Does your faith need strengthening? Are you confused and wondering if Jesus Christ is really "The Way, the Truth, and the Life?" "Fight for Your Faith" is a blog filled with interesting and thought provoking articles to help you find the answers you are seeking. Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find." In Jeremiah we read, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall seek for Me with all your heart." These articles and videos will help you in your search for the Truth.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Praise Brings Peace!

Why endure another sleepless night? Why suffer from anxiety when you can give your cares to Me and I can give you peace of mind? Even in the bleakest circumstances, I can give you amazing peace that will relieve the mental and physical stress caused by worry and fear.

My peace comes to your heart when you turn your eyes from your troubles and toward Me. Stop worrying and think about Me. Find one thing to thank Me for- one special thing that I have done for you in the past- and praise Me for that. Or think of the worst thing that has ever happened to you, and the fact that you are still here, and turn your thoughts into prayer of thanksgiving. Even if you did not pray at the time, even if you did not yet know Me at the time, it was I who brought you through that situation. I have been watching over you your whole life, and I have either helped you through or spared you from more troubles than you can imagine- just like I am going to help you through your present problems.

The more you praise Me, the more My peace will fill your heart.


From Jesus With Love- For Troubled Times : page 15

The Stories Jesus Told—The Friend at Midnight and the Father's Good Gifts; Luke 11:5-8, Luke 11:9-13, Matthew 7:9-11



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The Gospels provide us with some foundational teachings about prayer through both the examples of Jesus praying and what He taught about prayer. In the third Gospel, Luke groups together some of those teachings in chapter 11. The chapter begins with Jesus praying, and when He is done, His disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. It was here that Jesus taught them to pray the Lord’s Prayer, also commonly referred to as “Our Father.” It has also been called “The Disciples’ Prayer,” as it was the prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples for them to pray, and not one that He Himself would have prayed.

Luke continues the theme of “teach us to pray” by moving directly into the parable of the friend at midnight. This is a short parable, immediately followed by a saying or poem that continues to teach about prayer. Let’s take a look at the parable.

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.”[1]

Jesus begins the parable with a long rhetorical question, a question to which virtually every first-century Jewish person would answer, “Of course not!” He’s asking, “Can you imagine being approached by a neighbor at night who is asking to borrow some bread to feed an unexpected visitor, to whom you would reply, ‘The kids are in bed and the door is locked, so I can’t help you’?”

The answer is absolutely not. Hospitality in first-century Palestine was a deeply ingrained principle. In a village, hospitality was not only an individual requirement, but a community requirement as well. If a guest was visiting a family in the village, the guest was considered to be visiting the whole community. In this case, the need of the man hosting his friend would become a community responsibility. As such, it was the duty of the sleeping man, no matter how inconvenient, to get out of bed in order to help the neighbor with the three loaves requested.

None of Jesus’ listeners would refuse to get out of bed, no matter what time it was, to help a neighbor in need. They all knew the importance of the neighbor in need being able to show hospitality to his visitor. And since the neighbor doesn’t have the necessary food, the friend will get up and give the bread which is requested. No one would make such excuses as the children being asleep or the door being locked. Jesus knew that, and everyone listening knew it as well—which, as we’ll see, is one of the major points of the parable.

The neighbor may have had some leftover bread in his home, but this couldn’t be served to the visitor. The loaves served needed to be full loaves. Author Kenneth Bailey explains the importance of the bread this way:

Bread is not the meal. Bread is the knife, fork, and spoon with which the meal is eaten. The different items of the meal are in common dishes. Each person has a loaf of bread in front of him. He breaks off a bite-sized piece, dips it into the common dish, and puts the entire “sop” into his mouth. He then starts with a fresh piece of bread and repeats the process. The common dish is never defiled from the eater’s mouth because he begins each bite with a fresh piece of bread.[2]

The importance of showing hospitality is seen by the fact that the neighbor goes as far as disturbing the sleeping man and waking up his family in order to request bread. In fact, he may be asking for more than bread. When he says, “a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that the neighbor has no food in his house. The original listeners would have understood that the neighbor was saying that he didn’t have food that was adequate for the visitor. In such an instance, a first-century host would do what he could to offer his guest the best he could possibly give, even if he must borrow it or spend beyond his means. It was part of the culture of hospitality. At the end of the parable, Jesus says the sleeping man will rise and give the neighbor whateverhe needs. So it may be that more than bread is given

How did the neighbor know that the sleeping man had bread on hand? Village women would bake bread in batches, often with the help of other women, so it would be known who in the neighborhood had recently baked a batch of bread and would likely have some available.

As for the sleeper’s concern about waking his children: Peasant homes consisted of one room, with the whole family sleeping on mats on the floor. Arising from bed, getting the bread, and unbolting the door would most likely awaken the whole family. But for a legitimate request such as the duty to put adequate food on the table so that the neighbor’s visitor could be shown proper hospitality, it was a given that such an inconvenience would be tolerated.

The parable started with the question “Which of you,” to which the listener would think, “No one.” Jesus then verbalizes the answer. He says that even though the sleeping man won’t rise and give the neighbor the bread because he’s a friend, he will do so because of the neighbor’s impudence.

Bible scholars debate the meaning of the Greek word, anaideia, which is translated as importunity in the King James Version and as persistence in many other translations. This is the only place in the Bible the word is used, and the word and how it’s used in the parable causes some difficulty in interpreting the story. The definition of anaideia is shamelessness or impudence, neither of which exactly means persistence or importunity. Importunity as a definition took root in early interpretations of the parable, but is looked at differently now.[3]The parable doesn’t state that the neighbor kept persisting and demanding that the sleeper arise and give him bread. There is no mention of continual knocking or repeated asking, so persistence, or importunity, doesn’t exactly fit within the parable.

When looking up the definitions of shamelessness and impudence, we see terms such as offensively bold behavior; assurance, accompanied with a disregard of the presence or opinions of others; lack of shame; forwardness.

Instead of seeing the neighbor needing to borrow bread as being persistent, we should see him as a person willing to risk being bothersome when there is a good reason, as one who has the assurance that even though waking up his neighbor will seem rude, his request will be granted. The man is asking boldly and without shame.

When looked at in light of the disciples’ initial request of “teach us to pray,” Jesus’ story encourages us to pray with boldness, to come before God without shame when asking for our needs.

A teaching technique used by Jewish rabbis was to teach from the lesser to the greater or the light to the heavy, meaning that if a conclusion applies in an easy case, it also applies in a more important one.[4] Jesus used this method in relaying this parable. The point He was making was: If the sleeping man will rise and respond to the request from his neighbor in need, then how much more will God answer our prayers when we bring our requests to Him?

This parable is a story of everyday life, which teaches us that God will answer prayer. He will rise up, as the sleeping man did, and will generously give us what we need. Jesus had just finished teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which includes the words “give us this day our daily bread,” and He followed it up with a parable about someone needing bread. The point being made is that we should boldly make our requests known to God, and have the assurance that He will answer.

Jesus further makes this point in the next two verses, in which He says:

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.[5]

Following these two verses is the parable of the Father’s good gifts, which gives further information regarding prayer. This parable has a presentation similar to the one of the friend at midnight. It begins with a question:

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?[6]

The inferred answer would be that no father would do such a thing.

No father would give his son a snake instead of a fish, a scorpion instead of an egg, or, as it says in Matthew’s Gospel, a stone for a loaf of bread. That would have been obvious to the listeners. Jesus then finishes the parable with:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him![7]

Here again, Jesus is using the lesser-to-the-greater technique. If an earthly father, who is evil in comparison to the perfection of God the Father, gives his children good gifts, how much more will God give the great gift of His Holy Spirit to those who ask?

If children who ask their parents for food won’t instead be given harmful things, how much more can we trust that God our Father, who is infinitely greater than all earthly parents, will give us good things in response to our prayers?—Including His presence in us through the Holy Spirit?

The eleventh chapter of Luke shines a light on a number of important prayer principles: that we need to come confidently before God in prayer, asking with boldness for our needs, with the knowing assurance that if we ask, we will receive; that if we knock, doors will be opened. Jesus also makes the point that if we can expect those who love and care for us—our parents—to give us our daily bread—food and other vital needs—then we can count on God, our heavenly Father, to do the same, and immensely more. We can come boldly before Him in prayer, knowing He will care for us.

The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5–8)

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

The Father’s Good Gifts (Luke 11:9–13)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Matthew 7:9–11

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Notes

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


[1] Luke 11:5–8.


[2] Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet & Peasant, and Through Peasant Eyes, combined edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1985), 123.


[3] For a thorough discussion see Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes,combined edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1985), 125–133, and Craig L. Bloomberg, Interpreting the Parable (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 275–276.


[4] Klyne Snodgrass, Stories With Intent (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2008), 441.


[5] Luke 11:9–10.


[6] Luke 11:11–12.


[7] Luke 11:13.

Walking in His Will by Faith

Words from Jesus, unless otherwise indicated


Audio length: 9:05
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You are precious, you are beautiful, you are wonderful, each one. I have created each of you for a special purpose! I speak to you as an individual, as My beloved, that I would surround with My warmth, that I would clothe with the security and the protection of My love! I speak to you as the special creation that I have made, each with a special, individual, unique calling and purpose.

My eye has been upon you since before you were formed in the womb. I have been with you every step of the way. I have watched you. I have loved you. I have cared for you. You have never been out of My sight.

If you would take time with Me in prayer, and listen to My voice in your heart and through My Word, I would show you of My great love for you.—Love which is greater than the ocean, which stretches further than the horizon, which the whole universe with all its stars and galaxies cannot contain, which reaches out of understanding into infinity and eternity.

*

You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.—Joshua 23:141

*

Not one thing that I have spoken will fail. All will be fulfilled and all will be answered according to My will and My purpose. That which you do not understand today may be because it is not My time to fully reveal to you My complete plan and purpose. Only believe and trust, even though you do not understand. For My ways are not your ways, and you can never know the mind of God by trying to understand and analyze with your own mind.

I promise that if you will hold on by faith—not even knowing if you have the strength to hold on—you will not fail, and you will come forth as finer gold! Those who pass through the fire and through the Jordan and continue to keep their eyes on the other side, who have been through the deep waters and the hot flames of testing, are those who come out as finer gold. So fear not the testing.

My love, this is simply one of your testing times. I know it is difficult, and the tests and trials run deep. You feel your faith shaken and think that you may not be able to stand. But you are not alone, My love. I love each of My children, and I care for each one, and train each one, and teach each one the lessons that are needed.

*
Precious in My sight

Precious in My sight is the death of My saints—the death to self, the death to sin, the death to your own ways. From this death springs forth the beauty of life, the beauty of resurrection, the beauty of My Spirit. For this death to self and the decision to say, "Yes, I will go to the cross; yes, I will go through the flood," is what brings forth the beauty of the resurrection and of the life to come. Without this death there can be no resurrection. The laying down of your life, your will, and your desires—even though you do not see what lies beyond—is the step of faith that brings forth the beauteous resurrection of My Spirit in your life.

For without faith it is impossible to please Me. If you can see the way, or if you know all that is ahead, then the decision is not one of faith, but one of knowledge and understanding and clarity. But when you don’t see what is ahead, when you look and see only darkness and you don’t know where the light is or when it shall come or from whence it shall come, but you say, “Yes, I will follow anyway, and I will take the step because You have said this is Your will and plan for me,” this is great faith that greatly pleases Me. I will strengthen you and lift you up, and so I pour forth My Spirit and My understanding. I will bring you into the rest of My Spirit that you seek.

*
Taking the first steps

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.—Martin Luther King

*

Don’t be afraid to launch out into the deep! You don’t have to be like those who crowd the shoreline and look out in wonderment and amazement at those who ride the waves. Sometimes changes come into your life like a mighty ocean breaker. They come and come and come again, and the best way to deal with it is to ride these waves. Even though you don’t fully understand the plan, you take the plunge into the cold water. You have to fight against the current to get into position, so that the wave can catch you and drive you forward to new heights!

Though you may be inexperienced and though you may be cold or feel afraid, if you step out onto the water by faith, I can come under you with the power of God like a mighty wave to swoop you up. You’ll discover exhilaration in My Spirit beyond what you have experienced before.

So when you hear My voice call, if you launch out into the deep, you will receive the benefits. I promise you that you will be able to ride this wave and the many waves to follow, but it starts with taking the first step of faith.

*

My voice and My will speaks to each person individually and is not the same for all. I lead and guide each of My children in the way that I purpose for them to go. I direct their steps and I show them the path. I show them My will and I speak clearly to each person whose mind and heart is set on Me, who desires to hear My voice and obey My will. Each one who follows Me step by step, who yields to My voice and gives of their best, who stays humble and submitted, an open vessel unto Me, close to Me and on My channel, shall maintain a strong, sound mind of faith.

*

If I am in the habit of steadily facing [toward] God, my conscience will always introduce God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The point is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I walk without offense.2 I should be living in such perfect sympathy with God’s son, that in every circumstance the spirit of my mind is renewed, and I “make out” at once “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”3—Oswald Chambers

*

Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, neither can you.4 The more you call upon Me, and the more you look to Me, and the more you yield and lean on Me, the more fruit you can bear for My kingdom.

If you will walk with Me in quietness, I will speak to you and I will reveal things to you to lead you into greater fruitfulness and greater truth. But you must make that effort of sitting at My feet, being patient to listen and to hear the words of truth and life that I have yet to share with you, that you might be more fruitful, and that you might look even more to Me in the days to come.

Originally published 1997. Updated and republished September 2013.
Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.


1 NIV.

2 Acts 24:16.

3 Romans 12:2.

4 John 15:4.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Georgia Purdom and the Bill Nye (the Science Guy) debate

Bill Nye, Texas, Al Jazeera, and Me

Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT


I’m sure you’re wondering what this seeming array of mismatched terms has to do with each other! A couple weeks ago they all came together in a forum on the creation-evolution debate in Texas that aired on Al Jazeera America. Bill Nye the Science Guy and Kathy Miller from the Texas Freedom Foundation represented the evolution side, and Don McLeroy, former chairman of the Texas State Board of Education, and I represented the creation side. The topic to discuss was the possible inclusion in Texas textbooks of criticisms of evolution. Since Texas is one of the largest buyers of textbooks in the nation, their decisions impact textbooks offered by publishers for many other states as well.

The hosts of the show The Stream were very gracious and fair. It’s not easy to keep four people on topic on such a heated issue. In fact, McLeroy informed me that according to his timing of the dialog, the creationists got 30 more seconds than the evolutionists! Overall I thought the conversation went well, and I was able to get most of the points in that I wanted to make. I thought I would highlight just a few things here that I thought were especially interesting and relevant (sorry, but the show was not archived on the Internet).

From the beginning of the show Nye focused on the issue of the age of the earth, making the claim that radiometric dating proves the earth is 4.5 billion years old. At the end of his explanation he said that the earth is not flat and not 10,000 years old. I agree! This was an obvious insult comparing a belief in a young earth to a belief in a flat earth. I also made sure to correct him later in the show explaining that the earth is not 10,000 years old but only 6,000 years old. When I responded to his claims, I talked about the difference between observational and historical science and how radiometric dating was based on certain assumptions about the past that are unknowable. I used the example of rocks that were formed as a result of the Mt. St. Helens explosion just a little over 30 years ago, yet radiometric dating dates those rocks as millions of years old. Nye never dealt with my argument concerning the problems with radiometric dating. The evidence is clear (Romans 1:20) yet he chooses to suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).

Nye also focused on how “fundamental” evolution is. He said that you don’t need foremost experts to understand that evolution is true (according to him it’s elementary school level at the highest) and then compared it to Newton’s Laws and green plants, inferring that it is a fact. Nye admitted that there might be things that evolutionists don’t understand (regarding the history of life and the universe) but he said it doesn’t require a designer to fill in those gaps. I explained to Nye that creationists don’t use God to fill in the gaps because there are no gaps. Instead, the real issue is the interpretation of the evidence as it pertains to the past in light of our worldviews. I talked about the fossils and how most were the result of Noah’s Flood (his eyes got really big on that statement!) and that observational science confirms and is consistent with a biblical worldview.

In what would be my closing remarks, I said that I agreed with an earlier comment made by Miller about teachers having limited time in the classroom in regards to the amount of science that needed to be taught. I suggested that we focus our attention on good observational science and leave historical science out of it. This brought Miller’s stern disapproval saying that it was not okay for me to use her words to deny science. But I didn’t—I’m all for science; I’m a scientist. I’m just agreeing with another statement she made that we shouldn’t undermine the education of students by promoting any philosophical or religious belief. If that’s the case then neither creation nor evolution should be taught in the public schools!

Nye also responded to me trying to discredit the definition of historical science by saying that he believed in the Civil War, Newton, and Galileo even though he wasn’t there to observe them. I didn’t get to respond because we were out of time. Here’s what I would have said: “How do you know about the Civil War, Newton, and Galileo? You depend on eyewitness accounts of the people themselves or people who witnessed the events to help you know the truth about the past. So why not do the same when it comes to earth’s history and believe in the eyewitness account of the Creator God written for us in Scripture? In the scheme of billions of years of the earth’s and universe’s history, there were no modern humans on the scene until a couple hundred thousand years ago. You need to realize that everything you think about most of this history is based on nothing more than unverifiable assumptions and imagination and not eyewitness accounts.”

It was an interesting discussion, as you can see, and I consider it a privilege to have been included. I pray that God uses the truth that was spoken to weigh heavy on the minds and hearts of Bill, Kathy, and others that were watching. I pray that they will know the truth so they can be set free (John 8:32).

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

A Plea from Jordan!- Will you help?

Dear Dennis and all,

I did not mentioned in the newsletter the situation with Syria.--Which could use your prayers. The possible attack has really affected the whole Middle East, especially things like the tourism industry which is a main source of income for these countries. In Egypt, for example, some hotels have had to close, and many hotels are running only 10 to 20% capacity. This affects the livelihoods of many of the working class, that are already barely making a living. And most other people stop spending and saving up their money, in case there is war. So that greatly affects the economy as well.

Jordan is probably safe from attack because it's friendly with the States and there are American bases here. But all the countries have close ties to each other, especially trade. It's a bit like a hand with its 5 fingers. Syria is like the thumb and if Syria is blown up it will greatly affect the rest of the hand and make life difficult for the rest of the countries around it. Jordan depends on Syria for fresh vegetables, fruit and meat, since Jordan is desert. Also almost all the trade from Turkey passes through Syria to get to Jordan. Turkey is like the "Japan" of the mid east, it manufactures everything from furniture to broom sticks and if cargo can't pass through Syria then it has to go by boat to Aqaba (to Southern Jordan) or by plane through Lebanon, raising prices tremendously. Of course a lot of people can't pay the price increase so companies go out of business and people lose their jobs. So please pray for peace, as it's really the domino effect here in the Middle East.

For the Family Kitchen project in Jordan, we are trying to buy a supply of food to have a buffer in case things close down so we can continue feeding the hungry. We were expecting 1 million Syrians in Jordan by the end of the year, but now with the threat of an attack more are coming. There are already 2 million Syrian refugees in Syria itself that have no home. So please pray for us that we can be a blessing to the families we are helping. If you'd like to donate that is welcome as well. Thank you so much!

Much love,
Jacki in Jordan

PS: If you are interested in helping us in this mission to help reach the needy in this part of the world, please contact Dennis and he will tell you how you can help.See also our page on facebook: www.facebook.com/FamilyKitchenJo

CYRUS SCOFIELD -- WHO WAS HE?

Following is an excerpt from The Unified Conspiracy Theory.

The information is intended to supplement the references to C.I. Scofield in Charlie Samples' THE GREATEST HOAX

To begin to understand the hoax... the lies into which we've all been born, both of the above linked articles are strongly recommended.

The 'belief' was injected into our Christian minds as babes that "In the end times Jesus will return to reign on earth for a thousand years of PEACE" (after which, Satan will once again be released, which makes NO sense at all anyway).

To realize that this story runs on a perfectly parallel path with the Talmudic political program of World Dominion -- under the rule of MAN, who refers to himself as "the chosen"; to realize that the story is one and the same is startling to say the least.

That parallel path is not intended to clash, conflict, or cross at some junction, but to so slowly and subtly merge together that we will simply open our eyes one day to the awareness that we are on the same path with two separate destinations in mind.

2,300 years ago, Plato called it 'The Third Way'. Today, the Democrats call it 'The Third Way'; the Republicans call it 'Compassionate Conservatism'. A merging of what has been presented as diametrically opposed concepts.

Jews have been awaiting their messiah for 3,000 years; while we Christians have been awaiting the return of our Messiah for 2,000... and the same small group made up the same story for all of us. Jesus called that group Pharisees, including with the Pharisees as perpetrators of the lie... the Scribes. Today, we call them lawyers.

So hundreds of millions of mind-manipulated people excitedly cry,


"Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring on the chaos, perversion, death and destruction! It's in the book! Bring on the vaccines that are killing our children! Bring on the chem-trails leaving their trails of death and disease! Bring on the New World Order under control of the International Zionist Jews who control their useful idiots at the United Nations. It's god's plan! Bring on the Terminator Seed, Bovine Growth Hormone, irradiated food, genetically engineered non-food! Our messiah is coming!"

In truth, it is a whopper of a lie. It is a deadly lie, and if we don't wake up to it - Jew and Christian alike - we'll all end up slaves in a world that, I believe, will be more evil than we could bear to consider... or be included in their plans for depopulation. -- Jackie --

Begin excerpts from The Unified Conspiracy Theory:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We now enter the phase of the Illuminati and the Great Awakening,

Cyrus Scofield and the subversion of modern Christianity

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" --- Rabbi Saul of Tarsus - 1 Corinthians 11:14-15.

The key to understanding this is in the Hebrew Prophecies themselves. It is made absolutely clear that the Jews are first to achieve dominion over the nations of the earth, and then Zion will be proclaimed over the whole.


"And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and even upon her assemblies, a cloud of smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense." --- Isaiah 4:5, King James Version

A defense against what? If this is to be the kingdom of Christ Jesus, what need for a defense, Christian? And yet you teach that Zion is Jesus' earthly kingdom because this is what your church elders had been taught by Cyrus Scofield, editor of your Bible concordance. He went to great efforts to convince you that Isaiah and Micah's "mountain of the Lord's house" is supposed to mean the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. That is a lie; his argument is a fraud, yet you can't see it.

Jesus' kingdom needs no pillar of fire and smoke to protect it. The word "Zion", in Hebrew, means "Sepulchre". Solomon's Temple was built on Mount Moriah, not on Mount Zion. Mount Zion lies to the south of the Old City, separated by a narrow valley, and to the southwest of the Mount of Olives. Mount Zion is also known as Golgotha – the "Hill of Skulls" – or Calvary.

Zion and Calvary are one and the same. Jesus was crucified on Zion! The Christian confusing of Zion with the Rebuilding of the Second Temple is a mistake, the result of bad geography and/or a metaphorically bizarre Kabbalistic joke.

Is the Sepulchre to be the place of Redemption? [Freemasonry! ]

Was Jesus not crucified on the same spot where Abraham had built an altar to sacrifice his son, Isaac? What is the relationship between Jesus and Zion?

Who taught us to use that word?

Can you see how we have been deceived by our own Christian churches, taught to worship our doom in the Antichrist?

The text of Isaiah 2:1 clearly states "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem." Are you a Jew? Will you be allowed to worship in the Third Temple when it is built? Methinks not!

What was Cyrus Scofield trying to hide from us?
"The Tetragrammaton appears to have its origin in the phrase found in Exodus 3:14, "I am that I am". Before this it was known as the Shem ha-meforash, the seventy-two syllabled name of God, made up of 216 letters.

The source of the Shem ha-meforash, according to tradition, are verses 19-21 of Exodus xiv, each of the three verses containing seventy-two Hebrew letters. The letters of verse 19 were written down in separated form and in correct order; the letters of verse 20, also in separated form, were written down in reverse order, and the letters of verse 21 were written down in correct order.

Reading from above down, one obtains seventy-two three-letter names, all of which combine to make one. To these three-lettered names were then added either AL or IH to form the names of the seventy-two angels of Jacob's ladder." Charles Ponce Kabbalah

The type of permutation described above is called Temura, and it is a common Kabbalist device. The three verses of Exodus 14:19-21 that constitute the Shem ha-meforash happen to describe how a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night appeared just prior to Moses' leading the Hapiru across the Red Sea into the desert. This is a cipher, so that wherever a "pillar of fire by night" or "cloud by day" is mentioned in the Bible, one may substitute the Shem ha-meforash to obtain the proper Kabbalistic interpretation.

The Kabbalists know that the Shem ha-meforash – the Seventy-two Syllabled Name of God, the Seventy-two Angels of Jacob's Ladder, the seventy-two Sanhedrin – are also the seventy-two proper names of daemons, who are sealed in the Key of Solomon. This Key is used by the Practical Kabbalist to construct talismans by which he may summon, or conjure, these beings. To the Speculative Kabbalist the names represent the seventy-two dominions, principalities, elementals, powers and paths over which he seeks mastery.

Thus, from a Kabbalistic perspective, the verse of Isaiah 4:5 is stating that after the Mountain of Zion has been constructed, the deity shall assign seventy-two daemons – an infernal Sanhedrin, if you will – to watch over Zion and protect it.

And that, my dear reader, is exactly what Cyrus Scofield called the Kingdom of Jesus! That, Christian, is what your ministers taught you is Jesus' Second Coming! Ye worship ye know not what!

And who was Cyrus Scofield?

As a young con-artist in Kansas after the Civil War, he met up with John J. Ingalls, an aging Jewish lawyer who had been sent to Atchison by the "Secret Six" some thirty years before to work the Abolitionist cause. Pulling strings both in Kansas and with his compatriots back east, Ingalls assisted Scofield in gaining admission to the Bar, and procured his appointment as Federal Attorney for Kansas. Ingalls and Scofield became partners in a railroad scam which led to Cyrus serving time for criminal forgery.

While he was in prison, Scofield began studying the philosophy of John Darby, pioneer of the Plymouth Brethren movement and the "any moment now" rapture doctrine.

Upon his release from prison, Scofield deserted his first wife, Leonteen Carry Scofield, and his two daughters Abigail and Helen, and he took as his mistress a young girl from the St. Louis Flower Mission. He later abandoned her for Helen van Ward, whom he eventually married. Following his Illuminati connections to New York, he settled in at the Lotus Club, which he listed as his residence for the next twenty years. It was here that he presented his ideas for a new Christian Bible concordance, and was taken under the wing ofSamuel 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 numerous Zionist and socialist leaders, including Samuel Gompers, Fiorello LaGuardia, Abraham Straus, Bernard Baruch and Jacob Schiff. These were the people who financed Scofield's research trips to Oxford and arranged the publication and distribution of his concordance.

It is impossible to overstate the influence of Cyrus Scofield on twentieth-century Christian beliefs. The Scofield Bible is the standard reference work in virtually all Christian ministries and divinity schools. It is singularly responsible for the Christian belief that the Hebrew Prophecies describe the kingdom of Jesus' Second Coming, and not the Zionist vision of a man-made New World Order.

And it is precisely because Christians persist in this belief that they remain blind to the reality of Zion.

Scofield served as the agent by which the Zionists paralyzed Christianity, while they prepared America for our final conquest.

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The following info was excerpted from a web site as shown beneath the title.

SCOFIELD: THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH http://home.beseen.com/belief/jamesers/Cyrus/Scofield.htm

This is a short biographical sketch revealing little known facts about the celebrated dispensationalist saint, Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, author of the Scofield Reference Bible. We are grateful to Joseph Canfield for his book, The Incredible Scofield And His Book, and to author Dave MacPherson for providing a good portion of the documentation.

Generally speaking, dispensationalists tend to cherish his teachings without any concern whatsoever for what kind of man Scofield really was. For some reason, his admirers consider it unethical or possibly even contemptible to expose embarrassing little known secrets about the man.

Facts should not be buried because they make people feel uncomfortable.

Neither C.I. Scofield nor his work are above reproach and considering the impact he has had on Christendom, his life should be examined. The type of person that he really was will have a major influence on the theology that he taught.

Former Dallas Theological Seminary President and student of Scofield’s theology John F. Walvoord, has written concerning the Scofield Reference Bible:

( typewritten copy of Scofield divorce decree )


Journal M, November Term, A.D. 1883, 8th day of December, 1883

Leontine Scofield Plaintiff Vs C. I. Scofield Defendant

Now comes the plaintiff by her attorneys Tomlinson and Griffin and the defendant enters for appearance and files answer and makes no further appearance. And thereupon this cause came on for hearing upon the pleadings and testimony and was argued by counsel upon consideration whereof the Court does find that the defendant has been guilty of wilfull abandonment of the plaintiff for more than one year prior to the commencement of this action.

It is therefore adjudged and decreed by the Court here that the marriage relation heretofore existing between the said parties be and the same is hereby set aside and wholly annulled and the parties wholly released from the obligations of the same.

It is further ordered and decreed that the custody, nurture, education and care of the said minor children Abigal Scofield and Helen Scofield, be and the same, is hereby given to the said plaintiff and the said defendant is hereby forever enjoined from interfering with or disturbing the said plaintiff in the custody, care, nurture and education of the said above named children until the further order of this Court.

Cyrus Scofield had several other incidents of a downright dishonest nature after he supposedly became saved. The fact that in 1892 he began calling himself 'Doctor Scofield' without producing any Doctorate degree from any Seminary or University is the least of his devious activities. Even the details he gave in his story of conversion are proven to be fabricated, including the time, place and other particularities, thereby placing doubt on the whole story .[iv]

He was a self-promoter in every sense of the word, even lying about being able to comfort and calm the entire city of Belfast, Ireland with a sermon he delivered there the Sunday after the Titanic sunk.[v]

His behind-the-scenes handlers [Untermeyer, Gompers, Baruch, Schiff, etc.] saw to it that his swindles and schemes were swept under the rug and that only a positive image of him was promoted, especially an exaggeration of his Biblical knowledge and wisdom. Men like 33rd degree freemason George Bannerman Dealey owner of the Dallas Morning News and member of Scofield’s church contributed greatly to the cause.

But occasionally, newspapers who weren’t loyal to his cause would put out damaging information on him. Here is an excerpt from the Topeka newspaper The Daily Capitaldated August 27, 1881:


"CYRUS I. SCHOFIELD IN THE ROLE OF A CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER

"Cyrus I. Schofield, formerly of Kansas, late lawyer, politician and shyster generally, has come to the surface again, and promises once more to gather around himself that halo of notoriety that has made him so prominent in the past.

The last personal knowledge that Kansans have had of this peer among scalawags, was when about four years ago, after a series of forgeries and confidence games he left the state and a destitute family and took refuge in Canada.

For a time he kept undercover, nothing being heard of him until within the past two years when he turned up in St. Louis, where he had a wealthy widowed sister living who has generally come to the front and squared up Cyrus’ little follies and foibles by paying good round sums of money.

Within the past year, however, Cyrus committed a series of St. Louis forgeries that could not be settled so easily, and the erratic young gentleman was compelled to linger in the St. Louis jail for a period of six months.

Among the many malicious acts that characterized his career, was one peculiarly atrocious, that has come under our personal notice. Shortly after he left Kansas, leaving his wife and two children dependent upon the bounty of his wife’s mother, he wrote his wife that he could invest some $1,300 of her mother’s money, all she had, in a manner that would return big interest.

After some correspondence he forwarded them a mortgage, signed and executed by one Chas. Best, purporting to convey valuable property in St. Louis. Upon this, the money was sent to him. Afterwards the mortgages were found to be base forgeries, no such person as Charles Best being in existence, and the property conveyed in the mortgage fictitious…”[vi]

Scofield’s work continues to be praised and utilized today by men with questionable motives. His closely guarded reputation remains intact and this information provided will only be useful to the truth-seekers, which represents a relatively small percentage of Christendom. At least two scriptures are applicable at this point:
"For there is no respecter of persons with God." -- Romans 2:11

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." -- Matthew 7:20

Scofield abandoned his wife and children and refused to support them. I Timothy 5:8 says “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” When his first wife Leontine originally filed for divorce in July 1881, she listed the following reasons: “

(he had)…absented himself from his said wife and children, and had not been with them but abandoned them with the intention of not returning to them again… has been guilty of gross neglect of duty and has failed to support this plaintiff or her said children, or to contribute thereto, and has made no provision for them for food, clothing or a home, or in any manner performed his duty in the support of said family although he was able to do so.”[iii]

This edition of the Bible [Scofield Reference Bible], which has had unprecedented circulation, has popularized premillennial teachings and provided ready helps of interpretation. It has probably done more to extend premillennialism in the last half century than any other volume.

This accounts for the many attempts to discredit this work. The reputation of the Scofield Bible is curious because each succeeding writer apparently believes that his predecessors have not succeeded in disposing of this work once and for all. This belief apparently is well-founded, for the Scofield Bible continues to be issued year after year in greater numbers than any of its refuters.[i]

This is the general concensus among dispensationalist leaders that because his work is around in such great quantity it must be correct, so they plug it. These men, however, through their heavy promotion of Scofield’work, are largely responsible for the popularity of it (they exhibit circular reasoning).

When giving the qualifications of a bishop, Paul states in 1 Timothy 3:2,4:


2) A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

4) One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

Did Scofield meet the qualifications for a leader in the church? His friends and colleagues have tried to hide the fact that he was married twice, had two daughters with his first wife and was divorced by her due to how he treated her and their daughters.

Scofield began courting his future second wife Hettie van Wark before the divorce was finalized and they got married only three months after it was.[ii] His divorce was finalized at least four years after he became ‘born again’. [end excerpts]

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HOW DOES SAMUEL UNTERMEYER FIT INTO THE SCHEME?

Scofield was "taken under the wing of Samuel Untermeyer (Untermeyer) (Untermyer)..."

Read the excerpt from The Hidden Tyranny, by Benjamin H. Freedman. He explains how Untermeyer blackmailed President Woodrow Wilson for the furation of Wilson's presidency, and how Untermeyer was able to choose the next vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, which installed Justice Brandeis. ... [more]

See also Benjamin Freedman Speaks.

Flesh or Spirit?

From the mountain-streams collection

The most raging religious controversy the world has ever known has been between the do-it-yourself religions and the God-alone-can-save-you kind. Man has always been trying to save himself, to work his way to Heaven, with just a little help from God thrown in. That way he can give himself most of the credit and go his own way.

The first murder was committed by a religionist of the do-it-yourself kind, Cain (the oldest son of the first couple, Adam and Eve). Cain killed his brother Abel, a man who was trusting God (Genesis chapter 4). This was the beginning of the persecution of the true church by the false church. Cain was religious, very religious. He was trying very hard to save himself in his own way, even sacrificing to God and claiming to worship God. He was doing his best to ask God to help him earn his own salvation—but his best wasn’t good enough! His way was not God’s way, but was the way of all false religions.

Those who follow false religions are all dependent upon self-righteousness and their own way. Most of them claim to be worshipping God and seeking a little help from Him to make it, but because they work so hard at trying to earn it, they figure they deserve it—with or without His help—and are quite offended if He doesn’t seem to appreciate their goodness. They say, “Why, look at all we’ve done for You, God! You ought to give us a medal! We really deserve to be saved! If You’re ever going to save anybody, You should save us! If anybody’s going to make it to Heaven, we should certainly make it!”

On the other hand, Abel just did what God told him to do—and he “offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4): the sacrifice of pure faith in what God told him to do. By sacrificing a lamb, which was a foreshadowing of Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of the world (John 1:29), Abel showed that he was trusting God alone to save him. He knew he had only God’s righteousness, and none of his own, and that salvation was purely a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Abel’s humble sacrifice made such a fool out of the hardworking Cain, the self-made man and devout religionist, devoted to his own form of worship, and it so totally exposed the futility and hypocrisy of Cain’s hard work, that Cain was furious. After all his labors of the flesh, his legalistic reasoning, and his demands for salvation in return for all he was doing, Cain was so humiliated that he tried to wipe out the awful truth that his religion had failed to save him—and he did so by killing the man whose simple faith in God’s grace had exposed him.

Thus began the battle royal between pride and humility, between the damned religionists and the saved sinners—the perpetual warfare that has been waged ever since between the false church and the true church, flesh and spirit, works and faith, law and grace, self and God.

This conflict has resulted in some of the greatest misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the Scriptures that have ever existed. Most people have been trying to save themselves ever since, with as little thanks to God as possible, and they have twisted the Scriptures to try to prove they could do it! But God can’t help them to save themselves. He does not help those who think they can help themselves, but only those who know they can’t. They can’t save themselves, no matter how much they try to get His help to do it their way.

The religionists of ancient times wound up serving their do-it-yourself religions instead of God, and were destroyed in the flood of His judgments—and Noah and his family alone were saved by the grace of God in the ark. The very waters that destroyed the wicked, unbelieving world delivered the trusting believers (Genesis chapters 6 through 8).

But still the works religionists didn’t learn. As the German philosopher Georg Hegel (1770-1831) observed, the only thing we ever learn from history is that we neverlearn from history. They were soon at it again, this time building themselves a tower to try to get to Heaven by their own works, to try to make a name for themselves and take credit for their greatness. But that didn’t work either. It only resulted in Babel, or total confusion, and we’ve been suffering from this confusion, this babbling of many languages, ever since (Genesis 11:1-9).

Even the patriarch Abraham tried to pull a few tricks to save himself and his posterity, until God had to show him that it was all by faith and the miracle-working power of God, not by his own efforts (Genesis 20).

When Moses tried to liberate the Hebrews his way, he fell flat on his face before God in the desert when he found out he couldn’t make it on his own.

The children of Israel tried to win battles their way, and were defeated many times when they thought they could save themselves by their military might. Even Samson discovered that he was a weakling without the power of God.

Kings Saul, David, and Solomon all found that they only made fools of themselves whenever they tried to go it on their own. They all learned that only God could save them.

This “grace versus works” debate was the biggest cause of division amongst the early Christians. Could one simply believe and be saved, or was it necessary to also keep some of the hundreds of Jewish religious laws? The Jewish Christians just couldn’t help but believe that Jews were a little bit better than Gentiles, even amongst Christians. “Sure, we believe that Jesus is the Messiah,” they said, “but we still have to help Him save us by keeping the Mosaic Law.” This obnoxious mixture of works and grace so nauseated the apostle Paul that he publicly bawled out Peter for it and spent years fighting it in epistle after epistle (Galatians 2:11-21).

As a young Christian, I too was deceived for a time by the delusive doctrine of off-again, on-again, gone-again eternal insecurity taught by some churches and “works” religions. But then one day as a teenager, I was thrilled to discover the simple truth of John 3:36. After years of discouragement and defeat and lack of assurance of my own salvation, I found that all I had to do was believe. That was enough! Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life”—right now! No ifs, ands, or buts about it! No “providing you’re a good boy or girl and go to church every Sunday,” and none of this “sinless perfection” business.

I just hadn’t been able to make it on my own, and I knew it. It seemed that the harder I tried to be good, the worse I got! As the apostle Paul lamented, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

That was all there was to it. There was nothing else, no other way, no righteousness of my own, none of my own good works. None of these could keep me saved any more than they could save me in the first place! Only Jesus could do it! Not only had He needed to save me, but He also had to do the good works through me. It was allJesus, and nothing of myself or my own goodness or self-righteousness—just Jesus. I was so relieved to learn that, as I knew I could never make it otherwise. It had to be God. I just couldn’t do it—so He did!

The trouble with many Christians today is that they’re still living in the Old Testament. Their Christianity is a works religion. Years ago I remember hearing about some missionaries who had gone to Japan. Upon arrival they were asked by the local people, “Are you Old Testament or New Testament Christians?” At first the missionaries didn’t understand what they meant, but they soon found out that “Old Testament Christians” referred to those who placed a great deal of importance on church buildings, ceremonies, formalism, and tradition—those whose religion was primarily a works religion. A “New Testament Christian” was one whose major emphasis was not on the things that are seen—buildings and ceremony and pomp—but rather on the unseen things of the spirit and the simplicity of everyday Christian living, like that of Jesus and His disciples. What a comparison, and how true!

Too many religions and religionists are still living in the past. They have inherited too many hangovers from pagan idolatry with its love and worship of buildings, sanctimonious priesthood, elaborate trappings, complicated ceremonies, and superstitious traditions. Their leaders have exerted a dictatorial stranglehold on the souls of men, making merchandise of them through their insistence on salvation by works—their kind of works, their particular religion, the special corner on God that they claim to have!

In the Old Testament, God had a hard time getting the children of Israel away from the idolatry of Egypt. He used the Mosaic Law as their schoolmaster to teach simple truths through object lessons and rituals: the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and animal sacrifices. These were types and shadows, analogies, mere pictures of the spiritual realities and eternal truths He was trying to lead them into, almost like you would do with little children (Galatians 3:24-25). He had to take what they understood—the forms and ceremonies that they were familiar with in the religions of Egypt and other heathen nations around them—in a fatherly attempt to audio-visualize for them the genuine spiritual truths of the true mature worship of God Himself. As the apostle Paul says, these were all types of the true (Romans 5:14), mere visual likenesses or illustrations of the unseen realities of the spirit world.

Paul says, “When that which is perfect has come [Jesus’ Second Coming], 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” (1 Corinthians 13:10-12 KJV).

Paul was saying that even the gifts of the Holy Spirit of this New Testament era are almost like toys, gifts from a loving Father to His simple little children, to help communicate understanding of Himself and His will.

How much more, then, were the material object lessons of the temple worship of the Old Testament childish toys for even tinier children spiritually, to help them understand their heavenly Father’s love? But “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

When Jesus came, He told the Samaritan woman at the well, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). This is the spiritual era in which we are now living.

But Paul goes even further than this in his prediction to the early Christians of Corinth when he says that the time is coming when we shall see Jesus face to face and put away even these childlike gifts of communication in the spirit. For “whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). Even what we have now is only a sample of the glorious realities to come!

In the Old Testament were the illustrations, and in the present New Testament era are the spiritual truths that we have now by faith alone (John 1:17). But when Jesus comes again, we shall see Him as He is and literally be like Him and actually experience the fullness of the realities of God and the world to come!

“Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

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