’s matter.[4]
Afterwards when Daniel is before the King, the King asks him if he is able to make known to him his dream and the interpretation thereof. Daniel responds:
The secret which the king has demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.[5] But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living.[6]
Daniel goes on to explain the dream and its interpretation. The king bows down before him and worships him and says,
Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you could reveal this secret.[7]
Daniel is made ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. His friends are also given positions of authority in the province of Babylon, but Daniel served as the king’s counselor. It was Daniel’s relationship with God; it was his desperation and ability to hear from God, which enabled him to be able to interpret the king’s dream, a prophecy about the future of the world. He might have even taken courage from the story of Joseph which he knew from the book of Genesis which he had studied and memorized as a child and youth. Joseph’s story may have encouraged Daniel that God could do the same with him.
I put this section about Daniel in to reiterate the point that God is a revealer of the future. In fact, the book of Daniel is one of the most important prophecy books in the Bible. A little book with only twelve chapters, it has nearly eight whole chapters given to prophecy and two other chapters given to prayer. One prophecy that Daniel received predicted the year of the Messiah’s death and much of the other prophecy is specifically for the “last days.”
[1] Daniel 1:20
[2] Psalm 119:98-100
[3] Daniel 2:12-13
[4] Daniel 2:20-23
In the process of time, Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, has a troublesome dream which he cannot remember. He calls for all the wise men in Babylon to divine the dream for him and its interpretation. The wise men protest saying the king could not ask such a thing as it was impossible for them to know the king’s dream, if he himself could not remember it. But the king insists and says, “Tell me the dream and the interpretation of it or you will all be slain.”[3]
It is at this point that Daniel tells the captain of the guard to give him time and he will find out the dream and its meaning. Daniel and his friends get down in desperate prayer and pray that God in his mercies will reveal the dream unto them. Daniel in a vision in the night sees the King’s dream and learns the interpretation of it. And Daniel thanks God:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. I thank you, and praise you, O thou God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known unto me now what we desired of you: for thou has now made known unto us the king’s matter.[4]
Afterwards when Daniel is before the King, the King asks him if he is able to make known to him his dream and the interpretation thereof. Daniel responds:
The secret which the king has demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.[5] But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living.[6]
Daniel goes on to explain the dream and its interpretation. The king bows down before him and worships him and says,
Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you could reveal this secret.[7]
Daniel is made ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. His friends are also given positions of authority in the province of Babylon, but Daniel served as the king’s counselor. It was Daniel’s relationship with God; it was his desperation and ability to hear from God, which enabled him to be able to interpret the king’s dream, a prophecy about the future of the world. He might have even taken courage from the story of Joseph which he knew from the book of Genesis which he had studied and memorized as a child and youth. Joseph’s story may have encouraged Daniel that God could do the same with him.
I put this section about Daniel in to reiterate the point that God is a revealer of the future. In fact, the book of Daniel is one of the most important prophecy books in the Bible. A little book with only twelve chapters, it has nearly eight whole chapters given to prophecy and two other chapters given to prayer. One prophecy that Daniel received predicted the year of the Messiah’s death and much of the other prophecy is specifically for the “last days.”
[1] Daniel 1:20
[2] Psalm 119:98-100
[3] Daniel 2:12-13
[4] Daniel 2:20-23
Daniel’s Mentor Joseph or the Imhotep Connection
Could Imhotep, the Egyptian Scientist and Architect, have been the Biblical Joseph?
Could Imhotep, the Egyptian Scientist and Architect, have been the Biblical Joseph?
By Dennis Edwards
Interesting enough, the prophet Daniel of the time of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon was not the first Israelite to interpret dreams and end up as chief counsel to the head of an important country. Let us review the history of Joseph and his influence in Egypt. As you may well remember, Joseph a child of Jacob was sold into slavery out of his brother’s jealousy of him and his special relationship with their father. Joseph was the first son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel for whom he had worked fourteen years as her dowry. Genesis tells us:
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.[1]
In other words, Jacob wondered what all those dreams Joseph was having really meant. Could there be something to them? As a young adult, he himself had had a dream from God.
And he dreamed a dream, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.[2]
Interesting enough Mary the mother of Jesus had a similar reaction as Jacob to the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. When the shepherds come and proclaim they have seen angels announcing Jesus’ birth, Mary also becomes pensive wondering what it all can mean. We can read from Luke:
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.[3]
Parents have been wondering for thousands of years what the future will hold for their children. Even so, both Jacob and Mary had similar reactions to the obvious unusual events of their child’s childhood. Getting back to our history in Canaan, you may remember that out of hatred and jealousy Joseph’s brothers sell him to merchants traveling down to Egypt. It’s a beautiful story which you can read in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Eventually, Joseph ends up in prison on a false accusation.
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his (Joseph’s) hand; because the Lord was with him (Joseph), and that which he (Joseph) did, the Lord made it to prosper.[4]
So Joseph even prospered in his situation in prison in so much that the prison warden put Joseph in charge of the prisoners. In the process of time two men get accused of trying to kill the Pharaoh probably through poisoning. The Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker are thrown into prison while an investigation is made. During the time they are in prison, both men dream a dream which Joseph accurately interprets. On their release, one man is found guilty and hanged and the other is restored to his place of service, just as Joseph had predicted. Joseph had pleaded with the man who was to be released to remember him to Pharaoh.
But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.[5]
But the man reframes from mentioning him to the Pharaoh at that time.
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.[6]
So Joseph remains in prison. But after two years, Pharaoh dreams a dream.
And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.[7]
Finally, the chief butler reminds the Pharaoh of Joseph in prison and his ability to accurately interpret dreams. Pharaoh calls for him.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.[8]
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and in the end the Pharaoh appoints Joseph to the office of Prime Minister of all of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.[9]
We are now going to look at an interesting study on Joseph done by D. Stoner. Mr. Stoner is the grandson of Professor Peter Stoner author of the famous book Science Speaks. First published in 1957, Professor Peter Stoner’s book showed the mathematically improbability of any one person fulfilling forty-eight Messianic prophecies. We will look at his conclusions in a later chapter. Even though mathematically impossible, the forty-eight prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus.
Interesting enough, the prophet Daniel of the time of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon was not the first Israelite to interpret dreams and end up as chief counsel to the head of an important country. Let us review the history of Joseph and his influence in Egypt. As you may well remember, Joseph a child of Jacob was sold into slavery out of his brother’s jealousy of him and his special relationship with their father. Joseph was the first son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel for whom he had worked fourteen years as her dowry. Genesis tells us:
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.[1]
In other words, Jacob wondered what all those dreams Joseph was having really meant. Could there be something to them? As a young adult, he himself had had a dream from God.
And he dreamed a dream, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.[2]
Interesting enough Mary the mother of Jesus had a similar reaction as Jacob to the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. When the shepherds come and proclaim they have seen angels announcing Jesus’ birth, Mary also becomes pensive wondering what it all can mean. We can read from Luke:
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.[3]
Parents have been wondering for thousands of years what the future will hold for their children. Even so, both Jacob and Mary had similar reactions to the obvious unusual events of their child’s childhood. Getting back to our history in Canaan, you may remember that out of hatred and jealousy Joseph’s brothers sell him to merchants traveling down to Egypt. It’s a beautiful story which you can read in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Eventually, Joseph ends up in prison on a false accusation.
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his (Joseph’s) hand; because the Lord was with him (Joseph), and that which he (Joseph) did, the Lord made it to prosper.[4]
So Joseph even prospered in his situation in prison in so much that the prison warden put Joseph in charge of the prisoners. In the process of time two men get accused of trying to kill the Pharaoh probably through poisoning. The Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker are thrown into prison while an investigation is made. During the time they are in prison, both men dream a dream which Joseph accurately interprets. On their release, one man is found guilty and hanged and the other is restored to his place of service, just as Joseph had predicted. Joseph had pleaded with the man who was to be released to remember him to Pharaoh.
But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.[5]
But the man reframes from mentioning him to the Pharaoh at that time.
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.[6]
So Joseph remains in prison. But after two years, Pharaoh dreams a dream.
And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.[7]
Finally, the chief butler reminds the Pharaoh of Joseph in prison and his ability to accurately interpret dreams. Pharaoh calls for him.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.[8]
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and in the end the Pharaoh appoints Joseph to the office of Prime Minister of all of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.[9]
We are now going to look at an interesting study on Joseph done by D. Stoner. Mr. Stoner is the grandson of Professor Peter Stoner author of the famous book Science Speaks. First published in 1957, Professor Peter Stoner’s book showed the mathematically improbability of any one person fulfilling forty-eight Messianic prophecies. We will look at his conclusions in a later chapter. Even though mathematically impossible, the forty-eight prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus.
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, D. Stoner also does Biblical research looking for confirmations of the Bible’s accuracy in secular history. If the Biblical history is true, surely we should be able to find a mention of Joseph in Egyptian history. Making a careful and a reasonable study, in the manner of his grandfather, young D.Stoner concludes that the famous Imhotep of Egypt may in fact have been none other than Joseph. About the above Biblical passage he says the following:
From the way this is worded, it sounds like having a second in command was a new idea to Pharaoh. There did not seem to be anyone else who had to be removed from that position before Joseph took over. The first Pharaoh to have a second in command was Djoser, the second Pharaoh of the third Dynasty (Old Kingdom). By some incredible stroke of luck, this lines up almost perfectly with our estimate of the time window (for Joseph to appear on the scene in Egypt). This makes Djoser's right-hand man a likely candidate to be Joseph. Due to the recent Mummy movies, the name of Djoser's vizier has now become better known than Djoser's own name: It was Imhotep, which means "comes in peace." Imhotep was not only the first second-in-command, he was also history's first genius. It might be fair to say that no one was as "discreet and wise" as he was. Could the real-life Imhotep have been the Joseph of Genesis?[10]
We will continue from the Bible.
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.[11]
Isn't the Bible a fascinating book? Joseph even got to marry the daughter of the most important religious personality, the Priest of On. Now he was not only the Prime Minister, but probably would also have some influence on the religious institution through his marriage to the High Priest’s daughter. He may even have been next in-line to inherit the High Priest position himself. D.Stoner makes the following similar observation:
Joseph married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, the Greek name for On. (In Egyptian history), Imhotep became the high priest of Heliopolis. It is not known if the office of "Priest" was hereditary, but we do at least know that Joseph had "family ties" to the office and that he was in a very high-profile public position. He would have been a natural candidate,[12] (especially with his spiritual background and experiences and ability of interpreting dreams and hearing from God.)
Wikipedia notes that the following:
The Upper Egyptian Famine Stela, dating from the Ptolemaic period, bears an inscription containing a legend about a famine of seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is credited with having been instrumental in ending it.
However, Wikipedia makes the following comment:
At the time of first translating the stela, it was thought that the story of a seven-year-famine was connected to the biblical story in Genesis 41, where also a famine of seven years occurs. But more recent investigations have showed that a seven-year famine was a myth common to nearly all cultures of the Near East.[13]
If the seven year famine was in fact a historical event, we would expect to find similar records of it throughout the Near East, especially if it was as severe as the Bible denotes. Modern historians and scientists often reject off-hand any scientific or historical evidence which confirms what the Bible records. That's why we see the words "legend" and "myth" in the above Wikipedia comment.
Since the time of Scottish geologist James Hutton in 1788 and Charles Lyell in 1830 whose published works aimed at removing Moses from science, scientists have increasingly had a naturalistic interpretation of the scientific data. They start with the precept that all of science and history can only be explained by natural causes without the need to implore the hand of a Divine Creator. As one evolutionist Professor of Genetics Richard Lewontin has said,
We take the side of evolutionary science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just so stories, because we have a prior commitment to materialism, and that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.[14]
Earlier scientist, like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, among many others, considered they were thinking God’s thoughts after Him. They did not see the need for science to have an atheistic or purely naturalistic framework; in fact, they believed that true scientific study only certified the existence of a Divine Creator. At the time of its translating of the Famine Stela scientists were people of faith, therefore, they saw the obvious similarities of the stela to the Biblical narrative. As scientists became more atheistic and skeptical, their world view or belief system caused them to reinterpret the data through the lens of atheism or naturalism. Because of the naturalistic lenses, scientists and historians needed to find another answer which would not confirm the Biblical record and give it credence.
From the way this is worded, it sounds like having a second in command was a new idea to Pharaoh. There did not seem to be anyone else who had to be removed from that position before Joseph took over. The first Pharaoh to have a second in command was Djoser, the second Pharaoh of the third Dynasty (Old Kingdom). By some incredible stroke of luck, this lines up almost perfectly with our estimate of the time window (for Joseph to appear on the scene in Egypt). This makes Djoser's right-hand man a likely candidate to be Joseph. Due to the recent Mummy movies, the name of Djoser's vizier has now become better known than Djoser's own name: It was Imhotep, which means "comes in peace." Imhotep was not only the first second-in-command, he was also history's first genius. It might be fair to say that no one was as "discreet and wise" as he was. Could the real-life Imhotep have been the Joseph of Genesis?[10]
We will continue from the Bible.
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.[11]
Isn't the Bible a fascinating book? Joseph even got to marry the daughter of the most important religious personality, the Priest of On. Now he was not only the Prime Minister, but probably would also have some influence on the religious institution through his marriage to the High Priest’s daughter. He may even have been next in-line to inherit the High Priest position himself. D.Stoner makes the following similar observation:
Joseph married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, the Greek name for On. (In Egyptian history), Imhotep became the high priest of Heliopolis. It is not known if the office of "Priest" was hereditary, but we do at least know that Joseph had "family ties" to the office and that he was in a very high-profile public position. He would have been a natural candidate,[12] (especially with his spiritual background and experiences and ability of interpreting dreams and hearing from God.)
Wikipedia notes that the following:
The Upper Egyptian Famine Stela, dating from the Ptolemaic period, bears an inscription containing a legend about a famine of seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is credited with having been instrumental in ending it.
However, Wikipedia makes the following comment:
At the time of first translating the stela, it was thought that the story of a seven-year-famine was connected to the biblical story in Genesis 41, where also a famine of seven years occurs. But more recent investigations have showed that a seven-year famine was a myth common to nearly all cultures of the Near East.[13]
If the seven year famine was in fact a historical event, we would expect to find similar records of it throughout the Near East, especially if it was as severe as the Bible denotes. Modern historians and scientists often reject off-hand any scientific or historical evidence which confirms what the Bible records. That's why we see the words "legend" and "myth" in the above Wikipedia comment.
Since the time of Scottish geologist James Hutton in 1788 and Charles Lyell in 1830 whose published works aimed at removing Moses from science, scientists have increasingly had a naturalistic interpretation of the scientific data. They start with the precept that all of science and history can only be explained by natural causes without the need to implore the hand of a Divine Creator. As one evolutionist Professor of Genetics Richard Lewontin has said,
We take the side of evolutionary science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just so stories, because we have a prior commitment to materialism, and that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.[14]
Earlier scientist, like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, among many others, considered they were thinking God’s thoughts after Him. They did not see the need for science to have an atheistic or purely naturalistic framework; in fact, they believed that true scientific study only certified the existence of a Divine Creator. At the time of its translating of the Famine Stela scientists were people of faith, therefore, they saw the obvious similarities of the stela to the Biblical narrative. As scientists became more atheistic and skeptical, their world view or belief system caused them to reinterpret the data through the lens of atheism or naturalism. Because of the naturalistic lenses, scientists and historians needed to find another answer which would not confirm the Biblical record and give it credence.
Let's return to the comparison of Imhotep with Joseph. The statutes of Imhotep present him as a young man with a scroll on his knees. Joseph was also a young man, just thirty years old, when he became Chancellor of Egypt according to the Old Testament. From Egyptian history we know that Imhotep was responsible for the recording of government documents. He may have also initiated the improved changes in the Hieroglyphic writings to include the phonetic system similar to the writings of the early Sumerians. Since Joseph’s family had come from Sumer, again this fits in nicely.
It is interesting to note that the word papyrus actually means “belonging to the house,” or government. Under Joseph, the Pharaoh became the sole property owner in Egypt outside of the priesthood. So we would expect papyrus documents to be either government or religious documents. Since Egyptian history says that Imhotep was also High Priest, there would be no conflict. The question we need to ask is, could Joseph have become High Priest on the death of his father-in-law? To me, it seems there is too much coincidence and similarity to the Biblical record to deny its viability off-hand.
D. Stoner also shows that Joseph’s Sumerian name could have been a mispronunciation of his name by the Egyptians resulting in the name Imhotep. Joseph told Pharaoh that God had given him a message of peace. Since Imhotep means, “comes in peace,” maybe it was the name the Pharaoh gave him referring to his prophetic message of “peace.”
Concerning Joseph’s quick rise to power, D. Stoner notes the similarity to Imhotep's own rapid rise. Again from Egyptian history, nothing is really known about Imhotep before his rise to power. If Imhotep was Joseph, it would be expected that his past would be a mystery. In the Bible, we see Joseph acting alone as a single Chancellor. In later Middle and New Kingdoms, Egypt would not be managed by a single Chancellor, but Pharaoh would need a whole team of men.[15] Here is an inscription found on a stone which once comprised the base for a statue of Djoser referring to Imhotep. Is it describing our very own Joseph?
The Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, the first after the King of Upper Egypt, administrator of the great palace, hereditary Lord, the High Priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the maker of stone vases.[16]
Back in the Biblical account, we see that Pharaoh’s dream was a warning about the famine which would come upon the land in seven years time. With knowledge of the future, Joseph begins to store corn for those times.
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.[17]
And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.[18]
Joseph’s brothers also must go down to Egypt to buy bread. And after testing them to see if they had repented of their crime against him, he reveals himself to them. But you need to read it from the Bible to get the full impact. And Joseph says to them,
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.[19]
The famine in Egypt continues. Because Joseph knows the future he is able to invest in future markets. He buys up all the extra grain during the years of plenty, probably at a cheap price as there was great abundance. Later, as the famine continues, he is able to sell the grain at a higher price and literally buys up all the property in the land of Egypt and may have initiated the first income tax. Let’s read from the Bible.
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
It is interesting to note that the word papyrus actually means “belonging to the house,” or government. Under Joseph, the Pharaoh became the sole property owner in Egypt outside of the priesthood. So we would expect papyrus documents to be either government or religious documents. Since Egyptian history says that Imhotep was also High Priest, there would be no conflict. The question we need to ask is, could Joseph have become High Priest on the death of his father-in-law? To me, it seems there is too much coincidence and similarity to the Biblical record to deny its viability off-hand.
D. Stoner also shows that Joseph’s Sumerian name could have been a mispronunciation of his name by the Egyptians resulting in the name Imhotep. Joseph told Pharaoh that God had given him a message of peace. Since Imhotep means, “comes in peace,” maybe it was the name the Pharaoh gave him referring to his prophetic message of “peace.”
Concerning Joseph’s quick rise to power, D. Stoner notes the similarity to Imhotep's own rapid rise. Again from Egyptian history, nothing is really known about Imhotep before his rise to power. If Imhotep was Joseph, it would be expected that his past would be a mystery. In the Bible, we see Joseph acting alone as a single Chancellor. In later Middle and New Kingdoms, Egypt would not be managed by a single Chancellor, but Pharaoh would need a whole team of men.[15] Here is an inscription found on a stone which once comprised the base for a statue of Djoser referring to Imhotep. Is it describing our very own Joseph?
The Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, the first after the King of Upper Egypt, administrator of the great palace, hereditary Lord, the High Priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the maker of stone vases.[16]
Back in the Biblical account, we see that Pharaoh’s dream was a warning about the famine which would come upon the land in seven years time. With knowledge of the future, Joseph begins to store corn for those times.
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.[17]
And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.[18]
Joseph’s brothers also must go down to Egypt to buy bread. And after testing them to see if they had repented of their crime against him, he reveals himself to them. But you need to read it from the Bible to get the full impact. And Joseph says to them,
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.[19]
The famine in Egypt continues. Because Joseph knows the future he is able to invest in future markets. He buys up all the extra grain during the years of plenty, probably at a cheap price as there was great abundance. Later, as the famine continues, he is able to sell the grain at a higher price and literally buys up all the property in the land of Egypt and may have initiated the first income tax. Let’s read from the Bible.
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.[20]
Stoner’s comment on the tax follows below:
Joseph saved Egypt from a seven-year famine by interpreting Pharaoh's dream. According to the Famine Stele (mentioned earlier), Imhotep saved Egypt from a 7-year famine by advising Pharaoh. "After" being advised, Pharaoh had a dream about the solution. As a result, a ten percent tax was imposed. (In the above scripture the tax is put at 20%. Why the discrepancy, I don’t know, but what is true is that), it is an historic fact that Djoser's reign was when the Pharaohs first became wealthy enough to build pyramids.[21]
Joseph’s brethren and father and their wives go down into Egypt and Pharaoh gives them the best land to live on, the land of Goshen. Israel, Joseph’s father, even gets to meet Pharaoh and prays a blessing over him. The Bible tells us,
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.[22]
Here are some more observations from Stoner on the Joseph/Imhotep connection. He notes that Imhotep designed the first step pyramid as Djoser tomb which was very similar to the temples made in Sumeria. Imhotep was given credit in Egypt for building the first structures made entirely of stone. In paintings and statues Imhotep was also depicted as a young man with a scroll in his hand. Some believe that Imhotep invented Egyptian writing using a combination of hieroglyphics and the Sumerian syllabary form of writing.[23]
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.[20]
Stoner’s comment on the tax follows below:
Joseph saved Egypt from a seven-year famine by interpreting Pharaoh's dream. According to the Famine Stele (mentioned earlier), Imhotep saved Egypt from a 7-year famine by advising Pharaoh. "After" being advised, Pharaoh had a dream about the solution. As a result, a ten percent tax was imposed. (In the above scripture the tax is put at 20%. Why the discrepancy, I don’t know, but what is true is that), it is an historic fact that Djoser's reign was when the Pharaohs first became wealthy enough to build pyramids.[21]
Joseph’s brethren and father and their wives go down into Egypt and Pharaoh gives them the best land to live on, the land of Goshen. Israel, Joseph’s father, even gets to meet Pharaoh and prays a blessing over him. The Bible tells us,
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.[22]
Here are some more observations from Stoner on the Joseph/Imhotep connection. He notes that Imhotep designed the first step pyramid as Djoser tomb which was very similar to the temples made in Sumeria. Imhotep was given credit in Egypt for building the first structures made entirely of stone. In paintings and statues Imhotep was also depicted as a young man with a scroll in his hand. Some believe that Imhotep invented Egyptian writing using a combination of hieroglyphics and the Sumerian syllabary form of writing.[23]
Is it possible that Abraham had in his possession a clay copy of the original pre-flood and post flood records of Genesis given to him from Shem who was still alive during Abraham’s lifetime? If there were some written clay copies Joseph could have learned to “read” before going to Egypt. Or perhaps Joseph using the oral tradition had memorized the Genesis record up until his time. Because of his learning and position in Egypt, he was able to record the Genesis record that Moses would later edit under God’s guidance. Another possibility is that Abraham could have learned “reading” during his living in the Sumerian and passed on this ability to his descendants Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
Stoner continues,
Joseph was thirty years old when he first stood before Pharaoh[24] and lived to be 110 years old.[25] This puts him in Egypt for about 80 years. It is believed that Imhotep served under four Pharaohs. Probably: Djoser, Sekhemkhet, Khaba, And Huni. That's 36-55 years, after which the third dynasty ended.[26]
If Imhotep is Joseph then he would have been ruling from the time he was thirty until nearly eighty-five years old. We have modern day business magnets and religious leaders who have kept their position of power even until that age. So again, the correlation is possible. Stoner makes the following conclusion about Imhotep’s unfound tomb. If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, we would not expect to find his tomb. Why? Because when Joseph died, he asked his descendants to take his body back to Canaan and bury him with his parents. The Bible records that when the children of Israel some four hundred years later depart from Egypt they take Joseph’s body.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he (Joseph) had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.[27]
So the fact that Imhotep’s tomb has never been found, though the tombs of other ancient Egyptian architects have been, fits in perfectly if Imhotep is Joseph. We would not find his tomb in Egypt, because he never made one for himself, as he was expecting to be taken back to Canaan and buried in the cave where his parents were laid. Why do we not hear about the Joseph-Imhotep connection or possibility in modern history books? Stoner concludes that the powers that be within today’s American educational, historical and scientific community are not interested in this sort of information becoming public knowledge as it gives credence to the Biblical narrative. Like I quoted earlier, they "cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”
Stoner continues,
Joseph was thirty years old when he first stood before Pharaoh[24] and lived to be 110 years old.[25] This puts him in Egypt for about 80 years. It is believed that Imhotep served under four Pharaohs. Probably: Djoser, Sekhemkhet, Khaba, And Huni. That's 36-55 years, after which the third dynasty ended.[26]
If Imhotep is Joseph then he would have been ruling from the time he was thirty until nearly eighty-five years old. We have modern day business magnets and religious leaders who have kept their position of power even until that age. So again, the correlation is possible. Stoner makes the following conclusion about Imhotep’s unfound tomb. If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, we would not expect to find his tomb. Why? Because when Joseph died, he asked his descendants to take his body back to Canaan and bury him with his parents. The Bible records that when the children of Israel some four hundred years later depart from Egypt they take Joseph’s body.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he (Joseph) had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.[27]
So the fact that Imhotep’s tomb has never been found, though the tombs of other ancient Egyptian architects have been, fits in perfectly if Imhotep is Joseph. We would not find his tomb in Egypt, because he never made one for himself, as he was expecting to be taken back to Canaan and buried in the cave where his parents were laid. Why do we not hear about the Joseph-Imhotep connection or possibility in modern history books? Stoner concludes that the powers that be within today’s American educational, historical and scientific community are not interested in this sort of information becoming public knowledge as it gives credence to the Biblical narrative. Like I quoted earlier, they "cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”
As for the Famine Stela, scientists consider it a forgery from some three hundred years later. But forgeries usually are pretty close to the truth so that they pass as the real thing. It seems the priesthood, some three hundred years after Imhotep, did not want the Pharaohs to forget history. They wanted the Pharaohs to remember that it was Imhotep, a High Priest, who was responsible for the seven year miracle that saved Egypt from famine.
Whether the Famine Stela is a forgery or not is really beside the question. The fact is that it is an ancient hieroglyphic inscription and should be given as equal consideration as any other ancient artifact and not dismissed off-hand because of its content gives historicity to the Biblical narrative. One thing we know for sure is that during the reign of Djoser, the Pharaoh suddenly had enough wealth and power to begin the building of gigantic public work projects to themselves.
Whether the Famine Stela is a forgery or not is really beside the question. The fact is that it is an ancient hieroglyphic inscription and should be given as equal consideration as any other ancient artifact and not dismissed off-hand because of its content gives historicity to the Biblical narrative. One thing we know for sure is that during the reign of Djoser, the Pharaoh suddenly had enough wealth and power to begin the building of gigantic public work projects to themselves.
Another interesting point is that the name Djoser could be broken up into “De Joser” or “of José” as we would say in Spanish or Portuguese. The meaning would be “of Joseph.” Since Imhotep was more important than Pharaoh because he had saved the country, could that fact have caused the Pharaoh himself to be remembered as “of Joseph” or Djoser?
In any case, the truth is that the Famine Stela has some facts that are accurate which could weigh on the side of it being accurate in total. If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, this could account for his extraordinary abilities above and beyond those of the normal or upper-class Egyptians. The Bible shows Lot, Abraham's nephew, as a magistrate in Sodom, and Abraham, Joseph's great-grandfather, as an important tribal leader. Besides the spiritual advantages from having learned from his forefathers the importance of maintaining the true God in his understanding and life, Joseph could also have acquired knowledge of Sumerian writing from his fore-fathers. They had dwelt in Sumer before migrating to Canaan and later into Egypt.
As we have noted earlier and as Stoner concludes:
(Imhotep is) associated with invention of writing in Egyptian mythology; he is always pictured with a scroll on his lap and was thought to have invented the method of writing on papyrus. Also, it was at approximately this time that Egyptian writing took a quantum leap in its capacity for detailed expression. [28]
The fact that Egypt developed the first practical way of saving information and that all the wealth was in the hands of the Pharaoh may have been the reason for Egypt becoming the first “World Empire.” As we say today, “information is power.”
The quantum leap is what took place when Egypt adopted a new system which matched, in many ways, the pictographic system used by the ancient Sumerians. Similarly, it was exactly at this time that the Sumerian idea of giant stepped towers found its way to Egypt; under the direction of exactly this man. The ancient Sumerians had a history of experimental medicine; Imhotep was later deified for his contributions to medicine. It is left as an exercise for the reader to discover in what other ways this match might help explain Egypt's sudden and historic rise to power.[29]
The Joseph-Imhotep connection is quite an amazing possibility. Stoner even notes of another study that pushes Imhotep’s ancestry to another architect, Imhotep's presumed father, named "Kanofer."[30] Of course the name “Kanofer” is not too far from Joseph’s first master in Egypt called “Potiphar.” Are these just strange coincidences? They say that truth may be stranger than fiction.
The above study just leaves me wondering if the famous Imhotep of Egyptian history was our very own Joseph? As you remember, Joseph’s father Jacob or Israel finally went down into Egypt during the famous seven year famine. Like other patriarchs before him, he prays a blessing over his children before his death. Amazingly, Jacob gives a remarkable prophecy about his son Judah. Remember, the Bible is no ordinary book because it is a book of accurate prophecy. Here’s what Jacob prophesied about Judah, from whose name we get the term “Jews,” as his tribe becomes the most dominant and the one from whom Israel’s most famous kings come from.
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.[31]
As you may know, King David of the tribe of Judah is the first really strong King of a united Israel some five hundred years later. Saul, the first King, was of the tribe of Benjamin. But because of his disobedience to the Lord the Kingdom is given to David. David also was a mighty warrior who fought off the Philistines and other enemies and gave the Kingdom its initial statehood. The Kings of Judah were all descendents of David as was Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to Shiloh in verse ten is referring to the Messiah. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to David in both Matthew and Luke.
As we have noted earlier and as Stoner concludes:
(Imhotep is) associated with invention of writing in Egyptian mythology; he is always pictured with a scroll on his lap and was thought to have invented the method of writing on papyrus. Also, it was at approximately this time that Egyptian writing took a quantum leap in its capacity for detailed expression. [28]
The fact that Egypt developed the first practical way of saving information and that all the wealth was in the hands of the Pharaoh may have been the reason for Egypt becoming the first “World Empire.” As we say today, “information is power.”
The quantum leap is what took place when Egypt adopted a new system which matched, in many ways, the pictographic system used by the ancient Sumerians. Similarly, it was exactly at this time that the Sumerian idea of giant stepped towers found its way to Egypt; under the direction of exactly this man. The ancient Sumerians had a history of experimental medicine; Imhotep was later deified for his contributions to medicine. It is left as an exercise for the reader to discover in what other ways this match might help explain Egypt's sudden and historic rise to power.[29]
The Joseph-Imhotep connection is quite an amazing possibility. Stoner even notes of another study that pushes Imhotep’s ancestry to another architect, Imhotep's presumed father, named "Kanofer."[30] Of course the name “Kanofer” is not too far from Joseph’s first master in Egypt called “Potiphar.” Are these just strange coincidences? They say that truth may be stranger than fiction.
The above study just leaves me wondering if the famous Imhotep of Egyptian history was our very own Joseph? As you remember, Joseph’s father Jacob or Israel finally went down into Egypt during the famous seven year famine. Like other patriarchs before him, he prays a blessing over his children before his death. Amazingly, Jacob gives a remarkable prophecy about his son Judah. Remember, the Bible is no ordinary book because it is a book of accurate prophecy. Here’s what Jacob prophesied about Judah, from whose name we get the term “Jews,” as his tribe becomes the most dominant and the one from whom Israel’s most famous kings come from.
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.[31]
As you may know, King David of the tribe of Judah is the first really strong King of a united Israel some five hundred years later. Saul, the first King, was of the tribe of Benjamin. But because of his disobedience to the Lord the Kingdom is given to David. David also was a mighty warrior who fought off the Philistines and other enemies and gave the Kingdom its initial statehood. The Kings of Judah were all descendents of David as was Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to Shiloh in verse ten is referring to the Messiah. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to David in both Matthew and Luke.
We have seen that Daniel was a good student while in Babylon. No doubt he was also a good student before going into captivity. As a worthy Bible student, he would have been familiar with Joseph’s history and how God used him to influence the Pharaoh for good and to save lives. Knowing Joseph’s history would have given Daniel and his mates the faith they needed to know that God was with them. They, too, could influence the King for good and to save lives, just like Joseph had done before them.
Paul tells us,
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.[32]
In other words, Paul is telling us that the histories in the Bible are written to give us knowledge of the past so that we can learn from them and therefore have patience and find comfort through them. The histories in the Bible show us God’s care for those that love Him. They give us faith and faith in turn gives us hope for the present and hope for the future. Daniel and his friends received faith through the Biblical histories they had put to heart as Jewish youths. Those histories gave them faith which then translated in their time of trial and testing into hope for the present and hope for the future.
The Bible histories and truths can do the same for us today. That is one of the reason I am putting so much Bible in the text. Because reading and hearing God’s word can help you to find faith. Faith can in turn give you hope for your present situation and hope for the future.
Even if things are looking bleak at the moment and they may become worse in the future, remember,
The Bible histories and truths can do the same for us today. That is one of the reason I am putting so much Bible in the text. Because reading and hearing God’s word can help you to find faith. Faith can in turn give you hope for your present situation and hope for the future.
Even if things are looking bleak at the moment and they may become worse in the future, remember,
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.[33]
Are you low in faith? Maybe you need to rekindle your faith by spending time reading the Book of Books, the Bible. Many a great men of the past have spent time reading the Bible. Let us read about some.
John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United Sates, who lived from 1767-1848, said the following:
The first and almost only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world. So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it, the confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.[34]
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President who lived from 1858-1919, had similar thoughts.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Almost every man who has by his lifework added to the sum of human achievement … has based his lifework largely upon the teachings of the Bible.[35]
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President and who lived from 1809-1865, said the following:
I can see how it is possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, there is no God.[36]
John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United Sates, who lived from 1767-1848, said the following:
The first and almost only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world. So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it, the confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.[34]
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President who lived from 1858-1919, had similar thoughts.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Almost every man who has by his lifework added to the sum of human achievement … has based his lifework largely upon the teachings of the Bible.[35]
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President and who lived from 1809-1865, said the following:
I can see how it is possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, there is no God.[36]
In regards to this great book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man´s welfare, here, and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.[37]
In the next chapter we will read of another famous man who also was an avid Bible student.
[1] Genesis 37:3-11
[2] Genesis 28:12-15
In the next chapter we will read of another famous man who also was an avid Bible student.
[1] Genesis 37:3-11
[2] Genesis 28:12-15
[3] Luke 2:7-19
[4] Genesis 39:20-23
[5] Genesis 40:14-15
[6] Genesis 40:23
[7] Genesis 41:7-8
[8] Genesis 41:14-16
[9] Genesis 41: 41-44
[6] Genesis 40:23
[7] Genesis 41:7-8
[8] Genesis 41:14-16
[9] Genesis 41: 41-44
[10] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html
11 Genesis 41:45-46
12 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html
11 Genesis 41:45-46
12 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html
13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine_Stela
14 Richard Lewontin. “Billions and Billions of Demons,” New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31.
14 Richard Lewontin. “Billions and Billions of Demons,” New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31.
20 Genesis 47:11-26
21 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html,%20part%205
22 Genesis 47:27-28
23 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html%20part%205
21 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html,%20part%205
22 Genesis 47:27-28
23 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html%20part%205
24 Genesis 41:46
25 Genesis 50:22,26
26 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html,%20part%205
27 Exodus 13:19
25 Genesis 50:22,26
26 http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html,%20part%205
27 Exodus 13:19
33 Romans 10:17
34 http://www.tonycooke.org/stories-and-illustrations/great_statements/
35 http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/125345-list-of-20th-century-us-presidential-quotes-about-the-bible-1901-20/
36 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a.
37 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have
Chapter 12
The Daniel - Isaac Newton Connection
By Dennis Edwards
Isaac Newton, who lived from 1642-1727, is known as one of the world’s greatest scientists. But not many people know he was fascinated with the book of Daniel. He was a devout Christian, and Bible scholar who studied the Old Testament in the original Hebrew.
At the end of his days he spent more time studying and writing about the prophecies in the Book of Daniel than he did in charting the heavens.[1]
But prophecy is not something we can figure out with our own understanding; it is something that God reveals or opens up to our understanding.
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.[2]
Daniel, himself, was even puzzled by some of the prophecies he received. In fact, in the last chapter of Daniel, after having had a vision and having received a prophecy, Daniel says,
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.[3]
If we go back earlier in the chapter we find a similar declaration from the Lord:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased.[4]
Try as they might neither Daniel nor Isaac Newton could properly understand the Daniel prophecies. I believe we today have better understanding of the Daniel prophecies than Daniel and Isaac Newton, because we are closer in time to the fulfillment of those end-time events. Many Bible scholars believe today’s vast modern transportation system of planes, trains and cars is a fulfillment of the second part of the verse of “many shall run to and fro.” The fact that the average person has access to an innumerable amount of knowledge through today’s computerized world is surely a fulfillment of “knowledge shall be increased.” It behooves us, therefore, to study the scriptures diligently like those in the city of Berea of whom Paul spoke,
These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.[5]
35 http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/125345-list-of-20th-century-us-presidential-quotes-about-the-bible-1901-20/
36 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a.
37 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have
Chapter 12
The Daniel - Isaac Newton Connection
By Dennis Edwards
Isaac Newton, who lived from 1642-1727, is known as one of the world’s greatest scientists. But not many people know he was fascinated with the book of Daniel. He was a devout Christian, and Bible scholar who studied the Old Testament in the original Hebrew.
At the end of his days he spent more time studying and writing about the prophecies in the Book of Daniel than he did in charting the heavens.[1]
But prophecy is not something we can figure out with our own understanding; it is something that God reveals or opens up to our understanding.
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.[2]
Daniel, himself, was even puzzled by some of the prophecies he received. In fact, in the last chapter of Daniel, after having had a vision and having received a prophecy, Daniel says,
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.[3]
If we go back earlier in the chapter we find a similar declaration from the Lord:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased.[4]
Try as they might neither Daniel nor Isaac Newton could properly understand the Daniel prophecies. I believe we today have better understanding of the Daniel prophecies than Daniel and Isaac Newton, because we are closer in time to the fulfillment of those end-time events. Many Bible scholars believe today’s vast modern transportation system of planes, trains and cars is a fulfillment of the second part of the verse of “many shall run to and fro.” The fact that the average person has access to an innumerable amount of knowledge through today’s computerized world is surely a fulfillment of “knowledge shall be increased.” It behooves us, therefore, to study the scriptures diligently like those in the city of Berea of whom Paul spoke,
These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.[5]
Please do not take my word for it. Get out your Bible, read, study, fast, pray and ask God to open up his word to you.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.[6]
[1] John Arthur Garraty and Peter Gay, The Columbia History of the World, 1987
[2] Deuteronomy 29:29
[3] Daniel 12:8-9
[4] Daniel 12:4
[5] Acts 17:11; 65
[6] Psalm 119:18
Chapter 13
Jesus, the Book of Daniel and the Temple Institute
By Dennis Edwards
The book of Daniel not only contains many specific prophecies about the latter days, but also one that even Jesus himself mentions to his disciples when talking about the end of the world:
When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand) then let them which be in Judah flee into the mountains: … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.[1]
The fact that Jesus quotes from Daniel should motivate us to do a bit of study on the subject. Some eschatologists believe “the holy place” that Jesus was talking about could be a rebuilt Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. Presently in Jerusalem there exists an organization called the Temple Institute which is preparing for the eventual rebuilding of a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where today stands the Muslim’s Mosque of Omar. Read the following introduction to their site:
SHALOM AND WELCOME to the official website of the TEMPLE INSTITUTE in Jerusalem, Israel. The Temple Institute is dedicated to every aspect of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, and the central role it fulfilled, and will once again fulfill, in the spiritual well being of both Israel and all the nations of the world. The Institute's work touches upon the history of the Holy Temple's past, an understanding of the present day, and the Divine promise of Israel's future. The Institute's activities include education, research, and development. The Temple Institute's ultimate goal is to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, in accord with the Biblical commandments.[2]
A prefabricated temple is already made and waiting to be constructed. All the various temple ornaments are also being carefully created in conformity with the instructions given by Moses for the original items.
The news article "Preparing For The Third Temple" by Daniel Ben Simon reinforces the ideas of the Temple Institute.
I went to visit the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem to see how the preparations for the establishment of the new temple were getting on. For hundreds of Israelis, the task of renewing the temple has become the job of their lives. It is about time, so they believe, to establish the Third Temple in its proper place—right on the site where the First Temple and the Second Temple were once standing before being destroyed.
Yehuda Glick is one of the “elite soldiers of the temple" who dedicate their lives to the mission. Since moving to Israel, he has been preparing for the great day, waiting to see the construction of the edifice that is to become the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. A black skullcap adorning his head, his Hebrew flavored by an Anglo-Saxon accent, Glick spends his time as a tourist guide, escorting visitors to the Temple Mount.
I met Yehuda at the entrance gate to the Temple Mount. There is no greater thrill in his life than to walk on the soil of the Temple Mount. While he has visited the place hundreds or even thousands of times, his heart still beats with excitement on each visit.
“As far as I see it, an amazing divine move is manifested here," he explained while we were waiting in line at the gate (to go onto the Temple Mount). “The state of Israel is a part of this divine move, which will culminate in the establishment of the Third Temple."[3]
In similar fashion, the Jewish community of Shiloh, where the original tabernacle stood before the building of the first temple, is carefully sewing the veil of the temple which will be needed to enclose the “Holy of Holies.” The “Holy of Holies” is the area of the temple where only the High Priest is able to enter, and only on one specific day of the year. Here’s a section of an article from May 2014 found in the Israel Today called "Jewish Women Recreating Temple Veil."
If the Jewish Temple is ever to be rebuilt in Jerusalem, the massive curtain—66 feet high by 33 feet wide and 2 inches thick—that once hung in the Second Temple and was consumed by fire in A.D. 70, will need to be recreated. That task is already underway in the Jewish community of Shiloh, located in biblical Samaria about 40 minutes north of Jerusalem, reports Israel Today. For more than two years women from the community have been working to assemble the materials and learn the techniques needed to weave the veil that will hang between, and separate, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.[4]
The orthodox Jews who are preparing for the temple’s reconstruction obviously take prophecy seriously. Many Christian Bible scholars agree that the reconstruction of the Third Temple is one of the main end-time events which ushers in the last three and half year period of world history known as the Great Tribulation. Are you aware of the prophecies concerning the rebuilding of the temple and the beginning of animal sacrifices by the Jews on the Temple Mount? Are you aware of the Holy Covenant which seems to bring about the peace agreement in the Middle East? Do you know what the breaking of the covenant signifies, or in other words, who will break the covenant and what will happen afterwards? If you took Bible prophecy seriously, you would not be empty headed when asked these questions.
[1] Matthew 24:15,16 & 21
[2] https://www.templeinstitute.org/
[3] Daniel Ben Simon, "Preparing For The Third Temple," Al-Monitor Israel Pulse, June 7, 2013
[4] Israel Today, "Jewish Woman Recreating Temple Veil," May 28, 2014,
Chapter 14
The Genesis Messianic Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
We have seen so far that the Bible is indeed a book of prophecy. One scholar has determined that 26.8% of the Bible is prophecy.[1] If God didn’t want us to know the future, why did he spend so much of his word prophesying? In the Old Testament we have seventeen books which are almost nothing but prophecy and as such are called the Major and Minor Prophets. The other twenty-two books of the Old Testament, from Genesis to the Song of Solomon contain hundreds of specific prophecies within the histories and poetry that they contain.
The first Messianic prophecy, or prophecy about the Messiah, is found in Genesis, the book of beginnings. While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobey God after listening to the Devil-serpent. God, when stating His judgment upon them says,
And I will put enmity between thee (the Devil-serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.[2]
Christian Bible scholars have interpreted this prophecy in the following way. The Messiah, the seed of the woman, would one day defeat the serpent, the devil, although the serpent would be able to bruise, or kill the Messiah. The fact that the serpent’s head is crushed shows total defeat, seen in Christ’s victory over death in His resurrection and his ultimate defeat of Satan at the end of time. The implication of the woman’s seed being bruised by the serpent shows the devil’s power to persecute and even kill the Redeemer and his representatives. However, because the bruise is to the heel, the defeat is minor and not an ultimate victory. As Jesus said,
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.[3]
The non-violent protest movement to affect political change has been based on this idea of standing up for the truth even in the face of danger to one’s own safety or life, as exemplified by Christ. Many people have died in non-violent protests because of this principle. Mahatma Gandhi used it to change an Empire. Martin Luther King used it to change a nation.
In a more recent example, on March 16, 2003 a beautiful young American peace activist named Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer. Corrie was undertaking a non-violent protest to protect the home of a Palestinian family from being demolished. The Israeli military was destroying all buildings within one hundred meters of the security fence they had constructed. In 2005 the Corrie family took the Israeli military to court over the incident. However, in 2012 a lower Israeli court ruled in favor of the Israeli military. Rachel’s parents have appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court who have yet to make a decision.[4]
Throughout history the prophets of God used non-violent protests and suffered ridicule, abuse and even death because of it. But all the way back in the first book of the Bible, we see the first prophecy of the Messiah’s triumphant victory over evil and Satan. We see also the initiating of the spiritual warfare of good against evil which continues until today.
[1] https://www.blogger.com/Bill%20Salus,%20https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] Genesis 3:15
[3] Matthew 10:28
[4] http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/
Chapter 15
[1] John Arthur Garraty and Peter Gay, The Columbia History of the World, 1987
[2] Deuteronomy 29:29
[3] Daniel 12:8-9
[4] Daniel 12:4
[5] Acts 17:11; 65
[6] Psalm 119:18
Chapter 13
Jesus, the Book of Daniel and the Temple Institute
By Dennis Edwards
The book of Daniel not only contains many specific prophecies about the latter days, but also one that even Jesus himself mentions to his disciples when talking about the end of the world:
When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand) then let them which be in Judah flee into the mountains: … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.[1]
The fact that Jesus quotes from Daniel should motivate us to do a bit of study on the subject. Some eschatologists believe “the holy place” that Jesus was talking about could be a rebuilt Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. Presently in Jerusalem there exists an organization called the Temple Institute which is preparing for the eventual rebuilding of a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where today stands the Muslim’s Mosque of Omar. Read the following introduction to their site:
SHALOM AND WELCOME to the official website of the TEMPLE INSTITUTE in Jerusalem, Israel. The Temple Institute is dedicated to every aspect of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, and the central role it fulfilled, and will once again fulfill, in the spiritual well being of both Israel and all the nations of the world. The Institute's work touches upon the history of the Holy Temple's past, an understanding of the present day, and the Divine promise of Israel's future. The Institute's activities include education, research, and development. The Temple Institute's ultimate goal is to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, in accord with the Biblical commandments.[2]
A prefabricated temple is already made and waiting to be constructed. All the various temple ornaments are also being carefully created in conformity with the instructions given by Moses for the original items.
The news article "Preparing For The Third Temple" by Daniel Ben Simon reinforces the ideas of the Temple Institute.
I went to visit the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem to see how the preparations for the establishment of the new temple were getting on. For hundreds of Israelis, the task of renewing the temple has become the job of their lives. It is about time, so they believe, to establish the Third Temple in its proper place—right on the site where the First Temple and the Second Temple were once standing before being destroyed.
Yehuda Glick is one of the “elite soldiers of the temple" who dedicate their lives to the mission. Since moving to Israel, he has been preparing for the great day, waiting to see the construction of the edifice that is to become the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. A black skullcap adorning his head, his Hebrew flavored by an Anglo-Saxon accent, Glick spends his time as a tourist guide, escorting visitors to the Temple Mount.
I met Yehuda at the entrance gate to the Temple Mount. There is no greater thrill in his life than to walk on the soil of the Temple Mount. While he has visited the place hundreds or even thousands of times, his heart still beats with excitement on each visit.
“As far as I see it, an amazing divine move is manifested here," he explained while we were waiting in line at the gate (to go onto the Temple Mount). “The state of Israel is a part of this divine move, which will culminate in the establishment of the Third Temple."[3]
In similar fashion, the Jewish community of Shiloh, where the original tabernacle stood before the building of the first temple, is carefully sewing the veil of the temple which will be needed to enclose the “Holy of Holies.” The “Holy of Holies” is the area of the temple where only the High Priest is able to enter, and only on one specific day of the year. Here’s a section of an article from May 2014 found in the Israel Today called "Jewish Women Recreating Temple Veil."
If the Jewish Temple is ever to be rebuilt in Jerusalem, the massive curtain—66 feet high by 33 feet wide and 2 inches thick—that once hung in the Second Temple and was consumed by fire in A.D. 70, will need to be recreated. That task is already underway in the Jewish community of Shiloh, located in biblical Samaria about 40 minutes north of Jerusalem, reports Israel Today. For more than two years women from the community have been working to assemble the materials and learn the techniques needed to weave the veil that will hang between, and separate, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.[4]
The orthodox Jews who are preparing for the temple’s reconstruction obviously take prophecy seriously. Many Christian Bible scholars agree that the reconstruction of the Third Temple is one of the main end-time events which ushers in the last three and half year period of world history known as the Great Tribulation. Are you aware of the prophecies concerning the rebuilding of the temple and the beginning of animal sacrifices by the Jews on the Temple Mount? Are you aware of the Holy Covenant which seems to bring about the peace agreement in the Middle East? Do you know what the breaking of the covenant signifies, or in other words, who will break the covenant and what will happen afterwards? If you took Bible prophecy seriously, you would not be empty headed when asked these questions.
[1] Matthew 24:15,16 & 21
[2] https://www.templeinstitute.org/
[3] Daniel Ben Simon, "Preparing For The Third Temple," Al-Monitor Israel Pulse, June 7, 2013
[4] Israel Today, "Jewish Woman Recreating Temple Veil," May 28, 2014,
Chapter 14
The Genesis Messianic Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
We have seen so far that the Bible is indeed a book of prophecy. One scholar has determined that 26.8% of the Bible is prophecy.[1] If God didn’t want us to know the future, why did he spend so much of his word prophesying? In the Old Testament we have seventeen books which are almost nothing but prophecy and as such are called the Major and Minor Prophets. The other twenty-two books of the Old Testament, from Genesis to the Song of Solomon contain hundreds of specific prophecies within the histories and poetry that they contain.
The first Messianic prophecy, or prophecy about the Messiah, is found in Genesis, the book of beginnings. While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobey God after listening to the Devil-serpent. God, when stating His judgment upon them says,
And I will put enmity between thee (the Devil-serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.[2]
Christian Bible scholars have interpreted this prophecy in the following way. The Messiah, the seed of the woman, would one day defeat the serpent, the devil, although the serpent would be able to bruise, or kill the Messiah. The fact that the serpent’s head is crushed shows total defeat, seen in Christ’s victory over death in His resurrection and his ultimate defeat of Satan at the end of time. The implication of the woman’s seed being bruised by the serpent shows the devil’s power to persecute and even kill the Redeemer and his representatives. However, because the bruise is to the heel, the defeat is minor and not an ultimate victory. As Jesus said,
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.[3]
The non-violent protest movement to affect political change has been based on this idea of standing up for the truth even in the face of danger to one’s own safety or life, as exemplified by Christ. Many people have died in non-violent protests because of this principle. Mahatma Gandhi used it to change an Empire. Martin Luther King used it to change a nation.
In a more recent example, on March 16, 2003 a beautiful young American peace activist named Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer. Corrie was undertaking a non-violent protest to protect the home of a Palestinian family from being demolished. The Israeli military was destroying all buildings within one hundred meters of the security fence they had constructed. In 2005 the Corrie family took the Israeli military to court over the incident. However, in 2012 a lower Israeli court ruled in favor of the Israeli military. Rachel’s parents have appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court who have yet to make a decision.[4]
Throughout history the prophets of God used non-violent protests and suffered ridicule, abuse and even death because of it. But all the way back in the first book of the Bible, we see the first prophecy of the Messiah’s triumphant victory over evil and Satan. We see also the initiating of the spiritual warfare of good against evil which continues until today.
[1] https://www.blogger.com/Bill%20Salus,%20https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] Genesis 3:15
[3] Matthew 10:28
[4] http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/
Chapter 15
Bible Prophecy - Mathematically Impossible!
By Dennis Edwards
At the end of the New Testament in the first verse in the book of Revelation, we find the following words,
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified by his angel unto his servant John.[1]
At the end of the revelation, John tries to worship the angel who brought him the end-time message. The angel says,
See you do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.[2]
A testimony is a document that confirms the will of the testifier. Like a person’s will is a document giving evidence or proof or testament to his desires. The spirit of prophecy found in the Bible is the testament or proof or evidence that Jesus is God. The accuracy of God’s prophecies confirms or testifies that Jesus is the Christ. The accuracy of God’s prophecies confirms or testifies to the fact that the Bible is true.
In my condensed Bible concordance I can find some forty-eight Old Testament Messianic prophecies, or prophecies concerning the coming of the Jewish Messiah, all of which were fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in all of ancient Greek and Latin literature can there be found any real specific prophecy of a great Historical event to come in the distant future. To the contrary, the Bible is full of countless, detailed, specific prophecies, all of which have been miraculously fulfilled and come true—except the final End-time prophecies which are either to be fulfilled in the near future or are coming to pass right now.
What would be the chance of one person just happening to fulfill all forty-eight prophecies by chance? After researching, I have found some interesting information. In 1957, Peter W. Stoner, a university professor at Pasadena City College in California, did a study of the possibility of one person fulfilling forty-eight of the nearly 300 to 350 Messianic prophecies. His work was titled SCIENCE SPEAKS, An Evaluation of Certain Christian Evidences.[3]
The research was done with the help of the students from twelve different classes who were taking a course on Christian Evidence. First Professor Stoner, with the help of each Evidence class, estimated the odds for just eight of the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled by one man. They made reasonable and conservative estimates which the students agreed upon unanimously.[4]
For example, they tried to figure out the odds of a child born in Bethlehem at the beginning of the first century becoming the Messiah. What were the odds of three wise men would come from the east and bestow gifts on the child and his family? What were the odds that they same child would escape the slaying of the male children of Bethlehem by Herod the Great? What were the odds of that child traveling specifically to Egypt and then returning later to live in Nazareth so that later he would be called a Nazarene?
Stoner then took the average result for each of the possible eight prophecies calculated by the twelve different classes. By multiplying the probability that was found for one of the prophecies by the other seven prophecies, he came up with the probability of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies. Making the reasonable and conservative assumption that the other forty prophetic possibilities would have nearly the same rate of probability, he did the math. He found that the odds of one person fulfilling all forty-eight prophecies would be 1 in 10 to the 157th power or one over 10 followed by 157 zeros, or one chance out of
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified by his angel unto his servant John.[1]
At the end of the revelation, John tries to worship the angel who brought him the end-time message. The angel says,
See you do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.[2]
A testimony is a document that confirms the will of the testifier. Like a person’s will is a document giving evidence or proof or testament to his desires. The spirit of prophecy found in the Bible is the testament or proof or evidence that Jesus is God. The accuracy of God’s prophecies confirms or testifies that Jesus is the Christ. The accuracy of God’s prophecies confirms or testifies to the fact that the Bible is true.
In my condensed Bible concordance I can find some forty-eight Old Testament Messianic prophecies, or prophecies concerning the coming of the Jewish Messiah, all of which were fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in all of ancient Greek and Latin literature can there be found any real specific prophecy of a great Historical event to come in the distant future. To the contrary, the Bible is full of countless, detailed, specific prophecies, all of which have been miraculously fulfilled and come true—except the final End-time prophecies which are either to be fulfilled in the near future or are coming to pass right now.
What would be the chance of one person just happening to fulfill all forty-eight prophecies by chance? After researching, I have found some interesting information. In 1957, Peter W. Stoner, a university professor at Pasadena City College in California, did a study of the possibility of one person fulfilling forty-eight of the nearly 300 to 350 Messianic prophecies. His work was titled SCIENCE SPEAKS, An Evaluation of Certain Christian Evidences.[3]
The research was done with the help of the students from twelve different classes who were taking a course on Christian Evidence. First Professor Stoner, with the help of each Evidence class, estimated the odds for just eight of the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled by one man. They made reasonable and conservative estimates which the students agreed upon unanimously.[4]
For example, they tried to figure out the odds of a child born in Bethlehem at the beginning of the first century becoming the Messiah. What were the odds of three wise men would come from the east and bestow gifts on the child and his family? What were the odds that they same child would escape the slaying of the male children of Bethlehem by Herod the Great? What were the odds of that child traveling specifically to Egypt and then returning later to live in Nazareth so that later he would be called a Nazarene?
Stoner then took the average result for each of the possible eight prophecies calculated by the twelve different classes. By multiplying the probability that was found for one of the prophecies by the other seven prophecies, he came up with the probability of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies. Making the reasonable and conservative assumption that the other forty prophetic possibilities would have nearly the same rate of probability, he did the math. He found that the odds of one person fulfilling all forty-eight prophecies would be 1 in 10 to the 157th power or one over 10 followed by 157 zeros, or one chance out of
10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
French Mathematician Emil Borel suggested in the late 1950’s that a number with a probability of 10-50, or one in ten to the fiftieth power, represents a negligible event on the cosmic scale.[5] Therefore, 10 to the negative 157 would be even less negligible. It would be like the chance of finding, on the very first attempt, one specific electron out of all of the electrons in all the known mass of the entire universe![6] It’s just beyond possibility for one person to accidentally fulfill all forty-eight prophecies of the some 324 total Messianic prophecies found in the Bible. Nevertheless, Jesus did.
Attorney Lee Stroebel, the former agnostic journalist with the Chicago Tribune, who had received Illinois’ highest honor for public service in investigating reporting from United Press International, said in 2007 that statistical information presented in Professor Stoner’s Science Speaks about the Messianic prophecies was one of the factors which gave him confidence to believe in Christ. Lee went on to become a New York Times besting-selling author with his books The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith and The Case for Easter.[7]
[1] Revelation 1:1
[2] Revelation 19:10
[3] Peter W. Stoner; Science Speaks; Moody Press; Chicago, Illinois; 1957
[4] http://www.bereanpublishers.com/the-odds-of-eight-messianic-prophecies-coming-true/
[5] http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/abioprob/borelfaq.html
[6] http://jvmi.co.uk/who-is-yeshua/reasons-to-believe/prophecies.html
[7] http://www.leestrobel.com/Bio.php
Chapter 16
[1] Revelation 1:1
[2] Revelation 19:10
[3] Peter W. Stoner; Science Speaks; Moody Press; Chicago, Illinois; 1957
[4] http://www.bereanpublishers.com/the-odds-of-eight-messianic-prophecies-coming-true/
[5] http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/abioprob/borelfaq.html
[6] http://jvmi.co.uk/who-is-yeshua/reasons-to-believe/prophecies.html
[7] http://www.leestrobel.com/Bio.php
Chapter 16
The Noah Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
The Lord said through Isaiah,
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.[1]
Later the Lord says,
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.[2]
I would like to give some examples of a few of the hundreds of amazing fulfilled prophecies found in the Bible. It will strengthen your faith and help you to believe He will fulfill the remaining prophecies.
The book of Genesis has some of the most interesting prophecies made over the children of the great fore-fathers of faith. We will look at one which Noah said over his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth. Looking through the genealogies of these men we find that Shem was the father of both the Jewish and Arab nations and all their mixtures. Ham was the father of Black African nations, the word “Ham” meaning black, while Japeth was the father of all the northern European nations or Caucasian “Gentile” nations.
Let’s look at the prophecy which took place after the flood:
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.[3]
Canaan, the son of Ham, is cursed for what may or may not have been a sexual act by Ham upon his father Noah or because he may have castrated his father. Shem is blessed while Canaan is made his servant. Japeth’s dwelling place or dominion would be enlarged, yet he would still live in housing owned by Shem. Still, Canaan would be his servant, also.
Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Yes, with 100% accuracy. Shem’s descendants are the Jewish and Arab peoples. The black Africans are found in many of the Arab nations working at menial jobs. The black Africans also work in menial jobs in many Western nations where Jewish money and expertise has given the Jewish people unprecedented power. In fact, the Jewish people have dominated every area of expertise that they have put their hand to, especially finances and banking. No one would dispute that the black African nations are the servants of International Banks who are largely owned by Jewish money.
So, Canaan, the black African peoples are definitely servant to Shem in the Arab and Jewish peoples and to Japeth in the Gentile people who are largely the Caucasian people. In the third part of the prophecy, we see that Japeth, the father of the northern European nations, has become very large in land area including North America and Australia. Nevertheless, his brother Shem or Jewish money still controls his housing and financing situation, just like the prophecies predicted: “he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” Canaan, or the descendants of Black Africa, have also traditionally been the servants of the Caucasian or Japethite peoples like they have been to the descendents of Shem. So Canaan has definitely been Japeth’s servant.
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.[1]
Later the Lord says,
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.[2]
I would like to give some examples of a few of the hundreds of amazing fulfilled prophecies found in the Bible. It will strengthen your faith and help you to believe He will fulfill the remaining prophecies.
The book of Genesis has some of the most interesting prophecies made over the children of the great fore-fathers of faith. We will look at one which Noah said over his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth. Looking through the genealogies of these men we find that Shem was the father of both the Jewish and Arab nations and all their mixtures. Ham was the father of Black African nations, the word “Ham” meaning black, while Japeth was the father of all the northern European nations or Caucasian “Gentile” nations.
Let’s look at the prophecy which took place after the flood:
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.[3]
Canaan, the son of Ham, is cursed for what may or may not have been a sexual act by Ham upon his father Noah or because he may have castrated his father. Shem is blessed while Canaan is made his servant. Japeth’s dwelling place or dominion would be enlarged, yet he would still live in housing owned by Shem. Still, Canaan would be his servant, also.
Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Yes, with 100% accuracy. Shem’s descendants are the Jewish and Arab peoples. The black Africans are found in many of the Arab nations working at menial jobs. The black Africans also work in menial jobs in many Western nations where Jewish money and expertise has given the Jewish people unprecedented power. In fact, the Jewish people have dominated every area of expertise that they have put their hand to, especially finances and banking. No one would dispute that the black African nations are the servants of International Banks who are largely owned by Jewish money.
So, Canaan, the black African peoples are definitely servant to Shem in the Arab and Jewish peoples and to Japeth in the Gentile people who are largely the Caucasian people. In the third part of the prophecy, we see that Japeth, the father of the northern European nations, has become very large in land area including North America and Australia. Nevertheless, his brother Shem or Jewish money still controls his housing and financing situation, just like the prophecies predicted: “he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” Canaan, or the descendants of Black Africa, have also traditionally been the servants of the Caucasian or Japethite peoples like they have been to the descendents of Shem. So Canaan has definitely been Japeth’s servant.
I have even seen an interesting study from the book Abrahanm’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People by Dr. Jon Entine.[4] He claims that DNA testing of important Black African leaders seems to indicate that many if not most have Jewish DNA. The Black Africans who become important leaders in Africa are almost repeatedly those with significant amounts of Jewish DNA. Entine also puts forth the possibility of Jewish descendents being the architects of the famous Great Zimbabwe; an archaeological ruin in Zimbabwe built around 1100 AD. The origins and architectures of the Great Zimbabwe have been a controversy over the years which some politically correct archaeologists have credited to the Black Africans. Entine thinks otherwise and gives the credit to Jewish ingenuity.[5]
[1] Isaiah 34:16
[2] Isaiah 42:8-9
[3] Genesis 9:25-27
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioYAjdDALqk
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lgk9LHqCjA
Chapter 17
[1] Isaiah 34:16
[2] Isaiah 42:8-9
[3] Genesis 9:25-27
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioYAjdDALqk
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lgk9LHqCjA
Chapter 17
The Wild Man Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
Most everyone knows that Abraham is the father of both the Jewish and Arab nations. However, most people do not realize that both Jews and Arabs are descendents of Shem. In fact, according to Biblical chronology, Shem and Abraham’s lives overlap by about 100 years. So Abraham could have known Shem. The point I am trying to make here is that both Jews and Arabs are Shemites or Semites, that is, descendants of Shem. The word anti-Semitism comes from Shem’s name. Since both Arabs and Jews are Shemites or Semites, the word anti-Semitism should mean those who are prejudice to both Arabs and Jews. Instead it is used to designate hatred or prejudice toward the Jewish people.
According to Wikipedia the word was first “coined in the late 19th century in Germany as a more scientific-sounding term for Judenhass or Jew-hatred."[1] In any event, Abraham is the father of the Jewish people through Isaac the son of Abraham’s wife Sarah. But Abraham is also the father of the Arab nations through Ishmael, his son through his wife’s handmaiden Hagar. Ishmael was actually older than Isaac. Because of the jealousy which was arising between Hagar and Sarah and ultimately between their descendants, Sarah asks Abraham to put away both Hagar and her son Ishmael. Abraham laments, but God tells him to yield to his wife’s request.
Hagar and her son are put out of the camp and wander in the desert. In her desperation Hagar calls out to the Lord for help and he helps her. The angel responsible for her rescue prophesizes over Ishmael saying,
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.[2]
The Lord also says,
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.[2]
The Lord also says,
For I will make him a great nation.[3]
And later:
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles (or encampments); twelve princes according to their nations.[4]
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles (or encampments); twelve princes according to their nations.[4]
Have the Arab nations been traditionally “a wild man?” Surely there manner of gaining converts during some of their reign over the Middle East since the time of Mohammed has been by force. Also, since they are a tribal people, each tribe tends to keep to themselves and have strong tribal preferences. Therefore, even though they are brothers, they find it hard to agree and have through history been in constant squabbles among themselves, which we even see today in the Sunni- Shiite division. We see it in the “liberated” nations of Iraq and Libya. Without a strong man dictator to force the different tribal areas to work together, the country soon falls into chaos which every man’s hand against each other.
The Israeli’s realizing that the Arabs are often against each other, have used the fact to their advantage in the Middle East conflict. Because of their knowledge of the Arab weakness, they have been able to prevent some attempted unions by Arab leaders which could have proved dangerous to Israel’s national security. Secret documents have shown that the Mossad have used the philosophy of divide and conquer as their foreign policy using their expert intelligence to foment division among the Arab nations. As long as the Arab nations are fighting among themselves Israel’s security is safe and Israel becomes the most dominant military power in the area.
On June 25, 2014 blogger Brandon Martinez wrote the following on his blog commenting on the fighting in Iraq between the different Muslim groups confirming Israel’s policy:[5]
On the June 22 edition of NBC’s Meet the Press, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu let slip his government’s intention to divide and conquer the Middle East. Remarking on the latest ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) incursions into Iraq, Netanyahu expressed the desire of his regime to promote internal strife in Israel’s neighboring states. “We must weaken both [Sunni and Shia Muslims],” Netanyahu said, implying that it is in Israel’s interests to have Muslims fighting and squabbling amongst themselves. “When your enemies are fighting each other, don’t strengthen either one of them, weaken both,” said the Israeli leader.
Martinez continues, That is what ISIS was created to do. The terrorist militia’s American, Israeli and Saudi backers are content to see these roving bands of malcontents and marauders behead their way to Damascus and Baghdad. What better way to solidify Israel’s position as the sole hegemon in the region? Fragmenting, weakening and Balkanizing the Middle East has been part and parcel of the Israeli impulse from the very beginnings of the Jewish state.
Martinez brings to our attention that oddly enough, back in 1982, Israeli military strategist Oded Yinon had written a paper called, “A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s.”[6] At the time Iraq was Israel’s most powerful and potential adversary and Israel’s greatest threat. Yinon, therefore, advocated the territorial dissection of Iraq into three states. Each state would be based on ethnic and confessional roots, namely Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. Yinon promoted the same scenario for the other Arab/Muslim states surrounding Israel, including Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran.
Some experts claim the idea of a Middle East divided along Arab tribal lines goes back as far as the 1920s. According to Martinez, Yinon believed that fractured and divided Arab/Muslim countries could not pose any challenge to Israeli dominance. He insisted, "Every kind of inter-Arab confrontation will assist us in the short run and will shorten the way to the more important aim of breaking up Iraq into denominations as in Syria and in Lebanon."
Martinez brings to our attention that oddly enough, back in 1982, Israeli military strategist Oded Yinon had written a paper called, “A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s.”[6] At the time Iraq was Israel’s most powerful and potential adversary and Israel’s greatest threat. Yinon, therefore, advocated the territorial dissection of Iraq into three states. Each state would be based on ethnic and confessional roots, namely Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. Yinon promoted the same scenario for the other Arab/Muslim states surrounding Israel, including Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran.
Some experts claim the idea of a Middle East divided along Arab tribal lines goes back as far as the 1920s. According to Martinez, Yinon believed that fractured and divided Arab/Muslim countries could not pose any challenge to Israeli dominance. He insisted, "Every kind of inter-Arab confrontation will assist us in the short run and will shorten the way to the more important aim of breaking up Iraq into denominations as in Syria and in Lebanon."
Martinez concludes, Yinon’s geopolitical blueprint is still very relevant today. His vision of a crippled and prostrate Arab/Muslim world is playing out before our very eyes. Will Iraq be redrawn into three parts in the near future in fulfillment to Yinon’s suggested strategy? And what about the 5 Israelis arrested for fiming and celebrating the destruction of the twin towers from New Jersey. Were they agents from the Israeli Secret Service, the Mossad? Did they have before hand information about the event, or as some believe, may have manipulated the whole thing and even caused the building to implode using explosives on the foundations?
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism
[2] Genesis 16:12
[3] Genesis 21:18
[4] Genesis 25:16
[5] http://martinezperspective.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/isis-insurrection-serves-israels-interests/
[6] http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/pdf/The%20Zionist%20Plan%20for%20the%20Middle%20East.pdf
Chapter 18
Isaac’s Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism
[2] Genesis 16:12
[3] Genesis 21:18
[4] Genesis 25:16
[5] http://martinezperspective.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/isis-insurrection-serves-israels-interests/
[6] http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/pdf/The%20Zionist%20Plan%20for%20the%20Middle%20East.pdf
Chapter 18
Isaac’s Prophecy
By Dennis Edwards
Another interesting prophecy by one of the patriarchs is Isaac’s prophecy over his sons Jacob and Esau. Isaac was Abraham’s son. Jacob and Esau were his grandchildren. Similar to Ishmael and Isaac, the blessing does not go to the older child, Esau, but rather to the younger, Jacob. It’s a fascinating story which I do not have time to retell here. But get your Bible out and read it in the book of Genesis. Isaac ends up giving the blessing to Jacob. Esau comes seeking for a blessing, also. Isaac responds,
Behold I have made him thy Lord, and all his brethren have I given him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?[1]
But Esau insists,
Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven above; And by thy sword shall thou live, and shall serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[2]
Afterwards, Esau realizes that his wives from the Canaanite women displease his father.
And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.[3]
Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel which today we know as the Jewish people. Isaac prophesied “corn and wine” or in other words wealth. Isaac, also, prophesized that Jacob’s brother and his brother’s descendants would be Jacob’s servants. Jacob, therefore, would have power. No one would deny that the descendents of Jacob, the Jewish people, have both wealth and through wealth they have power as money often equals power.
Esau descendents intermarry with the children of Ishmael and with the children of Canaan and so become part of the Arab peoples. Similar to the prophecy over Ishmael, who "was a wild man and his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him;"[4] Esau would live by the sword and yet his brother Jacob would have power over him because he would serve his brother.
Behold I have made him thy Lord, and all his brethren have I given him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?[1]
But Esau insists,
Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven above; And by thy sword shall thou live, and shall serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[2]
Afterwards, Esau realizes that his wives from the Canaanite women displease his father.
And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.[3]
Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel which today we know as the Jewish people. Isaac prophesied “corn and wine” or in other words wealth. Isaac, also, prophesized that Jacob’s brother and his brother’s descendants would be Jacob’s servants. Jacob, therefore, would have power. No one would deny that the descendents of Jacob, the Jewish people, have both wealth and through wealth they have power as money often equals power.
Esau descendents intermarry with the children of Ishmael and with the children of Canaan and so become part of the Arab peoples. Similar to the prophecy over Ishmael, who "was a wild man and his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him;"[4] Esau would live by the sword and yet his brother Jacob would have power over him because he would serve his brother.
It is interesting how through history we remember the Arabs as living by the sword or being very good with the sword. We even see ISIS in Iraq and Syria cutting the throats of foreigners with a knife or small sword! Some Bible scholars believe that “the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven above;” refers to Arab oil which is not something they obtained through hard work but rather as the dew of heaven, they have just been blessed with its richness. Another part of the prophecy says,
And it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[5]
Some believe that sometime in the future the Arabs may break off the yoke of Jewish world control. Some scholars believe that the yoke was broken back in 1973 when the Arabs raised the price of oil and started to amassing huge sums of money through their oil sales. Other theories and interpretations exist, also. In any event, the fact that nearly three thousand years ago a rich shepherd in the land of Canaan prophesied the events above is not only very interesting, but surely miraculous.
[1] Genesis 27:37
[2] Genesis 27:38-40
[3] Genesis 28:8-9
[4] Genesis 16:12
[5] Genesis 27:40
Chapter 19
Prophecies of Consequences
By Dennis Edwards
In the book of Joshua we find Joshua’s last words to the children of Israel,
Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing has failed thereof.[1]
Joshua was confirming to the children of Israel how God had fulfilled his promises unto Abraham and Moses, had brought them into the Promised Land and had defeated their enemies. He goes on to say,
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given unto you.[2]
Israel’s time in the Promised Land was short as an independent nation. They soon disobeyed the Lord, were brought into bondage of other nations and finally destroyed and sent into captivity by both the Assyrian and the Babylonian empires as Joshua and Moses had foretold. The warning prophecy God gave them was fulfilled. Later, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the city and the temple because of the edit decreed by Cyrus, King of Persia around 535 BC following his conquest of Babylon.
In Isaiah, we find a prophecy about Cyrus the King of Persia who would defeat the Babylonian Empire. The prophecy also stated he would give the captive children of Israel license to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city and the temple. These had been destroyed seventy years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army. It is interesting to note that Daniel who counseled Nebuchadnezzar continued to be king’s counselor under the Medes and Persians who had conquered the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel may have been able to share what the scriptures had predicted with both Darius and Cyrus.
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius (the Mede), and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.[3]
Let’s look at the prophecy of Isaiah about Cyrus which was received some time after 740 BC.
That says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shall be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.[4]
The prophecy continues,
Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing has failed thereof.[1]
Joshua was confirming to the children of Israel how God had fulfilled his promises unto Abraham and Moses, had brought them into the Promised Land and had defeated their enemies. He goes on to say,
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given unto you.[2]
Israel’s time in the Promised Land was short as an independent nation. They soon disobeyed the Lord, were brought into bondage of other nations and finally destroyed and sent into captivity by both the Assyrian and the Babylonian empires as Joshua and Moses had foretold. The warning prophecy God gave them was fulfilled. Later, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the city and the temple because of the edit decreed by Cyrus, King of Persia around 535 BC following his conquest of Babylon.
In Isaiah, we find a prophecy about Cyrus the King of Persia who would defeat the Babylonian Empire. The prophecy also stated he would give the captive children of Israel license to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city and the temple. These had been destroyed seventy years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army. It is interesting to note that Daniel who counseled Nebuchadnezzar continued to be king’s counselor under the Medes and Persians who had conquered the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel may have been able to share what the scriptures had predicted with both Darius and Cyrus.
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius (the Mede), and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.[3]
Let’s look at the prophecy of Isaiah about Cyrus which was received some time after 740 BC.
That says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shall be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.[4]
The prophecy continues,
For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou has not known me.[5] I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the Lord of hosts.[6]
The above prophecy was fulfilled about 200 years later. In the book of Ezra we read that in the first year of Cyrus or in 535 BC according to historical records, the following took place:
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God) which is in Jerusalem.[7]
The scripture from Ezra mentions a prophecy by Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived some eighty years after Isaiah. Isaiah was prophet from the time of King Uzziah, around 740 BC, through the reign of King Hezekiah. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was sawed in half during the reign of Manasseh around 680 BC.[8]
Jeremiah began prophesying in Judah around 626 BC, or 54 years after Isaiah’s death and halfway through the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC), the son of Manasseh. Jeremiah continued prophesying throughout the reigns of Jehoahaz (609), Jehoiakim (609–598), Jehoiachin (598–597) and Zedekiah (597–586). He ended his prophesying sometimes after 586 BC at the time of the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, just as he had prophesied by the word of the Lord.
According to Jewish tradition Jeremiah was put to death by stoning while living in Egypt.[9] He had been taken captive there by some of the Jewish people after the murder of the Governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. Earlier in his career, he had prophesied that the captives of Israel would suffer seventy years in Babylonian captivity before God’s mercy allowed them to return to their homeland.
For thus says the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place (Jerusalem). And I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all places whither I have driven you, says the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.[10]
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God) which is in Jerusalem.[7]
The scripture from Ezra mentions a prophecy by Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived some eighty years after Isaiah. Isaiah was prophet from the time of King Uzziah, around 740 BC, through the reign of King Hezekiah. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was sawed in half during the reign of Manasseh around 680 BC.[8]
Jeremiah began prophesying in Judah around 626 BC, or 54 years after Isaiah’s death and halfway through the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC), the son of Manasseh. Jeremiah continued prophesying throughout the reigns of Jehoahaz (609), Jehoiakim (609–598), Jehoiachin (598–597) and Zedekiah (597–586). He ended his prophesying sometimes after 586 BC at the time of the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, just as he had prophesied by the word of the Lord.
According to Jewish tradition Jeremiah was put to death by stoning while living in Egypt.[9] He had been taken captive there by some of the Jewish people after the murder of the Governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. Earlier in his career, he had prophesied that the captives of Israel would suffer seventy years in Babylonian captivity before God’s mercy allowed them to return to their homeland.
For thus says the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place (Jerusalem). And I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all places whither I have driven you, says the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.[10]
These are amazing prophecies which were fulfilled just as God stated them.
Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded.[11]
Not one prophecy would lack its mate or lack in fulfillment, just as God said.
Not one prophecy would lack its mate or lack in fulfillment, just as God said.
[1] Joshua 23:14
[2] Joshua 23:15-16
[3] Daniel 6:28
[4] Isaiah 44:28
[5] Isaiah 45:4
[6] Isaiah 45:13
[7] Ezra 1:1-3
[8] http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-isaiah/
[9] http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-jeremiah/
[10] Jeremiah 29:10-14
[2] Joshua 23:15-16
[3] Daniel 6:28
[4] Isaiah 44:28
[5] Isaiah 45:4
[6] Isaiah 45:13
[7] Ezra 1:1-3
[8] http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-isaiah/
[9] http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-jeremiah/
[10] Jeremiah 29:10-14
Are You a Prophecy Nut?
By Dennis Edwards
Getting back to Bill Salus’s sermon, like myself, he believes that:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.[1]
Therefore, as Paul tells us in the book of Acts,
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the council of God.[2]
We, too, should therefore teach the full council of God. Part of the council includes Bible prophecy and the fact that the Bible says we are living in the last days. Most people may not want to hear about the future, especially if it is bad news. But as God’s representative, it behooves us to share His word, including Bible prophecy about the end-time events.
According to Bill, Bible prophecy is invaluable predictive information outsourced from a loving God with 100% accuracy and is intended to 1: authenticate His sovereignty, 2: equip humanity for the days in which they live, and 3: spare lives and save souls. Bill says you are obsessed with Bible prophecy if: 1: You refuse to cash a US government tax refund for $666. 2: Walmart’s barcode scanners make you nervous. 3: You won’t put a tracking chip in your pet. 4: You think the Church Fathers are Tim Lahaye and Hal Lindsey.
Tim Lahaye was co author of the famous, though scripturally incorrect, “Left Behind” series,[3] while Hal Lindsey co authored The Late Great Planet Earth which also supports the pre-tribulation doctrine.[4]
Bill’s wife laments the fact that her husband is a prophecy freak and believes that it is the reason they have so few friends. Not everyone wants to talk about Bible prophecy most of the time. You might not be obsessed with Bible prophecy as such, but it is good to have at least a basic knowledge of some of the different theories concerning end-time events. You might just need it in the future. Knowing Bible prophecy can be both comforting and strengthening in times of tribulation. So it behooves all of us to study up on this topic as much as possible. Let’s continue our study.
[1] 2 Timothy 3:16
[2] Acts 20:27
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_Behind
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late,_Great_Planet_Earth
Chapter 21
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.[1]
Therefore, as Paul tells us in the book of Acts,
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the council of God.[2]
We, too, should therefore teach the full council of God. Part of the council includes Bible prophecy and the fact that the Bible says we are living in the last days. Most people may not want to hear about the future, especially if it is bad news. But as God’s representative, it behooves us to share His word, including Bible prophecy about the end-time events.
According to Bill, Bible prophecy is invaluable predictive information outsourced from a loving God with 100% accuracy and is intended to 1: authenticate His sovereignty, 2: equip humanity for the days in which they live, and 3: spare lives and save souls. Bill says you are obsessed with Bible prophecy if: 1: You refuse to cash a US government tax refund for $666. 2: Walmart’s barcode scanners make you nervous. 3: You won’t put a tracking chip in your pet. 4: You think the Church Fathers are Tim Lahaye and Hal Lindsey.
Tim Lahaye was co author of the famous, though scripturally incorrect, “Left Behind” series,[3] while Hal Lindsey co authored The Late Great Planet Earth which also supports the pre-tribulation doctrine.[4]
Bill’s wife laments the fact that her husband is a prophecy freak and believes that it is the reason they have so few friends. Not everyone wants to talk about Bible prophecy most of the time. You might not be obsessed with Bible prophecy as such, but it is good to have at least a basic knowledge of some of the different theories concerning end-time events. You might just need it in the future. Knowing Bible prophecy can be both comforting and strengthening in times of tribulation. So it behooves all of us to study up on this topic as much as possible. Let’s continue our study.
[1] 2 Timothy 3:16
[2] Acts 20:27
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_Behind
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late,_Great_Planet_Earth
Chapter 21
Is America in Bible prophecy?
By Dennis Edwards
But can we know America’s place in Bible prophecy? Bill suggests reading the following books: The Late Great United States by Mark Hitchcock,[1] American Apocalypse by Terry James[2] and America the Beautiful by David Reagan.[3] I have not read them personally, but all these authors agree that America is under judgment. Bill says that if America is in prophecy, it is not the same America that we have now. Why is that? Because prophecy seems to indicate that America does not maintain her superpower status.
Bill notes that Israel is named over 2,300 times in the Bible, Egypt 565 times, Gaza 30 times, Russia 5, Libya 4 and China once. But where is America, the USA, the strongest military power the world has ever known? Bill gives five possible scripture references that might be referring to America and then argues for or against their possibility.[4] Let’s take a look at one of them: Babylon the Whore of Revelation 17 and 18.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outXi_DI0SA
[2] http://www.raptureready.com/terry/newbook2.html
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCwZiXS7_OY
[4] Bill Salus,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
Chapter 22
Bill notes that Israel is named over 2,300 times in the Bible, Egypt 565 times, Gaza 30 times, Russia 5, Libya 4 and China once. But where is America, the USA, the strongest military power the world has ever known? Bill gives five possible scripture references that might be referring to America and then argues for or against their possibility.[4] Let’s take a look at one of them: Babylon the Whore of Revelation 17 and 18.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outXi_DI0SA
[2] http://www.raptureready.com/terry/newbook2.html
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCwZiXS7_OY
[4] Bill Salus,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
Chapter 22
Is the Babylon of Revelation America?
By Dennis Edwards
Revelation talks about Babylon the Great, "that great city which reigns over the Kings of the earth."[1] Some people believe that since New York City is one of the greatest commercial centers of the world, if not the greatest, that perhaps the destruction which takes place in one hour in Revelation is talking about her.
Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come.[2]
Couldn’t that verse have been referring to September 11, 2001 when the Twin Towers fell? I remember receiving various phone calls from different people at the time of the attack on the Twin Towers asking me if it was a fulfillment of the Revelation prophecy. Bill notes correctly that although the towers did fall “in one hour,” the following did not take place.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise anymore.[3]
Since world trade did not stop with the September, 2011 attack, Bill Salus dismisses the possibility that the Babylon of Revelation could be talking of America. Here’s my first disagreement with Bill. Yes, perhaps Revelation 18 was not talking about 9/11, but perhaps it is talking about some future event which 9/11 was only a foreshadowing of.
If we read carefully Revelation 17 and 18, we can find many parallels between Babylon the Great and the USA today. In his book, The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist, Scott MacGregor makes a good case against Babylon neither being the Roman Catholic Church nor Iraq which are often chosen as possible fulfillments of Babylon the Whore. MacGregor believes that the good old USA is a better interpretation.[4] Let us read from Revelation 17 itself and see how it compares.
[1] Revelation 17:18
[2] Revelation 18:10
[3] Revelation 18:11
[4] Scott MacGregor, The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist, 2005
Chapter 23
Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come.[2]
Couldn’t that verse have been referring to September 11, 2001 when the Twin Towers fell? I remember receiving various phone calls from different people at the time of the attack on the Twin Towers asking me if it was a fulfillment of the Revelation prophecy. Bill notes correctly that although the towers did fall “in one hour,” the following did not take place.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise anymore.[3]
Since world trade did not stop with the September, 2011 attack, Bill Salus dismisses the possibility that the Babylon of Revelation could be talking of America. Here’s my first disagreement with Bill. Yes, perhaps Revelation 18 was not talking about 9/11, but perhaps it is talking about some future event which 9/11 was only a foreshadowing of.
If we read carefully Revelation 17 and 18, we can find many parallels between Babylon the Great and the USA today. In his book, The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist, Scott MacGregor makes a good case against Babylon neither being the Roman Catholic Church nor Iraq which are often chosen as possible fulfillments of Babylon the Whore. MacGregor believes that the good old USA is a better interpretation.[4] Let us read from Revelation 17 itself and see how it compares.
[1] Revelation 17:18
[2] Revelation 18:10
[3] Revelation 18:11
[4] Scott MacGregor, The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist, 2005
Chapter 23
Revelation 17 and Commentary
By Dennis Edwards
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:[1]
After becoming a Christian in 1971, I attended a three month Bible course in Ellenville, upstate New York which I mentioned in the beginning of this book. At the end of the course, we went on a faith-sharing weekend to Greenwich Village, a popular youth area of New York City at that time. We travelled by bus into New York City. Descending the small Catskill Mountains some one hundred miles north of the city, the city loomed before us. It was night and the George Washington Bridge was decked with many brightly colored lights. The lights also from the many high buildings of the city were awe-inspiring and we gazed with wonder upon this great city. One of our Bible teachers started to read from Revelation 17 and 18. A musician then followed with a song called “Filthy City Babylon.” At that moment, I felt as if I was traveling into Babylon the Great. It was an awesome feeling.
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore did thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.[2]
Here we see that the beast has a spiritual element from the dark side as it ascends out of the bottomless pit.
And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.[3]
Are the seven heads or mountains the seven world empires which have carried this whore throughout the course of history? Some prophecy scholars trying to fix the Vatican as the seat of the Antichrist claim that Rome was built on seven hills so this prophecy is therefore referring to those seven Vatican hills. Here it says that the seven heads are seven mountains. We need to use the Bible to interpret itself. Often the symbol of a mountain is used in the Bible to represent a kingdom. For example, Mount Zion is often used to refer to God’s kingdom or people. Isaiah, when talking about the futuristic millennium reign of God on earth says:
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.[4]
In Daniel, when Nebuchadnezzar has his end-time dream, he sees a stone strike the image which represents the governments of man at its feet.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.[5]
So again we see the mountain representing, in this case, the kingdom of God. Mountains often represent kingdoms and kingdoms have kings. So the seven heads which are seven mountains should have seven kings and that is exactly what we have in the next verse in Revelation:
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.[6]
Are these seven kings, the seven kingdoms or empires of world history? The five fallen kings or kingdoms could represent Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece; the five nations who had been world empires before Rome. Rome was the world Empire that “is” at the time Revelation was given. The final One World Government, could be the one that is not yet to come, which will exist for only a short time according to this prophecy.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seventh, and goes into perdition.[7]
Out of the One World Government, the seventh, will come the Antichrist totalitarian government, the eighth.
And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.[8]
Could these ten horns or kings be ten nations or land areas or free trade regions which collaborate or form the Antichrist world government?
These have one mind, and give their power and strength unto the beast.[9]
“One mind” seems to indicate they are a collective or group or a political union of some kind, like the European Union or United Nations.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chose, and faithful.[10]
The Lamb represents Jesus and true Christianity. So somehow, these make war with Christianity. Jesus himself, when talking about the end of the world predicted a period of Great Tribulation just prior to his return. He said,
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever readeth, let him understand:) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.[11]
In the New Testament, when it is talking about the “elect,” it is talking about the church of believing Christians. It is not referring to the state of Israel, nor the Jewish people, but to believers in Jesus Christ whether Gentile or Jew.[12]
Christians have been persecuted and killed by former atheistic regimes such as Stalin and Mao. The false “Christian” church has also at times persecuted and killed true believing Christians during the time of the Inquisition and before as well as after. It should not surprise us to find that the Bible predicts another period of great worldwide persecution against Christian believers. The famous Romanian Christian Richard Wurmbrand, author of Tortured for Christ, who suffered years in prison under communist rule, has warned the American church that persecution can and may come to Christians in America.[13]
In Revelation we read,
And he said unto me, The waters which thou saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.[14]
The waters represent peoples or nations. We see here that the Bible will usually interpret itself. So from verse one we see that the whore Babylon sits or rides upon the nations of the earth and sucks their wealth from them and makes them drunk through their intercourse with her. Strangely enough the term intercourse has had in past economic significance. In early American documents it was used when talking about inter-state commerce. Here in Portugal the term “fornecedores” is used for salesmen. It has the same root as the word “fornicadors” which means fornicators. The latin root may have something to do with “buying and selling” which could apply to products as well as to sex.
And the ten horns which thou saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.[15]
If the beast is the Antichrist and the whore’s modern fulfillment is capitalistic, materialistic America, then the Antichrist will destroy America in one hour with the help of the ten nations or political regions that give their power to the beast, the Antichrist. Let’s read the next verse.
For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.[16]
Remember God judgments are falling on Babylon because she has forsaken her maker. Like Israel of old, Babylon the Whore knew God, but has forsaken Him, for the gods of this world. America, once a great Christian nation, has forsaken her maker and worshipped materialism, money, and wealth; the traditional god of Mammon and has influenced the rest of the world to do the same.
And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.[17]
At the moment, the great city that seems to fit the bill both politically and militarily and financially is none other than New York City and the United States of America. But as every great nation or empire of the past has come to its demise because of moral and spiritual decay from within, it seems that America is headed for the same fate. As Toynbee, the great British historian said, quoting Hegel,
“The only thing we learn from history, is that we don’t learn from history.”[18]
[1] Revelation 17:1-4
[2] Revelation 17: 5-8
[3] Revelation 17:9
[4] Isaiah 11:9
[5] Daniel 2:35
[6] Revelation 17:10
[7] Revelation 17:11
[8] Revelation 17:12
[9] Revelation 17:13
[10] Revelation 17:14
[11} Matthew 24:15-22
[12] http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/elect.html
[13] http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=18360&forum=34
[14] Revelation 17:15
[15] Revelation 17:16
[16] Revelation 17:17
[17] Revelation 17:18
[18] http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6188.Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel
Chapter 24
After becoming a Christian in 1971, I attended a three month Bible course in Ellenville, upstate New York which I mentioned in the beginning of this book. At the end of the course, we went on a faith-sharing weekend to Greenwich Village, a popular youth area of New York City at that time. We travelled by bus into New York City. Descending the small Catskill Mountains some one hundred miles north of the city, the city loomed before us. It was night and the George Washington Bridge was decked with many brightly colored lights. The lights also from the many high buildings of the city were awe-inspiring and we gazed with wonder upon this great city. One of our Bible teachers started to read from Revelation 17 and 18. A musician then followed with a song called “Filthy City Babylon.” At that moment, I felt as if I was traveling into Babylon the Great. It was an awesome feeling.
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore did thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.[2]
Here we see that the beast has a spiritual element from the dark side as it ascends out of the bottomless pit.
And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.[3]
Are the seven heads or mountains the seven world empires which have carried this whore throughout the course of history? Some prophecy scholars trying to fix the Vatican as the seat of the Antichrist claim that Rome was built on seven hills so this prophecy is therefore referring to those seven Vatican hills. Here it says that the seven heads are seven mountains. We need to use the Bible to interpret itself. Often the symbol of a mountain is used in the Bible to represent a kingdom. For example, Mount Zion is often used to refer to God’s kingdom or people. Isaiah, when talking about the futuristic millennium reign of God on earth says:
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.[4]
In Daniel, when Nebuchadnezzar has his end-time dream, he sees a stone strike the image which represents the governments of man at its feet.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.[5]
So again we see the mountain representing, in this case, the kingdom of God. Mountains often represent kingdoms and kingdoms have kings. So the seven heads which are seven mountains should have seven kings and that is exactly what we have in the next verse in Revelation:
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.[6]
Are these seven kings, the seven kingdoms or empires of world history? The five fallen kings or kingdoms could represent Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece; the five nations who had been world empires before Rome. Rome was the world Empire that “is” at the time Revelation was given. The final One World Government, could be the one that is not yet to come, which will exist for only a short time according to this prophecy.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seventh, and goes into perdition.[7]
Out of the One World Government, the seventh, will come the Antichrist totalitarian government, the eighth.
And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.[8]
Could these ten horns or kings be ten nations or land areas or free trade regions which collaborate or form the Antichrist world government?
These have one mind, and give their power and strength unto the beast.[9]
“One mind” seems to indicate they are a collective or group or a political union of some kind, like the European Union or United Nations.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chose, and faithful.[10]
The Lamb represents Jesus and true Christianity. So somehow, these make war with Christianity. Jesus himself, when talking about the end of the world predicted a period of Great Tribulation just prior to his return. He said,
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever readeth, let him understand:) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.[11]
In the New Testament, when it is talking about the “elect,” it is talking about the church of believing Christians. It is not referring to the state of Israel, nor the Jewish people, but to believers in Jesus Christ whether Gentile or Jew.[12]
Christians have been persecuted and killed by former atheistic regimes such as Stalin and Mao. The false “Christian” church has also at times persecuted and killed true believing Christians during the time of the Inquisition and before as well as after. It should not surprise us to find that the Bible predicts another period of great worldwide persecution against Christian believers. The famous Romanian Christian Richard Wurmbrand, author of Tortured for Christ, who suffered years in prison under communist rule, has warned the American church that persecution can and may come to Christians in America.[13]
In Revelation we read,
And he said unto me, The waters which thou saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.[14]
The waters represent peoples or nations. We see here that the Bible will usually interpret itself. So from verse one we see that the whore Babylon sits or rides upon the nations of the earth and sucks their wealth from them and makes them drunk through their intercourse with her. Strangely enough the term intercourse has had in past economic significance. In early American documents it was used when talking about inter-state commerce. Here in Portugal the term “fornecedores” is used for salesmen. It has the same root as the word “fornicadors” which means fornicators. The latin root may have something to do with “buying and selling” which could apply to products as well as to sex.
And the ten horns which thou saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.[15]
If the beast is the Antichrist and the whore’s modern fulfillment is capitalistic, materialistic America, then the Antichrist will destroy America in one hour with the help of the ten nations or political regions that give their power to the beast, the Antichrist. Let’s read the next verse.
For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.[16]
Remember God judgments are falling on Babylon because she has forsaken her maker. Like Israel of old, Babylon the Whore knew God, but has forsaken Him, for the gods of this world. America, once a great Christian nation, has forsaken her maker and worshipped materialism, money, and wealth; the traditional god of Mammon and has influenced the rest of the world to do the same.
And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.[17]
At the moment, the great city that seems to fit the bill both politically and militarily and financially is none other than New York City and the United States of America. But as every great nation or empire of the past has come to its demise because of moral and spiritual decay from within, it seems that America is headed for the same fate. As Toynbee, the great British historian said, quoting Hegel,
“The only thing we learn from history, is that we don’t learn from history.”[18]
[1] Revelation 17:1-4
[2] Revelation 17: 5-8
[3] Revelation 17:9
[4] Isaiah 11:9
[5] Daniel 2:35
[6] Revelation 17:10
[7] Revelation 17:11
[8] Revelation 17:12
[9] Revelation 17:13
[10] Revelation 17:14
[11} Matthew 24:15-22
[12] http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/elect.html
[13] http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=18360&forum=34
[14] Revelation 17:15
[15] Revelation 17:16
[16] Revelation 17:17
[17] Revelation 17:18
[18] http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6188.Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel
Chapter 24
Who is the Great Harlot of Revelation?
By Dennis Edwards
In Revelation the angel tells John:
The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the Beast (the Antichrist government), these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the Beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.[1]
The great harlot therefore rides the peoples and empires of the world as their owner. Who is it that rides or controls or dominates every empire? Every empire has had an ideology or religious element. But besides that, every empire needs financing. The founding Rothschild banker, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, is quoted as saying,
Give me control of a nation’s money supply, and I care not who makes the laws.[2]
Those who control the financial and commercial interests are those who actually control the nation or empire. Benjamin Disraeli who was twice Prime Minister of Great Britain wrote in his political novel Coningsby in 1844 that,
The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.[3]
James Perloff in his well documented book, The Shadows of Power: the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline, makes a similar point.
On March 26, 1922, Mayor of New York City John F. Hylan said, “The real menace of our republic is the invisible government which, like a giant octopus, sprawls its slimy length over our CITY, STATE and NATION. At the head is a small group of banking houses generally referred to as “international bankers.” This little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run our government for their own selfish ends.[4]
Some people believe, the Capitalistic International Bankers, many of whom have headquarters in New York City, are the real rulers of the world. Sometimes this group is called the Bilderberg Group which consists not only of the financial barons but those who collaborate with them in politics, commerce, media, military, education, science, economics and medicine. Investigating reporter and author Daniel Estulin has written a thought provoking book entitled, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group. His book goes into much detail of how the international banking families like the Rockefellers’ and the Rothschild’s have created the Bilderberger Group. They use the Trilateral Commission, and the Council of Foreign Relations and many other organizations to control the direction the world is going, the direction towards a one-world government.[5]
The quote from Revelation at the beginning of this chapter seems to indicate that the Beast, also known as the Antichrist, with his union of nations, the ten horns, will fight against these International Bankers, Babylon the Whore. Revelation tells us:
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.[6]
Is New York City with its Federal Reserve Bank and other banking and financial institutions reigning over the kings of the earth and therefore that city which the Antichrist wars against?
[1] Revelation 17:15-17
[2] http://shadowreign.com/topics/financial-empires.html#morequotes
[3] Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby, or the New Generation (1844), Chapter XV, http://en.wikiquote.org
[4] James Perloff, Shadows of Power: the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline, pg.3.
[5] Daniel Estulin, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group, TrineDay LLC, Oregon
[6] Revelation 17:18
Chapter 25
The Boogie Banker Man Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out! or The Banks of Marble
By Dennis Edwards
Other great United States Presidents have warned about the Bankers. Once they were given the right to control the money supply and issue money and credit for the government, they gain a strangle hold on government. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States made the following statement in the debate over the Re-charter of the Bank Bill of 1809.
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks…will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered…. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.[1]
He later said,
The modern theory of the perpetuation of debt has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating.[2]
James Madison the fourth President said,
History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.143 Andrew Jackson, the seventh President had a continual battle trying to keep America free from the International Bankers Central Banking system. He said,
If Congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given to be used by themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations. [3]
The Central Banks are nothing more than private corporations made for the benefit of a few wealthy individuals. Their special relationship with government gives them immense power and credibility. The common people end up believing they are owned and controlled by the government. But the truth is they own and control the government.
The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the Beast (the Antichrist government), these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the Beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.[1]
The great harlot therefore rides the peoples and empires of the world as their owner. Who is it that rides or controls or dominates every empire? Every empire has had an ideology or religious element. But besides that, every empire needs financing. The founding Rothschild banker, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, is quoted as saying,
Give me control of a nation’s money supply, and I care not who makes the laws.[2]
Those who control the financial and commercial interests are those who actually control the nation or empire. Benjamin Disraeli who was twice Prime Minister of Great Britain wrote in his political novel Coningsby in 1844 that,
The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.[3]
James Perloff in his well documented book, The Shadows of Power: the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline, makes a similar point.
On March 26, 1922, Mayor of New York City John F. Hylan said, “The real menace of our republic is the invisible government which, like a giant octopus, sprawls its slimy length over our CITY, STATE and NATION. At the head is a small group of banking houses generally referred to as “international bankers.” This little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run our government for their own selfish ends.[4]
Some people believe, the Capitalistic International Bankers, many of whom have headquarters in New York City, are the real rulers of the world. Sometimes this group is called the Bilderberg Group which consists not only of the financial barons but those who collaborate with them in politics, commerce, media, military, education, science, economics and medicine. Investigating reporter and author Daniel Estulin has written a thought provoking book entitled, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group. His book goes into much detail of how the international banking families like the Rockefellers’ and the Rothschild’s have created the Bilderberger Group. They use the Trilateral Commission, and the Council of Foreign Relations and many other organizations to control the direction the world is going, the direction towards a one-world government.[5]
The quote from Revelation at the beginning of this chapter seems to indicate that the Beast, also known as the Antichrist, with his union of nations, the ten horns, will fight against these International Bankers, Babylon the Whore. Revelation tells us:
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.[6]
Is New York City with its Federal Reserve Bank and other banking and financial institutions reigning over the kings of the earth and therefore that city which the Antichrist wars against?
[1] Revelation 17:15-17
[2] http://shadowreign.com/topics/financial-empires.html#morequotes
[3] Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby, or the New Generation (1844), Chapter XV, http://en.wikiquote.org
[4] James Perloff, Shadows of Power: the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline, pg.3.
[5] Daniel Estulin, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group, TrineDay LLC, Oregon
[6] Revelation 17:18
Chapter 25
The Boogie Banker Man Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out! or The Banks of Marble
By Dennis Edwards
Other great United States Presidents have warned about the Bankers. Once they were given the right to control the money supply and issue money and credit for the government, they gain a strangle hold on government. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States made the following statement in the debate over the Re-charter of the Bank Bill of 1809.
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks…will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered…. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.[1]
He later said,
The modern theory of the perpetuation of debt has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating.[2]
James Madison the fourth President said,
History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.143 Andrew Jackson, the seventh President had a continual battle trying to keep America free from the International Bankers Central Banking system. He said,
If Congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given to be used by themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations. [3]
The Central Banks are nothing more than private corporations made for the benefit of a few wealthy individuals. Their special relationship with government gives them immense power and credibility. The common people end up believing they are owned and controlled by the government. But the truth is they own and control the government.
Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth President of the USA, because of his problems with financing the Civil War, fought for the government to regain control of creating money. Many believe he was killed for his stance against the Central Bankers of America whom he had withstood when he issued his famous Lincoln Greenbacks to pay the Union troops. He said,
The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers. By the adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity.[4]
The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers. By the adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity.[4]
Just prior to his assassination, Lincoln stated:
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me, and causes me to tremble for the safety of our country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people, until wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.[5]
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me, and causes me to tremble for the safety of our country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people, until wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.[5]
Reflecting on Lincoln’s death Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Chancellor of Germany remarked,
The death of Lincoln was a disaster for Christendom. There was no man in the United States great enough to wear his boots and the bankers went anew to grab the riches. I fear that foreign bankers with their craftiness and tortuous tricks will entirely control the exuberant riches of America and use it to systematically corrupt civilization.[6]
The death of Lincoln was a disaster for Christendom. There was no man in the United States great enough to wear his boots and the bankers went anew to grab the riches. I fear that foreign bankers with their craftiness and tortuous tricks will entirely control the exuberant riches of America and use it to systematically corrupt civilization.[6]
Some believe that the death of John F. Kennedy, Jack Kennedy and the Ted Kennedy “accident on the bridge” were the result of the Kennedy’s affronting the hidden powers behind the scenes. James Perloff, who I quoted earlier notes the following:
Some have even speculated that his (JFK’s) assassination, still clothed in mystery, may have resulted from an attempt to break with the Establishment. Though it may have no significance, both McCloy and Allen Dulles- the chairman and former president of the Council on Foreign Relations- served on the Warren Commission investigating the President’s death.[7]
Allen Dulles took control of the Commission. As you may remember he had been fired by Kennedy as head of the CIA because of the Bay of Pigs fiasco where the CIA tried to push the President into using American planes to give coverage to an invasion of Cuba by so-called ex-Cuban freedom fighters. Even though fired, Dulles was still very much in control of the organization through his former loyal understudies. You can read about the events further in Janney's book "Mary's Mosaic," on the relationship of Mary Pinchot with President Kennedy and her unsolved murder.
Some have even speculated that his (JFK’s) assassination, still clothed in mystery, may have resulted from an attempt to break with the Establishment. Though it may have no significance, both McCloy and Allen Dulles- the chairman and former president of the Council on Foreign Relations- served on the Warren Commission investigating the President’s death.[7]
Allen Dulles took control of the Commission. As you may remember he had been fired by Kennedy as head of the CIA because of the Bay of Pigs fiasco where the CIA tried to push the President into using American planes to give coverage to an invasion of Cuba by so-called ex-Cuban freedom fighters. Even though fired, Dulles was still very much in control of the organization through his former loyal understudies. You can read about the events further in Janney's book "Mary's Mosaic," on the relationship of Mary Pinchot with President Kennedy and her unsolved murder.
Please take time to read Perloff’s book or watch him on YouTube. I won’t be able to include here the lyrics from Peter Seeger’s song “Banks of Marble.” But please seek them out on YouTube or Google. They are as true today as the day he wrote them. In the song he makes various comparisons between the working man’s poverty and the richness of the Banks earned by the sweat of the working man’s brow. The farmer, the seaman and the miner all suffer during economic down-spins arranged by the Banks. Sadly, the working man loses his hard earned livelihood to the Marble edifices!
[1] http://www.foundingfatherquotes.com/father/id/6
[2] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[3] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[4] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[5] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[1] http://www.foundingfatherquotes.com/father/id/6
[2] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[3] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[4] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[5] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[6] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[7] James Perloff, Shadows of Power, Western Islands Publishers, Appleton, Wisconsin,1988, p.114.
Chapter 26
[7] James Perloff, Shadows of Power, Western Islands Publishers, Appleton, Wisconsin,1988, p.114.
Chapter 26
The World, Brother, the World! or Money, Money, Money makes the World Go ‘Round!
By Dennis Edwards
The money changers do not just want to control America, but the world. Bill Clinton’s mentor was Professor Carroll Quigley from Georgetown University. In his book Tragedy and Hope, Quigley revealed the following plan of the Bilderberg Group:
The powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent meetings and conferences. The apex of the systems was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland; a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations. Each central bank...sought to dominate its government by its ability to control Treasury loans, to manipulate foreign exchanges, to influence the level of economic activity in the country, and to influence cooperative politicians by subsequent economic rewards in the business world.[1]
These boys are playing some pretty serious hard -ball with their own agenda and personal interests at hand. The ultimate goal is none other than a One World Government. They want the whole world in their hands and they are moving in that direction! In Revelation when talking about Babylon the Great we read,
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[2]
Could those merchants be the very International Bankers with their Bilderberg Group who have deceived the nations into accepting their central Banking system and with it the worship of material things? Are they the sorcerers deceiving the nations? Surely, they must be part of them. Woodrow Wilson admitted his mistake of yielding to the Bankers wishes on his retirement from politics. Despite warnings from earlier United States Presidents, Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act which created the Federal Reserve Central Banking system. The same year he published a book “The New Freedom” in which he said the following:
Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.[3]
A few years later Wilson lamented,
By Dennis Edwards
The money changers do not just want to control America, but the world. Bill Clinton’s mentor was Professor Carroll Quigley from Georgetown University. In his book Tragedy and Hope, Quigley revealed the following plan of the Bilderberg Group:
The powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent meetings and conferences. The apex of the systems was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland; a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations. Each central bank...sought to dominate its government by its ability to control Treasury loans, to manipulate foreign exchanges, to influence the level of economic activity in the country, and to influence cooperative politicians by subsequent economic rewards in the business world.[1]
These boys are playing some pretty serious hard -ball with their own agenda and personal interests at hand. The ultimate goal is none other than a One World Government. They want the whole world in their hands and they are moving in that direction! In Revelation when talking about Babylon the Great we read,
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[2]
Could those merchants be the very International Bankers with their Bilderberg Group who have deceived the nations into accepting their central Banking system and with it the worship of material things? Are they the sorcerers deceiving the nations? Surely, they must be part of them. Woodrow Wilson admitted his mistake of yielding to the Bankers wishes on his retirement from politics. Despite warnings from earlier United States Presidents, Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act which created the Federal Reserve Central Banking system. The same year he published a book “The New Freedom” in which he said the following:
Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.[3]
A few years later Wilson lamented,
I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world, no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.[4]
When asked his opinion about the American central Banking System Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company said the following,
It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and money system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.[5]
In 1924 while addressing stockholders, the Chairman of the powerful Midland Bank in England, Reginald McKenna is quoted as saying,
I am afraid the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of Governments and hold in the hollow of their hand the destiny of the people.[6]
In 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, also commented on the banking situation,
When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation, since the hand that gives is above the hand that takes… Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain.[7]
Some sort of capitalism is now present in almost every country in the world. Most countries have a Central Banking System that cooperates with the International Banks. You may have noticed how a Central Banker may end up as a Secretary of Finance or Secretary of the Treasurer in a country’s government. He may come in during a moment of crisis and then afterward return back to the Banking System. A close link exists between government and the Central Banks. The reason is that the governments are dependent on the loans they make from those very banks.
Internationally, the countries that refuse to cooperate with the Central Banking System or act independently get pressured financially like Venezuela and Cuba and Iran or even militarily like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Gaddafi’s Libya and Assad’s Syria. It is not news how the American Central Intelligence Agency has used covert activities such as financial crisis, political scandals, sicknesses and even assassinations in Latin American and other countries around the world to forge its political agenda.
For a good read, John Perkins bestselling book, The Confessions of an Economic Hitman,[8] explains how foreign policy is achieved. It may not be as you expected. According to Perkins, the World Bank and IMF loans are used to generate profits for U.S. business. Poor countries are left with huge debts that allow the United States to control them. As a financial consultant for the banks and instrumental in helping get the loans accepted, Perkins would over estimate the profit a new investment would bring into a countries treasury, while under estimating the expense of building the new infrastructure needed for the new industry.
For example, maybe the goal is to build a dam in a poor country in order to then make an electricity company. The new company would provide electricity for much of the country and therefore help bring them out of poverty. Seems like a benevolent scheme. But by accepting the proposal for the investment, the country would wind up in debt and not able to pay the loan back. In the end, they would have to sell off the newly made industry to foreign bankers for cash to pay back the loan or sell off some other prized national resource such as a forest or a copper mine etc. Those politicians who could see through the scam and refused to cooperate would end up having political problems, health problems, scandals or even die “accidentally” in a car or airplane crash. Others who cooperated managed to siphon off enough money into their own pockets and leave an even bigger burden on their country to pay back. We would call them corrupt third world politicians. But who really are the corrupters?
It is not surprising that former civilian military leaders like Robert McNamara and Paul Wolfowitz went on to head the World Bank. The nations’ debt to international banks ensures they are controlled by the United States, which pressures them into joining the “coalition of the willing” that helped invade Iraq or allowing U.S. military bases on their land. If countries refuse to “honor” their debts, the CIA or Department of Defense enforces U.S. political will through coups or military action.[9]
When asked his opinion about the American central Banking System Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company said the following,
It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and money system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.[5]
In 1924 while addressing stockholders, the Chairman of the powerful Midland Bank in England, Reginald McKenna is quoted as saying,
I am afraid the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of Governments and hold in the hollow of their hand the destiny of the people.[6]
In 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, also commented on the banking situation,
When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation, since the hand that gives is above the hand that takes… Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain.[7]
Some sort of capitalism is now present in almost every country in the world. Most countries have a Central Banking System that cooperates with the International Banks. You may have noticed how a Central Banker may end up as a Secretary of Finance or Secretary of the Treasurer in a country’s government. He may come in during a moment of crisis and then afterward return back to the Banking System. A close link exists between government and the Central Banks. The reason is that the governments are dependent on the loans they make from those very banks.
Internationally, the countries that refuse to cooperate with the Central Banking System or act independently get pressured financially like Venezuela and Cuba and Iran or even militarily like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Gaddafi’s Libya and Assad’s Syria. It is not news how the American Central Intelligence Agency has used covert activities such as financial crisis, political scandals, sicknesses and even assassinations in Latin American and other countries around the world to forge its political agenda.
For a good read, John Perkins bestselling book, The Confessions of an Economic Hitman,[8] explains how foreign policy is achieved. It may not be as you expected. According to Perkins, the World Bank and IMF loans are used to generate profits for U.S. business. Poor countries are left with huge debts that allow the United States to control them. As a financial consultant for the banks and instrumental in helping get the loans accepted, Perkins would over estimate the profit a new investment would bring into a countries treasury, while under estimating the expense of building the new infrastructure needed for the new industry.
For example, maybe the goal is to build a dam in a poor country in order to then make an electricity company. The new company would provide electricity for much of the country and therefore help bring them out of poverty. Seems like a benevolent scheme. But by accepting the proposal for the investment, the country would wind up in debt and not able to pay the loan back. In the end, they would have to sell off the newly made industry to foreign bankers for cash to pay back the loan or sell off some other prized national resource such as a forest or a copper mine etc. Those politicians who could see through the scam and refused to cooperate would end up having political problems, health problems, scandals or even die “accidentally” in a car or airplane crash. Others who cooperated managed to siphon off enough money into their own pockets and leave an even bigger burden on their country to pay back. We would call them corrupt third world politicians. But who really are the corrupters?
It is not surprising that former civilian military leaders like Robert McNamara and Paul Wolfowitz went on to head the World Bank. The nations’ debt to international banks ensures they are controlled by the United States, which pressures them into joining the “coalition of the willing” that helped invade Iraq or allowing U.S. military bases on their land. If countries refuse to “honor” their debts, the CIA or Department of Defense enforces U.S. political will through coups or military action.[9]
In another book, “War is a Racket,” written by the most decorated Marine in history, Brigadier General Smedley Butler, we find his apology for being a military Mafioso for Wall Street and Big Business and the bankers. He confesses.
I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.[10]
[1] http://www.namebase.org/news01.html
[2] Revelation 18:23
[3] Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/199916-some-of-the-biggest-men-in-the-united-states-in
[4] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
[8] http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081
[9] http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-04-18/bankers-are-behind-warsLink
[10] Smedly Butler, War Is A Racket, http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4377.htm
Chapter 27
I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.[10]
[1] http://www.namebase.org/news01.html
[2] Revelation 18:23
[3] Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/199916-some-of-the-biggest-men-in-the-united-states-in
[4] http://www.themoneymasters.com/the-money-masters/famous-quotations-on-banking/
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
[8] http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081
[9] http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-04-18/bankers-are-behind-warsLink
[10] Smedly Butler, War Is A Racket, http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4377.htm
Chapter 27
The American Dream of Easy Living
By Dennis Edwards
From all that I have presented in the previous chapters, I think it is not illogical to conclude that New York City could be the present day manifestation of Babylon the Great. Revelation says,
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.[1]
America has been the choice market place for the world for the last half of the 20th century. It is the epitome of opulence. The apostle John warned,
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.[2]
The world has been lusting after the American Dream of being rich and having an easy life full of material things, sex and money. But it’s a false illusion promoted by her media magicians, so that the kings and the inhabitants of the earth fornicate with her both spiritually and materially. The American Dream is an imagination or Image-Nation, a false imaginary image fed to the nations of the world by the American media, television, movie and music industry.
The nations of the world have bought her merchandise. But more importantly they have bought into the false idea that money, material things, wealth, sex, and the “good life” brings happiness. The nations follow the American dream and live a life in mad pursuit of material things which never satisfy and only leave us empty and frustrated thinking, “Is this all there is to life?”
After many years of riotous living or living high off the hog or consuming more of her share of the world’s pie of natural resources than everyone else, America has accumulated a trade deficit with many countries. She’s like an old whore who no longer satisfies her customers. Her money pimps are losing their confidence in her value and may one day soon dump her completely to try to save their own investments. The American government has a deficit of some 18 trillion dollars to its Central Bankers. Those bankers in turn “sell” that debt to foreign investors like Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, who invest their reserves dollars back into the American banking system to help keep the world-wide financial system afloat.
As long as they have confidence that America is a good investment everything is okay. But that confidence is waning. Besides that, the American consumers have a similar massive debt to their banks. If a group of international countries, who possess large amounts of US dollars in their reserves, would dump their dollars, the whole financial banking system could tumble down in one day; the great financial crash prophesied by many important investment analyzers. Many comment on how China and the Arab countries are buying up America’s charmed real-estate.
Can we deny that America is the only nation today that seems to most perfectly fit the image presented in Revelation of Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots? Could her daughters be the other great cities of the world that copy her and in turn promote her worship of materialism, sex, money and the things that money can buy? Like God said to decadent Judah through Jeremiah,
for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.[3]
Is western capitalism with its worship of material things as the ultimate goal of life, the Whore of Babylon, a false religion that has deceived the whole world and of which Karl Marx predicted would ultimately destroy itself? I am going to include Revelation chapter eighteen at this point to make sure you read it in its completeness and have a feeling for its message.
[1] Revelation 18:3
[2] 1 John 2:15-17
[3] Jeremiah 2:28
Chapter 28
From all that I have presented in the previous chapters, I think it is not illogical to conclude that New York City could be the present day manifestation of Babylon the Great. Revelation says,
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.[1]
America has been the choice market place for the world for the last half of the 20th century. It is the epitome of opulence. The apostle John warned,
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.[2]
The world has been lusting after the American Dream of being rich and having an easy life full of material things, sex and money. But it’s a false illusion promoted by her media magicians, so that the kings and the inhabitants of the earth fornicate with her both spiritually and materially. The American Dream is an imagination or Image-Nation, a false imaginary image fed to the nations of the world by the American media, television, movie and music industry.
The nations of the world have bought her merchandise. But more importantly they have bought into the false idea that money, material things, wealth, sex, and the “good life” brings happiness. The nations follow the American dream and live a life in mad pursuit of material things which never satisfy and only leave us empty and frustrated thinking, “Is this all there is to life?”
After many years of riotous living or living high off the hog or consuming more of her share of the world’s pie of natural resources than everyone else, America has accumulated a trade deficit with many countries. She’s like an old whore who no longer satisfies her customers. Her money pimps are losing their confidence in her value and may one day soon dump her completely to try to save their own investments. The American government has a deficit of some 18 trillion dollars to its Central Bankers. Those bankers in turn “sell” that debt to foreign investors like Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, who invest their reserves dollars back into the American banking system to help keep the world-wide financial system afloat.
As long as they have confidence that America is a good investment everything is okay. But that confidence is waning. Besides that, the American consumers have a similar massive debt to their banks. If a group of international countries, who possess large amounts of US dollars in their reserves, would dump their dollars, the whole financial banking system could tumble down in one day; the great financial crash prophesied by many important investment analyzers. Many comment on how China and the Arab countries are buying up America’s charmed real-estate.
Can we deny that America is the only nation today that seems to most perfectly fit the image presented in Revelation of Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots? Could her daughters be the other great cities of the world that copy her and in turn promote her worship of materialism, sex, money and the things that money can buy? Like God said to decadent Judah through Jeremiah,
for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.[3]
Is western capitalism with its worship of material things as the ultimate goal of life, the Whore of Babylon, a false religion that has deceived the whole world and of which Karl Marx predicted would ultimately destroy itself? I am going to include Revelation chapter eighteen at this point to make sure you read it in its completeness and have a feeling for its message.
[1] Revelation 18:3
[2] 1 John 2:15-17
[3] Jeremiah 2:28
Chapter 28
Revelation Chapter 18
By Jesus Christ and the Apostle John
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.[1]
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.[2]
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thymine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shall find them no more at all.[3]
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.[4]
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.[5}
[1] Revelation 18:1-3
[2] Revelation 18:4-8
[3] Revelation 9-14
[4] Revelation 18:15-19
[5] Revelation 18:20-24
Chapter 29
The Music is the Message or the Sirens of Babylon!
By Dennis Edwards
Another aspect of Babylon the Whore in the book of Revelation is her music ministry. In one of the last verses in chapter eighteen which depicts the destruction of Babylon, we see what could be interpreted as the destruction of the music and entertainment industry.
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee.[1]
In the same chapter we also have read that Babylon was “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.”[2]164 Jesus has shown us that words are actually spiritual in nature and therefore spiritual forces. He said, “The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.”[3] Words are real things. They bless or they curse. They lift up or they pull down.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue[4], for out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speaks.[5]
James even wrote a whole chapter about the tongue. The subject of the tongue is worth our while reviewing because it is a very important part of a successful life. Here it is for you to meditate on.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.[6]
Are you bringing peace to the world with your words, or strife and division? Jesus said,
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.[7]
He also said, “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”[8] In other words, if we have heard God’s word and rejected it, we will be accountable for its truth whether we choose to believe it or not. Like James has said, “To him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.”[9] In another discourse Jesus said,
Not which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Do not you understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man.[10]
That which goes into a man is not what condemns him, but that which comes out of a man. Could the music industry, with its capital in America and its often open rebellion against God and traditional American values and morals be a foul spirit with its perverse lyrics promoting suicide, sex, violence, and Satanist Aleister Crowley’s “Do all that you will”philosophy. Could the music and television and movie industry be polluting the world with the words they pour out against God and all that is called godly? In the past America has produced a lot of good movies and a lot of good music like the protest music of the 60s and 70s.
Let’s take a look at some of the songs from the Vietnam war period and afterwards. Bryan McGuire sang one of my favorites called “Eve of Destruction.”[11] P.F.Sloan, who wrote the song, gave various metaphors showing that it certainly seemed like the world was headed for destruction. I am sorry I cannot include the lyrics here. Because of copyright laws you will have to check them out on the internet if you are not familiar with them. Even today when we watch the evening news, it certainly seems like the world is on the eve of destruction. The Sloan/McGuire song reminds me of the words from Paul,
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away….Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth….But evil men shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceive.[12]
In earlier song by Peter Seeger and L. Hays from the ‘60s called “If I Had a Hammer,”[13] the authors sing a song of godly warning of the danger approaching our land because of the lack of love between people, the lack of justice and true freedom. The song brings to my mind the words of Moses who said,
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shall thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.[14]
The Lord through Jeremiah said something similar many years later.
Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.[15]
Seeger and Hays are calling out for someone to hammer out righteous judgment against the evil which we see so prevalent in the world today. I think it is a universal sentiment within us which yearns for true justice and liberty for all mankind. It is certainly what we find in the writings of Moses and Jeremiah and the other prophets in both the Old and New Testaments.
In the song “People Got to Be Free,”[16] with words by Felix Cavaliere and music by Edward Brigati, Jr., we find a simple melody reminding us that people everywhere just want to be free. They don’t want big business. They don’t want big government. They don’t want big wars. They just really want to live in peace and harmony. Sad to say, because of man’s sinful nature, and the lust and greed of evil men, those days of peace and harmony will not be reached until God himself enters once again into our reality during the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth. But even that wonderful Millennium period will end in war and destruction until God forms a new heaven and new earth where,
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.[17]
Finally there will be peace on earth and goodwill towards men. In Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,”[18] he contemplates in sadness how man seems incapable of learning from the past. Like Arnold Toynbee the famous historian said quoting from Hegel,
The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.[19]
I remember singing Dylan’s song as I sat contemplating my own life and the decision I, as a young adult, had to make concerning the war in Vietnam. Besides the words of Jesus, it was the songs of that era which gave me faith to resist the draft and refuse to become part of America’s war machine against the poor nations of the world. Country Joe and the Fish had a great song in "1-2-3-What Are We Fighting For?"[20] And there were many others. As Solomon wrote,
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.[21]
I had gotten a very low lottery draft number and was surely headed for the war after my college deferment ended. Nevertheless, the sorrow of heart that I experienced during my college years, wondering what I should do, caused me to seek desperately for answers to life’s big questions. That sorrow caused me to search for truth and in the end I found God. In the song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,”[22] by B.Scott and B.Russell, we could hear the heart cry of youth of those years who rejected the dog eat dog values of modern society and yearned to live in brotherly love. As Jesus said,
“No greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”[23]
And John so aptly puts,
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.[24]
Scott and Russell’s song reminds me of the old Indian story from the Himalayan Mountains. I believe it is a true story from the life of Sadhu Sundar Singh.[25] Two men were travelling in the mountains when a terrible storm broke out. With much difficulty they struggle on in hope of finding shelter and safety in the next mountain village. As they travel, they come upon the body of a man dying from cold, unable to go forward. The men debate on whether they should stop and help this wearied stranger who was as good as dead already. But they are not able to come to an agreement. Finally one walks off in disgust claiming they could barely save their own lives, let alone help some other poor cap nearly dead anyway.
The other traveler, however, feels the conviction of heart to stop and help that weakened soul. In great effort he manages to lift the nearly frozen man to his shoulders and more slowly than before struggles forward. Soon, the extra effort and friction of the frozen man’s body against his own causes his own body to warm up. The weary traveler’s body also begins to revive from the same heat. Shortly, they come across the frozen body of the man who had refused to help. He had walked off in defiance to save his own life only to die alone without the help of others. In the end, the dying man wasn’t so heavy after all, but was the salvation of the man who took compassion upon him. It’s a good lesson for us all, and similar to the message of Scott and Russell’s song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.[1]
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.[2]
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thymine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shall find them no more at all.[3]
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.[4]
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.[5}
[1] Revelation 18:1-3
[2] Revelation 18:4-8
[3] Revelation 9-14
[4] Revelation 18:15-19
[5] Revelation 18:20-24
Chapter 29
The Music is the Message or the Sirens of Babylon!
By Dennis Edwards
Another aspect of Babylon the Whore in the book of Revelation is her music ministry. In one of the last verses in chapter eighteen which depicts the destruction of Babylon, we see what could be interpreted as the destruction of the music and entertainment industry.
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee.[1]
In the same chapter we also have read that Babylon was “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.”[2]164 Jesus has shown us that words are actually spiritual in nature and therefore spiritual forces. He said, “The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.”[3] Words are real things. They bless or they curse. They lift up or they pull down.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue[4], for out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speaks.[5]
James even wrote a whole chapter about the tongue. The subject of the tongue is worth our while reviewing because it is a very important part of a successful life. Here it is for you to meditate on.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.[6]
Are you bringing peace to the world with your words, or strife and division? Jesus said,
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.[7]
He also said, “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”[8] In other words, if we have heard God’s word and rejected it, we will be accountable for its truth whether we choose to believe it or not. Like James has said, “To him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.”[9] In another discourse Jesus said,
Not which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Do not you understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man.[10]
That which goes into a man is not what condemns him, but that which comes out of a man. Could the music industry, with its capital in America and its often open rebellion against God and traditional American values and morals be a foul spirit with its perverse lyrics promoting suicide, sex, violence, and Satanist Aleister Crowley’s “Do all that you will”philosophy. Could the music and television and movie industry be polluting the world with the words they pour out against God and all that is called godly? In the past America has produced a lot of good movies and a lot of good music like the protest music of the 60s and 70s.
Let’s take a look at some of the songs from the Vietnam war period and afterwards. Bryan McGuire sang one of my favorites called “Eve of Destruction.”[11] P.F.Sloan, who wrote the song, gave various metaphors showing that it certainly seemed like the world was headed for destruction. I am sorry I cannot include the lyrics here. Because of copyright laws you will have to check them out on the internet if you are not familiar with them. Even today when we watch the evening news, it certainly seems like the world is on the eve of destruction. The Sloan/McGuire song reminds me of the words from Paul,
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away….Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth….But evil men shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceive.[12]
In earlier song by Peter Seeger and L. Hays from the ‘60s called “If I Had a Hammer,”[13] the authors sing a song of godly warning of the danger approaching our land because of the lack of love between people, the lack of justice and true freedom. The song brings to my mind the words of Moses who said,
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shall thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.[14]
The Lord through Jeremiah said something similar many years later.
Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.[15]
Seeger and Hays are calling out for someone to hammer out righteous judgment against the evil which we see so prevalent in the world today. I think it is a universal sentiment within us which yearns for true justice and liberty for all mankind. It is certainly what we find in the writings of Moses and Jeremiah and the other prophets in both the Old and New Testaments.
In the song “People Got to Be Free,”[16] with words by Felix Cavaliere and music by Edward Brigati, Jr., we find a simple melody reminding us that people everywhere just want to be free. They don’t want big business. They don’t want big government. They don’t want big wars. They just really want to live in peace and harmony. Sad to say, because of man’s sinful nature, and the lust and greed of evil men, those days of peace and harmony will not be reached until God himself enters once again into our reality during the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth. But even that wonderful Millennium period will end in war and destruction until God forms a new heaven and new earth where,
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.[17]
Finally there will be peace on earth and goodwill towards men. In Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,”[18] he contemplates in sadness how man seems incapable of learning from the past. Like Arnold Toynbee the famous historian said quoting from Hegel,
The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.[19]
I remember singing Dylan’s song as I sat contemplating my own life and the decision I, as a young adult, had to make concerning the war in Vietnam. Besides the words of Jesus, it was the songs of that era which gave me faith to resist the draft and refuse to become part of America’s war machine against the poor nations of the world. Country Joe and the Fish had a great song in "1-2-3-What Are We Fighting For?"[20] And there were many others. As Solomon wrote,
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.[21]
I had gotten a very low lottery draft number and was surely headed for the war after my college deferment ended. Nevertheless, the sorrow of heart that I experienced during my college years, wondering what I should do, caused me to seek desperately for answers to life’s big questions. That sorrow caused me to search for truth and in the end I found God. In the song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,”[22] by B.Scott and B.Russell, we could hear the heart cry of youth of those years who rejected the dog eat dog values of modern society and yearned to live in brotherly love. As Jesus said,
“No greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”[23]
And John so aptly puts,
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.[24]
Scott and Russell’s song reminds me of the old Indian story from the Himalayan Mountains. I believe it is a true story from the life of Sadhu Sundar Singh.[25] Two men were travelling in the mountains when a terrible storm broke out. With much difficulty they struggle on in hope of finding shelter and safety in the next mountain village. As they travel, they come upon the body of a man dying from cold, unable to go forward. The men debate on whether they should stop and help this wearied stranger who was as good as dead already. But they are not able to come to an agreement. Finally one walks off in disgust claiming they could barely save their own lives, let alone help some other poor cap nearly dead anyway.
The other traveler, however, feels the conviction of heart to stop and help that weakened soul. In great effort he manages to lift the nearly frozen man to his shoulders and more slowly than before struggles forward. Soon, the extra effort and friction of the frozen man’s body against his own causes his own body to warm up. The weary traveler’s body also begins to revive from the same heat. Shortly, they come across the frozen body of the man who had refused to help. He had walked off in defiance to save his own life only to die alone without the help of others. In the end, the dying man wasn’t so heavy after all, but was the salvation of the man who took compassion upon him. It’s a good lesson for us all, and similar to the message of Scott and Russell’s song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”
Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,”[26] is another one of those nearly prophetic songs of that bye-gone era. I once saw the song performed by a Kenyan National Dance group, while on a humanitarian trip to Mozambique.
We had been invited to the National Dance Theater in downtown Maputo to watch Mozambique’s National Dance Troupe perform a dance rendering the country’s defeat of the Portuguese imperialistic power. It was a war drudge if ever I saw one honoring the National Police among whom we sat. However, after an un-entertaining hour of Africans dancing to war rhythms, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” by the visiting Kenyan dancers. The two renditions were like night and day. One was of war, while the other was of love and compassion. The words of Simon and Garfunkel’s song seemed as if God was speaking, His Holy Spirit calling down comforting words of assurance. God would himself be the bridge over troubled waters and as Jesus had laid down his life, so His Holy Spirit would be with us to help us in our moments of trial and difficulty and encourage us to be bridges over troubled waters for one another.
Even a Coca Cola commercial in the early 1970’s gave a message of peace and love. The song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,”[27] sung by the Hillside Singers had a cute little rhythm but promoted world-wide brotherly love in a commercial. The mass media can in fact be used for good.
Of course you all remember the lyrics of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “All You Need Is Love.”[28] That was all we really needed at that time, love. That was all we felt the whole world needed, love. That’s what we thought was the solution to the world’s problems, love; love for God and love for fellow man. As Jesus said,
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye love one another.”[29]
Paul goes on to say,
“All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”[30]
Paul went on to write one of the most beautiful and thought provoking chapters in the entire Bible, which I will reprint here for your reflection and encouragement. I will leave it in the original King James for copyright reasons, although I’ll drop some of the “ths.” But I suggest when reading, you use the word LOVE instead of CHARITY for better clarity.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing.
Charity (Love) suffers long, and is kind; charity (love) envies not; charity (love) vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity (love) never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love).[31]
The songs which I have mentioned above surely have a Christian element in them. Some admittedly have more than others. They were very popular songs sung during the 60s to 80s with a powerful affect on their audience, you and me. Surely they were more meaningful than much of what is presently being pumped out by the music industry. But perhaps today’s music is a fulfillment of Jesus’ own words which he spoke to his disciples when he was asked,
“What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”[32]
Part of Jesus’ replies was,
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”[33]
Are we seeing the love of many waxing cold even in the songs we listen to for entertainment? Let me continue in my argument. I have previously applied the following verse to the banking system in an earlier article.
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[34]
But another element of the sorceries helping to deceive the whole world could clearly be the music and entertainment industry which promotes materialism and the worship of money and the things that money can buy. The Bilderberg group contains financial barons and those who own the movie and television industries among others. The music and entertainment industry promotes self worship and even an open worship of or fascination with the dark side and Satan himself. Could the sorceries that deceive the nations be in fact the power of the mass media: music, television, radio, video, computer games, and the like? Are there spiritual realities behind these devices, inspiring them?
Scotland’s Alan Watt, author of radio show and website “Cutting Through the Matrix,” said,
Never watch the television. Never watch the television. It’s the greatest scientific indoctrination tool ever devised. Have you figured that out? It has changed the whole culture of nations, not just one nation. Why do you think it was mandatory that everyone have access to televisions in Britain by the government? Why do you think China is under the same program right now, because they love to be entertained? Do you really believe that? Most of your ideas and opinions come from television, because you mimic what you see. Never watch the television. You can’t even watch a movie unless you do it critically.[35]
Could the mass media with music, television, radio, video, computer games, rock concerts and the like, be the “sirens” of today’s modern world? The "sirens"of Greek mythology were beautiful woman who "sat on the shore and sang with voices seductive and compelling that anyone who heard their song became absolutely mesmerized with them. So mesmerized, in fact, that they became obsessed with reaching the shore to get closer to the sound."36]
But the sailors were being deceived as the Sirens were actually some sort of beasts luring the sailors to their death.
"The term "siren" is used both in ancient and modern mythology, as well as in modern language in general, to describe something that is simultaneously dangerous and compelling. In later myths and legends, any creature that lured a man in, only to cause harm, might be considered "a siren" in the general context of the term."[37]
Were the ancient Greek mythologies actually warning us of the spiritual realities and how music and beauty can be part of it? Is it any wonder that today’s top musicians are beautiful woman many of which use all their seductive sexual charms to lore us into accepting the message of their music which may in fact be dangerous to us spiritually? Are the beautiful actresses or handsome actors on television or in the movies there for the same reason, to get us to accept the message that is being propagated? I propose that America is deceiving the world with her sorceries. America is contaminating the world through her ungodly music. She is contaminating the world through her ungodly television programs, movies and addictive computer programs.
America is contaminating the world through her humanistic, atheistic, anti-God philosophy found in education, science, economics, and politics and propagated in the movies, music, television programs for both old and young alike. Surely it is by the “sorcery” of modern mass media and the internet that the world is being convinced that violent acts are a normal day occurrence, that traditional sexual limits are out of fashion and restrictive, that the worship of material things, and man himself will bring ultimate happiness and fulfillment.
Man is being convinced that God is dead and man through his own evolutionary process will succeed in bringing peace on earth and good will to all men without the need of God or the supernatural myths of our unenlightened ancestors. May God help us! For those interested in watching a documentary about the satanic side of Hollywood view the following links below entitled Hollywood Unmasked by Dr. Jason Kovar: part one[38] and part two[39].
[1] Revelation 18:22
[2] Revelation 18:2
[3] John 6:63
[4] Proverbs 18:21
[5] Matthew 12:34
[6] James 3:1-18
[7] Matthew 12:36-37
[8] John 12:48
[9] James 4:17
[10] Matthew 15:11, 17-20
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4rYJoVILjo
[12] 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 7 & 13
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5G4YPNGnVE
[14] Deuteronomy 16:19-20
[15] Jeremiah 22:3
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxkwlnesPe4
[17] Revelation 21:4
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA
[19] https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6188.Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel
[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuUBCF3KKxc
[21] Ecclesiastes 7:3,4
[22] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT57tjz9py8
[23] John 15:13
[24] 1 John 3:11-18
[25] Cyril J Davey, Sadhu Sundar Singh, STL Books, 1980, pg. 133.
[26] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PNun-Pfb4
[27] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib-Qiyklq-Q
[28] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-pFAFsTFTI
[29] John 13:34
[30] Galatians 5:14
[31] 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
[32] Matthew 24:3
[33] Matthew 24:12
[34] Revelation 18:23
[35] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmBymKXgrV4
[36] http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/sirens-mythology.html
[37] ibid
[38] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u1z0NDZy5U Hollywood Unmasked part one
[39] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B9FCqAM4Lk Hollywood Unmasked part two
Chapter 30
Football, Fatima and Fado or the FIFA-Olympic Connection
By Dennis Edwards
The story goes that the former and last dictator of Portugal, Salazar when asked what was necessary to rule the country responded with the three “Fs:” football, Fatima and fado. He was saying that all that he needed to control the country was sports, religion and music. Fatima, of course, stood for the religious element. The town of Fatima was where the famous three Catholic children were supposed to have seen a vision and had a message from the Virgin Mary. The apparition event took place just prior to WW1. Portuguese tradition has it that Mary’s appearance at Fatima and the public’s embracing response was the reason that Portugal was able to remain neutral during the war.
The “ F” for fado stood for the typical sad folk music popular in Portugal at the time, while the “F” for football, obviously, stood for sports. During those years Benfica was Portugal’s greatest football team and Eusebio, a famous striker, was the star. When a famous Italian team offered Eusebio a large contract to come play in Italy, Salazar prohibited it saying that Eusebio was a national treasure. Salazar knew the value of football over the masses and kept their star at home.
We all remember the words of Karl Marx who said that religion was the opiate of the masses. Salazar amplified the opiate to include the music and sports industries which at the time of Salazar were still in their infancy in comparison with today. But of course the Romans and Greeks had used sports in the same way. In the time of Rome’s decline it is said that the people demanded more circus and bread as Rome was being surrounded by its enemies.
Today we could amplify the list of opiates further and include the giant central commercial centers where thousands rush every weekend to shop for the things that money can buy. These are the new temples of mammon, where the faithful go to worships the new idols. We buy gadgets that give us more time on the internet where we can watch more sports, music or religious events, have internet sex or watch movies that practice it. And yet all our things and momentary pleasure still do not satisfy the deepest yearning of our soul for truth, love and eternal happiness. Like John has said:
Love not the world neither the things of the world for all that is of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, is not of the father but of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but whosoever doeth the will of God abideth for ever.[1]
Jesus went on to say,
“A man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses.”[2]
James put it a different way. He said,
“Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,…, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”[3]
James is saying here that if we are lusting after the things of the world, or living for them only, we are committing spiritual adultery with the world. That is why we will never be ultimately happy. Man is not just a physical being. He is spiritual being and he must seek first his spiritual needs. As Jesus said,
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”[4]
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”[5]
In the Old Testament the Lord said through Isaiah,
“Why do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And you labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline you ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live.”[6]
Man is constantly trying to find happiness in the things that are not eternal and therefore in the end do not bring ultimate happiness. His amusements help him escape from the predicament he finds himself. They help him escape his life without meaning and purpose. They help him escape the daily grind of making a living and acquiring more things. In the end, he ends up empty wondering if this is all there is to life. “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.” He spends his time trying to take care of and satisfy his body and its needs and desires, while neglecting his spirit, his eternal soul which will last for eternity. Like the old poem “He Fed His Body But Starved His Soul.”
Are you feeding your physical body with food and drink and entertainments of the flesh to the full while your spirit is empty and longing for satisfaction? Do you feel like Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones’ famous song, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”[8] I can’t get no satisfaction because all I am trying to do is satisfy the flesh. But the trouble is that the flesh is never satisfied. It always wants more and more and never has enough. Like the proverbs say,
“The eyes of man are never satisfied.”[9]
No matter how many beautiful woman a man has seen, he will always look at another one. Like the rich Romans in the time of Rome’s great wealth and abundance who would attend banquets full of food and sex and alcohol. They would eat to the filling of their stomachs only to vomit it all up, so they could fill themselves up once again. Like some of the scandals of recent times of rich politicians or wealthy business well in years seeking sex with young girls hardly eighteen years of age. The flesh is never satisfied, it always wants more. But as Jesus said,
“The flesh profits nothing.”[10]
But in this article I wanted to look at the World Cup and Olympics and see what kind of affect they have on the economies of the countries that host the games. I also wanted to see if these sports events are part of the spiritual web woven to catch men within its borders and prohibit them from finding the way, the truth and the life. John Perkins’ Economic Hitman [11] which we have talked about earlier, talks of the infrastructure contracts that third world countries are forced to accept from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These contracts ultimately leave the country poorer than when they started. Are FIFA and the Olympic project part of the great financial sorcery to bind heavier burdens of the poor economies of the world in order to keep those economies and those peoples submissive to the international bankers?
Some time ago I did a study on the Google about the countries who had hosted World Cup and Olympic events. One such article by a professor at the University of Alberta, Canada can be found here.[12] I had seen the affects of these games in Portugal and Spain where the government invested large amounts loaned from Europe. These loans went to improve infrastructure and to build the needed stadiums in the hope of reaping the financial benefits of the games. In the end we found out that the financial benefits hardly warranted such a financial investment, and the government and people were left with a big financial loan to pay back.
That’s why we saw the manifestations in Brazil before the World Cup games as some have realized the games bring little relief to the poor and needy. They only serve to increase the wealth of the wealthy through construction contracts with some cities left with stadiums they do not know how they will pay off nor maintain. But since football is part of the web to keep men caught, as Salazar so confessed, the Internationals keep Sports as a high priority on their agenda. They want a pacific populace. They want a population which will not rise up against their masters, the financial elite. They want a population that will submit and adhere to the financial injustices perpetrated against them.
They bind heavy burdens grievous to be born and they themselves touch not the burdens with one finger.[13]
The bankers and politicians create big national debts and then expect the population to pay it back to them. Something is wrong with this picture, but the silent majority willingly goes to the slaughter. Sports is one of today’s opiates that keep them walking in submission to their corrupt leaders.
One of the problems today though is the Muslim youth, many of whom have not integrated into the Western society. They remain aloof and therefore out of control through the normal methods of manipulation. The religious element usually helps governments control their populations. They gain financial or influential favors because of their cooperation with the government. But radical Islamic movements from the Middle East embittered by the events that have occurred there are in this case feeding rebellion and violent acts of aggression as we have recently seen in France. But let’s get back to FIFA and sports.
Of course FIFA always justifies the extra expense for the host country, saying it is good for the country's pride and national identity. Local government politicians will also parrot FIFA’s mantra knowing that big money coming into the country will mean contracts for their friends and supporters and something more in their own pockets. In the end FIFA always manages to walk away richer than before, while the host country almost always has a great burden to pay at the end and often some “white elephant” stadiums that are a burden on the local economy.
In recent years only Germany and the USA have had World Cup or Olympic events in which they have managed to break even. Many countries are waking up to the fact that the World Cup and Olympics are bad business.
But the truth is that for generations governments have used sports as a way to distract the population and keep them content. Sports are an amusement. They keep men from thinking about their own problems and their own inability to change their world for the better. A man may have a poor and miserable job and life, but he can find self esteem in his favorite champion who helps his team to victory over their rival. The spectator gains euphoria through the victory his team meets on the playing field. His mind is distracted from his own wretched condition and he finds a sense of meaning in his favorite champion and team.
Interestingly enough, the word amusement means “away from thinking.” During those two hours of the spectacle the fan is not thinking about his problems, but is absorbed in the game on the field, as if he himself were playing. He forgets his problems and worries and dissatisfaction with life and his government and for those moments he is amused. The word “muse” comes from the Greek for “to think” or “to ponder.” As in the word “atheist” the “a” before a word is used as a negative. A theist is a person who believes in God. An atheist is a person who does not believe in God. “Muse” means to think or ponder. “Amuse” means to not think or ponder or to be away from thinking or pondering. We seek out amusements for that very reason. They help us get away from thinking about our problems whatever they may be.
Karl Marx predicted that the poor man would eventually turn against the rich and over throw their unjust rule over the poor. Why has not this prediction come to pass when the poor far outnumber the rich? As the Caesars of Rome and as Salazar of Portugal confessed and the elite of the world know, amusements whether they be music, sports or religious events are important to control the masses and govern a nation. The rich have learned they need to share a bit of their wealth with the poor to keep them content and passively submissive. Today we have the middle class. We also have politicians who are suppose to be attentive to the needs and wants of their constituents, but are actually controlled by big money and big money’s interests. It’s a sad day for the poor man, but let’s go have a beer and watch the game! Shall we?
[1] 1 John 2:15-17
[2] Luke 12:15
[3] James 4:1-4
[4] Matthew 6:33
[5] Matthew 4: 4
[6] Isaiah 55:2-3
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSAMY9c--A
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pb1iGcmc4
[9] Proverbs 27:20
[10] John 6:63
[11]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-a6jzU0YgQ
[12] http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/15/world-cup-economics-south-africa-opinions-contributors-brad-humphreys.html
[13] Luke 11:46
Chapter 31
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing.
Charity (Love) suffers long, and is kind; charity (love) envies not; charity (love) vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity (love) never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love).[31]
The songs which I have mentioned above surely have a Christian element in them. Some admittedly have more than others. They were very popular songs sung during the 60s to 80s with a powerful affect on their audience, you and me. Surely they were more meaningful than much of what is presently being pumped out by the music industry. But perhaps today’s music is a fulfillment of Jesus’ own words which he spoke to his disciples when he was asked,
“What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”[32]
Part of Jesus’ replies was,
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”[33]
Are we seeing the love of many waxing cold even in the songs we listen to for entertainment? Let me continue in my argument. I have previously applied the following verse to the banking system in an earlier article.
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[34]
But another element of the sorceries helping to deceive the whole world could clearly be the music and entertainment industry which promotes materialism and the worship of money and the things that money can buy. The Bilderberg group contains financial barons and those who own the movie and television industries among others. The music and entertainment industry promotes self worship and even an open worship of or fascination with the dark side and Satan himself. Could the sorceries that deceive the nations be in fact the power of the mass media: music, television, radio, video, computer games, and the like? Are there spiritual realities behind these devices, inspiring them?
Scotland’s Alan Watt, author of radio show and website “Cutting Through the Matrix,” said,
Never watch the television. Never watch the television. It’s the greatest scientific indoctrination tool ever devised. Have you figured that out? It has changed the whole culture of nations, not just one nation. Why do you think it was mandatory that everyone have access to televisions in Britain by the government? Why do you think China is under the same program right now, because they love to be entertained? Do you really believe that? Most of your ideas and opinions come from television, because you mimic what you see. Never watch the television. You can’t even watch a movie unless you do it critically.[35]
Could the mass media with music, television, radio, video, computer games, rock concerts and the like, be the “sirens” of today’s modern world? The "sirens"of Greek mythology were beautiful woman who "sat on the shore and sang with voices seductive and compelling that anyone who heard their song became absolutely mesmerized with them. So mesmerized, in fact, that they became obsessed with reaching the shore to get closer to the sound."36]
But the sailors were being deceived as the Sirens were actually some sort of beasts luring the sailors to their death.
"The term "siren" is used both in ancient and modern mythology, as well as in modern language in general, to describe something that is simultaneously dangerous and compelling. In later myths and legends, any creature that lured a man in, only to cause harm, might be considered "a siren" in the general context of the term."[37]
Were the ancient Greek mythologies actually warning us of the spiritual realities and how music and beauty can be part of it? Is it any wonder that today’s top musicians are beautiful woman many of which use all their seductive sexual charms to lore us into accepting the message of their music which may in fact be dangerous to us spiritually? Are the beautiful actresses or handsome actors on television or in the movies there for the same reason, to get us to accept the message that is being propagated? I propose that America is deceiving the world with her sorceries. America is contaminating the world through her ungodly music. She is contaminating the world through her ungodly television programs, movies and addictive computer programs.
America is contaminating the world through her humanistic, atheistic, anti-God philosophy found in education, science, economics, and politics and propagated in the movies, music, television programs for both old and young alike. Surely it is by the “sorcery” of modern mass media and the internet that the world is being convinced that violent acts are a normal day occurrence, that traditional sexual limits are out of fashion and restrictive, that the worship of material things, and man himself will bring ultimate happiness and fulfillment.
Man is being convinced that God is dead and man through his own evolutionary process will succeed in bringing peace on earth and good will to all men without the need of God or the supernatural myths of our unenlightened ancestors. May God help us! For those interested in watching a documentary about the satanic side of Hollywood view the following links below entitled Hollywood Unmasked by Dr. Jason Kovar: part one[38] and part two[39].
[1] Revelation 18:22
[2] Revelation 18:2
[3] John 6:63
[4] Proverbs 18:21
[5] Matthew 12:34
[6] James 3:1-18
[7] Matthew 12:36-37
[8] John 12:48
[9] James 4:17
[10] Matthew 15:11, 17-20
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4rYJoVILjo
[12] 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 7 & 13
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5G4YPNGnVE
[14] Deuteronomy 16:19-20
[15] Jeremiah 22:3
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxkwlnesPe4
[17] Revelation 21:4
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA
[19] https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6188.Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel
[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuUBCF3KKxc
[21] Ecclesiastes 7:3,4
[22] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT57tjz9py8
[23] John 15:13
[24] 1 John 3:11-18
[25] Cyril J Davey, Sadhu Sundar Singh, STL Books, 1980, pg. 133.
[26] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PNun-Pfb4
[27] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib-Qiyklq-Q
[28] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-pFAFsTFTI
[29] John 13:34
[30] Galatians 5:14
[31] 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
[32] Matthew 24:3
[33] Matthew 24:12
[34] Revelation 18:23
[35] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmBymKXgrV4
[36] http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/sirens-mythology.html
[37] ibid
[38] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u1z0NDZy5U Hollywood Unmasked part one
[39] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B9FCqAM4Lk Hollywood Unmasked part two
Chapter 30
Football, Fatima and Fado or the FIFA-Olympic Connection
By Dennis Edwards
The story goes that the former and last dictator of Portugal, Salazar when asked what was necessary to rule the country responded with the three “Fs:” football, Fatima and fado. He was saying that all that he needed to control the country was sports, religion and music. Fatima, of course, stood for the religious element. The town of Fatima was where the famous three Catholic children were supposed to have seen a vision and had a message from the Virgin Mary. The apparition event took place just prior to WW1. Portuguese tradition has it that Mary’s appearance at Fatima and the public’s embracing response was the reason that Portugal was able to remain neutral during the war.
The “ F” for fado stood for the typical sad folk music popular in Portugal at the time, while the “F” for football, obviously, stood for sports. During those years Benfica was Portugal’s greatest football team and Eusebio, a famous striker, was the star. When a famous Italian team offered Eusebio a large contract to come play in Italy, Salazar prohibited it saying that Eusebio was a national treasure. Salazar knew the value of football over the masses and kept their star at home.
We all remember the words of Karl Marx who said that religion was the opiate of the masses. Salazar amplified the opiate to include the music and sports industries which at the time of Salazar were still in their infancy in comparison with today. But of course the Romans and Greeks had used sports in the same way. In the time of Rome’s decline it is said that the people demanded more circus and bread as Rome was being surrounded by its enemies.
Today we could amplify the list of opiates further and include the giant central commercial centers where thousands rush every weekend to shop for the things that money can buy. These are the new temples of mammon, where the faithful go to worships the new idols. We buy gadgets that give us more time on the internet where we can watch more sports, music or religious events, have internet sex or watch movies that practice it. And yet all our things and momentary pleasure still do not satisfy the deepest yearning of our soul for truth, love and eternal happiness. Like John has said:
Love not the world neither the things of the world for all that is of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, is not of the father but of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but whosoever doeth the will of God abideth for ever.[1]
Jesus went on to say,
“A man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses.”[2]
James put it a different way. He said,
“Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,…, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”[3]
James is saying here that if we are lusting after the things of the world, or living for them only, we are committing spiritual adultery with the world. That is why we will never be ultimately happy. Man is not just a physical being. He is spiritual being and he must seek first his spiritual needs. As Jesus said,
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”[4]
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”[5]
In the Old Testament the Lord said through Isaiah,
“Why do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And you labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline you ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live.”[6]
Man is constantly trying to find happiness in the things that are not eternal and therefore in the end do not bring ultimate happiness. His amusements help him escape from the predicament he finds himself. They help him escape his life without meaning and purpose. They help him escape the daily grind of making a living and acquiring more things. In the end, he ends up empty wondering if this is all there is to life. “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.” He spends his time trying to take care of and satisfy his body and its needs and desires, while neglecting his spirit, his eternal soul which will last for eternity. Like the old poem “He Fed His Body But Starved His Soul.”
There was a man that some folks called great,
said he’d done good, had graveled with fate.
He’d won some fame and some riches, too.
But in the crowd there were those that knew;
the soul of him so miserably small,
that real greatness he knew not at all.
For all through life he had missed the real goal,
he fed his body but starved his soul.
He had no time for the little things,
that so much peace and contentment brings;
a faithful friend or a child’s tender look,
a promise sweet from the dear Old Book,
a little talk with a Friend Divine,
a little walk where the wildflowers wind.
He was just half a man, not well rounded, whole;
who fed his body but starved his soul.
And when that day of accounting came
and God’s own time death called his name;
then the poor, frail, worthless, empty shell,
he groomed and fed and tended so well,
was left behind just an earthbound clod,
while his shriveled soul went to face his God.
All unprepared and paid the full toll,
for he had fed his body and starved his soul.
So come my friend and take time today,
to read God’s word and walk in His ways.
We’ll follow the trail that higher goes,
to regions where the soul larger grows.
You’ll never hear them say of you then,
just one of the common herd of men.
So if you would be well rounded and whole,
read God’s word to nourish your soul.[7]
Are you feeding your physical body with food and drink and entertainments of the flesh to the full while your spirit is empty and longing for satisfaction? Do you feel like Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones’ famous song, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”[8] I can’t get no satisfaction because all I am trying to do is satisfy the flesh. But the trouble is that the flesh is never satisfied. It always wants more and more and never has enough. Like the proverbs say,
“The eyes of man are never satisfied.”[9]
No matter how many beautiful woman a man has seen, he will always look at another one. Like the rich Romans in the time of Rome’s great wealth and abundance who would attend banquets full of food and sex and alcohol. They would eat to the filling of their stomachs only to vomit it all up, so they could fill themselves up once again. Like some of the scandals of recent times of rich politicians or wealthy business well in years seeking sex with young girls hardly eighteen years of age. The flesh is never satisfied, it always wants more. But as Jesus said,
“The flesh profits nothing.”[10]
But in this article I wanted to look at the World Cup and Olympics and see what kind of affect they have on the economies of the countries that host the games. I also wanted to see if these sports events are part of the spiritual web woven to catch men within its borders and prohibit them from finding the way, the truth and the life. John Perkins’ Economic Hitman [11] which we have talked about earlier, talks of the infrastructure contracts that third world countries are forced to accept from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These contracts ultimately leave the country poorer than when they started. Are FIFA and the Olympic project part of the great financial sorcery to bind heavier burdens of the poor economies of the world in order to keep those economies and those peoples submissive to the international bankers?
Some time ago I did a study on the Google about the countries who had hosted World Cup and Olympic events. One such article by a professor at the University of Alberta, Canada can be found here.[12] I had seen the affects of these games in Portugal and Spain where the government invested large amounts loaned from Europe. These loans went to improve infrastructure and to build the needed stadiums in the hope of reaping the financial benefits of the games. In the end we found out that the financial benefits hardly warranted such a financial investment, and the government and people were left with a big financial loan to pay back.
That’s why we saw the manifestations in Brazil before the World Cup games as some have realized the games bring little relief to the poor and needy. They only serve to increase the wealth of the wealthy through construction contracts with some cities left with stadiums they do not know how they will pay off nor maintain. But since football is part of the web to keep men caught, as Salazar so confessed, the Internationals keep Sports as a high priority on their agenda. They want a pacific populace. They want a population which will not rise up against their masters, the financial elite. They want a population that will submit and adhere to the financial injustices perpetrated against them.
They bind heavy burdens grievous to be born and they themselves touch not the burdens with one finger.[13]
The bankers and politicians create big national debts and then expect the population to pay it back to them. Something is wrong with this picture, but the silent majority willingly goes to the slaughter. Sports is one of today’s opiates that keep them walking in submission to their corrupt leaders.
One of the problems today though is the Muslim youth, many of whom have not integrated into the Western society. They remain aloof and therefore out of control through the normal methods of manipulation. The religious element usually helps governments control their populations. They gain financial or influential favors because of their cooperation with the government. But radical Islamic movements from the Middle East embittered by the events that have occurred there are in this case feeding rebellion and violent acts of aggression as we have recently seen in France. But let’s get back to FIFA and sports.
Of course FIFA always justifies the extra expense for the host country, saying it is good for the country's pride and national identity. Local government politicians will also parrot FIFA’s mantra knowing that big money coming into the country will mean contracts for their friends and supporters and something more in their own pockets. In the end FIFA always manages to walk away richer than before, while the host country almost always has a great burden to pay at the end and often some “white elephant” stadiums that are a burden on the local economy.
In recent years only Germany and the USA have had World Cup or Olympic events in which they have managed to break even. Many countries are waking up to the fact that the World Cup and Olympics are bad business.
But the truth is that for generations governments have used sports as a way to distract the population and keep them content. Sports are an amusement. They keep men from thinking about their own problems and their own inability to change their world for the better. A man may have a poor and miserable job and life, but he can find self esteem in his favorite champion who helps his team to victory over their rival. The spectator gains euphoria through the victory his team meets on the playing field. His mind is distracted from his own wretched condition and he finds a sense of meaning in his favorite champion and team.
Interestingly enough, the word amusement means “away from thinking.” During those two hours of the spectacle the fan is not thinking about his problems, but is absorbed in the game on the field, as if he himself were playing. He forgets his problems and worries and dissatisfaction with life and his government and for those moments he is amused. The word “muse” comes from the Greek for “to think” or “to ponder.” As in the word “atheist” the “a” before a word is used as a negative. A theist is a person who believes in God. An atheist is a person who does not believe in God. “Muse” means to think or ponder. “Amuse” means to not think or ponder or to be away from thinking or pondering. We seek out amusements for that very reason. They help us get away from thinking about our problems whatever they may be.
Karl Marx predicted that the poor man would eventually turn against the rich and over throw their unjust rule over the poor. Why has not this prediction come to pass when the poor far outnumber the rich? As the Caesars of Rome and as Salazar of Portugal confessed and the elite of the world know, amusements whether they be music, sports or religious events are important to control the masses and govern a nation. The rich have learned they need to share a bit of their wealth with the poor to keep them content and passively submissive. Today we have the middle class. We also have politicians who are suppose to be attentive to the needs and wants of their constituents, but are actually controlled by big money and big money’s interests. It’s a sad day for the poor man, but let’s go have a beer and watch the game! Shall we?
[1] 1 John 2:15-17
[2] Luke 12:15
[3] James 4:1-4
[4] Matthew 6:33
[5] Matthew 4: 4
[6] Isaiah 55:2-3
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSAMY9c--A
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pb1iGcmc4
[9] Proverbs 27:20
[10] John 6:63
[11]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-a6jzU0YgQ
[12] http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/15/world-cup-economics-south-africa-opinions-contributors-brad-humphreys.html
[13] Luke 11:46
Chapter 31
Arms, Arms and More Arms! or It’s Blood Money, Baby!
By Dennis Edwards
America has also polluted the world through her sales of armament and weapons of war. Although other countries also sell arms, the USA has had the biggest share in sales of military equipment and weapons of death and destruction. Researcher Michael Klare writes,
International weapons sales have proved to be a thriving global business in economically tough times. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), such sales reached an impressive $85 billion in 2011, nearly double the figure for 2010. Arms sales have always served multiple functions. Valuable trade commodities, weapons can prove immensely lucrative for companies that specialize in making such products. Between 2008 and 2011, for example, U.S. firms sold $146 billion worth of military hardware to foreign countries, according to the latest CRS figures.[1]
A New York Times article from October 2013 says,
According to IHS Jane’s, an industry consulting and analysis company, the total global arms trade revenue in 2012 was estimated to be $73.5 billion, and the United States had a 39 percent share.[2]
That’s around 18.4 billion in arms sales. In either case, arms sales are big business.
Revelation says,
"And in her was found the blood of the prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”[3]
President and former General Dwight E. Eisenhower warned of the danger of the Military Industrial Complex back in the beginning of the 1960s. He predicted that the Military Industrial Complex would continue to encroach on the power of the government. In his farewell speech in 1961 he said the following:
We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
By Dennis Edwards
America has also polluted the world through her sales of armament and weapons of war. Although other countries also sell arms, the USA has had the biggest share in sales of military equipment and weapons of death and destruction. Researcher Michael Klare writes,
International weapons sales have proved to be a thriving global business in economically tough times. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), such sales reached an impressive $85 billion in 2011, nearly double the figure for 2010. Arms sales have always served multiple functions. Valuable trade commodities, weapons can prove immensely lucrative for companies that specialize in making such products. Between 2008 and 2011, for example, U.S. firms sold $146 billion worth of military hardware to foreign countries, according to the latest CRS figures.[1]
A New York Times article from October 2013 says,
According to IHS Jane’s, an industry consulting and analysis company, the total global arms trade revenue in 2012 was estimated to be $73.5 billion, and the United States had a 39 percent share.[2]
That’s around 18.4 billion in arms sales. In either case, arms sales are big business.
Revelation says,
"And in her was found the blood of the prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”[3]
President and former General Dwight E. Eisenhower warned of the danger of the Military Industrial Complex back in the beginning of the 1960s. He predicted that the Military Industrial Complex would continue to encroach on the power of the government. In his farewell speech in 1961 he said the following:
We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.[4]
In talking about the waste caused by excessive military spending, Eisenhower, a military man himself, said the following:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, (and) the hopes of its children.
The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 (in) population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.
This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. (No), this is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.[5]
In spite of Eisenhower’s warning, the cost of America’s military spending continues to increase every year with approximately fifty percent of the Federal Budget going to military spending. I am reminded of the verses in Genesis,
And God saw that wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.[6]
And God saw that wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.[6]
War is big business and the bankers know it. They make their greatest profits from it and the national debts they incur. Surely our excessive military budget and spending grieves God in his heart. Like Brigadier General Smedley Butler said,
War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.[7]
War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.[7]
Dwight L Moody, the famous Christian evangelist when speaking after the Civil War about the possible war with Spain said the following:
War, awful war! Never has our country had more need of your prayers than at the present time. God keep us from war, if it be possible, and God keep hate of Spain out of our hearts! I have not met a man who served in the last war who wants to see another. God knows that I do not want to see the carnage and destruction that such a war would bring. God pity America and Spain. There are many mothers who will be bereaved, many homes broken up, if we have war. Have you thought of this?[8]
Right now as I am writing this war is taking place in both Ukraine and Gaza. It is taking place in Syria and Iraq. How many times will we fight wars to end all wars or wars to make it safe for democracy? When I was faced with the prospect of war as a youth, it was the words from the New Testament that spoke to me and which I could not remove from my consciousness. The Beatitudes assured me that the war machine would not get the blessing.
War, awful war! Never has our country had more need of your prayers than at the present time. God keep us from war, if it be possible, and God keep hate of Spain out of our hearts! I have not met a man who served in the last war who wants to see another. God knows that I do not want to see the carnage and destruction that such a war would bring. God pity America and Spain. There are many mothers who will be bereaved, many homes broken up, if we have war. Have you thought of this?[8]
Right now as I am writing this war is taking place in both Ukraine and Gaza. It is taking place in Syria and Iraq. How many times will we fight wars to end all wars or wars to make it safe for democracy? When I was faced with the prospect of war as a youth, it was the words from the New Testament that spoke to me and which I could not remove from my consciousness. The Beatitudes assured me that the war machine would not get the blessing.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.[9]
Jesus goes on to say,
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.[10]
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.[10]
When Peter wants to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, Jesus tells him,
Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.[11]
James goes on to write that it is the lust for power and possessions that causes wars.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, … that ye may consume it upon your lusts.[12]
It seems to me that the whole world is groaning for deliverance from man’s incessant wars. We used to sing “Give Peace a Chance.”[13] But it seems the world has almost given up on peace and the expectation of peace. Israel invades Gaza resulting in hundreds of innocent deaths and all we hear is Hamas is using civilians as human shields. When will it stop?
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?[14]
I will need to add a comment here as the situation in Iraq and Syria has recently deteriorated with ISIS’s killing of American and British journalist/photographers kidnapped or captured in the Middle East. We need to remember that ISIS was a creation of America’s military policy in Syria and Libya. We need to also remember that the hatred that is manifested against America and Britain is the result of our military and political position in the Middle East for the last fifty years or more, which many believe has been manipulated by the International Bankers.
We have sowed death and destruction to support Israel’s right for existence. We have rejected Christ’s commandment to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all nations teaching the ways of peace and brotherly love. We have given up our duty to share His message of love to all men. Instead we have fed the world from Hollywood’s froth and filth. We have submitted our Godly convictions to those of the bankers and military men and politicians who together in the bed of war make their living. We will reap what we have sowed.
Today’s terrorist could be tomorrow’s political leader. Menachem Begin was a terrorist in the Irgun organization that killed British mandated troops in Palestine before the 1948 declaration of independence.[15] George Washington led guerrilla warfare against traditional British troops to later become President of a new nation. Gerry Adams of IRA’s Sinn Féin later became member of Ireland’s Parliament and the British House of Commons. Mario Soares in Portugal was a long time political activists frequently arrested and detained by the secret police. He was twice sentenced to live abroad but eventually became both Prime Minister and President of Portugal.[16]
We cannot hold back the winds of change. But we can influence them for good as much as possible. We can use dialogue, reasoning, and diplomacy in as many ways that are possible. The voice of the poor and downtrodden whether they are Arab, Asian or African must be heard. We can and will use force to protect our own like Sergeant York so showed.[17] But it will be tempered with love and mercy.
But remember, in the world where might makes right, God’s people will always be marginalized, persecuted or maligned. Nevertheless, we must try to influence, as much as we can, worldly men to make Godly decisions. We may be called cowards or communist sympathizers because of it. But ultimately, we are called by our committed Christian conscience to speak the truth to our neighbor.[18] Our hope is that he too will come to know and love Him that is the creator of the universe and our God, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ![19]
Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.[11]
James goes on to write that it is the lust for power and possessions that causes wars.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, … that ye may consume it upon your lusts.[12]
It seems to me that the whole world is groaning for deliverance from man’s incessant wars. We used to sing “Give Peace a Chance.”[13] But it seems the world has almost given up on peace and the expectation of peace. Israel invades Gaza resulting in hundreds of innocent deaths and all we hear is Hamas is using civilians as human shields. When will it stop?
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?[14]
I will need to add a comment here as the situation in Iraq and Syria has recently deteriorated with ISIS’s killing of American and British journalist/photographers kidnapped or captured in the Middle East. We need to remember that ISIS was a creation of America’s military policy in Syria and Libya. We need to also remember that the hatred that is manifested against America and Britain is the result of our military and political position in the Middle East for the last fifty years or more, which many believe has been manipulated by the International Bankers.
We have sowed death and destruction to support Israel’s right for existence. We have rejected Christ’s commandment to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all nations teaching the ways of peace and brotherly love. We have given up our duty to share His message of love to all men. Instead we have fed the world from Hollywood’s froth and filth. We have submitted our Godly convictions to those of the bankers and military men and politicians who together in the bed of war make their living. We will reap what we have sowed.
Today’s terrorist could be tomorrow’s political leader. Menachem Begin was a terrorist in the Irgun organization that killed British mandated troops in Palestine before the 1948 declaration of independence.[15] George Washington led guerrilla warfare against traditional British troops to later become President of a new nation. Gerry Adams of IRA’s Sinn Féin later became member of Ireland’s Parliament and the British House of Commons. Mario Soares in Portugal was a long time political activists frequently arrested and detained by the secret police. He was twice sentenced to live abroad but eventually became both Prime Minister and President of Portugal.[16]
We cannot hold back the winds of change. But we can influence them for good as much as possible. We can use dialogue, reasoning, and diplomacy in as many ways that are possible. The voice of the poor and downtrodden whether they are Arab, Asian or African must be heard. We can and will use force to protect our own like Sergeant York so showed.[17] But it will be tempered with love and mercy.
But remember, in the world where might makes right, God’s people will always be marginalized, persecuted or maligned. Nevertheless, we must try to influence, as much as we can, worldly men to make Godly decisions. We may be called cowards or communist sympathizers because of it. But ultimately, we are called by our committed Christian conscience to speak the truth to our neighbor.[18] Our hope is that he too will come to know and love Him that is the creator of the universe and our God, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ![19]
[1] Michael Klare, Do Arms Sales by Major Powers Signal a Move to a 21st Century Cold (Or Hot) War?, Tom Dispatch, May 30, 2013
[2] Edward Wong and Nicola Clark, China's Arms Industry Makes Global Inroads, NY Times, October 20, 2013
[3] Revelation 18:24
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y
[5] http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/speeches/chance_for_peace.pdf
[6] Genesis 6:5-6
[7] Smedly Butler, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/smedley_butler.html
[6] Genesis 6:5-6
[7] Smedly Butler, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/smedley_butler.html
[9] Matthew 5:3-12
[10] Matthew 5:38-48
[11] Matthew 26:52
[12] James 4:1-3
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhyiqGIJQus
[14] Revelation 6:10
[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Begin
[16] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rio_Soares
[17] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_C._York[11] Matthew 26:52
[12] James 4:1-3
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhyiqGIJQus
[14] Revelation 6:10
[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Begin
[16] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rio_Soares
[18] Zechariah 8:16
[19] Isaiah 9:6
Chapter 32
Israel of Old and America: a Parallel History
By Dennis Edwards
At this point I would like to spend some time looking at the similarities between the nation of Israel in antiquity, its rise and fall, and the United States of America. The Bible clearly indicates that
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”[1]
Have we as a nation forgotten God? The Bible also says that
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” [2]
In righteousness God exalts a nation, but in the nation’s rebellion to Him, He brings them down. In Hosea we read,
For Israel has forgotten his Maker, and builds temples; and Judah has multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.[3]
In other words, neither Israel’s temples of supposed worship nor Judah’s military defenses would protect them in the day of God’s judgments against them. And they did not. Hosea goes on to explain,
According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.[4]
In other words, their prosperity caused them to forget their maker. Has America’s prosperity caused her to forget God like the empires before her did? Will her supposed religiosity and military defense system prove as useless as Judah’s and Israel’s of old did? Obadiah says something similar,
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you that dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high (like New York City); that say in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though you exalt thyself as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, thence will I bring you down, says the Lord.”[5]
On America’s first lunar landing wasn’t the landing ship called the Eagle? Didn’t NASA announce, “The Eagle has landed,” when the first landing occurred on the moon? America has surely put her nest among the stars.
As you have done, it shall be done unto you: your reward shall return upon your own head.[6]
As America has caused war and destruction upon the nations of Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, among others, will she experience the same destruction upon her own land? Finally Jeremiah gives a similar warning.
But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.[7]
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”[1]
Have we as a nation forgotten God? The Bible also says that
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” [2]
In righteousness God exalts a nation, but in the nation’s rebellion to Him, He brings them down. In Hosea we read,
For Israel has forgotten his Maker, and builds temples; and Judah has multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.[3]
In other words, neither Israel’s temples of supposed worship nor Judah’s military defenses would protect them in the day of God’s judgments against them. And they did not. Hosea goes on to explain,
According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.[4]
In other words, their prosperity caused them to forget their maker. Has America’s prosperity caused her to forget God like the empires before her did? Will her supposed religiosity and military defense system prove as useless as Judah’s and Israel’s of old did? Obadiah says something similar,
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you that dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high (like New York City); that say in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though you exalt thyself as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, thence will I bring you down, says the Lord.”[5]
On America’s first lunar landing wasn’t the landing ship called the Eagle? Didn’t NASA announce, “The Eagle has landed,” when the first landing occurred on the moon? America has surely put her nest among the stars.
As you have done, it shall be done unto you: your reward shall return upon your own head.[6]
As America has caused war and destruction upon the nations of Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, among others, will she experience the same destruction upon her own land? Finally Jeremiah gives a similar warning.
But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.[7]
Are we as a nation being obedient to the voice of the Lord? Or have we hardened our hearts to accept the politically correct and legally right doctrines of men to our own destruction.
[1] Psalm 9:17
[2] Proverbs 14:34
[3] Hosea 8:14
[4] Hosea 13:6
[5] Obadiah 1:3-4
[6] Obadiah 1:15
[7] Jeremiah 12:17
Chapter 33
Consequence, Consequences and More Consequences!
By Dennis Edwards
The Bible from its very first pages is a history of consequences. The decisions we make, the behavior we exhibit have consequences. Adam and Eve paid with consequences for their decisions in the Garden of Eden and mankind continues to suffer as a result of those consequences. Early man also paid consequences for his decisions and behavior. The Bible tells us
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.[1] The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.[2]
God therefore decided to “bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.”[3]
As a result of that worldwide flood we find massive fossil graveyards all around the world. Fossils formed in sedimentary rock laid down by flood waters all around globe are a testimony to the consequences of man’s refusal to acknowledge God in his understanding. Peter tells us,
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, … whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished.[4]
Modern man has all but removed the idea of a Great World-wide flood from his understanding, because he does not want to believe in consequences. From the time of James Hutton in 1780’s to his disciple Charles Lyle in the 1830’s, science has eliminated the idea of a world-wide flood from geology and has accepted “millions of years.” Why? Because modern man wants to be free to live a life without consequences and without moral restraints. Peter says earlier in the same chapter,
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.[5]
Aldous Huxley, the grandson of Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s Bulldog, candidly admitted the following,
I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning, consequently assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world (and this is what evolution ultimately teaches) is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do (moral freedom is the goal, to be free from religion’s restrictive confines). For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.[6]
Paul, much like Peter, said the following:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.[7]
Wikipedia defines “itching ears” in the following way:
Itching ears is a term used in the Bible to describe individuals who seek out messages and doctrines that condones their own lifestyle, as opposed to adhering to the teachings of the apostles.[8]
Man wants a world without consequences, so he can do what he wants. But the Bible teaches from the very first book that life has consequences. Rather than follow God, man accepts the theory of evolution, the modern origin’s fable, because he does not want God in his conscience. Believing in evolution frees man from religion’s moral constraints, so he can live his life to the full, or so he thinks. But Paul warns,
And with all deceivableness and unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned (or in this case condemned or judged) who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. [9]
Again we see Aldous Huxley’s honest confession confirms what was spoken by the apostles. Because we do not want to follow God’s loving voice, but rather our own selfish desires, we reject God’s restraints and do as we will.
After the flood the next important event is the dividing into different language groups at the tower of Babel. Man refuses to follow God’s suggestion and scatter throughout the earth. Instead man begins his own building project. He constructs a city skyscraper and forms his own religion. As consequences for not doing as the Lord suggested, God divides the languages and scatters him to the four corners of the earth.[10]
A few generations later around 2,000 BC, because of his good decisions and behavior, God blesses Abraham. God says,
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.[11]
It was not just because Abraham believed, but because his beliefs caused him to be just and make righteous judgments. God decides to reveal to him the judgment that will be wrecked upon Sodom and Gomorrah as a consequence of the decisions and behavior of its population. And the Lord said,
Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have down altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me: and if not, I will know.[12]
Then Abraham has his famous discussion with the Lord, where he says,
“Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”[13]
Abraham argues that it would be unjust for God to condemn the innocent with the guilty and so asks God to withhold his judgment if he can find 50 righteous people within the city. God agrees. Abraham persists until he has God agree not to condemn the city if he can find ten righteous people. [14]
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, has been living in Sodom as a judge. He is warned by the angels to flee before the destruction comes. Lot goes and pleas with his married daughters and sons-in-law to forsake the city and live. But they won’t listen to him and he barely escapes by the persistence of the angels with his two younger teen-aged daughters and wife. The wife also seemed to have a hard time leaving Sodom and all its luxuries and looks back during its destruction which the angels had specifically commanded them not to do. As a consequence she is turned into a pillar of salt.[15]
But Abraham chooses God. He chooses to do justice and judgment. He chooses doing right above material riches. Therefore, God enters into a relationship with him. Thus begins the history of the children of Abraham. It’s a beautiful history which begins in the book of Genesis in the Bible.
[1] Genesis 6:5-6
[2] Genesis 6:11
[3] Genesis 6:17
[4] 2 Peter 3:5-6
[5] 2 Peter 3:3
[6] http://www.facingthechallenge.org/huxley.php
[7] 2 Timothy 4:3-4
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itching_ears
[9] 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
[10] Genesis 11:1-9
[11] Genesis 18:19
[12] Genesis 18:21-22
[13] Genesis 18:25
[14] Genesis 18:26-33
[15] Genesis 19:12-26
Chapter 34
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.[1] The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.[2]
God therefore decided to “bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.”[3]
As a result of that worldwide flood we find massive fossil graveyards all around the world. Fossils formed in sedimentary rock laid down by flood waters all around globe are a testimony to the consequences of man’s refusal to acknowledge God in his understanding. Peter tells us,
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, … whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished.[4]
Modern man has all but removed the idea of a Great World-wide flood from his understanding, because he does not want to believe in consequences. From the time of James Hutton in 1780’s to his disciple Charles Lyle in the 1830’s, science has eliminated the idea of a world-wide flood from geology and has accepted “millions of years.” Why? Because modern man wants to be free to live a life without consequences and without moral restraints. Peter says earlier in the same chapter,
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.[5]
Aldous Huxley, the grandson of Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s Bulldog, candidly admitted the following,
I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning, consequently assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world (and this is what evolution ultimately teaches) is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do (moral freedom is the goal, to be free from religion’s restrictive confines). For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.[6]
Paul, much like Peter, said the following:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.[7]
Wikipedia defines “itching ears” in the following way:
Itching ears is a term used in the Bible to describe individuals who seek out messages and doctrines that condones their own lifestyle, as opposed to adhering to the teachings of the apostles.[8]
Man wants a world without consequences, so he can do what he wants. But the Bible teaches from the very first book that life has consequences. Rather than follow God, man accepts the theory of evolution, the modern origin’s fable, because he does not want God in his conscience. Believing in evolution frees man from religion’s moral constraints, so he can live his life to the full, or so he thinks. But Paul warns,
And with all deceivableness and unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned (or in this case condemned or judged) who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. [9]
Again we see Aldous Huxley’s honest confession confirms what was spoken by the apostles. Because we do not want to follow God’s loving voice, but rather our own selfish desires, we reject God’s restraints and do as we will.
After the flood the next important event is the dividing into different language groups at the tower of Babel. Man refuses to follow God’s suggestion and scatter throughout the earth. Instead man begins his own building project. He constructs a city skyscraper and forms his own religion. As consequences for not doing as the Lord suggested, God divides the languages and scatters him to the four corners of the earth.[10]
A few generations later around 2,000 BC, because of his good decisions and behavior, God blesses Abraham. God says,
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.[11]
It was not just because Abraham believed, but because his beliefs caused him to be just and make righteous judgments. God decides to reveal to him the judgment that will be wrecked upon Sodom and Gomorrah as a consequence of the decisions and behavior of its population. And the Lord said,
Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have down altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me: and if not, I will know.[12]
Then Abraham has his famous discussion with the Lord, where he says,
“Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”[13]
Abraham argues that it would be unjust for God to condemn the innocent with the guilty and so asks God to withhold his judgment if he can find 50 righteous people within the city. God agrees. Abraham persists until he has God agree not to condemn the city if he can find ten righteous people. [14]
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, has been living in Sodom as a judge. He is warned by the angels to flee before the destruction comes. Lot goes and pleas with his married daughters and sons-in-law to forsake the city and live. But they won’t listen to him and he barely escapes by the persistence of the angels with his two younger teen-aged daughters and wife. The wife also seemed to have a hard time leaving Sodom and all its luxuries and looks back during its destruction which the angels had specifically commanded them not to do. As a consequence she is turned into a pillar of salt.[15]
But Abraham chooses God. He chooses to do justice and judgment. He chooses doing right above material riches. Therefore, God enters into a relationship with him. Thus begins the history of the children of Abraham. It’s a beautiful history which begins in the book of Genesis in the Bible.
[1] Genesis 6:5-6
[2] Genesis 6:11
[3] Genesis 6:17
[4] 2 Peter 3:5-6
[5] 2 Peter 3:3
[6] http://www.facingthechallenge.org/huxley.php
[7] 2 Timothy 4:3-4
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itching_ears
[9] 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
[10] Genesis 11:1-9
[11] Genesis 18:19
[12] Genesis 18:21-22
[13] Genesis 18:25
[14] Genesis 18:26-33
[15] Genesis 19:12-26
Chapter 34
Blessing or Curse - Which Will You Have?
By Dennis Edwards
The important aspect though of the history of Abraham is his obedience to God which brought down God’s blessing upon him.
And the Lord said, That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; …And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou has obeyed my voice.[1]
Afterward, Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph gets sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and the some seventy descendants of Abraham wind up in Egypt. First they are guests of Pharaoh, but after the memory of Joseph and all the good that he did for the land of Egypt is forgotten, Abraham’s descendants are drawn into slavery. They learned the ways of the Egyptians and turned from the Lord to the god’s of the Egyptians. But in their affliction of slavery they cry unto the Lord for a deliverer and God sends them Moses, a man who chooses God instead of the riches of Egypt.
With God’s blessing upon him because of his obedience, Moses leads the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Reading through the books of Exodus and Numbers you can see all the problems Moses and God had with the Israeli people. On various occasions God wants to blot them out of existence, but Moses intercedes on their behalf and God hearkens unto him. Moses also himself gets so angry with the rebellious people that he loses his temper and as a consequence God doesn’t allow him to enter the Promised Land.
Before his death on Mount Nebo overlooking the Jordan Valley where the Children of Israel would enter the Promised Land, Moses gives his last warning to the people.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.[2] And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.[3] Because thou served not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart. [4] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou may love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them.[5]
And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a-whoring after gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.[6]
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.[7] And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. [8] For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.[9]
We must face the consequences of our behavior both as individuals and as nations. Eventually the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, with Joshua leading the way, and they begin the quest and defeat of the nations inhabiting the land. As long as they are obedient to the Lord, God blesses them. But when they are disobedient God brings them under oppression by the nations surrounding them.
Finally, they desire a King over them and reluctantly God yields to their request. Under Saul (1020- 1000 BC), David (1000-970 BC) and Solomon (970-930 BC) they become a rich little Kingdom. In so much that the Bible says,
So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.[10]
[1] Genesis 22:17-18
[2] Deuteronomy 28:15
[3] Deuteronomy 28:37
[4] Deuteronomy 28:47
[5] Deuteronomy 30:19-20
[6] Deuteronomy 31:16-19
[7] Deuteronomy 31:22
[8] Deuteronomy 31:24-26
[9] Deuteronomy 31:29
[10] 1 Kings 10:23-24
Chapter 35
And the Lord said, That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; …And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou has obeyed my voice.[1]
Afterward, Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph gets sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and the some seventy descendants of Abraham wind up in Egypt. First they are guests of Pharaoh, but after the memory of Joseph and all the good that he did for the land of Egypt is forgotten, Abraham’s descendants are drawn into slavery. They learned the ways of the Egyptians and turned from the Lord to the god’s of the Egyptians. But in their affliction of slavery they cry unto the Lord for a deliverer and God sends them Moses, a man who chooses God instead of the riches of Egypt.
With God’s blessing upon him because of his obedience, Moses leads the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Reading through the books of Exodus and Numbers you can see all the problems Moses and God had with the Israeli people. On various occasions God wants to blot them out of existence, but Moses intercedes on their behalf and God hearkens unto him. Moses also himself gets so angry with the rebellious people that he loses his temper and as a consequence God doesn’t allow him to enter the Promised Land.
Before his death on Mount Nebo overlooking the Jordan Valley where the Children of Israel would enter the Promised Land, Moses gives his last warning to the people.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.[2] And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.[3] Because thou served not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart. [4] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou may love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them.[5]
And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a-whoring after gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.[6]
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.[7] And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. [8] For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.[9]
We must face the consequences of our behavior both as individuals and as nations. Eventually the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, with Joshua leading the way, and they begin the quest and defeat of the nations inhabiting the land. As long as they are obedient to the Lord, God blesses them. But when they are disobedient God brings them under oppression by the nations surrounding them.
Finally, they desire a King over them and reluctantly God yields to their request. Under Saul (1020- 1000 BC), David (1000-970 BC) and Solomon (970-930 BC) they become a rich little Kingdom. In so much that the Bible says,
So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.[10]
[1] Genesis 22:17-18
[2] Deuteronomy 28:15
[3] Deuteronomy 28:37
[4] Deuteronomy 28:47
[5] Deuteronomy 30:19-20
[6] Deuteronomy 31:16-19
[7] Deuteronomy 31:22
[8] Deuteronomy 31:24-26
[9] Deuteronomy 31:29
[10] 1 Kings 10:23-24
Chapter 35
The Divided Kingdom
By Dennis Edwards
But King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, woman of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, You shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto them in love… For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect (obedient) with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord as did David his father.[1]
Solomon built shrines and temples for the gods of his foreign wives in the area of Jerusalem.
And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou has not kept my covenant and my statues, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.[2]
On Solomon’s death his son becomes King. However, the ten northern tribes rebel and chose the son of Solomon’s former servant to be their King. Sad to say, both Solomon’s son who reigns over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the new king of the ten tribes of Israel do not turn unto the Lord, but lead both Israel and Judah further astray. Of the new king over the northern ten tribes the Bible says,
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priest of the high places.[3]
Jeroboam had started his own new religion to try to keep the people from going to Jerusalem each year for the various religious feasts. He needed priests and those people obedient unto the Lord would not cooperate, so he took anyone who wanted the job. That’s not a good way to recruit religious leaders. And the Lord said of him that he
“has done evil above all that were before you.”[4]
The reign of Solomon’s son was not much better.
And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done, For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.[5]
That’s the Bible whether it’s what you want to hear or not. Has America abandoned the one true God of Christianity which caused her to be blessed and turned unto other gods that be not gods for spirituality?
[1] 1 Kings 11:1-6
[2] 1 Kings 11:9-11
[3] 1 Kings 13:33
[4] 1 Kings 14:9
[5] 1 Kings 14:22-24
Chapter 36
Solomon built shrines and temples for the gods of his foreign wives in the area of Jerusalem.
And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou has not kept my covenant and my statues, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.[2]
On Solomon’s death his son becomes King. However, the ten northern tribes rebel and chose the son of Solomon’s former servant to be their King. Sad to say, both Solomon’s son who reigns over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the new king of the ten tribes of Israel do not turn unto the Lord, but lead both Israel and Judah further astray. Of the new king over the northern ten tribes the Bible says,
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priest of the high places.[3]
Jeroboam had started his own new religion to try to keep the people from going to Jerusalem each year for the various religious feasts. He needed priests and those people obedient unto the Lord would not cooperate, so he took anyone who wanted the job. That’s not a good way to recruit religious leaders. And the Lord said of him that he
“has done evil above all that were before you.”[4]
The reign of Solomon’s son was not much better.
And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done, For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.[5]
That’s the Bible whether it’s what you want to hear or not. Has America abandoned the one true God of Christianity which caused her to be blessed and turned unto other gods that be not gods for spirituality?
[1] 1 Kings 11:1-6
[2] 1 Kings 11:9-11
[3] 1 Kings 13:33
[4] 1 Kings 14:9
[5] 1 Kings 14:22-24
Chapter 36
We Are Sisters, We Are Harlots, and We Are Not Ashamed!
By Dennis Edwards
The book of Revelation is not the first time we see God using a harlot to try to make a point. Through Jeremiah he calls both Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom, harlots. He also calls each of them “an adulterous wife.” God tells the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot to try to get the point across that he is married to us and will forgive us if we change and come back to him with all our heart, mind and strength. Here we read from Jeremiah:
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel (the northern kingdom) hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah (the southern kingdom) saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, says the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.[1]
God was warning the southern Kingdom of Judah to not follow the way of the northern Kingdom of Israel. But even though Judah had seen what had happened to the Kingdom of Israel, she continued in her spiritual adultery. In Hosea we read:
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood.[2]
God himself compares the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah unto two harlot sisters. Even though Judah gets to observe the fate of the northern tribes of Israel and their destruction under the Assyrian empire, she refuses to change her ways but rather follows Israel’s bad example. The Bible shows us the parallel history of these two kingdoms, the northern ten tribes called Israel and the southern two tribes called Judah.
The northern ten tribes quickly forsake the true God of Abraham. They adopt Jeroboam’s new religious system and soon lose the blessing of God. Without God’s protection, they are defeated and conquered by the Assyrian Empire and taken away captive. In 722 BC their capital city Samaria is destroyed. The Northern Kingdom has around a 300 year history from the time of Saul. Other peoples are brought in to occupy the land. You can read it below:
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.[3]
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statues, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.
And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was no left but the tribe of Judah only.[4]
The southern kingdom of Judah fairs somewhat better depending on its kings and their obedience unto the Lord. They have several revivals and great repentances. Under the good King Jehoshaphat the Bible notes,
And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he (Jehoshaphat) took out of the land.[5]
Even though sodomy is today politically correct and the Supreme Court has made Gay marriage legal in all states, is it is Biblically correct? As much as I love and respect the friends of mine who battle with homosexual behavior, I cannot condone it; no matter how many laws are made in its defense. Why? Because there is a higher law speaking to me from God’s word and from the voice of conscience that tells me that such behavior is incorrect. biologically it just doesn’t fit. A nut and a bolt fit together, but two bolts don’t.
The Bible does not condone. Just as the many other moral restraints are placed in the Bible because of mankind’s tendency to sin, so is God’s word equivocal on this matter. I will treat homosexuals lovingly and respectfully. But I cannot condone their behavior and neither does God’s word.
Sodomy had been politically correct under Jehoshaphat’s father Asa. However, because King Jehoshaphat wants to serve God rather than man, he has the sodomites removed from the land. However his son, Manasseh, who reigns some fifty-five years in Jerusalem,
did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.[6]
Manasseh builds up again the high places which his good father had destroyed and the altars to Baal
and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them.[7] And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his sons pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.[8]
And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.[9] Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.[10]
Is the innocent blood which the Lord is talking about the children that were offered in child sacrifice? The Lord through Jeremiah the prophet condemns Judah saying,
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. [11]
In other words, the killing of the poor innocents was something that was done openly; the Lord did not need to make a secret search. The Lord said,
They have built the high places…, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.[12]
Isaiah prophesied years before,
Their feet run to do evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood.[13]
In the Psalms we find,
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel (the northern kingdom) hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah (the southern kingdom) saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, says the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.[1]
God was warning the southern Kingdom of Judah to not follow the way of the northern Kingdom of Israel. But even though Judah had seen what had happened to the Kingdom of Israel, she continued in her spiritual adultery. In Hosea we read:
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood.[2]
God himself compares the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah unto two harlot sisters. Even though Judah gets to observe the fate of the northern tribes of Israel and their destruction under the Assyrian empire, she refuses to change her ways but rather follows Israel’s bad example. The Bible shows us the parallel history of these two kingdoms, the northern ten tribes called Israel and the southern two tribes called Judah.
The northern ten tribes quickly forsake the true God of Abraham. They adopt Jeroboam’s new religious system and soon lose the blessing of God. Without God’s protection, they are defeated and conquered by the Assyrian Empire and taken away captive. In 722 BC their capital city Samaria is destroyed. The Northern Kingdom has around a 300 year history from the time of Saul. Other peoples are brought in to occupy the land. You can read it below:
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.[3]
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statues, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.
And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was no left but the tribe of Judah only.[4]
The southern kingdom of Judah fairs somewhat better depending on its kings and their obedience unto the Lord. They have several revivals and great repentances. Under the good King Jehoshaphat the Bible notes,
And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he (Jehoshaphat) took out of the land.[5]
Even though sodomy is today politically correct and the Supreme Court has made Gay marriage legal in all states, is it is Biblically correct? As much as I love and respect the friends of mine who battle with homosexual behavior, I cannot condone it; no matter how many laws are made in its defense. Why? Because there is a higher law speaking to me from God’s word and from the voice of conscience that tells me that such behavior is incorrect. biologically it just doesn’t fit. A nut and a bolt fit together, but two bolts don’t.
The Bible does not condone. Just as the many other moral restraints are placed in the Bible because of mankind’s tendency to sin, so is God’s word equivocal on this matter. I will treat homosexuals lovingly and respectfully. But I cannot condone their behavior and neither does God’s word.
Sodomy had been politically correct under Jehoshaphat’s father Asa. However, because King Jehoshaphat wants to serve God rather than man, he has the sodomites removed from the land. However his son, Manasseh, who reigns some fifty-five years in Jerusalem,
did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.[6]
Manasseh builds up again the high places which his good father had destroyed and the altars to Baal
and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them.[7] And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his sons pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.[8]
And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.[9] Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.[10]
Is the innocent blood which the Lord is talking about the children that were offered in child sacrifice? The Lord through Jeremiah the prophet condemns Judah saying,
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. [11]
In other words, the killing of the poor innocents was something that was done openly; the Lord did not need to make a secret search. The Lord said,
They have built the high places…, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.[12]
Isaiah prophesied years before,
Their feet run to do evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood.[13]
In the Psalms we find,
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with you, which frame mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. [14]
Manasseh and other kings made it legal to shed the innocent blood in child sacrifice. Hitler in Nazi Germany made it legal to kill Jews because they were legally non-persons. Hitler believed the Jews to be a race in the evolutionary scale between monkey and man. Today our government makes laws to permit abortion. We build abortion clinics and promote day-after pills. Are we condemning the innocent blood? What blood could be more innocent than that of an unborn child? Is God happy with our behavior and the laws we have made? Will we suffer the consequences? Even if the law says it’s alright, does that make it right in God’s eyes, the higher law?
At the end of the WW2, at the Nuremberg trials, some of the former Nazi leaders tried to use the fact that they were only following orders to escape prosecution and execution. They claimed that since the Jews were legally non-persons in Germany they had done nothing legally wrong. Utilitarianism, or the idea that what the society decides is right is right, had given the German people their new moral laws. Therefore, since the German law said that the Jew was not a legal person, how could the German soldiers be condemned? They were only following orders. One of the Judges contested that a “higher law” existed, and their actions had infringed upon that “higher law.”[15]
At the end of the WW2, at the Nuremberg trials, some of the former Nazi leaders tried to use the fact that they were only following orders to escape prosecution and execution. They claimed that since the Jews were legally non-persons in Germany they had done nothing legally wrong. Utilitarianism, or the idea that what the society decides is right is right, had given the German people their new moral laws. Therefore, since the German law said that the Jew was not a legal person, how could the German soldiers be condemned? They were only following orders. One of the Judges contested that a “higher law” existed, and their actions had infringed upon that “higher law.”[15]
Are we today as nations infringing upon those “higher laws?” Will we meet the same fate as Hitler’s leaders when we face the higher law giver?
[1] Jeremiah 3:6-11
[2] Hosea 4:1-2
[3] 2 Kings 17:5-13
[4] 2 Kings 17:15-18
[5] 1 Kings 22:46
[6] 2 Kings 21:2
[7] 2 Kings 21:3
[8] 2 Kings 21:5-6
[9] 2 Kings 21:9
[10] 2 Kings 21:16
[11] Jeremiah 2:34
[12] Jeremiah 7:31
[13] Isaiah 59:7
[14] Psalm 94:20-21
[15] http://www.wnd.com/2007/04/41028/
Chapter 37
[1] Jeremiah 3:6-11
[2] Hosea 4:1-2
[3] 2 Kings 17:5-13
[4] 2 Kings 17:15-18
[5] 1 Kings 22:46
[6] 2 Kings 21:2
[7] 2 Kings 21:3
[8] 2 Kings 21:5-6
[9] 2 Kings 21:9
[10] 2 Kings 21:16
[11] Jeremiah 2:34
[12] Jeremiah 7:31
[13] Isaiah 59:7
[14] Psalm 94:20-21
[15] http://www.wnd.com/2007/04/41028/
Chapter 37
Is Revival Possible?
By Dennis Edwards
During the reign of Josiah, Manasseh’s son, a revival takes place on the finding of
the book of the law in the house of the Lord.[1] And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.[2]
And thus begins a revival and returning back to the words of the Lord with the king leading the way. The king commands a cleansing of the temple of all the false gods.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.[3] … And he broke down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord.[4]
Again, we see that repentance and getting back to God causes the King to break down the houses of the sodomites in Jerusalem adjacent to the house of the Lord. Sodomy had been politically correct under his father and the sodomites had wielded considerable power and influence in as much as their houses were “by the house of the Lord.” But Josiah takes a stand against sodomy.
Is the homosexual community with its gay-lobby wielding excessive influence over our government, our entertainment industry and even our religious institutions, so much so that we accept gay marriage and child adoptions? Is God pleased with the decisions we have made? Have we gotten off center and are doing the following:
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter![5]
Josiah also stopped the worship of Molech:
that no man might make his son or daughter pass through the fire to Molech.[6]
The worship of Molech with its child sacrifice, as we have noted earlier, was similar to modern day man’s abortion clinics. By offering your child to Molech the gods promised you material blessing and wealth. Many of today’s modern day abortion or unborn child sacrifices are in affect because of financial problems the future child could cause. Therefore, we sacrifice or abort the unborn child to the God of Materialism in an attempt to maintain a certain financial status or to keep society from being burdened with the poor.
Interesting enough, when I looked up Molech on Google I found that the Babylonians did not practice child sacrifice in their religion. They were pantheistic and used divination and astrology, but they did not commit child sacrifice. Therefore, they were more righteous in God’s eyes than Israel. Israel had adopted the behavior of the Canaanites whom God had commanded the Israelites to utterly destroy. Again and again in the scriptures we see the Lord’s detest for the killing of innocent blood. God even called Nebuchadnezzar his razor. Josiah’s cleansing continues.
the book of the law in the house of the Lord.[1] And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.[2]
And thus begins a revival and returning back to the words of the Lord with the king leading the way. The king commands a cleansing of the temple of all the false gods.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.[3] … And he broke down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord.[4]
Again, we see that repentance and getting back to God causes the King to break down the houses of the sodomites in Jerusalem adjacent to the house of the Lord. Sodomy had been politically correct under his father and the sodomites had wielded considerable power and influence in as much as their houses were “by the house of the Lord.” But Josiah takes a stand against sodomy.
Is the homosexual community with its gay-lobby wielding excessive influence over our government, our entertainment industry and even our religious institutions, so much so that we accept gay marriage and child adoptions? Is God pleased with the decisions we have made? Have we gotten off center and are doing the following:
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter![5]
Josiah also stopped the worship of Molech:
that no man might make his son or daughter pass through the fire to Molech.[6]
The worship of Molech with its child sacrifice, as we have noted earlier, was similar to modern day man’s abortion clinics. By offering your child to Molech the gods promised you material blessing and wealth. Many of today’s modern day abortion or unborn child sacrifices are in affect because of financial problems the future child could cause. Therefore, we sacrifice or abort the unborn child to the God of Materialism in an attempt to maintain a certain financial status or to keep society from being burdened with the poor.
Interesting enough, when I looked up Molech on Google I found that the Babylonians did not practice child sacrifice in their religion. They were pantheistic and used divination and astrology, but they did not commit child sacrifice. Therefore, they were more righteous in God’s eyes than Israel. Israel had adopted the behavior of the Canaanites whom God had commanded the Israelites to utterly destroy. Again and again in the scriptures we see the Lord’s detest for the killing of innocent blood. God even called Nebuchadnezzar his razor. Josiah’s cleansing continues.
And slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars.[7]Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that the priest found in the house of the Lord.[8]
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.[9] And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.[10]
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.[9] And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.[10]
Could the innocent blood that the Lord is talking about, be the blood of the children offered in child sacrifice? What blood could be more innocent than that of a young child? Since the 1964 Supreme Court ruling making abortion legal, an estimated 50,000,000 unborn children have lost their lives in America alone.
Can God forget the bloodshed of the poor innocents? In Jerusalem he could not. Will he forgive America and other nations of the world for their similar sins? I think not. As the Lord said to Jeremiah,
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I have made thee a prophet unto the nations.[11]
After Josiah’s death in battle it is written,
And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.[12] And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day.[13]
We should note that even though the nation repented because of the affect of a righteous king, the repentance was short lived and the nation soon fell back into her evil ways.
[1] 2 Kings 22:8
[2] 2 Kings 22:11
[3] 2 Kings 23:5
[4] 2 Kings 23:7
[5] Isaiah 5:20
[6] 2 Kings 23:10
[7] 2 Kings 23:20
[8] 2 Kings 23:24
[9] 2 Kings 23:25-26
[10] 2 Kings 24:4
[11] Jeremiah 1:5
[12] 2 Chronicles 35:24
[13] 2 Chronicles 35:25
Chapter 38
Will We Also Be Buried In Profound Obscurity?
A Comparison between Ancient Israel and Modern Day America
By Dennis Edwards
After King Josiah’s death, four more kings rule for a short period of time in Jerusalem. The last king of what we would call ancient Israel is Zedekiah, the King of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, set up. But,
He (Zedekiah) did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen: and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place; but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy.[1]
Therefore, God brought upon them the King of Babylon, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man nor maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.[2]
And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.[3]
The destruction of Jerusalem occurred in 586 BC making the history of the Southern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah, from the time of Saul to be around 450 years. It is interesting to note that although the Babylonians had a pantheistic religion and used divination and astrology, they did not practice child sacrifice. The divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah had adopted this practice from the Canaanites whom God had commanded them to destroy. They failed in their mission and in the end took on the ungodly practices of the Canaanites which led to their own destruction.[4]
The reason I went through this brief history of Israel of old is to show the comparison or similarity between ancient Israel and the modern nation, the United States of America. Because of a few righteous men (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), God enters into relationship with Israel. Even so, her descendents are brought under bondage in an oppressive empire (Egypt), the world power of that day. They cry out to God for a deliverer and God sends them one (Moses). Through toil and suffering, he brings them forth into a new nation.
They must overcome the native people living in that land (Canaanites). But because of their obedience and righteousness, more than the nations around them, God blesses them and they become a rich and powerful nation (Israel under David and Solomon). But in their prosperity they forget God and in disobedience turn to their own understanding. God sends them warning after warning that they have gone astray, but generally they refuse to listen. Until one day sudden destruction comes upon them and their nation is destroyed. They, too, are carried away captive by their enemies.
Similar to the ancient Israelites, many of the founding fathers of the USA were religious peoples, like the Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom from the oppressive nations in Europe. Our founding fathers, too, must have cried out to God for deliverance as many were being persecuted, marginalized and even killed for their faith in their European homelands. But God makes a way of escape. Through much toil and suffering and danger, they cross the Atlantic Ocean, like the desert of Sinai, and God brings them forth into a new land.
They overcome the initial difficulties and God delivers them from the most powerful world power of their day (England). They prosper, becoming a new nation. As long as they obey God’s voice and keep his commandments, they are blessed. But in their prosperity, they forget their maker and begin to serve and cleave unto other God’s. They begin to do more outlandishly than even the nations that God destroyed before them.
In Ezekiel we read how the Lord would use Nebuchadnezzar as a razor to destroy Jerusalem. The Lord says,
Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.[5]
James Perloff, whom I mentioned in an earlier article, makes the same comparison between Israel of old and America in his book, The Shadows of Power:
Ancient Israel was founded as a land of God. It thrived and knew great power. But eventually it became engrossed with its material abundance, forgot the laws of God, grew weak, and was conquered, its people scattered abroad. Similarly, America was founded as a land of God, a Christian land. It became the freest and strongest nation on earth. But, like Biblical Israel, it too is losing sight of its religious roots, floundering in materialism. Will the United States also be conquered?[6]
Will America suffer the same short history as many nations before her? Daniel Webster, who lived from 1782 until 1852, the American orator and Secretary of State for three US Presidents warned,
If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is one to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper, but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.[7]
He also warned,
If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, then error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendency. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of this land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.[8]
Like the Bible verses I have quoted earlier,
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.[9] But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.[10]
Before ending this article, I want to digress to the words of Jeremiah the prophet, who lived during the last days before the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was called to his mission as “prophet of doom” in his youth. Because he exposes the sins of the nation, its priests and people, he is hated. If we listen to Jeremiah carefully, many of the Lord's pronouncements against the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel ring as warnings to America, a nation that knew God.
First of all, God calls Jeremiah, "a prophet unto the nations."[11] He is not just a prophet to Israel of old, but to all nations, especially those nations who had the knowledge of God, and forgot Him. He is a prophet to us today in the United States of America. We will look at just a few of his warnings and see how his judgments against ancient Israel can be applied to America. Here’s the first one.
And I brought you unto a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.[12]
In my Bible, the word "defiled" is footnoted as meaning "ruined." In a little less than four hundred years since the first Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620, we have managed to ruin "a plentiful country" and its goodness. We have also ruined many countries around the world where our international corporations have helped to pollute and or destroy the natural habitat of those countries. I am not going to go into a lengthy documentation of this fact, but I am sure you are not unaware of the growing "Green" movement worldwide. We could mention nuclear arms and nuclear energy plants as part of the defiling of the land. We could mention Monsanto’s pesticides and herbicides used in farming which have entered into the water system. The topic of pollution could be a long draw out article, but that is not my object here, but just to draw similarities between ancient Israel and America today. The truth is that God's pronouncements against Israel apply to us today here in America.
Let's continue from Jeremiah:
The priest said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handled the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.[13]
Where are the men of God admonishing us to get back to God? Where are the men of God telling us we are going down to wrong path? We do not want to hear it, but as Paul said, and I have mentioned in an earlier chapter:
For the time will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.[14]
Remember the definition from Wikipedia:
Itching ears is a term used in the Bible to describe individuals who seeks out messages and doctrines that condones their own lifestyle, as opposed to adhering to the teachings of the apostles.[15]
You see Paul taught the whole counsel of God, not just the part that was easy to digest. But he warned that after his departing grievous or savage wolves would enter in as false pastors not sparing or having mercy on the flock, and would speak perverse things, contrary to sound doctrine, drawing away disciples after them.[16]
But today, we want to hear a politically correct gospel that does not offend anyone. We do not want the whole counsel of God. It’s too difficult to defend and may give us persecution or cause us condemnation by others. Like Angelina Jolie, we want to talk about the power of forgiveness without talking about He who has the power to forgive us our sins, without talking about He who gives us power to forgive and to overcome. We want the gift, without the giver. We want to talk about love, without talking about the source of that love, Jesus Christ.
When I as a youth in the early 1970’s had my epiphany experience and a supernatural love flooded into my being, I knew that love was the answer. But my first question was, where does this love come from? Was this what Jesus was all about? I began my search for the source of that all empowering love, a love that changed me from a introspective, depressive, pessimistic youth into a happy, outgoing, optimistic youth. Because at that time I had rejected Catholicism and Protestantism, I searched into other “isms.” But I did not find the answer in Eric Fromm’s love psychology, nor in the “Be Here Now” of transcendental meditation, nor in Siddhartha’s “Eight-fold Path,” nor in yoga, organic foods, or Judaism. I found some truths in each one, but not the truth.
It was not until November 7th, 1971 when the two hitch-hikers I picked up coming out of Columbus, Ohio led me in the sinner’s prayer and I accepted Jesus as my savior and asked him into my heart that I finally found the source of love, Jesus Christ. That same day I prayed that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide into all truth. It was at that point where I began to read and study the Bible, especially the words of Jesus in the Gospels. I fell in love with Jesus and hungrily devoured and absorbed his word. I was as a new born babe desiring the sincere milk of the word as Peter so aptly phrased.[17] It was that prayer and constant study of God’s word and applying it to my life which has led me to the conclusions I am presenting to you today.
If you are interested in the subject of God’s warnings to ancient Israel, read and study the book of Jeremiah in the Bible and apply its condemnation to America, a nation that knew God and was blessed because of it.
America, as well as every other nation that forgets God, is and shall continue to suffer the consequences of rejecting the truths found in God’s word. We as a nation and as a world are headed for destruction because of the hardening of our hearts to the Biblical truths.
And you? Will you turn back to God with all your heart, mind and soul? Or will you continue wandering in no-man’s land on the eve of destruction. Jesus is only a prayer away. Call upon him. He will not disappoint you, but will lead you in the way, the truth and the life. He’s promised to, if you seek him with all your heart. He says,
Call upon me and I will answer you.[18]
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [19]
[1] 2 Chronicles 36:12-16
[2] 2 Chronicles 36:18
[3] 2 Chronicles 36:19-20
[4] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10937-moloch-molech
[5] Ezekiel 5:5-11(Read Ezekiel 5:1-4 also.)
[6] James Perloff, The Shadows of Power, Western Islands Publishers, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1988, p. 221
[7] http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/31180.Daniel_Webster
[8] Ibid
[9] Psalm 9:17
[10] Jeremiah 12:17
[11] Jeremiah 1:5
[12] Jeremiah 2:7
[13] Jeremiah 2:8
[14] 2 Timothy 4:3-4
[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itching_ears
[16] Acts 20:27-30
[17] 1 Peter 2:2
[18] Jeremiah 33:3
[19] Jeremiah 29:13
Chapter 39
[1] 2 Kings 22:8
[2] 2 Kings 22:11
[3] 2 Kings 23:5
[4] 2 Kings 23:7
[5] Isaiah 5:20
[6] 2 Kings 23:10
[7] 2 Kings 23:20
[8] 2 Kings 23:24
[9] 2 Kings 23:25-26
[10] 2 Kings 24:4
[11] Jeremiah 1:5
[12] 2 Chronicles 35:24
[13] 2 Chronicles 35:25
Chapter 38
Will We Also Be Buried In Profound Obscurity?
A Comparison between Ancient Israel and Modern Day America
By Dennis Edwards
After King Josiah’s death, four more kings rule for a short period of time in Jerusalem. The last king of what we would call ancient Israel is Zedekiah, the King of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, set up. But,
He (Zedekiah) did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen: and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place; but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy.[1]
Therefore, God brought upon them the King of Babylon, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man nor maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.[2]
And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.[3]
The destruction of Jerusalem occurred in 586 BC making the history of the Southern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah, from the time of Saul to be around 450 years. It is interesting to note that although the Babylonians had a pantheistic religion and used divination and astrology, they did not practice child sacrifice. The divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah had adopted this practice from the Canaanites whom God had commanded them to destroy. They failed in their mission and in the end took on the ungodly practices of the Canaanites which led to their own destruction.[4]
The reason I went through this brief history of Israel of old is to show the comparison or similarity between ancient Israel and the modern nation, the United States of America. Because of a few righteous men (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), God enters into relationship with Israel. Even so, her descendents are brought under bondage in an oppressive empire (Egypt), the world power of that day. They cry out to God for a deliverer and God sends them one (Moses). Through toil and suffering, he brings them forth into a new nation.
They must overcome the native people living in that land (Canaanites). But because of their obedience and righteousness, more than the nations around them, God blesses them and they become a rich and powerful nation (Israel under David and Solomon). But in their prosperity they forget God and in disobedience turn to their own understanding. God sends them warning after warning that they have gone astray, but generally they refuse to listen. Until one day sudden destruction comes upon them and their nation is destroyed. They, too, are carried away captive by their enemies.
Similar to the ancient Israelites, many of the founding fathers of the USA were religious peoples, like the Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom from the oppressive nations in Europe. Our founding fathers, too, must have cried out to God for deliverance as many were being persecuted, marginalized and even killed for their faith in their European homelands. But God makes a way of escape. Through much toil and suffering and danger, they cross the Atlantic Ocean, like the desert of Sinai, and God brings them forth into a new land.
They overcome the initial difficulties and God delivers them from the most powerful world power of their day (England). They prosper, becoming a new nation. As long as they obey God’s voice and keep his commandments, they are blessed. But in their prosperity, they forget their maker and begin to serve and cleave unto other God’s. They begin to do more outlandishly than even the nations that God destroyed before them.
In Ezekiel we read how the Lord would use Nebuchadnezzar as a razor to destroy Jerusalem. The Lord says,
Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.[5]
James Perloff, whom I mentioned in an earlier article, makes the same comparison between Israel of old and America in his book, The Shadows of Power:
Ancient Israel was founded as a land of God. It thrived and knew great power. But eventually it became engrossed with its material abundance, forgot the laws of God, grew weak, and was conquered, its people scattered abroad. Similarly, America was founded as a land of God, a Christian land. It became the freest and strongest nation on earth. But, like Biblical Israel, it too is losing sight of its religious roots, floundering in materialism. Will the United States also be conquered?[6]
Will America suffer the same short history as many nations before her? Daniel Webster, who lived from 1782 until 1852, the American orator and Secretary of State for three US Presidents warned,
If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is one to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper, but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.[7]
He also warned,
If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, then error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendency. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of this land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.[8]
Like the Bible verses I have quoted earlier,
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.[9] But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.[10]
Before ending this article, I want to digress to the words of Jeremiah the prophet, who lived during the last days before the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was called to his mission as “prophet of doom” in his youth. Because he exposes the sins of the nation, its priests and people, he is hated. If we listen to Jeremiah carefully, many of the Lord's pronouncements against the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel ring as warnings to America, a nation that knew God.
First of all, God calls Jeremiah, "a prophet unto the nations."[11] He is not just a prophet to Israel of old, but to all nations, especially those nations who had the knowledge of God, and forgot Him. He is a prophet to us today in the United States of America. We will look at just a few of his warnings and see how his judgments against ancient Israel can be applied to America. Here’s the first one.
And I brought you unto a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.[12]
In my Bible, the word "defiled" is footnoted as meaning "ruined." In a little less than four hundred years since the first Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620, we have managed to ruin "a plentiful country" and its goodness. We have also ruined many countries around the world where our international corporations have helped to pollute and or destroy the natural habitat of those countries. I am not going to go into a lengthy documentation of this fact, but I am sure you are not unaware of the growing "Green" movement worldwide. We could mention nuclear arms and nuclear energy plants as part of the defiling of the land. We could mention Monsanto’s pesticides and herbicides used in farming which have entered into the water system. The topic of pollution could be a long draw out article, but that is not my object here, but just to draw similarities between ancient Israel and America today. The truth is that God's pronouncements against Israel apply to us today here in America.
Let's continue from Jeremiah:
The priest said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handled the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.[13]
Where are the men of God admonishing us to get back to God? Where are the men of God telling us we are going down to wrong path? We do not want to hear it, but as Paul said, and I have mentioned in an earlier chapter:
For the time will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.[14]
Remember the definition from Wikipedia:
Itching ears is a term used in the Bible to describe individuals who seeks out messages and doctrines that condones their own lifestyle, as opposed to adhering to the teachings of the apostles.[15]
You see Paul taught the whole counsel of God, not just the part that was easy to digest. But he warned that after his departing grievous or savage wolves would enter in as false pastors not sparing or having mercy on the flock, and would speak perverse things, contrary to sound doctrine, drawing away disciples after them.[16]
But today, we want to hear a politically correct gospel that does not offend anyone. We do not want the whole counsel of God. It’s too difficult to defend and may give us persecution or cause us condemnation by others. Like Angelina Jolie, we want to talk about the power of forgiveness without talking about He who has the power to forgive us our sins, without talking about He who gives us power to forgive and to overcome. We want the gift, without the giver. We want to talk about love, without talking about the source of that love, Jesus Christ.
When I as a youth in the early 1970’s had my epiphany experience and a supernatural love flooded into my being, I knew that love was the answer. But my first question was, where does this love come from? Was this what Jesus was all about? I began my search for the source of that all empowering love, a love that changed me from a introspective, depressive, pessimistic youth into a happy, outgoing, optimistic youth. Because at that time I had rejected Catholicism and Protestantism, I searched into other “isms.” But I did not find the answer in Eric Fromm’s love psychology, nor in the “Be Here Now” of transcendental meditation, nor in Siddhartha’s “Eight-fold Path,” nor in yoga, organic foods, or Judaism. I found some truths in each one, but not the truth.
It was not until November 7th, 1971 when the two hitch-hikers I picked up coming out of Columbus, Ohio led me in the sinner’s prayer and I accepted Jesus as my savior and asked him into my heart that I finally found the source of love, Jesus Christ. That same day I prayed that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide into all truth. It was at that point where I began to read and study the Bible, especially the words of Jesus in the Gospels. I fell in love with Jesus and hungrily devoured and absorbed his word. I was as a new born babe desiring the sincere milk of the word as Peter so aptly phrased.[17] It was that prayer and constant study of God’s word and applying it to my life which has led me to the conclusions I am presenting to you today.
If you are interested in the subject of God’s warnings to ancient Israel, read and study the book of Jeremiah in the Bible and apply its condemnation to America, a nation that knew God and was blessed because of it.
America, as well as every other nation that forgets God, is and shall continue to suffer the consequences of rejecting the truths found in God’s word. We as a nation and as a world are headed for destruction because of the hardening of our hearts to the Biblical truths.
And you? Will you turn back to God with all your heart, mind and soul? Or will you continue wandering in no-man’s land on the eve of destruction. Jesus is only a prayer away. Call upon him. He will not disappoint you, but will lead you in the way, the truth and the life. He’s promised to, if you seek him with all your heart. He says,
Call upon me and I will answer you.[18]
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [19]
[1] 2 Chronicles 36:12-16
[2] 2 Chronicles 36:18
[3] 2 Chronicles 36:19-20
[4] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10937-moloch-molech
[5] Ezekiel 5:5-11(Read Ezekiel 5:1-4 also.)
[6] James Perloff, The Shadows of Power, Western Islands Publishers, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1988, p. 221
[7] http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/31180.Daniel_Webster
[8] Ibid
[9] Psalm 9:17
[10] Jeremiah 12:17
[11] Jeremiah 1:5
[12] Jeremiah 2:7
[13] Jeremiah 2:8
[14] 2 Timothy 4:3-4
[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itching_ears
[16] Acts 20:27-30
[17] 1 Peter 2:2
[18] Jeremiah 33:3
[19] Jeremiah 29:13
Chapter 39
Paul’s Understanding and Vision for a New Nation
By Dennis Edwards
Paul, understanding the prophecies of Isaiah that God is calling out a new group of believers scattered among the Gentile nations, brings the message of salvation to them and begins to call them, the new Gentile converts, the people of God. In writing to the Christian believers in Rome he says,
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.[1]
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul likens the new Gentile believers to Isaac, the seed of Sarah, or the seed of faith. He likens the physical Jewish nation to Ishmael, the seed of Agar, the father of the Arab nations, and the seed of the flesh.
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are two covenants; the one from mount Sinai, which genders to bondage, which is Agar.[2]
For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she which has an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.[3]
Paul was receiving persecution from the non-Christian Jews, but also criticism from the converted Jews who still thought it necessary to keep the Laws of Moses. In Galatians Paul talks about the incident which happened in Antioch where Peter had been eating and drinking with the converted Gentiles. However, upon the arrival of some of the converted Jews from Jerusalem who still also kept the Law, Peter withdrew himself. We will read from Galatians:
But when Peter was come up to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James (in Jerusalem), he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision (which had come from Jerusalem), and the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried with their dissimulation.[4]
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?[5]
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.[6]
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.[7]
Paul is very strongly telling us that if we can continue to save ourselves by obedience to church religious laws, then Christ has died for nothing. Paul was strongly against the circumcision movement in Jerusalem which believed in keeping the Law, while believing in Christ. It was Paul’s compromise with James on this very point which led to his arrest in Jerusalem which we can read in the book of Acts. Even though various prophets have warned Paul about the dangers that await him in Jerusalem, Paul is set on the visit.
And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.[8]
Paul was actually teaching the law of Christ instead of the laws of Moses and should have stood his ground and defended his stand. But in this case, even the great apostle Paul shows himself to be as human as Peter. Under the pressure of James, the brother of Jesus, who was then the head of the Jerusalem church, Paul compromised and agreed to show that he also walked orderly according to the law.
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed of thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.[9]
Perhaps Paul was hoping that by doing so he would have more of a chance to share the truth of the gospel with the law keeping Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. But he never gets the chance in person. Paul’s compromise leads to a riot and eventually to his arrest by the Roman authorities.
In Galatians Paul likens the Jewish nation after the flesh to the sons of Agar, the bondwoman of Abraham who brought forth the Arab nations. He likens the newly converted Gentile Christians to the sons of Sarah the free-woman and real wife of Abraham who brought forth the seed of faith.
Nevertheless what says the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free.[10]
The Gentile Christians who are not keeping the laws of Moses but Christ’s law of love, and are justified only by faith in Christ, are the children of Abraham, the children of faith. As Cain persecuted Abel, as Esau with Jacob, the false church has always persecuted the true believers.
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.[11]
Paul goes on to say,
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heir’s according to the promise. [12] For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.[13] But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.[14]
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.[15]
Paul is calling us not to be rule keeping religious people, but spirit filled believers motivated by Jesus’ law of love. Which are you, a rule keeping religious person, or a love filled Child of God?
[1] Romans 2:28-29
[2] Galatians 4:22-24
[3] Galatians 4:25-29
[4] Galatians 2:11-13
[5] Galatians 2:14
[6] Galatians 2:16
[7] Galatians 2:21
[8] Acts 21:17-21
[9] Acts 21:23-24
[10] Galatians 4:30-31
[11] Galatians 4:29
[12] Galatians 3:29
[13] Galatians 5:6-14
[14] Galatians 5:18
[15] Galatians 5:19-23
Chapter 40
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.[1]
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul likens the new Gentile believers to Isaac, the seed of Sarah, or the seed of faith. He likens the physical Jewish nation to Ishmael, the seed of Agar, the father of the Arab nations, and the seed of the flesh.
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are two covenants; the one from mount Sinai, which genders to bondage, which is Agar.[2]
For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she which has an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.[3]
Paul was receiving persecution from the non-Christian Jews, but also criticism from the converted Jews who still thought it necessary to keep the Laws of Moses. In Galatians Paul talks about the incident which happened in Antioch where Peter had been eating and drinking with the converted Gentiles. However, upon the arrival of some of the converted Jews from Jerusalem who still also kept the Law, Peter withdrew himself. We will read from Galatians:
But when Peter was come up to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James (in Jerusalem), he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision (which had come from Jerusalem), and the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried with their dissimulation.[4]
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?[5]
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.[6]
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.[7]
Paul is very strongly telling us that if we can continue to save ourselves by obedience to church religious laws, then Christ has died for nothing. Paul was strongly against the circumcision movement in Jerusalem which believed in keeping the Law, while believing in Christ. It was Paul’s compromise with James on this very point which led to his arrest in Jerusalem which we can read in the book of Acts. Even though various prophets have warned Paul about the dangers that await him in Jerusalem, Paul is set on the visit.
And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.[8]
Paul was actually teaching the law of Christ instead of the laws of Moses and should have stood his ground and defended his stand. But in this case, even the great apostle Paul shows himself to be as human as Peter. Under the pressure of James, the brother of Jesus, who was then the head of the Jerusalem church, Paul compromised and agreed to show that he also walked orderly according to the law.
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed of thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.[9]
Perhaps Paul was hoping that by doing so he would have more of a chance to share the truth of the gospel with the law keeping Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. But he never gets the chance in person. Paul’s compromise leads to a riot and eventually to his arrest by the Roman authorities.
In Galatians Paul likens the Jewish nation after the flesh to the sons of Agar, the bondwoman of Abraham who brought forth the Arab nations. He likens the newly converted Gentile Christians to the sons of Sarah the free-woman and real wife of Abraham who brought forth the seed of faith.
Nevertheless what says the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free.[10]
The Gentile Christians who are not keeping the laws of Moses but Christ’s law of love, and are justified only by faith in Christ, are the children of Abraham, the children of faith. As Cain persecuted Abel, as Esau with Jacob, the false church has always persecuted the true believers.
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.[11]
Paul goes on to say,
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heir’s according to the promise. [12] For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.[13] But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.[14]
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.[15]
Paul is calling us not to be rule keeping religious people, but spirit filled believers motivated by Jesus’ law of love. Which are you, a rule keeping religious person, or a love filled Child of God?
[1] Romans 2:28-29
[2] Galatians 4:22-24
[3] Galatians 4:25-29
[4] Galatians 2:11-13
[5] Galatians 2:14
[6] Galatians 2:16
[7] Galatians 2:21
[8] Acts 21:17-21
[9] Acts 21:23-24
[10] Galatians 4:30-31
[11] Galatians 4:29
[12] Galatians 3:29
[13] Galatians 5:6-14
[14] Galatians 5:18
[15] Galatians 5:19-23
Chapter 40
Jesus and a New Spiritual Israel!
By Dennis Edwards
Jesus makes a similar comparison in a discourse with the scribes and Pharisees at the time they bring unto him the woman who was found “taken in adultery, in the very act.”[1] The scribes and Pharisees want to condemn her to death by stoning which was written in the Law of Moses. But Jesus says unto them,
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.[2] And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one.[3]
Jesus tells them that they judge after the flesh. He tells them they are not behaving as children of Abraham because they are seeking to kill him,
a man who has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.[4] They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.[5]
Jesus goes on and says,
You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do.[6]He that is of God hears God’s words, you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.[7]
Jesus is showing that the children of the flesh are not really the children of God. It is the children of the Spirit who listen and hear and obey God’s word and God’s voice of conscience in their heart who are the real children of faith. As we find in Hebrews,
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.[8]
In Jeremiah we read,
For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youths even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.[9]
The point I am trying to make here is like what Jesus said,
The flesh profits nothing.[10]
God’s kingdom is not a fleshly kingdom of flesh and blood, but a spiritual kingdom of those born of the spirit. One night during Jesus’ ministry a ruler of the Jews and member of the Sanhedrin came to Jesus secretly to know him more personally. Let us read from the New Testament:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?[11]
Jesus begins talking to Nicodemus about the importance of the spiritual birth. Nicodemus does not seem to be getting the point even though he is an important religious leader and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.[12]
Here Jesus is making a talking about the two types of birth; the physical or water birth and the spiritual birth. It behooves us to seek for God. God promises that if we seek for him with all our hearts, we shall find Him.[13]
Jesus said we should
hunger and thirst after righteousness.[14]
He goes on to talk to Nicodemus.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?[15]
Have you experienced that birth of the Spirit? Paul tells us
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, everything is made new.[16]
Jesus said,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[17]
Are you longing for personal fellowship with a love that will never let you go, never disappoint you, never leave you, nor forsake you?[18] Then call upon the name of the Lord,
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.[19]
You could say a little prayer like the following from your heart:
Jesus, I need your help. I have gotten to the point that I just cannot go on any more. Please, reach down and touch me. Cleanse me from those things that are offensive in my life, where I have screwed up. Make me knew. Give me a new start and a new heart. In Jesus’ name I pray.
If you’d prayed that little pray or one like it, God has promised to answer and come into your heart, your life. As you draw closer to him, He will manifest himself unto you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.[20]
[1] John 8:4
[2] John 8:7
[3] John 8:9
[4] John 8:40
[5] John 8:39
[6] John 8:41-44
[7] John 8:47
[8] Hebrews 4:2
[9] Jeremiah 3:25
[10] John 6:63
[11] John 3:1-4
[12] John 3:5-7
[13] Jeremiah 29:13
[14] Matthew 5:6
[15] John 3:8-10
[16] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[17] Revelation 3:20
[18] Hebrews 13:5
[19] Romans 10:13
[20] James 4:8
Chapter 41
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.[2] And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one.[3]
Jesus tells them that they judge after the flesh. He tells them they are not behaving as children of Abraham because they are seeking to kill him,
a man who has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.[4] They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.[5]
Jesus goes on and says,
You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do.[6]He that is of God hears God’s words, you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.[7]
Jesus is showing that the children of the flesh are not really the children of God. It is the children of the Spirit who listen and hear and obey God’s word and God’s voice of conscience in their heart who are the real children of faith. As we find in Hebrews,
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.[8]
In Jeremiah we read,
For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youths even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.[9]
The point I am trying to make here is like what Jesus said,
The flesh profits nothing.[10]
God’s kingdom is not a fleshly kingdom of flesh and blood, but a spiritual kingdom of those born of the spirit. One night during Jesus’ ministry a ruler of the Jews and member of the Sanhedrin came to Jesus secretly to know him more personally. Let us read from the New Testament:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?[11]
Jesus begins talking to Nicodemus about the importance of the spiritual birth. Nicodemus does not seem to be getting the point even though he is an important religious leader and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.[12]
Here Jesus is making a talking about the two types of birth; the physical or water birth and the spiritual birth. It behooves us to seek for God. God promises that if we seek for him with all our hearts, we shall find Him.[13]
Jesus said we should
hunger and thirst after righteousness.[14]
He goes on to talk to Nicodemus.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?[15]
Have you experienced that birth of the Spirit? Paul tells us
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, everything is made new.[16]
Jesus said,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[17]
Are you longing for personal fellowship with a love that will never let you go, never disappoint you, never leave you, nor forsake you?[18] Then call upon the name of the Lord,
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.[19]
You could say a little prayer like the following from your heart:
Jesus, I need your help. I have gotten to the point that I just cannot go on any more. Please, reach down and touch me. Cleanse me from those things that are offensive in my life, where I have screwed up. Make me knew. Give me a new start and a new heart. In Jesus’ name I pray.
If you’d prayed that little pray or one like it, God has promised to answer and come into your heart, your life. As you draw closer to him, He will manifest himself unto you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.[20]
[1] John 8:4
[2] John 8:7
[3] John 8:9
[4] John 8:40
[5] John 8:39
[6] John 8:41-44
[7] John 8:47
[8] Hebrews 4:2
[9] Jeremiah 3:25
[10] John 6:63
[11] John 3:1-4
[12] John 3:5-7
[13] Jeremiah 29:13
[14] Matthew 5:6
[15] John 3:8-10
[16] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[17] Revelation 3:20
[18] Hebrews 13:5
[19] Romans 10:13
[20] James 4:8
Chapter 41
To Believe or not to Believe, That is the Question? Or The Evolution Connection!
By Dennis Edwards
Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901—the longest reign of any British monarch in history. Queen Elisabeth ll will surpass that period, if she remains Queen until September 11th, 2015. Explaining England’s great success as a nineteen century nation, Victoria once said,
England has become great and happy by the knowledge of the true God through Jesus Christ . . . This is the secret of England's greatness.[1]
But England did not stay great for long. For it was during Queen Victoria’s very reign that the seeds of destruction were planted, grew and multiplied. In the early and mid-eighteen hundreds, following such men like Darwin, the great empire accepted the false theories of naturalism and evolution. Through the acceptance of these doctrines England ate the fruit which would lead to her own downfall.
Naturalism is the idea that all reality can and should be explained by natural non-guided forces. Naturalism denies the existence of the supernatural or states that if the supernatural exists, it does not interfere with the natural world. James Hutton and Charles Lyell were the advocates or promoters of naturalism in science, which is called uniformitarianism. Darwin and Lyell were close friends. Darwin even wrote that it seemed like his thesis, the Origins, came out of the mind of Lyell.
Uniformitarianism is the idea that geological features should and could be explained by present day natural forces at their present day rates and not by a worldwide flood. Lyell said his goal was to get “Moses out of science.” He trained as a lawyer and used his lawyer’s power of persuasion to cleverly promote Hutton’s ideas in his very popular “Principles of Geology.”
It is interesting to note that Apostle Peter writing to the early church in order to
stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance,[2]
said the following:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.[3]
The idea of uniformitarianism, or the idea that all things have continued as they were from the beginning of the creation, ignores the Global Flood. It states that the slow processes that we see today, such as wind and water erosion, are accountable for forming over millions of years all the geological features found in nature.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.[4]
Hutton and Lyell willing ignored the evidence of a worldwide flood which had been the traditional way the geological features were interpreted up until the end of the eighteenth century. They did so because they had an agenda to get “Moses out of science,” and not because of scientific evidence based on reason. Twentieth century evolutionary scientist Derek Agar, an atheist, wrote the following about that very event:
My excuse for this lengthy and amateur digression into history is that I have been trying to show how I think geology got into the hands of the theoreticians (Hutton and Lyell) who were conditioned by social and political history of their day more than by observations in the field…In other words, we have allowed ourselves to be brain-washed into avoiding any interpretation of the past that involves extreme and what might be termed ‘catastrophic’ processes![5]
The evolutionists wanted to avoid “catastrophic” processes, because that is what the creationists were advocating with their interpretation of the geological column as a result of the Global Flood and not “millions of years” of slow evolutionary history. Stephen Jay Gould, a formerly foremost evolutionary American scientist, made the comment about Charles Lyell’s uniformitarianism in his remarks concerning the famous “Great Scablands Debate.” During the “Great Scablands Debate” of the early 1920s, a scientist named Bretz presented a paper questioning the uniformitarian interpretation of the geological features found in the “Great Scablands.” Gould comments on the reaction of the American scientific “establishment” to this “creationist” idea.
The ‘establishment,’ as represented by the United States Geological Society, closed ranks in opposition (to Bretz)…. Instead of testing Bretz’s flood on its own merits, they rejected it on general principles (because it sounded too much like the Global Flood of the Bible)… Bretz stood against a firm, highly restrictive (uniformitarian) dogma that never had made any sense: the emperor had been naked for a century. Charles Lyell, the godfather of geological gradualism, had pulled a fast one in establishing the doctrine of imperceptible change.[6]
Bretz presented his scientific and evidence based papers on the Great Scablands from 1923 until 1979. It was not until 1979 that the scientific community was finally willing to accept his conclusions.[7] Their uniformitarian bias had prevented them from accepting Bretz’s conclusions earlier, because his interpretation could be considered as evidence for the Global Flood. They could not allow a Divine foot in the door.[8]
But, eventually, the overwhelming scientific evidence of catastrophism, the idea that some type of catastrophic events caused much of the geological features that we find today, won the day. Modern day evolutionists have, therefore, modified their theory to include periodical catastrophes. It’s part of the Neo-Darwinist evolutionary theory. But they have adamantly held to “millions of years,” because without “millions of years” evolution would be bankrupt. The Apostle Peter warns us that the day of reckoning will finally come for all mankind.
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.[9]
Man prefers living his life free from the idea that there will be a judgment. The famous nineteen century writer Aldous Huxley confessed he wanted to be free from the religious restraints so that he could behave himself in whatever manner he wished in order to fulfill his sexual desires. Huxley was the grandson of one of Darwin’s closest friends, Thomas Huxley, often referred to as Darwin’s bulldog. Grandson Aldous, following his grandfather’s conclusions, made the following apology, which I believe I mentioned in an earlier chapter:
England has become great and happy by the knowledge of the true God through Jesus Christ . . . This is the secret of England's greatness.[1]
But England did not stay great for long. For it was during Queen Victoria’s very reign that the seeds of destruction were planted, grew and multiplied. In the early and mid-eighteen hundreds, following such men like Darwin, the great empire accepted the false theories of naturalism and evolution. Through the acceptance of these doctrines England ate the fruit which would lead to her own downfall.
Naturalism is the idea that all reality can and should be explained by natural non-guided forces. Naturalism denies the existence of the supernatural or states that if the supernatural exists, it does not interfere with the natural world. James Hutton and Charles Lyell were the advocates or promoters of naturalism in science, which is called uniformitarianism. Darwin and Lyell were close friends. Darwin even wrote that it seemed like his thesis, the Origins, came out of the mind of Lyell.
Uniformitarianism is the idea that geological features should and could be explained by present day natural forces at their present day rates and not by a worldwide flood. Lyell said his goal was to get “Moses out of science.” He trained as a lawyer and used his lawyer’s power of persuasion to cleverly promote Hutton’s ideas in his very popular “Principles of Geology.”
It is interesting to note that Apostle Peter writing to the early church in order to
stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance,[2]
said the following:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.[3]
The idea of uniformitarianism, or the idea that all things have continued as they were from the beginning of the creation, ignores the Global Flood. It states that the slow processes that we see today, such as wind and water erosion, are accountable for forming over millions of years all the geological features found in nature.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.[4]
Hutton and Lyell willing ignored the evidence of a worldwide flood which had been the traditional way the geological features were interpreted up until the end of the eighteenth century. They did so because they had an agenda to get “Moses out of science,” and not because of scientific evidence based on reason. Twentieth century evolutionary scientist Derek Agar, an atheist, wrote the following about that very event:
My excuse for this lengthy and amateur digression into history is that I have been trying to show how I think geology got into the hands of the theoreticians (Hutton and Lyell) who were conditioned by social and political history of their day more than by observations in the field…In other words, we have allowed ourselves to be brain-washed into avoiding any interpretation of the past that involves extreme and what might be termed ‘catastrophic’ processes![5]
The evolutionists wanted to avoid “catastrophic” processes, because that is what the creationists were advocating with their interpretation of the geological column as a result of the Global Flood and not “millions of years” of slow evolutionary history. Stephen Jay Gould, a formerly foremost evolutionary American scientist, made the comment about Charles Lyell’s uniformitarianism in his remarks concerning the famous “Great Scablands Debate.” During the “Great Scablands Debate” of the early 1920s, a scientist named Bretz presented a paper questioning the uniformitarian interpretation of the geological features found in the “Great Scablands.” Gould comments on the reaction of the American scientific “establishment” to this “creationist” idea.
The ‘establishment,’ as represented by the United States Geological Society, closed ranks in opposition (to Bretz)…. Instead of testing Bretz’s flood on its own merits, they rejected it on general principles (because it sounded too much like the Global Flood of the Bible)… Bretz stood against a firm, highly restrictive (uniformitarian) dogma that never had made any sense: the emperor had been naked for a century. Charles Lyell, the godfather of geological gradualism, had pulled a fast one in establishing the doctrine of imperceptible change.[6]
Bretz presented his scientific and evidence based papers on the Great Scablands from 1923 until 1979. It was not until 1979 that the scientific community was finally willing to accept his conclusions.[7] Their uniformitarian bias had prevented them from accepting Bretz’s conclusions earlier, because his interpretation could be considered as evidence for the Global Flood. They could not allow a Divine foot in the door.[8]
But, eventually, the overwhelming scientific evidence of catastrophism, the idea that some type of catastrophic events caused much of the geological features that we find today, won the day. Modern day evolutionists have, therefore, modified their theory to include periodical catastrophes. It’s part of the Neo-Darwinist evolutionary theory. But they have adamantly held to “millions of years,” because without “millions of years” evolution would be bankrupt. The Apostle Peter warns us that the day of reckoning will finally come for all mankind.
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.[9]
Man prefers living his life free from the idea that there will be a judgment. The famous nineteen century writer Aldous Huxley confessed he wanted to be free from the religious restraints so that he could behave himself in whatever manner he wished in order to fulfill his sexual desires. Huxley was the grandson of one of Darwin’s closest friends, Thomas Huxley, often referred to as Darwin’s bulldog. Grandson Aldous, following his grandfather’s conclusions, made the following apology, which I believe I mentioned in an earlier chapter:
I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning, consequently assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do. . . For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.[10]
So we find during the early 19th century a rising tide of intellectualism away from the Bible and faith and away from the traditional Christian interpretations in science. With the acceptance of millions of years of naturalism and then evolution, the wedge against faith had been laid and soon the whole house began to fall. In the Psalms we read,
If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?[11]
Naturalism, uniformitarianism, and evolution were the philosophical ideas, though dressed in scientific garb, which attacked the foundation of Christianity. It is in the very book of Genesis that we find the record of creation, the fall of man, the Genesis Flood, the Tower of Babel, the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the need for a Redeemer. Right from Genesis we see the need of salvation, the need of redemption. Through the Bible history we see man’s failure as individuals and as nations to follow God. We see man’s failure to live in harmony with God and one another. We see man’s pathetic and despondent condition without God. However, it is in the New Testament, through the life of Christ, that we gain hope once again. We read the beautiful words from the mouth of the Messiah and his apostles and gain strength to continue on in the weary world we find ourselves. Like Einstein said,
I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.[12]
But today our families and our nations are reaping the fruits of having our Christian foundations destroyed by these false philosophies. We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind.[13] In other words, we have sown vain, empty, foolish doctrines of men and are reaping the resulting moral chaos that threatens to bring down our entire formally Christian culture. Jesus said,
But today our families and our nations are reaping the fruits of having our Christian foundations destroyed by these false philosophies. We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind.[13] In other words, we have sown vain, empty, foolish doctrines of men and are reaping the resulting moral chaos that threatens to bring down our entire formally Christian culture. Jesus said,
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?[14]
We as a nation no longer believe the writings of Moses. We have rejected the historicity of the book of Genesis and no longer believe the words of Jesus. It is foolishness unto us. As a result, are we experiencing the “falling away” spoken of by Apostle Paul?
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;[15]
Paul is warning that the day of Christ’s coming and our gathering together unto him, or what is commonly referred as the rapture, would not occur until after a falling away from the faith and the revealing of the Anti-Christ or “the son of perdition.” Paul gives us the reason for the falling away occurring,
Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.[16]
Or in other words, we rejected the truth when it was revealed to us.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.[17]
Do you believe the lie of naturalism, the lie of evolution?
Paul, writing to the Roman Christians, made the following statement:
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.[18]
King David of ancient Israel wrote,
The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.[19]
In other words, God speaks through his creation to every man. The creation speaks of the glory of God. We are all without excuse, because all creation cries aloud of God’s existence.
The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was written from before the time of Moses,
when the first five books of the Bible were edited and written down. Nevertheless, we find a similar commentary:
The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was written from before the time of Moses,
when the first five books of the Bible were edited and written down. Nevertheless, we find a similar commentary:
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.[20]
In the study of the stars, of nature, and of life; we should be brought to the realization that the only logical conclusion for it all is a loving Creator-God. But why has man fallen away from the truth? Paul goes on in his letter to the Romans to explain why:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.[21]
Sounds like the theory of evolution, the new creation myth for modern man. Today’s modern science has
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.[22]
And what about you? Have you accepted the lies of modern science that negate the Creator God? The Proverbs tell us,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.[23]
Are you being foolish or wise? Will Jesus’ own warning come to pass? Is our Christian love waxing cold because of the abundance of iniquity in today’s society? Is the abundance of our material blessing choking out God’s word in our lives so that we become unfruitful? When Jesus asked his disciples the following question, was he being rhetorical or prophetic, or both?
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?[24]
Jesus’ question reminds me of Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous quote on the death of God in his story The Madman:
"Whither is God?" he cried; "I will tell you. We have killed him- you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us?[25]
Nietzsche seems to have known that the rejection of God would cause mankind to fall into an endless abyss of hopelessness. Is this not what we see in the world today? Are we not plunging continually? Jesus said the love of many would wax cold as a result of the increase in iniquity in the last days. Has it not become colder? It certainly seems like in our lifetime that it’s become a bit colder even with all the talk of global warming! Is not night continually closing in on us? We have chosen darkness rather than light, because our deeds are evil.[26] We have rejected the love and light of God. We have killed Him and have embraced the darkness. That darkness that promised us liberty was itself the servant of corruption and now we are in bondage to it.[27] We cannot escape.
But there is an escape. God has made a way of escape. Turn around and call out to the Father in Jesus' name and He will hear you. He promises that if we confess and forsake the way of darkness, He will have mercy upon us.[28] Jesus said,
"Whither is God?" he cried; "I will tell you. We have killed him- you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us?[25]
Nietzsche seems to have known that the rejection of God would cause mankind to fall into an endless abyss of hopelessness. Is this not what we see in the world today? Are we not plunging continually? Jesus said the love of many would wax cold as a result of the increase in iniquity in the last days. Has it not become colder? It certainly seems like in our lifetime that it’s become a bit colder even with all the talk of global warming! Is not night continually closing in on us? We have chosen darkness rather than light, because our deeds are evil.[26] We have rejected the love and light of God. We have killed Him and have embraced the darkness. That darkness that promised us liberty was itself the servant of corruption and now we are in bondage to it.[27] We cannot escape.
But there is an escape. God has made a way of escape. Turn around and call out to the Father in Jesus' name and He will hear you. He promises that if we confess and forsake the way of darkness, He will have mercy upon us.[28] Jesus said,
I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.[29]
Are you seeking the truth? Then come to the light, the light of Christ, the true light and He will set you free! As Jesus said,
If ye continue in my words, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.[30]
The future is in our hands. Will he find faith in you? The answer is up to you!
[1] http://logosresourcepages.org/History/quotes.htm
[2] 2 Peter 3:1
[3] 2 Peter 3:3-4
[4] 2 Peter 3:5-6
[5] Derek Ager, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Macmillan, 1981, pg. 46-47.
[6] Stephen Jay Gould, “The Great Scablands Debate,” Natural History, Vol. 87:7 (Aug.Sep 1978) pg.12&14.
[7] http://www.detectingdesign.com/harlenbretz.html
[8] http://www.drjbloom.com/Public%20files/Lewontin_Review.htm
[9] 2 Peter 3:7
[10] Aldous Huxley, "Confessions of a Professed Atheist," Report: Perspective on the News, Vol. 3, June 1966, p. 19. http://evolutionfacts.com/Evolution-handbook/E-H-23a.htm
[11] Psalm 11:3
[12] http://gentleislam.com/love/pages/einstein.htm
[13] Hosea 8:7
[14] John 5:46-47
[15] 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
[16] 2 Thessalonians 2:10
[17] 2 Thessalonians 2:11
[18] Romans 1:20
[19] Psalm 19:1-3
[20] Job 12:7-10
[21] Romans 1:21-23
[22] Romans 1:25
[23] Proverbs 1:7
[24] Luke 18:8
[25] Friedrich Nietzsche, The Madman, 1882.http://www.historyguide.org/europe/madman.html
[26] John 3:19
[27] 2 Peter 2:19
[28] Proverbs 28:13
[29] John 8:12
[30] John 8:31-32
Chapter 42
The Scofield Connection or the Pre-Tribulation Fallacy and Corrie Ten Boom’s Perspective
By Dennis Edwards
I have just been re-watching Bill Salus’s video on America in Bible Prophecy.[1] Bill comes out as a defender of the Pre-Tribulation rapture. Many Christians hold dearly to the pre-tribulation rapture escape doctrine in spite of the fact that it is contrary to sound doctrine and traditional Bible interpretation held for hundreds of years by our Christian forefathers. I will need to make a short case to refute the pre-tribulation doctrine as it is called.
Up until the 1830s no one had ever heard of such a doctrine. Since the time of Christ the church had taught that the true believers would suffer persecution for their faith. Jesus, himself, had said,
The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.[2]
Paul when writing to the Corinthian believers said,
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”[3]
In fact in the book of Hebrews the eleventh chapter we find a history of the heroes of faith of times past many who died for their beliefs.
And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in mountains, and in dens and in caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.[4]
In 1563 Foxe's Book of Martyrs was first published. Written by John Foxe the Protestant theologian and leader, it was a famous collection of the history of the Christian martyrs from the time of the Christian persecutions by Nero to the then present.[5] In it, over and over again, one could see that God did not always rescue His beloved servants, but He gave them strength to suffer and die for their faith. As Peter had said,
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s suffering; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.[6]
The mentality of the Christian believer for eighteen hundred years was that he was going to suffer for his Christian faith and world view in this life. Jesus had told us so,
[1] http://logosresourcepages.org/History/quotes.htm
[2] 2 Peter 3:1
[3] 2 Peter 3:3-4
[4] 2 Peter 3:5-6
[5] Derek Ager, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Macmillan, 1981, pg. 46-47.
[6] Stephen Jay Gould, “The Great Scablands Debate,” Natural History, Vol. 87:7 (Aug.Sep 1978) pg.12&14.
[7] http://www.detectingdesign.com/harlenbretz.html
[8] http://www.drjbloom.com/Public%20files/Lewontin_Review.htm
[9] 2 Peter 3:7
[10] Aldous Huxley, "Confessions of a Professed Atheist," Report: Perspective on the News, Vol. 3, June 1966, p. 19. http://evolutionfacts.com/Evolution-handbook/E-H-23a.htm
[11] Psalm 11:3
[12] http://gentleislam.com/love/pages/einstein.htm
[13] Hosea 8:7
[14] John 5:46-47
[15] 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
[16] 2 Thessalonians 2:10
[17] 2 Thessalonians 2:11
[18] Romans 1:20
[19] Psalm 19:1-3
[20] Job 12:7-10
[21] Romans 1:21-23
[22] Romans 1:25
[23] Proverbs 1:7
[24] Luke 18:8
[25] Friedrich Nietzsche, The Madman, 1882.http://www.historyguide.org/europe/madman.html
[26] John 3:19
[27] 2 Peter 2:19
[28] Proverbs 28:13
[29] John 8:12
[30] John 8:31-32
Chapter 42
The Scofield Connection or the Pre-Tribulation Fallacy and Corrie Ten Boom’s Perspective
By Dennis Edwards
I have just been re-watching Bill Salus’s video on America in Bible Prophecy.[1] Bill comes out as a defender of the Pre-Tribulation rapture. Many Christians hold dearly to the pre-tribulation rapture escape doctrine in spite of the fact that it is contrary to sound doctrine and traditional Bible interpretation held for hundreds of years by our Christian forefathers. I will need to make a short case to refute the pre-tribulation doctrine as it is called.
Up until the 1830s no one had ever heard of such a doctrine. Since the time of Christ the church had taught that the true believers would suffer persecution for their faith. Jesus, himself, had said,
The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.[2]
Paul when writing to the Corinthian believers said,
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”[3]
In fact in the book of Hebrews the eleventh chapter we find a history of the heroes of faith of times past many who died for their beliefs.
And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in mountains, and in dens and in caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.[4]
In 1563 Foxe's Book of Martyrs was first published. Written by John Foxe the Protestant theologian and leader, it was a famous collection of the history of the Christian martyrs from the time of the Christian persecutions by Nero to the then present.[5] In it, over and over again, one could see that God did not always rescue His beloved servants, but He gave them strength to suffer and die for their faith. As Peter had said,
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s suffering; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.[6]
The mentality of the Christian believer for eighteen hundred years was that he was going to suffer for his Christian faith and world view in this life. Jesus had told us so,
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.[7]
However, that all changed around the 1830’s when John Nelson Darby a famous Plymouth Brethren preacher in England visited a spirited revival in Glasgow, Scotland. A young woman named Margaret MacDonald, a member of the congregation, shared a revelation she claimed to have received of the Lord. She believed that the church would not go through tribulation in the last days but would be miraculously saved by Christ. Darby incorporated this idea into his own Biblical framework and eschatology.[8]
Later, C. I. Scofield amplified Darby’s teachings and spent various years researching and footnoting Biblical passages to reinforce the pre-tribulation idea. Scofield himself seems to have a dubious background. He abandomed his first wife and two children after being released from jail. He had been serving time for his part in a railroad scam including criminal forgery. He then adopted as his mistress a young woman from the St. Louis Flower Mission whom he afterwards left for a rich widower.[9]
Scofield’s financial supporters were wealthy Jewish businessmen with Zionistic interests. These men were determined that the Jews should have a homeland, a place where they could be safe from religious persecution. We do not know for sure that their motivation was humanitarian, as some believe it was totally diabolical. We do know that Scofield worked in their employ for many years and used as his residence the famous Lotus Club in New York City indirectly owned by some of these financial barons. One of the first Scofield met was Samuel Untermeyer, who later became chairman of the American Jewish Committee, president of the American League of Jewish Patriots, and chairman of the Non-sectarian Anti-Nazi League. Untermeyer introduced Scofield to such influencial Jewish leaders as Samuel Gompers, Fiorello LaGuarda, Abraham Straus, Bernard Baruch, and Jacob Schiff. Scofield later travelled to Europe where he studied and researched at Oxford and elsewhere at their expense. They later arranged the publication and distribution of his concordance and annotated Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.[10]
The result was the Scofield Bible footnotes and concordance adhered to a thoroughly pro-Jewish interpretation of the scriptures. His footnotes reinforced the idea that the Jews were still God’s chosen people despite the fact that they had denied Christ and instigated his death. Scofield not only incorporated the pro-Jewish doctrine into his Bible footnotes, but also, the pre-tribulation doctrine and the doctrine of millions of years of theistic evolution.
Somehow, Scofield became a good friend of Dwight L. Moody. When Moody died suddenly in 1899 at the age of 62, it was Scofield who gave the first funeral eulogy of the great evangelist. In fact Scofield was known as Moody’s pastor. Scofield’s Reference Bible with his footnotes was later adopted by the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and the Torrey Bible Institute in Los Angeles. As a result Scofield’s doctrines influenced all the Full-Gospel Businessmen, the Fundamentalist and Evangelical churches and universities. The Scofield Reference Bible became the favorite study Bible of almost all Protestant pastors. It is impossible to overstate the influence of Cyrus Scofield on twentieth-century Christian beliefs. His Bible has been the standard reference work in virtually all Christian ministries and divinity schools in the USA during the last century.[11]
I want to finish this chapter with a warning from a famous Evangelist, Miss Corrie Ten Boom. Miss Boom was a Dutch survivor of the WW2 Nazi Concentration Camps. Because of a typographical error, she was miraculously released from a camp where her sister had died. Her mother and father had also died in a previous camp. On her release Corrie returned to Holland and after the war worked with victims of Nazi brutality. She taught and lectured on forgiveness travelling even in Germany. She noted that those who had the power to forgive were able to readjust to post war life and to reincorporate into society. Those however who held unto bitterness, became incapacitated and were unable to find fulfillment in the post war period. She became a world traveler speaking about her WW2 concentration camp experience. Her famous book, The Hiding Place[12] documents her experience and was also made into a movie.[13]
During her travels to China, she was able to speak with the leaders of the underground Christian Chinese church. She learned that it was the pre-tribulation doctrine that had caused the Chinese Christians to be unprepared for the persecution which they experienced under Mao. The Chinese Christians implored Corrie to warn the Christians in the West of the dangers of such a doctrine. In 1974, Corrie published an article “Prepared for the Coming Tribulation.” In it she wrote the following:
The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet there is still a great work for Christians to do. They are to be streams of living water, channels of mercy to those who are still in the world. It is possible for them to do this because they are overcomers. Christians are ambassadors for Christ. They are representatives from Heaven to this dying world. And because of our presence here, things will change. My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room. We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said,
However, that all changed around the 1830’s when John Nelson Darby a famous Plymouth Brethren preacher in England visited a spirited revival in Glasgow, Scotland. A young woman named Margaret MacDonald, a member of the congregation, shared a revelation she claimed to have received of the Lord. She believed that the church would not go through tribulation in the last days but would be miraculously saved by Christ. Darby incorporated this idea into his own Biblical framework and eschatology.[8]
Later, C. I. Scofield amplified Darby’s teachings and spent various years researching and footnoting Biblical passages to reinforce the pre-tribulation idea. Scofield himself seems to have a dubious background. He abandomed his first wife and two children after being released from jail. He had been serving time for his part in a railroad scam including criminal forgery. He then adopted as his mistress a young woman from the St. Louis Flower Mission whom he afterwards left for a rich widower.[9]
Scofield’s financial supporters were wealthy Jewish businessmen with Zionistic interests. These men were determined that the Jews should have a homeland, a place where they could be safe from religious persecution. We do not know for sure that their motivation was humanitarian, as some believe it was totally diabolical. We do know that Scofield worked in their employ for many years and used as his residence the famous Lotus Club in New York City indirectly owned by some of these financial barons. One of the first Scofield met was Samuel Untermeyer, who later became chairman of the American Jewish Committee, president of the American League of Jewish Patriots, and chairman of the Non-sectarian Anti-Nazi League. Untermeyer introduced Scofield to such influencial Jewish leaders as Samuel Gompers, Fiorello LaGuarda, Abraham Straus, Bernard Baruch, and Jacob Schiff. Scofield later travelled to Europe where he studied and researched at Oxford and elsewhere at their expense. They later arranged the publication and distribution of his concordance and annotated Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.[10]
The result was the Scofield Bible footnotes and concordance adhered to a thoroughly pro-Jewish interpretation of the scriptures. His footnotes reinforced the idea that the Jews were still God’s chosen people despite the fact that they had denied Christ and instigated his death. Scofield not only incorporated the pro-Jewish doctrine into his Bible footnotes, but also, the pre-tribulation doctrine and the doctrine of millions of years of theistic evolution.
Somehow, Scofield became a good friend of Dwight L. Moody. When Moody died suddenly in 1899 at the age of 62, it was Scofield who gave the first funeral eulogy of the great evangelist. In fact Scofield was known as Moody’s pastor. Scofield’s Reference Bible with his footnotes was later adopted by the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and the Torrey Bible Institute in Los Angeles. As a result Scofield’s doctrines influenced all the Full-Gospel Businessmen, the Fundamentalist and Evangelical churches and universities. The Scofield Reference Bible became the favorite study Bible of almost all Protestant pastors. It is impossible to overstate the influence of Cyrus Scofield on twentieth-century Christian beliefs. His Bible has been the standard reference work in virtually all Christian ministries and divinity schools in the USA during the last century.[11]
I want to finish this chapter with a warning from a famous Evangelist, Miss Corrie Ten Boom. Miss Boom was a Dutch survivor of the WW2 Nazi Concentration Camps. Because of a typographical error, she was miraculously released from a camp where her sister had died. Her mother and father had also died in a previous camp. On her release Corrie returned to Holland and after the war worked with victims of Nazi brutality. She taught and lectured on forgiveness travelling even in Germany. She noted that those who had the power to forgive were able to readjust to post war life and to reincorporate into society. Those however who held unto bitterness, became incapacitated and were unable to find fulfillment in the post war period. She became a world traveler speaking about her WW2 concentration camp experience. Her famous book, The Hiding Place[12] documents her experience and was also made into a movie.[13]
During her travels to China, she was able to speak with the leaders of the underground Christian Chinese church. She learned that it was the pre-tribulation doctrine that had caused the Chinese Christians to be unprepared for the persecution which they experienced under Mao. The Chinese Christians implored Corrie to warn the Christians in the West of the dangers of such a doctrine. In 1974, Corrie published an article “Prepared for the Coming Tribulation.” In it she wrote the following:
The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet there is still a great work for Christians to do. They are to be streams of living water, channels of mercy to those who are still in the world. It is possible for them to do this because they are overcomers. Christians are ambassadors for Christ. They are representatives from Heaven to this dying world. And because of our presence here, things will change. My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room. We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said,
In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.[14]
We too, are to be overcomers – bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate. Sometimes I get frightened as I read the Bible, and as I look in this world and see all of the tribulation and persecution promised by the Bible coming true. Now I can tell you, though, if you too are afraid, that I have just read the last pages. I can now come to shouting "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" for I have found where it is written that Jesus said,
He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be His God, and he shall be My son.[15]
This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive – but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world.[16]
Corrie went on further and said she could not understand why God let her sister die in that horrible concentration camp. But later, she realized that Betsy’s death was the catalyst that caused Corrie to end up travelling the world to tell people about Jesus. But she warned:
There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.[17]
Corrie goes on to explain about what happened on her visit to China. The Chinese Christian leaders told her that the American missionaries had told them that before the tribulation would come they would be raptured away. Therefore, the Chinese Christians were not prepared for tribulation or persecution. They were expecting God to supernaturally save them. But then the Chinese communists came and millions were tortured to death. The Chinese Christians encouraged Corrie to warn the west of the coming persecution. She writes:
In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa (and throughout the Middle East and India) the tribulation has already arrived. In last year alone, more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.
I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it….We are next![18]
Corrie also tells us how we can get ready for the persecution that will come one day. First of all she says we need to feed on God’s word and digest it so that it becomes part of our very being. Like Joshua said to the Jews as they entered the promise land:
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate upon it day and night that thou may observe to do all that is written therein, for then shall thou make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.[19]
Corrie says we should have disciplined Bible study each day, not only to memorize Bible passages, but to apply those passages to our lives. She goes on to say:
Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it. In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian's life.[20]
You also may be fearful of the coming tribulation. But as Corrie says, when we are weak, then He can be strong in us.[21] If we have been faithful in preparation, the mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit will help us through. We may not be strong in ourselves, but we will be strong in Him who will make us more than conquerors.[22] And though it may seem He slays us, by not saving us from the persecution or tribulation, yet will we trust in Him.[23]; knowing that if we endure until the end, we shall receive a crown of life![24] Get ready. It’s later than you think!
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] John 15:20
[3] 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
[4] Hebrews 11:35-40
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxe's_Book_of_Martyrs
[6] 1 Peter 4:12,13
[7] John 15:18-19
[8] http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue06/pre-trib.htm
[9] http://proliberty.com/observer/20090507.htm
[10] http://www.sweetliberty.org//issues/hoax/unified.htm#.VLlq8I2ePPk
[11] Ibid
[12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hiding_Place_%28biography%29
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX0GwjXExFE
[14] John 16;33
[15] Revelation 21:7
[16] http://www.emoaf.org/RAPTURE.html
[17] Ibid
[18] Ibid
[19] Joshua 1:8
[20] http://www.emoaf.org/RAPTURE.html
[21] 2 Corinthians 12:10
[22] Romans 8:37
[23] Job 13:15
[24] James 1:12
Chapter 43
Moses’ Exhortation to Israel, America and the World!
Deuteronomy Chapter 8
By Moses
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.[1]
Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.[2]
When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.[3]
But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.
[1] Deuteronomy 8:1-3
[2] Deuteronomy 8:4-9
[3] Deuteronomy 8:10-17
[4] Deuteronomy 8:18-20
Chapter 44
The Illuminati, the Protocols of Zion, or How Deep is That Rabbit Hole?
By Dennis Edwards
Time and time again I have sat down to write this chapter and have had difficulty getting started. Why is that? It may very well be because of the importance of the information I will share with you herein. I am talking about a sinister group of men and woman dedicated to the cause of Lucifer and to bringing his rule to earth.
Adam Weishaupt is credited with founding the operational phase of the organization back on May 1st 1776 which he named the Order of the Illuminati of Bavaria.[1]You can read about it on-line or watch on the YouTube.[2] However, I believe the Illuminati are descendents of former disciples of Satan since the time of Cain before the flood and later from the time of Nimrod at the Tower of Babel. Some even give credit to Solomon the King of Israel for putting into writing some of the oldest satanic secrets and rituals.[3]
Weishaupt’s goal was to set up a secret society espousing world domination in the service of Lucifer. The society would suppress ‘inferior’ human stock and have violently anti-christian sentiments. Weishaupt realized that the quickest way to spread the Illuminist message was to infiltrate the rich and the powerful. With the help of Templar Baron Adolph Von Knigge, Weishaupt’s organization was accepted into the Masonic orders where the rich and powerful met. George Washington, a Masonic member, is quoted as to having his doubts about some of the more radical elements in the Masonic Lodges in America, which may be reference to the Illuminist dominated lodges.[4]
Weishaupt envisioned a world in which populations would be controlled by a powerful élite unconstrained by conventional values. Their plans were to conquer nations economically and psychologically. They would control the banking system and control the press. They would have international rather than national goals. They would break down the national populations of the world and bring them under their control and finally bring in a New World Order, a One World Government. Albert Pike, a Southern Civil War General, later became head of all the Masonic Lodges and furthered the plans for world take over.[5]The Protocols of Zion were published in beginning of the 20th century confirming the plans of the Illuminati.[6] However, they were denounced by the press as fakes. Concerning them Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, made the following comment when asked his opinion he said:
The only thing I want to say about the Protocols is that they were published ten year ago and what is revealed in their pages is exactly what has happened and is happening up until now.[7]
Slowly but surely the Illuminati have continued with their plans for world domination and the final revealing of the Son of Lucifer, whom the Bible calls the Son of Perdition,[8] or more commonly known as the Antichrist.[9] The sinister web the Illuminati has woven consists of worldwide banking families and their interests, corporate leaders, think tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, Masonic Lodges and other civil associations and fellowships like the Rosicrucian’s, the Rotary Club, etc. Through money, sex and power they compromise leaders to fall in line to their international and cultural agenda. True Christianity is their biggest enemy and whom they fear the most. But they will use whatever methods available to destroy their enemies even sacrificing some of their own to meet their goals.
They are behind world wars, assassination of world leaders, economic ups and downs, and civil unrest. They control the United Nations, National Governments and political parties, the Courts or at least the key players involved. They have no scruples and use whatever methods necessary to silence their enemies. They control the media, the FBI, the CIA and NSA. National leaders do their bidding following carefully the plans assigned to avoid embarrassment, political defeat, scandal or death.
Does the Bible have anything to say about the above possibility? Many Bible scholars believe that the thirteenth chapter of Revelation with its Mark of the Beast technology is talking about such a world government. We read,
And all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,…
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or his umber of his name…
And his number is 666.[10]
The Bible tells us that the Antichrist shall come into power
This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive – but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world.[16]
Corrie went on further and said she could not understand why God let her sister die in that horrible concentration camp. But later, she realized that Betsy’s death was the catalyst that caused Corrie to end up travelling the world to tell people about Jesus. But she warned:
There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.[17]
Corrie goes on to explain about what happened on her visit to China. The Chinese Christian leaders told her that the American missionaries had told them that before the tribulation would come they would be raptured away. Therefore, the Chinese Christians were not prepared for tribulation or persecution. They were expecting God to supernaturally save them. But then the Chinese communists came and millions were tortured to death. The Chinese Christians encouraged Corrie to warn the west of the coming persecution. She writes:
In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa (and throughout the Middle East and India) the tribulation has already arrived. In last year alone, more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.
I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it….We are next![18]
Corrie also tells us how we can get ready for the persecution that will come one day. First of all she says we need to feed on God’s word and digest it so that it becomes part of our very being. Like Joshua said to the Jews as they entered the promise land:
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate upon it day and night that thou may observe to do all that is written therein, for then shall thou make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.[19]
Corrie says we should have disciplined Bible study each day, not only to memorize Bible passages, but to apply those passages to our lives. She goes on to say:
Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it. In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian's life.[20]
You also may be fearful of the coming tribulation. But as Corrie says, when we are weak, then He can be strong in us.[21] If we have been faithful in preparation, the mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit will help us through. We may not be strong in ourselves, but we will be strong in Him who will make us more than conquerors.[22] And though it may seem He slays us, by not saving us from the persecution or tribulation, yet will we trust in Him.[23]; knowing that if we endure until the end, we shall receive a crown of life![24] Get ready. It’s later than you think!
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo
[2] John 15:20
[3] 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
[4] Hebrews 11:35-40
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxe's_Book_of_Martyrs
[6] 1 Peter 4:12,13
[7] John 15:18-19
[8] http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue06/pre-trib.htm
[9] http://proliberty.com/observer/20090507.htm
[10] http://www.sweetliberty.org//issues/hoax/unified.htm#.VLlq8I2ePPk
[11] Ibid
[12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hiding_Place_%28biography%29
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX0GwjXExFE
[14] John 16;33
[15] Revelation 21:7
[16] http://www.emoaf.org/RAPTURE.html
[17] Ibid
[18] Ibid
[19] Joshua 1:8
[20] http://www.emoaf.org/RAPTURE.html
[21] 2 Corinthians 12:10
[22] Romans 8:37
[23] Job 13:15
[24] James 1:12
Chapter 43
Moses’ Exhortation to Israel, America and the World!
Deuteronomy Chapter 8
By Moses
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.[1]
Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.[2]
When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.[3]
But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.
[1] Deuteronomy 8:1-3
[2] Deuteronomy 8:4-9
[3] Deuteronomy 8:10-17
[4] Deuteronomy 8:18-20
Chapter 44
The Illuminati, the Protocols of Zion, or How Deep is That Rabbit Hole?
By Dennis Edwards
Time and time again I have sat down to write this chapter and have had difficulty getting started. Why is that? It may very well be because of the importance of the information I will share with you herein. I am talking about a sinister group of men and woman dedicated to the cause of Lucifer and to bringing his rule to earth.
Adam Weishaupt is credited with founding the operational phase of the organization back on May 1st 1776 which he named the Order of the Illuminati of Bavaria.[1]You can read about it on-line or watch on the YouTube.[2] However, I believe the Illuminati are descendents of former disciples of Satan since the time of Cain before the flood and later from the time of Nimrod at the Tower of Babel. Some even give credit to Solomon the King of Israel for putting into writing some of the oldest satanic secrets and rituals.[3]
Weishaupt’s goal was to set up a secret society espousing world domination in the service of Lucifer. The society would suppress ‘inferior’ human stock and have violently anti-christian sentiments. Weishaupt realized that the quickest way to spread the Illuminist message was to infiltrate the rich and the powerful. With the help of Templar Baron Adolph Von Knigge, Weishaupt’s organization was accepted into the Masonic orders where the rich and powerful met. George Washington, a Masonic member, is quoted as to having his doubts about some of the more radical elements in the Masonic Lodges in America, which may be reference to the Illuminist dominated lodges.[4]
Weishaupt envisioned a world in which populations would be controlled by a powerful élite unconstrained by conventional values. Their plans were to conquer nations economically and psychologically. They would control the banking system and control the press. They would have international rather than national goals. They would break down the national populations of the world and bring them under their control and finally bring in a New World Order, a One World Government. Albert Pike, a Southern Civil War General, later became head of all the Masonic Lodges and furthered the plans for world take over.[5]The Protocols of Zion were published in beginning of the 20th century confirming the plans of the Illuminati.[6] However, they were denounced by the press as fakes. Concerning them Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, made the following comment when asked his opinion he said:
The only thing I want to say about the Protocols is that they were published ten year ago and what is revealed in their pages is exactly what has happened and is happening up until now.[7]
Slowly but surely the Illuminati have continued with their plans for world domination and the final revealing of the Son of Lucifer, whom the Bible calls the Son of Perdition,[8] or more commonly known as the Antichrist.[9] The sinister web the Illuminati has woven consists of worldwide banking families and their interests, corporate leaders, think tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, Masonic Lodges and other civil associations and fellowships like the Rosicrucian’s, the Rotary Club, etc. Through money, sex and power they compromise leaders to fall in line to their international and cultural agenda. True Christianity is their biggest enemy and whom they fear the most. But they will use whatever methods available to destroy their enemies even sacrificing some of their own to meet their goals.
They are behind world wars, assassination of world leaders, economic ups and downs, and civil unrest. They control the United Nations, National Governments and political parties, the Courts or at least the key players involved. They have no scruples and use whatever methods necessary to silence their enemies. They control the media, the FBI, the CIA and NSA. National leaders do their bidding following carefully the plans assigned to avoid embarrassment, political defeat, scandal or death.
Does the Bible have anything to say about the above possibility? Many Bible scholars believe that the thirteenth chapter of Revelation with its Mark of the Beast technology is talking about such a world government. We read,
And all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,…
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or his umber of his name…
And his number is 666.[10]
The Bible tells us that the Antichrist shall come into power
“peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”[11]
He is also considered the author or propagator of the “Holy Covenant”[12] which many Bible students believe will allow for the rebuilding of the Jewish sacrificial Temple on the Temple Mount. The Bible goes on to say,
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper…Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of woman, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.[13]
Of course, he will have opposition and need to quench them in order to enact his world government. He may very well be responsible for fomenting a peace settlement in the Middle East, the Holy Covenant mentioned above, only later to break it himself because of those opposed to his attempt at world dominion. The breaking of the Holy Covenant with the placing of the abomination that makes desolate [14] is the sign Jesus mentions as the beginning of the terrible period in Bible Prophecy called the Great Tribulation.
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper…Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of woman, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.[13]
Of course, he will have opposition and need to quench them in order to enact his world government. He may very well be responsible for fomenting a peace settlement in the Middle East, the Holy Covenant mentioned above, only later to break it himself because of those opposed to his attempt at world dominion. The breaking of the Holy Covenant with the placing of the abomination that makes desolate [14] is the sign Jesus mentions as the beginning of the terrible period in Bible Prophecy called the Great Tribulation.
When asked by his disciples:
What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?[15]
Jesus answered with not just one sign, but numerous. He said,
Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows…
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold…
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.[16]
The culmination of these events comes in the next few verses where Jesus says,
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:)
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.
And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.[17]
I am sad to say that the horrible days Jesus was warning about are coming closer every day. From what we see in Bible prophecy mankind is moving to the brink of destruction, no doubt because of the use of nuclear weapons or some other weapon of mass destruction.
The good news is Jesus has promised to shorten the days of tribulation so that some of mankind is left on the earth. He has also promised to return to save his own in a super natural event known as the rapture. He has promised to bring peace on earth for a thousand years.
But before those promises come to pass, mankind is going to go through its worst period in all of history making the Inquisition, the Holocaust and Stalin’s persecutions look like boy’s play. Like Jesus said,
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.[18]
Are you ready for the days prophesied by Christ, his disciples and various Old Testament prophets? It’s not too late to open your heart today to the King of Kings and begin your training in discipleship. Stop hesitating and decide. It won’t be long!
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7] Edwin Griffin, The Rise of the Fourth Reich of the Rich
[8] 2 Thessalonians 2:3
[9] 1 John 2:18
[10] Revelation 13:3-18
[11] Daniel 11:21
[12] Daniel 11:22
[13] Daniel 11:36-37
[14] Daniel 11:31
[15] Matthew 24:3
[16] Matthew 24:4-14
[17] Matthew 24:15-22
[18] Matthew 24:9
Chapter 45
The End is Coming
By Dennis Edwards
There you have it. I believe America, a formerly great Christian nation, is suffering because she has fallen away from the Lord, because she has refused
[17] Matthew 24:15-22
[18] Matthew 24:9
Chapter 45
The End is Coming
By Dennis Edwards
There you have it. I believe America, a formerly great Christian nation, is suffering because she has fallen away from the Lord, because she has refused
“to be obedient unto the voice of the Lord.”416
I believe America will continue to suffer as God’s word has so clearly demonstrated. I have tried to show that America surely parallels the picture of Babylon the Whore of Revelation. I have compared America with Israel of old who also suffered for abandoning the words of the Lord and was finally conquered and Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar.
Moses told them that it was not because of their own righteousness that God was with them, but because of the wickedness of those other nations he destroyed before them.417 Even so, it was not that Nebuchadnezzar was so righteous that God let him conquer Israel and the other nations, but he was less wicked than the nations he conquered. Israel had become even more wicked than those ungodly nations, and so God was obliged to condemn her. Today we have the same situation with America.
Paul has warned that in the last days evil men would wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived.418 He said,
Moses told them that it was not because of their own righteousness that God was with them, but because of the wickedness of those other nations he destroyed before them.417 Even so, it was not that Nebuchadnezzar was so righteous that God let him conquer Israel and the other nations, but he was less wicked than the nations he conquered. Israel had become even more wicked than those ungodly nations, and so God was obliged to condemn her. Today we have the same situation with America.
Paul has warned that in the last days evil men would wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived.418 He said,
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.419
Doesn’t this sound like the days we are living in today? Jesus himself said when talking about the time of the end and his coming that
Doesn’t this sound like the days we are living in today? Jesus himself said when talking about the time of the end and his coming that
“because iniquity would abound the love of many would wax cold.”420
He also said that the wars, famines, earthquakes and pestilences that we would see would only be the beginnings of sorrows.421 He warned us three times in his end-time exhortation not to be deceived by false Christs who would deceive many.422 The peace prophets 423 in the time of Jeremiah told the people Jeremiah was a false prophet and that there would be peace, not war. These same prophets told the people to trust in the temple of the Lord which had always saved them in the past. Jeremiah responded with these words:
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are these. … Behold, ye trust in lying words which cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely and burn incense unto to Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?424
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called, but ye answered not; Therefore I will cast you out of my sight, as I have out all your brethren. Pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.425
Therefore thou shall speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.426
But did God’s people listen to his prophets? No, and neither will you Americans. You are drunk on the wine of the fornications which the whore of capitalism has offered you and you cannot see your own sins. God may even use a “heathen” nation to destroy you as he did to Israel-Judah of old. Or maybe the money that you love and serve in the end will destroy you. Or your own internal bickering will cause you to destroy one another.
Another sign that Jesus gave to his disciples of his coming and of the end of the world was that
“this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”427
I quoted this verse in the previous chapter, but did not comment on it. Recently a news item stated that there is an organization whose goal is to get the written word of God into every language on the earth to fulfill this prophecy. They claim that by 2020, they will have finished their objective and will have published the Bible in every known language in the world. Are we entering into the period of world history when the end will come? Will it be in our generation, or our children’s or grandchildren’s?
I will have to leave these questions and their answers to the next book in this series Where is America in Bible Prophecy. I had hoped to enter more fully into this question, but I needed to build the foundation of your faith. I needed to show how consistent Bible prophecy has been in predicting the future. Bible scholars estimate that about 80% of all Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled accurately. Surely the remaining 20% will also be fulfilled in the same accurate manner.
In the next book in this series we will look more closely at the prophecies of Daniel and how they fit together with those in Revelation. We will look at the prophecies of Ezekiel and see how they compliment Daniel’s. We will see that both Paul’s predictions and Jesus’ combine nicely with all of the above to give us a pretty accurate picture of the days ahead. We can know the future because God’s word has spoken clearly about it. It only takes for a man or woman to seek and search it out. My prayer is that you will be one of those men or women.
“And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.”428
416 Deuteronomy 8:20b
417 Deuteronomy 9:5
418 2 Timothy 3:13
419 2 Timothy 3:1-5,7
420 Matthew 24:12
421 Matthew 24: 6,7
422 Matthew 24: 4,5,11,23-26
423 Jeremiah 8:11
424 Jeremiah 7: 4,8-10
425 Jeremiah 7: 13,15,16
426 Jeremiah 7: 27,33,34
427 Matthew 24: 14
428 Jeremiah 29:13
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are these. … Behold, ye trust in lying words which cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely and burn incense unto to Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?424
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called, but ye answered not; Therefore I will cast you out of my sight, as I have out all your brethren. Pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.425
Therefore thou shall speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.426
But did God’s people listen to his prophets? No, and neither will you Americans. You are drunk on the wine of the fornications which the whore of capitalism has offered you and you cannot see your own sins. God may even use a “heathen” nation to destroy you as he did to Israel-Judah of old. Or maybe the money that you love and serve in the end will destroy you. Or your own internal bickering will cause you to destroy one another.
Another sign that Jesus gave to his disciples of his coming and of the end of the world was that
“this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”427
I quoted this verse in the previous chapter, but did not comment on it. Recently a news item stated that there is an organization whose goal is to get the written word of God into every language on the earth to fulfill this prophecy. They claim that by 2020, they will have finished their objective and will have published the Bible in every known language in the world. Are we entering into the period of world history when the end will come? Will it be in our generation, or our children’s or grandchildren’s?
I will have to leave these questions and their answers to the next book in this series Where is America in Bible Prophecy. I had hoped to enter more fully into this question, but I needed to build the foundation of your faith. I needed to show how consistent Bible prophecy has been in predicting the future. Bible scholars estimate that about 80% of all Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled accurately. Surely the remaining 20% will also be fulfilled in the same accurate manner.
In the next book in this series we will look more closely at the prophecies of Daniel and how they fit together with those in Revelation. We will look at the prophecies of Ezekiel and see how they compliment Daniel’s. We will see that both Paul’s predictions and Jesus’ combine nicely with all of the above to give us a pretty accurate picture of the days ahead. We can know the future because God’s word has spoken clearly about it. It only takes for a man or woman to seek and search it out. My prayer is that you will be one of those men or women.
“And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.”428
416 Deuteronomy 8:20b
417 Deuteronomy 9:5
418 2 Timothy 3:13
419 2 Timothy 3:1-5,7
420 Matthew 24:12
421 Matthew 24: 6,7
422 Matthew 24: 4,5,11,23-26
423 Jeremiah 8:11
424 Jeremiah 7: 4,8-10
425 Jeremiah 7: 13,15,16
426 Jeremiah 7: 27,33,34
427 Matthew 24: 14
428 Jeremiah 29:13
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