An Examination of Biblical Precepts Involved in Issues at Hand |
Then came Amalek.. The people had been miraculously delivered from Egyptian bondage; Egypt had been destroyed; three times the people had murmured against the Lord and against His servant Moses; then came Amalek.. We find records of this attack in Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 25:17-19 & 1 Samuel 15. In this attack, we are shown that our God is sufficient for every situation which arises; He indeed is a very present help in trouble.
Amalek was a grandson of Esau: the man who chose the flesh over the spirit, Genesis 36:12, Hebrews 12:16. Although the standard interpretation of this passage is that Amalek is a type of the flesh, let me introduce another thought with Amalek.
It is important to note that the Lord gave His people the Divine command to carry on a continual war against Amalek. (Exodus 17:14-16.) Thus, when they are not engaged in the war against Amalek, they are in open rebellion against God.
Then came Amalek, and fought... has been primarily applied as a warning of the continual warfare experienced by every child of God against flesh (cf. 1 John 2:16). Moreover, it is used as a warning of especially severe attacks by the enemy after a great victory or deliverance by the Lord. Many new Christians are surprised by the sudden, furious and determined attack of the enemy against them, resulting in their discouragement and yielding to the enemy. (Some teach that if one becomes a Christian, he will be freed from the continual battle, making him virtually defenseless.)
But the above understanding of Amalek is only one application of the continuing war with Amalek. Amalek, we are told by the inspired prophecy of Balaam, was the first nation (i.e., civil government) to, without provocation, deliberately and expressly move against Gods people to destroy them because they were Gods people.
In Amalek the heathen world commenced that conflict with the
people of God, which, while it aims at their destruction, can
only be terminated by the complete annihilation of the ungodly
powers of the world. (Keil-Delitzsch, Vol. II, p 78. Eerdmans.)
Balaam makes it clear that Amalek represents for all ages the
move of ungodly civil governments and nations against the people
of God. (Numbers 24:20.)
It (Amaleks attack, ed.) was a wicked deed, for Israel had in no way provoked the onset, and the Amalekites were, as descendants of Esau, closely related to them. But there is yet deeper meaning attaching both to his contest and to its issue. For, first, we mark the record of Gods solemn determination utterly to put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, and His proclamation of war of Jehovah with Amalek from generation to generation (xvii. 16). Secondly, we have in connection with this the prophetic utterance of Balaam to this effect: Amalek the firstfruits of the heathen (the beginning of the Gentile power and hostility), but his latter end even to destruction; ... he feared not God. The contest of Amalek therefore must have been intended, not so much against Israel simply as a nation, as against Israel in their character as the people of God. It was the first attack of the kingdoms of this world upon the kingdom of God, and as such it is typical of all that have followed. (Edersheim, Vol II.101, 2. Eerdmans.)
Edersheims continued comment is worth repeating:
If the attack of Amalek represented the hostility of the world to the kingdom of God, the visit of Jethro, which followed Israels victory, equally symbolized the opposite tendency. ... Thus Jethro may be regarded as a kind of firstfruits unto God from among the Gentiles, and his homage as an anticipating fulfillment of the promise; 1 (1 Isa. ii.3-) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.
A very marked advantage was immediately derived from the presence of Jethro. Just as after the conversion of the Gentiles to Christianity, the accumulated learning and research of heathenism were to be employed in the service of the Gospel, so here the experiences of Jethro served in the outward arrangement of the people of God. (Ibid, 104)
Balaams prophecy
Balaams prophecies and order they were given were directed by the Lord, v. 16: First, he prophesies of the coming King who shall smite the enemies of His covenant-people, Num 24:17; second, he prophesies that the covenant-people shall do valiantly through their King, v. 18; third, he prophesies that this King shall have dominion over all nations and tongues and shall destroy the remains of His enemies, and finally, Balaam prophesies against Amalek himself, v. 20--Amalek shall perish for ever because he struck Israel from the rear against the stragglers, tired, faint and feeble. (Deuteronomy 25:18.)
Israels first offensive act after settling in Canaan was to go against Amalek. After Sauls victory over the Philistines, the Lord, through Samuel, told Saul to destroy Amalek. (1 Samuel 15:2.) The Lord delivered Amalek into Israels hands, but Saul spared Amaleks king, Agag, and the best of the spoil. When Samuel confronted Saul over his disobedience, Saul blamed the people. However, Samuel identifies Sauls pride as the tool that spared Agag and the spoil, and the result of that pride would be the removal of the kingdom of Israel from Saul. Samuel then killed Agag.
As a result of Sauls refusal to claim the victory over
Amalek, Samuel makes his now-famous statement: For rebellion is
as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry, 15:23. When vv. 17 and 23 are compared, we see that
witchcraft is practiced anytime a person chooses his own way over
the way of the Lord as revealed by His Word. In Sauls case,
Gods Word was clearly spoken by Moses that the Lord would
have continual war with Amalek from generation to generation;
Saul refused to carry that war to its victorious conclusion when
he had both the command and opportunity to do so. (We should note
that it was an Amalekite who went to David and, in hope of a reward,
claimed to have killed Saul. His reward was that he lost his life
based upon his claim; he was snared by the lying words of his
own mouth.)
Amaleks move against Israel is the first time we have a
record of the Lord telling Moses to record something: Moses is
specifically told that the purpose of recording the war with Amalek
was for rehearsal in the ears of Joshua; thus, the Lord warns
and prepares His people for the continual conflict with Amalek.
(Exodus 17:14-16.)
Amalek! He appears throughout history in any expressed effort
to destroy the covenant-people; he is the spirit behind pagan
civil governments efforts to destroy Christianity from their
lands (John identifies him as that spirit of antichrist, 1 John
4). There is a terrible warfare going on, and Amalek picks off
the stragglers, tired, faint, weak, weary, feeble and uninformed
of Gods people. Though warned of the continual conflict
with Amalek by the Lord, the vast majority of Gods people
(because of their leaders inability to bark, i.e., sound
the alarm against wicked public policy, Isaiah 56:10)
do not even know they are in a bloody life and death conflict
with spiritual wickedness in high places, Ephesians 6:12.
Through Moses, God commands His people to be actively engaged
against the ungodly Amalekites of all ages. When they refuse,
they are included with Saul who refused to claim the victory over
Amalek: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry.
We see several things from Moses sending Joshua into the fray:
First, Joshua is the Old Testament spelling of Jesus, Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8; therefore, we are shown Jesus fighting the battle against Amalek, Psalms 2. Joshua, Jehovah is help: Evidently, Moses changed Osheas name for this event which means that we are not to fight the good fight in our own strength, Numbers 13:8. Furthermore, not Moses but Joshua is the Old Testament type of Jesus. We can all identify with Joshua, but who can identify with the greatest of men, Moses? Joshua was exalted after being a faithful servant of Moses: We also can be faithful servants of the Lord, but we must learn to be faithful servants to proper men. One cannot exercise proper authority until he learns to be properly under authority, Matthew 8:9, Luke 7:8.
Second, unlike the destruction of Egypt in the Red Sea, this battle required that Israel itself get involved to destroy Amalek. Furthermore, success was only granted as Israel fought under the banner of the Lord.
Third, Moses commanded Joshua into the battle; therefore, the battle is waged at and by the command of Moses. The victory is available over Amalek, but the victory will be according to the words of Moses. Joshua could not fight without Moses behind him. In other words, Joshua cannot be cut off from Moses if there is going to be victory over Amalek. As long as 20th century warfare against Amalek remains separated from the words of Moses, victory is impossible. Gods victory is through the application of the law of Moses. (Did not Christ come in obedience to the law of Moses? Are we not to do all things according to the command-word as given through Moses? See Joshua 1:5-9, Matthew 28:19, 20, 1 Corinthians 1:18.)
Fourth, Moses goes up on the top of the hill to pray while
Joshua fights the battle; therefore, prayer was necessary. As
long as Moses lifted up his hands there was victory, but prayer
could not be separated from active engagement against the enemy
according to the command of Moses.
Scripture records far more times when action is required apart
from prayer, e.g., Exodus 14:15, Joshua 7:10, than it records
times when prayer is required apart from action, telling us that
God is a God of action--we must put action to our prayers. How
many times have we heard (and used) the lame, ungodly excuse,
Ill pray for you when it comes time to confront
Amalek? If Christians do not get up off their face
(as the Lord told Joshua) and get involved, Amalek will win, and
God will judge their rebellion just as sure as He did Sauls.
1 Timothy 2:2 tells us to pray for those in authority, but prayer without active engagement against Amalek (ungodly civil governments intent on destroying Christianity, Bible based law), is rebellion against the command of God. (We would define engagement as something like salts effect on a wound or against corruption.)
Geneva identifies this hill from where Moses prayed, Horeb, or Sinai: The obvious implication is that both prayer and action must be based upon the law as given from the Mount of God, Sinai.
Prayer! It must neither be ignored nor underestimated. If one cannot enter into the actual battle, one can pray. Without prayer, the victory will be lost. Joseph Parkers comment concerning Moses on the mount and Joshua fighting the battle is worth repeating:
Mock the suppliants if you will; but they are men who are engaged in the upper regions of the battle. They (elderly men who cannot fight, ed.) are not cowards who have fled from the fight, they are heroes who are standing at its front and have undertaken the responsibility of its success. Young men, go forth to the war. I am ashamed of the young man who stays at home and states himself with debasing luxury, when there are great wars to be fought, great positions to be taken, mighty fortresses of evil to be overthrown. Awake! awake! put on thy strength, oh redeemed life, and carry the Lords banner away to the front and set it up in sign of victory. (The Peoples Bible, Joseph Parker. Vol. II, p. 140. Baker Book House Reprint, 1960.)
Fifth, the help of others is also needed. There was a bloody battle to be fought, for which Joshua needed an army; there were petitions to be presented to God, for which Moses needed Aaron and Hur. A person cannot wage the warfare against Amalek alone.
Sixth, Joshua did not totally destroy Amalek (nor did Saul), so Moses is commanded to write down a record of Amaleks wickedness and the resulting war. The record was to be rehearsed in the ears of Joshua, not necessarily in the ears of the people. The leaders of Gods people are the ones who must be made aware of the details of what took place because they must lead and train Gods people in Godly warfare against Amalek, i.e., antichristian powers in high places.
Seventh, Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.. The name means, The Lord my Banner. Banner speaks of united orderly warfare; it speaks of following a Captain into war as Israel followed Joshua (recorded in the book of Joshua), The Lord is a man of war.. (Exodus 15:3.) The Lord overthrew Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and He provides Joshua victory over Amalek.
Eighth, though the descendants of Amalek are no longer around, his spirit of unprovoked hatred toward God and the godly is still very much alive. Therefore, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. The marginal reading for Exodus 17:61 is,
For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. {Because...: or, Because the hand of Amalek is against the throne of the LORD, therefore, etc} {the LORD hath...: Heb. the hand upon the throne of the LORD} (Online Bible)
Psalms 2 describes the war Amalek, the ungodly state, declared against the King of kings: Amaleks hand is against the throne of the LORD, for it cannot tolerate another sovereign in its realm. Clearly, the Christian life for God is a life of continual warfare; warfare with Egypt and Amalek.
And so it ever is: Amalek opposes the advance of Israel; Israel must fight, but the victory is Gods; Israel holds the rod of almighty power in the hand of faith; but that rod must ever be uplifted toward heaven in present application for the blessing secured by covenant-promise. (Edersheim.)
The Lord gave His people His Divine command to carry on a continual war against Amalek until Amalek is annihilated by Gods power. Accordingly, those who follow Sauls example by refusing to claim and work for the Godly victory over Amalek, when they fail to engage Amalek in warfare according to the words of Moses, they are in open rebellion against God: virtual witchcraft!
The reason antichrist leaders of 20th century nations have so much power is because the covenant-people have followed Sauls example: They are more interested in spoiling Amalek than in claiming his territory for God: the best of Agag has been spared under the guise of serving God.
Balaams prophecies still stand:
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh:
there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise
out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy
all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir
also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do
valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,
and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Through hard work and extremely difficult Christian warfare fought
in terms of Gods Word, the people of God shall do valiantly
through their King, 1 Timothy 1:18ff., &c. The King shall
have dominion and Amalek will perish for ever. What a wonderful
prospect for the future!
Gleanings:
Amalek, the ungodly state, will declare war on any person or
entity that it deems a threat to its power and authority, e.g.,
Judge Moore, Peter Hammond, Indianapolist Baptist Temple, as well
as any individual. Though the power of the wicked is great, we
are more than conqurors through Him that loved us. Fear not those
who can kill the body, but fear Him who can kill both the body
and soul.
Prayer! It must neither be ignored nor underestimated. If one
cannot enter into the actual battle, one can pray. Without prayer,
the victory will be lost.
By Peter Hammond
The publishing of our new book Biblical Principles for Africa has sparked a lot of interest and controversy. We have been greatly encouraged by the many enthusiastic endorsements and positive responses to Biblical Principles for Africa. Just in these first 2 weeks, hundreds of copies of the book have been purchased and weve had many phone calls and E-mails with positive feed-back from those who appreciate and support its message.
There have also been a number of media opportunities as a result, including on Christian and secular radio stations. What has also been remarkable, has been the absolute hostility many have towards the Bible and Christianity. At our first Book Launch, at Parliament, one journalist responded to my Power Point presentation Gods Law or Chaos, by saying: If the choice is between Gods Law or Chaos, Id rather have chaos!
I suppose Christian charity, work ethic, honesty and prosperity
doesnt make as much news as crime, corruption, debauchery
and lawlessness.
On a secular national radio programme (702 Talk Radio/Cape Talk),
I was astounded at the intense opposition to the book from listeners
calling in. Naturally, none of them could have actually read the
book yet, however, the vitriolic outbursts revealed a prejudice
against Christianity and a hostility for the Bible which seems
to be increasing in many circles.
WITCHCRAFT DEFENDED
The first caller attacked me and my new book over something that the book doesnt even deal with. This lady declared that the Bible contains the six most destructive and dangerous words ever written: You shall not suffer a witch to live. Beside from the fact that thats actually 8 words and not 6, I was quite surprised that she would have thought that the most important issue to bring up.
I pointed out that as witches throughout history have engaged in human sacrifices, it should be evident that it is most appropriate to have the death penalty for such murderers.
THE INQUISITION REVISITED
The caller then brought up The Inquisition and claimed that Christians have burned thousands of witches and that Christian crusaders have brutally mistreated Muslims.
When I had a chance to respond to this tirade against The Church, I had to point out that the vast majority of those burned at the stake by The Inquisition were not witches at all, but Protestant believers. To study the court records of the Inquisitors makes it very clear that the Inquisitors were by no means Christians at all. They would vindictively condemn to death Christians who believed in, translated or taught the Scriptures. Often they contemptuously tossed the victims Bible into the fire to be burned with the martyr.
Anyone who has read Foxes Book of Martyrs, or similar historical records of the cruel persecutions endured by the Waldensians, Huguenots and other Protestant Reformers will know that The Inquisition was anti-Christian.
This was at a time of blatant corruption, when priesthoods, bishoprics and even papal seats were bought and sold and there were many ungodly men dominating all levels of leadership in the medieval Roman Church. Far from The Inquisition being Christians persecuting non-Christians, the reality is that it was the very opposite. The Inquisition was an anti-Christian persecution of Protestant believers.
THE CRUSADES VS JIHAD
As for the Crusades, the fact is that the Crusades of the Middle Ages were a reaction to the centuries of Islamic Jihad. In the first century of Islam, Muslim invaders conquered the whole of the previously Christian North Africa, destroying over 3200 churches- just in that 100 years. In the first 3 centuries of Islam, Muslim forces killed Christians, kidnaped their children to raise them as Muslims, or compelled people at the point of the sword to convert to Islam. Up to 50% of all the Christians in the world were wiped out during those 3 centuries. The Saracens (as the Muslim invaders were called) desecrated Christian places of worship and were severely persecuting Christians. Pilgrims were being prevented from visiting those places where our Lord was born, lived and ministered, was crucified and raised from the dead. It was after nearly 4 centuries of Islamic Jihad that the Crusades were launched - as a reaction to Islamic Jihad.
The word Crusade does not appear in the Bible, nor is it commanded. However, Jihad is the 6th pillar of Islam and the second greatest command of Muhammad. It is not only commended, but commanded in the Quran. The Crusades ended many centuries ago, however Islamic Jihad is continuing to this day. In Muslim countries such as Sudan, Muslims continue their Holy War against Christians. Millions of Christians have been slaughtered through the centuries by Islamic militants - such as the one and a half million Armenians murdered in Turkey in 1915. Many of them burned to death inside their church buildings.
HINDUISM
The interviewer and other call-ins then objected that my new book, Biblical Principles for Africa, could suggest that freedom and prosperity are fruits of the Bible. In fact, some of the callers were quite outraged at the suggestion that the Bible had inspired anything good. All kinds of objections were raised and accusations thrown. One claimed that Hinduism long predates Christianity and their Bhagavad-Gita (the Hindu scriptures) which teaches exactly the same things as the Bible has been around longer than the Bible. Was I suggesting that India was not as advanced as Europe and America? Was I suggesting that Indian culture was in any sense inferior to Christianity? In fact this caller suggested that Hinduism was vastly superior, because of their pacifism.
To this I had to point out that in fact the Hindu scriptures are in no way comparable to the Bible. The Bible deals with historical events, the Bhagavad-Gita is nothing but myth and legend (even naming the 4 elephants who are supposed to be holding up the 4 corners of the world and describing the person, Siva, out of whose head springs the fountain head of the river Ganges)!
It is also false to suggest that Hinduism teaches the same as Christianity. (Of course, if Hinduism taught exactly the same as Christianity, the question would arise as to why these critics of Christianity are so hostile to Christianity?) I pointed out that while Hinduism teaches polytheism (many gods), Christianity teaches monotheism (one God). Hinduism teaches polygamy (many wives), while Christianity mandates monogamy (one man and one woman for life). Hinduism teaches reincarnation while Christianity makes clear that it is appointed unto man once to live and after that the judgment.
As for Hinduisms supposed pacifism, how do we explain the practice of many millenniums of child sacrifice, human sacrifice, suttee (the burning alive of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands) - a practice which only the steadfast resistance of Christian missionaries such as William Carey brought an end to. The human sacrifices demanded by Hindu goddess, Kali, and the murdering of their Muslim and Christian neighbours, threatening Nuclear war against Pakistan and the murdering of missionaries, most recently an Australian Christian missionary in India hardly seem consistent with Hinduisms claim to be a pacifist religion.
REINCARNATION
Another caller then took up the issue of reincarnation, claiming that Christians have originally believed in reincarnation, and it was only the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine who took the teachings on reincarnation out of the Bible!!! Of all the bizarre attacks that I have heard against the Bible, this one is quite remarkable. How Constantines mother could have changed every manuscript (and we have over 15000 manuscripts pre-dating the time of the emperor Constantine) is something this caller never explained.
The Bible is clear: It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27.
PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY
Then someone claimed that Africa before the missionaries came with the Bible was just as advanced and civilised as Europe. This was an interesting perspective, considering that Africa before the missionaries came with the Bible did not have the wheel, a written language, roads, railways, hospitals, schools, or even mielie meal (American corn). How mud huts with thatch roofs can be considered comparable to the marble palaces and cathedrals of Europe is quite a challenging thought.
JUSTICE AND SECURITY
Which of us would have liked to have lived in any of these countries before the Gospel came? Every culture, religion and civilisation before Christianity practiced slavery and human sacrifice. There were no separation of powers, no checks and balances. Rulers such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan or King Shaka had people arbitrarily put to death with no due process of law or defense allowed. Which of us would have wanted to live under these pre-Christian civilizations?
SLAVERY AND HUMAN SACRIFICES
Before the advent of Christianity, every culture practiced slavery and human sacrifice - even the highly esteemed Greek and Roman civilizations.
When missionaries went to 19th century China, they discovered that baby girls were routinely disposed of by being put out as food for wild dogs and wolves. Baby towers were common, where unwanted babies were left out to die of exposure and starvation, or to be eaten alive by birds of prey. Some towns had baby ponds where unfortunate infants were thrown. Tragically, this pagan practice of infanticide has made a comeback under communism. In Red China today, every family is restricted to one child. Abortions have been forced upon women when they have conceived any more children after their quota of one.
The Aztec Empire in Mexico and the Inca Empire in Peru, engaged in slavery, ritual rapes and mass sacrifice. Slaves were marched up the stairs of the pyramid-type Inca temples in the Aztec Empire. At the top, a priest would rip out their beating hearts - one by one.
It is Christianity and Christianity alone which ended the prevalent practices of human sacrifice and slavery. Respect for life and liberty are a fruit of Christianity. Those who today are promoting abortion, euthanasia and pornography are not offering us progress, but only a return to pre-Christian paganism.
The whole concept of charity was a Christian innovation. Before Christ, benevolence to strangers was unknown.
LEGACY OF LIBERTY
The Christian Church has made more positive changes on earth than any other force or movement in history. Most of the languages of the world were first codified and put into writing by Christian missionaries. More schools and universities have been started by Christians than by any and all other groups. The elevation of women from the second class status they were assigned to by other religions was a Christian achievement. Those countries which enjoy the most civil liberties are those lands where the Gospel of Christ has penetrated the most. Christianity gave birth to liberty. Constitutional republics, the separation of powers, limited government and freedom of conscience are a result of the Reformation.
Of course, these claims were vigorously challenged by the interviewer and callers.
So, I pointed out that the foundation of limited government, the Magna Carta of 1215 was written by a Christian clergyman, Steven Langton. It is the first statute, the first written restriction on the power of government. And it was firmly founded on the Scriptures, and the Common Law of England, which was written by King Alfred the Great. King Alfred began his Dooms - which were the foundations of English Common Law - with the 10 Commandments, the Exodus case laws and the Golden Rule of Christ. These documents led to the establishment of Parliament and the English Bill of Rights, which were all foundational for the American Bill of Rights and the whole concept of the separation of powers, limited government, freedom of conscience, and other essential principles of freedom - which we take for granted today.
At this point, the interviewer declared that we had run out of time, that she had learnt an enormous amount, and would have to get me back on a later programme to further explore the issues that had been raised.
Karl Marx declared that the first battle field was the re-writing of history. Evidently, the enemies of Christianity have been busy in our universities, in Hollywood, and in many newspapers and magazines, reconstructing peoples perspectives of history and reality from an anti-Christian perspective. It is imperative that we understand the Biblical principles for all areas of life and that we know our history. More and more I see the need for producing books such as The Greatest Century of Missions and Biblical Principles for Africa. By Gods grace, we have also managed to completely revise and expand the Biblical World View Manual and Reformation Conference Manual. I am also working on the Greatest Century of Reformation, and a History of the World school textbook.
We need to ensure that our children know that the teachings and example of Jesus Christ have inspired the greatest acts of generosity, hospitality, self-sacrifice and service for the sick, poor and needy. That Christianity has inspired the greatest achievements in science, art, education, economics, civil and human rights and in works of compassion and mercy. Only those ignorant of history could fail to acknowledge that Christianity has made more positive changes on earth than any other force or movement.
More importantly, it is easy for opponents of Christianity to criticize, but - what are our critics doing for the lonely, the widows, the orphans, the sick, the aged and the refugees?
Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship, P.O. Box 74, Newlands, 7725, Cape Town,
South Africa
Web: www.frontline.org.za; E-mail: admin@frontline.org.za; Tel:
+27-21-689-4480
Editors note: I have found Frontline Fellowship a mission well worth any support one can give. Peter Hammond is on the front line, literally, of the war of Islam against Christianity. Regardless of Bushs, and others, lying assertion that Islam is a religion of peace, it is an extremely violent religion, either killing or selling into slavery all who will not convert to its religion of peace. However, Muhammadans will allow existence if the enslaved people will pay a tax to them.
Yes, we are still alive and well here within the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It has been a good amount of time since the last issue, but time has a way of passing far too quickly. Sorry about the length of this Examiner, but I felt it better to add one sheet than to squeeze up the lines, and make it harder to read.
It seems that all kinds of things demanded attention, to force this Examiner onto a back besides burner, waiting for funds. But the funds are here, and it is time to move. As we have said in the past, we do this as we have time and money. We do, however, update the web site regularly, where you can basically keep track of what we are doing.
We trust you all had good holidays. The majority of our holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, were spent not necessarily in bed, but close to it. We passed the flu, or something, around for several weeks, and none of us were up to doing much of anything. The holidays were not the best this year. It seemed there were no holidays.
My daughter and her husband are still with us, though they need to go back to Ohio as soon as thy can.. They were shocked at the cost of living out here. I know, some of you in California might say, Try the West Coast if you want to see high cost of living. I must admit that the price of everything here makes me fondly remember the Indiana area. The price of a decent unimproved building lot in this area easily starts around $35,000 an acre. A 15 oz can of green beans that cost .25 in the mid-west will be .39 or up around here. The fiat paper (actually debt for those of you who keep up with economics) flowing like water out of the Federal Money Machine in Washington DC, is quickly pricing everything out of reach for the average person within a 100 mile radius of DC. Where will it stop? Probably not until the monetary system collapses.
The winter has been quite mild here. We have had a couple of snows, along with some ice which broke some more cedar trees and brought down some locust trees, but nothing like last year. By being in the valley between the Massanutten and the Blue Ridge, we are normally protected from the worst of the storms that come through. (Bettie said there has only been one tornado through here in the 20 years she has lived here.) The last snow that came through dumped 6 inches on the west side of the Massanutten, but only an inch or two here. The cold weather kept the snow on the ground for some time, but by cold weather, we mean just below freezing, down to maybe 10 degrees. The cold weather we have been accustomed to in Indiana is single digits, or less. (-35 a few years ago. I had a diesel Ford Escort then, and the fuel jelled that winter on the way to the office.)
We are doing fine; in fact, could not be much better. I have had no more heart events since 2000, when I had to go in for a roto rooter to clean out the scar tissue from the stents. I can do as much as I have the strength to do with no chest pain. We heat with wood, and a man gave me all the wood I can haul off. He had to clear the place where he built his house, and it was all good hardwood. Others have worked on the pile of trees, and there is still more there than I can carry away. The trees are down, but must be cut into proper lengths. I enjoy the outside work and need the exercise. I split all of it by hand, except the pieces that were about 30" across. They were too big to split, so I had to borrow a power splitter to split them on site.
Carols mom is still alive and as well as expected of a 94 or 95 year old. (She has said she is in her late 80s for many years now.) Living with us, she is still sharp enough to keep us on our toes.
Judge Moore
The Lord provided for us to hear and meet Judge Moore when he was in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He spoke to a sold-out crowd of about 550 people, which was the largest crowd ever in that auditorium at James Madison University. The thrust of Judge Moores message was the distinctly Christian roots of the US, and of the individual states. He pointed out that if his conviction is allowed to stand, the logical implications will be that no Christian who refuses to lay aside his Christianity and act like a pagan will be able to hold public office. There were, of course, protestors outside of the hall where the meeting was held. See the short article on Exodus 36 in this issue for a more detailed account of the meeting. (Supreme Court Justices are elected offices in Alabama.)
Election
My wife and I worked the polls for the Virginia presidential primaries. It makes for a long day, but we like meeting the people and the pay for the two of us comes in very handy. It is surprising how few people vote, but it is understandable. Folks, ourselves included, feel that the outcomes are settled in a back room somewhere, and the elections only give the people a feeling that they have some kind of a voice in the government. However, we see from current events, that elected officials, once they get into office, have only one thing in mind, and that is, get reelected at all costs. In order to get reelected, they must play the game, which has turned this nation into a welfare state drowning in debt. How many elected officials take a stand as did Judge Moore?
Other things
I had to spend a good amount of time looking for 400 pictures for Motor Books 2005 Warbird a Day calendar. I finally got the project completed by the end of January. Though I sent all of the pictures on CD, some of the CDs failed to open, so I had to spend a few extra days getting those pictures again, and re-sending them. You will be able to find the calendar in any major bookstore toward the end of the year. Motor Books has also republished several of Jeff Ethells books in paperback, Warbirds of World War II (combining three of his color books, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk and P-51 Mustang), Bomber Command and Flying the Hump. They can be found on the shelf now at Borders and probably any other large book store. If you like WW II airplanes and personal accounts of various events centered around flying during that time, check out the books.
Death of the Church Victorious
Of course, no matter how many times you read a manuscript, errors get through. So I am trying to get the corrections in Death of the Church Victorious, as well as expand on some things I only mentioned previously, ready to send to the publisher. I want to develop the three millennial views, without promoting any of them: Premillennialism, Postmillennialism and Amillennialism, and develop the four views of the Revelation: Historicism, Preterism, Futurism and Spiritual, (Symbolic or Idealist). I am trying to show where each view originated and the basic teachings of each. I want to get these things to the publisher before the next printing (It is POD, so just about any size of an order is another printing.)
BTW, over the 25 or so years (up until my heart event), I have keep notes while I studied from 4:30 AM to sometimes after noon. Thus, I have commentaries on many complete books of the Bible, e.g., Exodus, Kings, Jonah, Galatians, the four Johns, Ephesians, and several other books. I believe there are 14 in all. Bettie, asked me what I was going to do with all of the commentaries I have studied for my personal information, and put together. I told her I would just put them on the Hard Drive, which did not set well with her. So, I am posting them, one book at a time, as I am able to work it in. I still have several complete books to type in from handwritten notes, e.g., 1 Kings. This takes time, though, and time is precious.
There are also several documents: some a few pages long, and others many pages long. My study in the first two chapters of Acts is well over 40 pages.
As I did that serious study of the Bible as a whole, it forced me to depart from dispensationalism, and brought me to where I am nownon-dispensational.
Lord willing, I will be posting a great many more commentaries and general files. This is one reason I went full time with the Examiner, so I could spend the time making the material the Lord has freely provided for me available to all.
The files are offered without serious editing, though I did
quickly glance through them for spelling. There is an abundance
of good teaching material here. I will post them as I get the
separate files ready. Some are in PDF, but those files are too
big, I have done the rest in html. You will also see how and why
my theology changed as I studied. What I put together
in the late 90s is not the same as what I put together in the
early 80s, nor should it be for anyone who studies Scripture.
When we quit learning, or when we refuse to learn, we might as
well die.
Some of the files are only a few pages long, but others are quite
long, so allow time for them to download. Check them out.
Thank you for your prayers. The Lord has been and is being good to us all here in the Shenandoah Valley.
BTW, note the Bible Conference in Sparta NC. We would sure like to see you there.
In Exodus 31:1-6, we find that the filling of the Spirit of God is not some mystical experience. It is not necessarily being able to speak the word of God and have people fall down in conviction, as happened with Jonathan Edwards. What happened with Edwards, people falling under conviction of sin at his preaching, has wrongly become the standard of being filled. Though such conviction may come as a result of preaching, he would be the first to tell us that is not the normal standard of being filled.
A much clearer picture of being filled is found in Bezaleel,
in whom the filling with the power of the Spirit is defined and
illustrated.
Gods working with Bezaleel shows us that being filled with
the spirit is being qualified to work in our occupation for the
Glory of God, and able to do that job effectively for His glory.
Exodus 36 could be titled, The Work Chapter, or the Power of the Spirit chapter.
Note the emphasis on work:
V. 1, how to work in all manner of work... according to all
that the Lord commanded.
V. 2, unto the work to do it.
V. 3, for the work of the service...
V. 4, that wrought all the work... from his work.
V. 5, service of the work. Those who did not have the skills,
supported those who did.
Follow the whole chapter, and you will see that the emphasis is upon manual labor, which had nothing to do with any mystical feelings. It had to do with hard work and sweat.
The emphasis throughout is on work and practical application of the Spirit of God: Not only is He the spirit of willingness, wisdom, understanding, but He is the Spirit of hard work and sweat. The purpose of the filling of the Spirit is so people can work hard at their calling, for the glory of God, and for the advancement of Gods earthly kingdom
The New Testament work of the Spirit certainly includes judgment and conviction of sin (John 16:7-11), but the Old Testament tells us that conviction of sin is only a small beginning part of His work. We should say that conviction and conversion is only the beginning of His work.
We need to point out in passing that the various supernatural signs of being filled with the Spirit in the Book of Acts were all given as proofs that the gospel was true. The teaching concerning those signs is far too lengthy to go into here. (See <http://www.biblicalexaminer.org/PDF/tongues.pdf>)
According to the Old Testament doctrine of the Spirit, His work is very practical: After the sinner is brought to Christ, the Spirits primary work is to make the heart willing to give, to understand Gods command-word and to work do physical labor for Gods glory, and not for the praise of men.
Judge Moore
We were able to go hear Judge Moore Friday night. My wifes son-in-law, Matt Chancey, was one of the men who put the meeting together, and he got us a seat at table #3, close enough to get spit on, if the Judge had spit when he spoke.
Judge Moore is a good illustration of the filling of the Spirit of God. That filling did not cause others to fall under conviction when he spoke, as many preachers might have us to believe, or he would not have been removed, and the court would have been converted. However, the filling of the Spirit caused him to stand for Christ in the area where Divine Providence had placed him.
In fact, he pointed out that every organization in Alabama, from all Republicans to all Democrats and everyone in between (except those who support the Ten Commandments), have stood against him. However, the people gladly hear and support him, which is the reason all of the establishment is so much against him.
The power and the filling of Gods Spirit enables one to work hard and sweat, if Divine Providence has us in an occupation that calls for manual labor.
But in Judge Moores case, the filling and power of Gods spirit enabled him to take the stand for the Christian God, a stand that cost him his job, for it only hardened the powers that be in their sin and rebellion. (The battle is far from over.)
We see in Exodus that those who did not have the skills for
that particular work supported those who did have the skills.
And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more
than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded
to make. Exodus 36:5.
What can we do? For one thing, we can contact our senators and urge them to vote against any federal appointment of Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor. Pryor was appointed by the Alabama Governor to fill out the term of another man. When he was appointed to that post, he gave his word that he would support Judge Moore in his resistance to Federal tyranny. He broke his word when he prosecuted Judge Moore. He cannot be trusted for any job of any importance. It appears he is climbing the ladder, and he cares not over whom he climbs. (I know more than a few pastors who have done the same thing, so what can we expect from pagans?)
However, the whole situation shows us that the root of the problem with the state, is that the state refuses to recognize any authority above itself. And George Bush MUST be included in the indictment against the state, for he refused to support Judge Moore in this clear case of Federal tyranny.
BUSH BACKS REMOVAL OF TEN COMMANDMENT MONUMENT 8/28/03
The office of President George W. Bush, who has been forthright in his public professions of Christian faith, backed the removal of the monument as the right thing legally while acknowledging such cases have gone both ways in the past. <http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,216568-1-9,00.html>
In the Judge Moore case, it is clear that the state will not admit there is another God outside of itself. The creed of the State is THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME, for I alone am the legitimate lawgiver and final authority.
The issue with the State and Judge Moore could not be clearer.
But the word of God says:
For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD
is our king; he will save us. Isaiah 33:22
On the other hand, the State says, The State is our judge,
the State is our lawgiver, the State is our king, and the State
will save us. Any resistance to the States efforts
to be as God, will be met with the same hatred as confronted Judge
Moore.
It is interesting that Pryor asked Judge Moore three times if he were reinstated, would he obey the Federal court and no longer mention God in his courtroom? Three times, Judge Moore said it would violate both his oath of office and the Alabama constitution that recognizes the superiority of the Christian God over the State.
Pryor kept saying that he did not care why Judge Moore would not recognize the State as the final authority and obey the Federal ruling against God. The question Pryor kept asking was, would Judge Moore now recognize the State if reinstated. Three times, the Judge said no. (State as god in the sense that he would submit to the authority of the state and leave God out of the court room.)
Why?
The question arises: Why will not Christians in general support Judge Moore? I believe these comments by J.N. Darby (1800-1880) give an answer:
Pauls writings are to be separate from the rest of the New Testament. (Collected Letters, v. II, pp. 47, 48.)
We are only under Pauls today, for his commission, baptism, alone was from heaven and for the Gentiles. Pauls writings alone can be used for doctrine, practice and faith. (Vol. II, p. 55, 1869.)
We are only under Pauls dispensation. (Vol. II. p. 196.)
The Gospels contain instructions, not the gospels are instructions. (Vol. II, p. 252. From Belfast, 1874.)
Pauls instructions are different from the other Apostles. (Vol. II, p. 278. Matthew 28:19, 20, was for apostles only, not for Paul.)
Darby distinguishes between Johns and Pauls doctrine. (Vol. III, p. 40.)
In other words, people have been taught and have believed Darbys lie that only the writings of Paul are for the church today. The Old Testament is for examples only.
In the whole situation with Judge Moore, we see the Spirit of God at work. The power of the Spirit is not identified as some mystical experience nor feeling. RATHER,
First, the power of the Spirit makes people willing to stand
for the final and total authority of King Jesus and His word,
even to the loss of their livelihoods and of their lives.
Second, the power of the Spirit makes people willing to work hard
and even sweat at their calling, as they seek to obey God in their
daily occupations:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23
By Nancy Campbell
The January 25, 2004 edition of The Washington Post contained
an interesting section about population growth among Muslims in
Europe:
Western Europes 15 million-strong Muslim community is growing
in both power and size. The birth rate among Muslims in Europe
is three times that of non-Muslims. While the Muslim population
could double by 2015, the non-Muslim population is expected to
shrink by 3.5 percent. And this is not a community that lives
in the shadows. As it grows, it is also flexing its political
muscle. Frances Muslim population... numbers upwards of
6 million, or 10 percent of the population. Within 20 years, according
to some estimates, half of all people under 18 in the Netherlands
will be Muslim.
I had just finished reading Nancy Campbells book on the Genesis Mandate when I spotted the article above. My first thought was, Wow! What if the Christian population were increasing like the Muslims?
Over my lifetime, I have seen Christians compromise the Genesis mandate to Be fruitful and multiply by limiting the size of their families, and some even deciding not to have any children at all. Many of the reasons for not having children include: not wanting to bring children into this evil world; not being able afford to provide for so many children; unable to afford to send them all to college; wanting to get a good job and a house first; fearing that they could not handle more than one or two children the wife would have a nervous breakdown, etc.
Nancy Campbell powerfully shows through the Bible that God is dogmatically pro-family, considering children a source of great blessing, not only to their parents and family, but also to the whole world.
P.201: When we refuse to have more children, we deprive many people. We deprive:
1. God. This is most serious. We deprive Him of the purposes and plans that He has for the children that He destined to be born.
2. Eternity. God wants to fill His house. He not only wants to fill the earth, but He wants to fill His eternal kingdom. We fill eternity with those who are born on earth. [that are saved, Ed.]
3. Ourselves. We deprive ourselves of being blessed by God. Every child is a blessing. Once we receive the blessing of a child from God, we wonder how we could ever live without that child. When Onan destroyed his sperm, he was deprived of being in the lineage of Jesus. Judah then received this privilege in his place.
4. Grandparents. We deprive our parents of their glory and honor which are grandchildren. Read Proverbs 17:6. The Living Bible translation says, An old mans grandchildren are his crowning glory. Why should we deprive our parents of their reward and glory in their older age?
5. Our Children. We deprive our present children of more brothers and sisters. Children love to have more children in the family. They love to have another baby brother or sister. I often sadly think of the brothers and sisters that I could have had. More brothers and sisters are always a blessing. If my parents had been willing to have more children, not only would I be more blessed, but also my children would have more uncles and aunts. If my siblings had trusted God for more children, my children would be blessed with more cousins, and I would have more nieces and nephews. Remember, God wants our families to be like a flock.
(In large families, there are fewer opportunities for children to be self-centered and spoiled. Each one has to share with others, and has greater opportunities to learn selflessness.)
6. Our Church. The church today would be fifty to one hundred percent stronger if we, the people of God, had not limited the godly seed. There would be more apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists.
7. The World. We deprive the world of the blessings of a godly seed. We deprive the world of being illuminated with light. We deprive the world of being salted. We deprive the world of more godly young people and men and women. We deprive the world of more godly mothers and fathers who will build strong families that will build a strong nation.
If the Muslims are growing in population and taking increasing power in the world, why not Christians? After all, God gave Christians the mandate to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth... and have dominion over the earth.
When God spoke to the children of Israel, He did not speak only to their generation, but always included future generations.( p. 94) It is sad that most in our generation think only of the present, and do not consider building for the future. The Humanists have had a long range plan of taking dominion of our world with their worldview through the education system. Why should not Christians obey Gods mandate and fill the earth with godly offspring as He desires?
By abdicating our responsibility to obey Gods Genesis Mandate, we are allowing the Muslims and others to populate the world with their pagan offspring.
Bettie is Bro Ovid Needs wife. She enjoys being a full-time homemaker, and working with Christinas home education. She has three children who have given her 11 grandchildren, with three more on the way.
By Jennie Chancey
To tell the story of our courtship, I must begin at the very startwhen I was a baby. Yes, I said baby. As soon as I was born, my parents began praying for my future mate. Daily through all my growing-up years they prayed for his childhood, his salvation, his growth in Christ. Little did they know that a family 500 miles away was also praying for their sons future wife!
When I turned thirteen, my mother started me praying for my husband. Not that hed be rich or handsome (though I must confess I sneaked in a few petitions that he wouldnt look like a gorilla!), but that he would know Christ, desire to serve him, and wait for me. At the same time, Mom told me about a letter that she had written to herself when she was thirteen. She sealed it to be opened when she turned eighteen and kept it in a box for herself. That letter contained a list of the qualities she wanted in a husbandthe things she would wait for.
Inspired, I wrote a similar list and a letter and sealed them up, but I marked the envelope for opening on my twenty-first birthday. The letter lay safe in a little keepsake trunk, nearly forgotten through my high school years. In the meantime, I prayed, when I remembered to, for the one I would marry. But my parents continued to pray for him every day.
I didnt date anyone when I was in high school, and it wasnt just because I was home schooled or because my parents believed in courtship. They hadnt really thought about it at that point. But they raised three kids who didnt date by choice all the same. It just didnt make sense to us as we watched friends get involved with someone, get hurt, and break upover and over and over again.
Our youth group at church was full of kids who fell in and out of relationships without managing to hold on to many friends. Mom and Dad encouraged us instead to be friends with anyone we could, whether male or female. They reminded us to wait on the Lords timing and be content where He had us. That doesnt mean we were never lonely. It doesnt mean I never wished someone would ask me out. Im human! God places the desire in our hearts for companionship. It takes work to focus that desire on our families and friends without falling into the dating trap. I know it would be especially difficult for a person who isnt a part of a close-knit, loving family.
No matter how difficult it is, though, I believe it is crucial to commit our desires and needs to God. God doesnt want His people to be miserable or frustrated! He wants to do His will through them. Aside from salvation, committing to a life partner is the next most important decision anyone makes. It is not something to be done lightly or without a lot of prayer. And young adults need to support each other in this, not tear each other down. I am convinced that the high divorce rate in this nation comes in large part from the dating culture weve built. (By dating, I mean serial relationships, not just stopping for a cup of coffee with a member of the opposite sex.)
Dating creates the mindset that I can get out of a relationship as soon as it doesnt meet my needs, my desires, my wants, and my agenda. We try people on like they were clothing with a money-back guarantee! This does not honor the other person or God, who created each individual in His image. It is selfish and assumes we will always have things the way we want them when we want them.
So we come around to courtship. Let me say right off that I dont see courtship as an alternative to dating. In my opinion, dating should be out of the question. Courtship (or family-centered relating or whatever you like to call it) is something entirely different. It is not the biblical way to meet the opposite sex or go out. That would miss the point entirely. Courtship first is a completely new mindsetone that erases the old get a date or be a geek mentality.
This takes some doing if youve been brought up to view dating as the normal way to find a mate. It begins with the decision to commit each day to God and His calling on my life. It comes with the knowledge that God has already chosen the person I am to marryif I am to marry. It is the realization that I can never be content married until I am content single. If I live in despair because I dont have a significant other, then I have not learned to lean on God. And do note that the word courtship gets thrown around a lot these days by parents and others eager to dump dating, but its not the name thats importantit is the principle of the thing, whatever buzzword is used.
But let me get back to the story. I went to college with my head in the clouds. Because my parents had met at college, I was sure I would find my future mate there. I had promised Mom and Dad that if anyone asked me out, I would tell him he had to talk with my dad first. I had committed my college time to the Lord and was prepared to follow his leading. I had a lot of friends at school, both guys and gals. The guys treated me like a sister and protected me from any creeps. After my freshman year, my brother joined me at the same college. He also had lots of friends, and we spent all the time together we could. My second year was fabulous, with even more friends than before. And, yes, there were a lot of neat guys at school that I liked, but I kept my promise to remain focused on God and not go looking around for The One.
By the time my junior year rolled around, I was beginning to wonder where this guy could be! I had never been asked out by any of the nice guys, and, even though I didnt want to date, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Lots of my friends got asked out. But guys treated me like I was a relative or something. Dont get me wrong - this was all very nice! I just wondered if there ever would be anyone for me.
Finally, I asked my brother if he knew why no one asked me out. He said, Youre intimidating. I was shocked. ME? Intimidating? I thought that was the craziest thing Id ever heard! I asked a close girl friend what David meant, and she told me that guys would never dream of treating me the way they treated other girls, because they knew I had standards I wouldnt let down. They knew I was waiting for the best. I couldnt believe it. I had never told anyone those things. Id talked with some of my girlfriends about my ideals, sure, but certainly not the guys! But they knew. My brother said it was just obvious. Guys felt protective of me. Some who didnt like me as well, called me the Snow Queen, implying that I was just too cold to ever go out with anyone. Ouch!
It was that year that I opened the letter Id written to myself at age thirteen. I laughed and laughed. What a child I had been, I thought. An impossible dreamer! Here is the list of qualities I had written:
1. He will be a Christian and desire to be the spiritual leader of our family.
2. He will love God more than he loves me and will want to serve Him.
3. He will be at least two years younger than me (Dad was two and a half years younger than Mom.)
4. He will have a great sense of humor and love old movies.
5. He will want to raise as many children as the Lord chooses to bless us with.
6. He will want me to be a stay-at-home mom.
7. He will play at least one musical instrument.
8. He will love history and reading and writing.
9. He will be nice looking...at least to me, if no one else thinks so.
10. He will love his family and mine.
11. He will like to eat broccoli.
12. He will sweep me off my feet, but only after he has won my familys approval.
Broccoli? Had I been out of my mind when I wrote that list? I laughed until I cried. I mustve been crazy. There wasnt one guy on the planet who came anywhere close to fitting this list! No guys I knew wanted lots of kids. No guys I knew wanted their wife to stay at homethey all wanted two incomes, big houses and cars. No guys I knew played a musical instrument and loved history. I had made up an ideal man who would never exist. So I folded the list back into the envelope and decided God probably hadnt taken it seriously either.
Once I graduated from college, I decided I would never marry. It hadnt all happened the way Id imagined four years before, so I told my parents I was sure God was calling me to be single. It didnt matter that Id always wanted to be a wife and mother. I could serve in an orphanage in Africa and have lots of kids around me. I could be a teacher. I could baby-sit for the rest of my life! But God knew me from the womb. He had planned my life before I had a life to call my own. He had everything ready, but He was waiting for the right time.
So I began my full-time job and made new friends. Well-meaning ladies in the church pitied my unmarried state and tried to match me up with eligible guys, but I resisted. I was determined to be content where God had me and not look for Mr. Right. I told my parents I had grown cynical at college. I thought all guys (except for ones I was related to) were jerks. Secretly, I wanted to believe in that list Id written, but I felt silly telling anyone that. I wanted to wait for the best, though it looked as though that was a fantasy.
A year passedone of the most wonderful years yet. God brought people into my life who were readying me for The One, though I didnt realize it at the time, of course. Everything that happened added on to what God had been doing throughout my life. My interests in history and reading intensified. Although Id always been fascinated by the Civil War, I became passionately interested in Southern history. Little did I know. God does have a sense of humor-and impeccable timing.
I saw Matt Chanceys face and read his words before he ever knew who I was. He had applied to work at my office as an intern to the legal and political staff. Part of my job involved reading through applications and setting up interviews with candidates for the program. Matts application stayed on file for a long time, though, because he had missed the winter terms deadline by a month. (Gods timing, I am certain, since He still had a lot to work out in me.) When the time rolled around for us to interview Matt, I pulled out his file and read through it again. I noticed something I hadnt caught before. Matt was a Civil War re-enactor and loved to study history and literature. He was also passionate about Southern history. Hed fit right in at our office, I thought, but thats as far ahead as my mind went.
Matt arrived at our office on a blazing hot July day, fresh from battling the six-lane beltway around Washington, DC. I showed him to his housing quarters, told him who would be living with him, and returned to the office, promptly dropping him from my mind.
Two weeks later, Matt and the other interns came to an open house that I put on with my housemates. The first thing he noticed was the music I had playing. You like Harry Connick, Jr.? he asked. (Harry plays 1940s Big Band music, long a favorite of mine.) I nodded and showed him all the CDs and tapes I had. I love Harrys music! he said. That was neat, but it didnt register on my Richter scale. I introduced each of the guys to my dad, who had come over for the event. Matt and Dad hit it off immediately, talking about their shared interests in history and the Civil War. If I noticed, it didnt really start me thinkinguntil much later. I was busy being hostess to my guests.
Three weeks passed. Matt talked to me any time an opportunity presented itself. He and the other interns had a bunch of us over for a meal, and Matt and I ended up talking about history, literature, music, and old fashioned farm life (a favorite topic for both of us) for a couple of hours. Matt kept us all in stitches with his imitations of Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, and other classic movie stars (he loved old movies). When he wasnt cracking jokes, he was playing tunes he wrote on his keyboard and singing. He was a neat guy. That much I knew. What I didnt know was that Matt had been watching me closely from the first week he had arrived. Other people noticed, but I was blind.
In August, my parents invited all the interns out to the house
for a weekend of old movies and canoeing on the Shenandoah River.
Matt spent most of Friday night chatting with my parents. Our
group hit the river on Saturday, toting a picnic lunch. While
everyone else began to paddle as fast as they could downstream,
my friend, Kathy, and I kept a slow pace, enjoying the scenery
along the way. Matt and his canoe partner stayed back with us,
and we enjoyed a leisurely float down the river, getting out now
and again to swim. Matt sang old songs, and Kathy and I joined
in with our best movie-star voices. It was a blast. But I still
hadnt figured out that anything more was going on. In the
meantime, Matt had called his parents to tell them he thought
hed met the woman God wanted him to marry! They told him
to wait a while longer and continue to think and pray. When Matts
parents came up for a visit, I thought they were very sweet, but
I had no idea they might be checking me out!
By the time September came, I began riding my bike one evening
a week after work on a nearby trail. When Matt saw my bike, he
asked if he could join me. I told him Id be delighted to
have someone to chat with as I rode. We had such a good time pedaling
along the trail and talking about our favorite topics. Sometimes
Matt would ask questions about my beliefs and world-view. Sometimes
wed just ride quietly. Sometimes Matt would sing like Harry
Connick, Jr. I really enjoyed our friendship. My parents loved
Matt and were glad he had become a good friend. Secretly, people
in the office were matchmaking us and winking at each other behind
my back. Still I sailed along in oblivion.
Late in September, I went to a church picnic with Matt and my friend, Andrea. We sat out under a tree and chatted pleasantly. Eventually, Andrea excused herself to find some other friends, and Matt and I kept on talking. Slowly, I began to feel a little strange. Matt was saying things that hit really close to home, and I had to wonder where hed gotten his information. He told me he had observed that I was a very old-fashioned girl who believed the Romantic (i.e. old-fashioned, simple, unworldly) life was not a lie. That I was willing to wait to be swept off my feet and that I thought knights on white horses still existed somewhere. He said I was the kind of girl who read Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables and wanted that kind of simple life. That I didnt think children were to be seen and not heard. That, more than anything, I wanted to bring up a houseful of kids who loved each other and their parents.
Then he turned and looked me straight in the eye. May I ask you a personal question? I shrugged nonchalantly and said, Sure. He tilted his head. Have you ever been courted? My heart felt as though an electric current had zapped it. I stammered out that an older guy had wanted to court me when I was nineteen, but my parents had told him to keep his distance. Nothing had ever come of it.
Trying not to give away the butterflies in my stomach, I stood up quickly from my spot under the tree. Matt calmly lay in the grass as I headed for a nearby field to walk out my odd feelings. How does he know so much? I never talk about my dreams. Why does he care? When I returned, Matt was still smiling slightly, like he had a secret joke. After that conversation, Matt wrote his father a long letter, telling him all hed learned about me during his few months in Virginia: my faith, my beliefs, my world-view, and even what kind of music I liked. He asked his dad to give his blessing for a courtship and also to write my father a letter, commending Matt to my family and affirming their blessing on a possible courtship.
Meanwhile, I tried to throw the whole picnic conversation out of my mind. It was nothing. He was just a very insightful person; that was all. Three weeks later, though, I knew there was more to it than that. I ate dinner at the interns house again. One guys family had brought lasagna, and we ate a big Italian meal. The family had also brought babies, and I had a ball playing with them and lulling the newborn to sleep.
As I stood in the darkened kitchen, rocking the baby slowly side to side, Matt stepped in from the living room. He smiled at me and said I looked like I was enjoying myself. Then he opened the back door to the deck and exclaimed at the beauty of the night sky. Come look at the stars, Jennie, he whispered. I did. Hey, look! he said, pointing outside. There are two chairs on the deck! I had to chuckle at the incredible coincidence. Matt sat in one chair while I wrapped the baby in a blanket and sat in the other.
Then the questions began: Where do you see yourself in five years? What do you want to do with your life? You love children, dont you? How many kids do you want? By now the old butterflies had come back to my stomach. But my brain set off red alerts and told me not to think anything was happening. Hes just being nice! it screamed. There is nothing going on! it cried out, but all in vain. I knew something was going on, and I knew it involved Matt and me and the future.
The timing couldnt have been more awfulor more perfect. I was scheduled to attend a home school conference in Florida two days later. I thought I was going to die. Did Matt intend to tell me anything before I left? The day before I boarded the plane, he asked me when he could visit my parents again. Oh, anytime, I said lightly. You know they love having you over. I didnt want him to think I was reading anything into his request! I was tempted to ask my parents if they had talked with him already, but I didnt want them to think I was flipping out.
Instead, I asked my friend and confidante, Andrea, if she knew anything. She was reluctant at first to say much, but finally I got it out of her: Jennie Ethell! she cried. Are you really that blind? Matt Chancey has been head over heels in love with you for a long time! My mouth dropped. I shook my head. W-what? I managed to choke out. Good grief, girl! she laughed. Everyone at the office knows it. Weve just been wondering if you would figure it out! It was too much to believe. I couldnt take it in! And I had to get on a plane and go away for a week! How could I, without knowing if this was really happening?
That was the longest week of my life, but it gave me lots of time to think. Everything began to make so much sense. I could look back over the past three months and see a definite pattern. Matt hadnt been idle! I could see how he had been sleuthing for months, learning about me without making it look like he was chasing me or monopolizing me. I wrote a thirteen-page letter to Andrea, telling her all the things I was figuring out. I really wrote it for myself, like a diary. I needed it to stay sane that week. And as the days passed, I began to uncover the feelings in my own heart. Matt had become my best friend. I couldnt imagine doing anything that wouldnt involve him. But what did it mean? It had sneaked up on me, and I was left completely breathless.
When I stepped off the plane, Matt was waiting at the gate. His face lit up when he saw me, but he turned to hide it. I tried to act natural. After all, he hadnt asked to court me! A day later, I came down with a bad cold and had to stay home from work. It was miserable lying on the couch with no one else around, so I was overjoyed when Andrea got home and suggested we go out for coffee.
When we got back, there sat Matts car in our driveway. Whats he doing here? I asked. Andrea grinned and shrugged. Matt asked me if I wanted to go for coffee, and I told him Id just had some. He insisted I needed another cup, so we headed for Shoneys. He was still wearing his suit and tie from work. I looked like a girl with a bad cold: no makeup, hair in a bun, circles under my eyes.
We sat down in a corner booth, ordered our coffee, and chatted for a few moments. Then Matt took a deep breath. Id like to tell you a story, he said. I caught my breath and leaned forward. Once upon a time there was a young man from Alabama . From there Matt launched into the story of his journey to Virginia, work at the office, and meeting my family and me.
Thats when he told me about calling his family in August, writing his dad in September, and getting the letter for my dad the day after I returned from Florida. By the time he got to the part where he asked my fathers permission to court me, I had tears in my eyes and a big smile on my face. Matt had just come from my parents house that evening, where they had joyfully given him their blessing to win my heart. As he finished his tale, Matt leaned forward and said, What the young man would like to know is if the young lady will help him write a happy ending to the story. Speechless, I nodded yes. My heart was bursting with joy.
Our courtship, began October 11th and lasted two and a half months. We officially stepped from courtship to engagement on December 28, when Matt knelt down and asked me to marry him. We spent the time in between studying the Bible together, praying, spending time with my family, and talking about Gods call on our lives. We also did fun things (dont think were too serious!) like playing games, riding bikes, watching old movies, discussing the future, reading aloud, and going out with friends. We were not trying each other out or going steady. We both knew marriage was the goal from the day my father gave Matt permission to woo me. My parents gave him their blessing precisely because they knew my calling in life went with Matts. They had studied him and talked to him for three months.
Courtship isnt about trying on relationships until you find the one that fits. It is about waiting for that relationship - even when it seems like it will never come. It is about striving to follow Gods plan instead of our own. As Matt says, a young man should only court one girl. If youre going to get up the courage to ask a fathers permission to court his daughter, he says, youd better be pretty sure she is the one. How did he know I was the girl he wanted to marry? He watched and listened for three months before he made his move. He kept his own emotions in check and prayed constantly. He patiently learned all he could about me while winning my family over. My parents loved him long before they thought of him as a future son-in-law. In a sense, Matt really courted my family for three months before deciding to ask Dad if he could court me!
Courting isnt a way to meet girls or guys; thats what regular friendship is about. My mom always told me to watch the way a guy behaves in a group. One-on-one, he will turn on the charm and try to present himself in the best possible light (girls do this, too!). But watch the way he behaves when he loses a game. Watch how he acts around children. See how he treats his family. Become a detective! Now this doesnt mean we should set ourselves up to judge people, just that we should learn to look at more than externals. Spending those unattached years making friends and being a friend is very fulfilling. The goal is to give more than you receive and bless others even when you are not being blessed by them. I wont pretend its always easy, but it is rewardingwhen we stretch beyond ourselves to reach out to others as Christ did.
Today I wear Matts rings on my finger, and I thrill to be called his wife. Was it worth the wait? Youd better believe it. Would I change any part of our story? Not on your life. God knew the best time and place. Can fairy tales come true? Yes, because God is the greatest romancer of them all. Read Isaiah. Read Jeremiah. Read the Psalms. Look at how God has called out to His people through the ages. No matter how flawed we are, God has still chosen us for His purposes, and He desires the best for us. He doesnt want us to settle for anything, least of all the mate we will spend the rest of our days with.
God gave me every single thing on that list, even down to the broccoli (Matt loves it) and the age difference (!). He gave me the best friend I have ever had. He gave me the one I was supposed to wait for. This sweet confidence grows every day as I listen to Matt read Scripture aloud before he begins his work, hear him pray for us and our future, watch him love my family, listen to him tell me how much he loves me, and see him quietly listen to me. I will never forget a single day of our courtship or the feeling in my heart when Matt knelt down and asked me to be his wife.
God is good! I pray I can do the work He has called me to,
as I serve Matt and the children He has given us. I know I dont
deserve such a gift, but God is a gracious giver who holds nothing
back from his children. Getting married shouldnt be about
finding someone who will give us everything we want. That only
leads to insecurity, jealousy, and greed. (And when I wrote that
list, Mom told me it wasnt a gimme list to be
filled out with temporal desires. She wisely had me write it before
I was even interested in boysso it wasnt written with
someone in mind!).
Marriage should be about learning to give ourselves fully and
unselfishly without expecting anything in return. The beauty of
this principle is that, when we take the focus off what we want,
God gives to us more abundantly than we ever could have imagined
(Luke 6:38). It is His way of equipping us for His service - not
so that we will do His work like robots, but so that we will work
for and with Him joyfully.
Dont believe the lies television and movies would have us
believe. Real Love is very much alive. Not just the emotional
highs, but the day-to-day decision that love is. God gives us,
in His Word, a perfect picture of His idea of Love:
Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Matt and I are nowhere near perfect, and we know there will be rough times ahead, but God has promised to be with us. In the midst of all the burdens of life, God gives Joy. Wait for it. Courtship isnt about getting, it is about waiting to give. It is about trusting God to bring the one person He has for you. It is about being content right where you are today, even if that means being alone. It is about believing True Love is still alive and well.
There are no set steps to courtship. I cant guarantee that if you follow A, B, and C, you will meet your mate. Every situation is unique, just as each person is unique. But the principles are the same. Commit your steps to the Lord each day. Ask Him to help you wait for the one He has for you, and purpose that you will not give your heart away, piece by piece, until it is broken and empty. In Gods time, and if He wills it, He will bring the person He desires you to spend your life with. You can be sure of it.
Matt and Jennie Chancey live in VA, with their three boys, John Nathan (6 1/2), Alex (5), and Thomas (3), and one girl, Belle (18 months). They are expecting their fifth child in April. Matt is Public Relations director for a large Christian owned technology firm. Jennie is a stay-at-home mom and an editor for Homeschooling Today. She enjoys having guests in their home, teaching her own children and running a custom pattern design business on the side (http://www.sensibility.com). She also has a popular web site, http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com.
It does not take much to beat the dating game we played as a young men, and most people play today. If you know any unmarrieds who might be seeking a spouse, please have them contact us. Our goal is simply to try to put singles in contact with other singles of like mind. What is done with that contact is up to the individuals. Snail mail or e mail for more information. Or see us at http://www.christiancourtship.us.
Dear Brother Need
I am writing to thank you for publishing The Biblical Examiner. I am amazed at how much perception you have, especially concerning the Bush administration.
Mr. Bush left the Texas school system in a mess. Even though, as Governor, he was not much more than a figurehead, he managed to leave us with a huge debt. Now, he is duplicating that in Washington with his war for oil in Iraq. I am greatly distressed by the power the right wing fundamentalists have gained. They treat everything as if God doesnt exist, and even if He does, He is unable to discharge His own agenda without their insight.
Your 2002 articles about the problems that led to the Council of Dort were outstanding. God bless you for publicly embracing the 1689 Confession of Faith, which few are willing to do in these days of decisional evangelism. The Truth has found you!
May the God of all grace bless you and keep you.
Pastor Jack Warren
Saginaw, TX
Forwarded from Evangelist John Weaver:
... Also, I wanted to let you know that I saw where you suggested
the book Death of The Church Victorious by Brother Ovid Need and
purchased the book. Read it while waiting in the hospital with
Deb. What a tremdous study and one that needs wide distribution.
Though I have read much in this area I dont believe I have
ever read a more complete development of modern doctrinal heresy
of which, upon my conversion, I was a full fledged member.
So much of what he wrote about I can remember as simply basic
training in my early Christian years. But God is merciful.
We thank the Lord for the ministry which the Lord has given to
you and Mrs. Weaver and for the joy of being influenced and taught
by your ministry.
Tim Yarbrough
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are thine. John 17:9
Dear Pastor Need:
I received your latest package of 20 copies of the Biblical Examiner
and I thank you for that. I am glad you were able to use my article
on Iraq. The timing of the publication of that article is good
since Tim LaHaye has just issued a grand pronouncement saying
that the current war in Iraq is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy
(surprise, surprise, surprise). Also I have been reading some
of his Left Behind fantasy novels and he makes it clear that the
UN headquarters will have to be relocated to Iraq in order to
fulfill prophecy. This helps to explain why millions
of deluded Americans who have read the Left Behind novels are
enthusiastically supporting the war in Iraq, which they see as
necessary to fulfill Bible prophecy, and why they
are not bothered by the fact that Bush lied to get us into that
war.
I have to admit that I did not think of Front Royal as being part of the Washington DC metro area, but I do certainly agree with you that there is an advantage to being near the center of power, which is Washington, and that this gives you an advantage in influencing those who run our nation and the world. By all means, go for it. As for your busy condition and not having enough time to study and write, my situation is pretty much the opposite. I seem to have all the time I need for studying and writing, in spite of my 40-hour a week job. The difference of course is you have family responsibilities and I have none. As far as I am concerned, you are right to encourage young people to get married while they are still young. I never had that kind of encouragement to get married as a young Christian, mostly just opposition and a lot of talk about how I was not yet ready for marriage. So at age 49 1 am still single, content to stay that way, set in my ways of solitary life, and still not getting any help to get hitched, nor do I really care. I realized that I have failed in one of the most important assignments that the Lord has given us, to get married and raise Christian children, so I am trying to make up for it in other ways.
Check out the articles in my enclosed papers. The one about the 70 weeks of Daniel is totally devastating to the whole futurist system of prophecy, which insists on a future Tribulation as a judgment for the Jews. I didnt get into it in this article, but if all of Gods prophecies against the Jews were fulfilled in 70 AD, then this would eliminate from consideration the futurist view of the Book of Revelation. Then there is my article on the lack of Biblical evidence for the Pre-Trib Rapture. I will sit back and see if I get any refutation of this article - so far no one has contacted me to refute the article on the 70 weeks of Daniel....
I have run into some really vicious opposition at the church I attend here. An old enemy who unsuccessfully tried to blackmail me for money years ago has started coming around to church, denouncing me, following me around after the services and trying to pick fights with me. I have had to start coming to church late and leaving early in order to avoid confrontations with him. He denounced me because I do not offer the Left Behind novels in my bookstore. He is a true follower of the Left Behind theology that teaches that there is no future, nothing to work for here on earth, so we may as well just dedicate ourselves to wrecking the churches and contending against people who do not believe the Left Behind lies, because nothing matters any more anyway because we are getting raptured out in just a few more years. The Left Behind teaching is really dangerous, as I am finding out first-hand. I wrote an article on the subject a few years ago, but I feel that it is necessary for me to deal with this more deeply so I am working on another article which I expect to publish at the end of January. As part of my research I am subjecting myself to the distasteful chore of actually reading some of the books. Did you know that after the rapture there is to be a great soul harvest, maybe a billion or more people, coming to Christ? It must be true because it says so in the Left Behind books. This explains why people are doing nothing to evangelize the world now - no need for that, since Hal Lindseys 144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams will be coming along in just a few years and they will take care of it for us.
I received and read the FedEd book you sent me. This is one of the most critical and important issues that faces us as Christians today, so by all means stay on it. I have to admit I have said and done and written very little on this important issue of the modem public education, but a few years ago I did buy a case of 100 copies of John Stormers hook None Dare Call It Education for $125 ($1.25 a book) and gave them away through my local church here. If every Baptist and evangelical church in America would buy a case of that book, or the FedEd book, or Bent Kjos book, and distribute it in their congregations and communities, we could turn this thing around. (But of course theres no need for us to worry about it, the Rapture is coming in just a few years, so we may as well spend the remaining time fighting and destroying each other instead of fighting the real enemy).
Yours in Christ,
Thomas Williamson
Football Fans
The coach had put together the perfect team for the Detroit
Lions. The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback.
He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European
Leagues, but he couldnt find a ringer who could ensure a
Super Bowl win.
Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan.
In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan Muslim soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a 15th story window 100 yards away. KABOOM!
He threw another hand-grenade 75 yards away, right into a chimney. KA-BLOOEY!
Then he threw another at a passing car going 90 mph. BULLS-EYE!
Ive got to get this guy! Coach said to himself. He has the perfect arm!
So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football.
And the Lions go on to win the Super Bowl.
The young Afghan is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother.
Mom, he says into the phone, I just won the Super Bowl!
I dont want to talk to you, the old Muslim woman says. You deserted us.
You are not my son!
I dont think you understand, Mother, the young man pleads. Ive won the greatest sporting event in the world. Im here among thousands of my adoring fans.
No! Let me tell you! his mother retorts. At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesnt get raped! The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says, I will never forgive you for making us move to Detroit!
By Thomas Williamson
On September 12, 2001, one day after the devastating Attack on America, prophecy teacher Hal Lindsey began his commentary on World Net Daily by saying, The Battle of America has begun! So be it!
Huh? Why does Lindsey appear to be so delighted at a terrorist
attack that calls into the question the continued future of America?
Lindsey explains later in the article: he has been predicting
the destruction of America all along, and the events of September
11 may be the long-awaited beginning of the fulfillment of that
prophecy.
He says, In my video, `Where is America in Prophecy, I warned that America will be destroyed as world power and that terrorism was one way this could happen. This scenario seems to have begun. I do not believe this is the last attack. Lindsey goes on to call for an all-out war on the terrorists. But why bother if America is going to be destroyed anyway?
Israel-First Millennialists can view the possible defeat and destruction of America, as a result of our ongoing sponsorship of Israels illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, with calm and equanimity. In their view, it is only reasonable for us to sacrifice ourselves for Israel in this manner. And besides, America is doomed to destruction anyway, so why bother to change our foreign policies in a vain attempt to evade the inevitable?
For Scriptural proof that America is going to be destroyed, authors S. Franklin Logsdon and Noah Hutchings, in their book U.S. in Prophecy quote Jeremiah 30:11, Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee [Israel]. They take this to mean that all modern nations, including America, will be destroyed, with the exception of Israel, the only nation God cares about. It does not occur to the authors that Jeremiah was talking about the nations of his own time in the 6th Century BC, not the 21st Century AD.
Logsdon and Hutchings provide other, equally dubious proofs that America is destined for Gods trash heap of nations. They quote Jeremiah 50:12, Behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert, and tell us that this refers to America. What a come-down - we thought America was the worlds headquarters, and as it turns out, we are only the hindquarters. But if it is so easy to plug in any modern nation into a passage dealing with the fall of Babylon in the 6th Century BC, why does it have to be America - why not Paraguay, Patagonia or Papua New Guinea?
Based on the scholarship of prophecy experts like Lindsey, Logsdon and Hutchings, there are millions of Americans who believe that our nation has no future. Though their application of the Armageddon Theology to American foreign policy in the Middle East may lead to World War III and possible nuclear devastation, this does not bother them because America is doomed anyway.
They do not expect to suffer personally in the coming conflagration over the ownership of Palestine, because they expect to be raptured out by the Second Coming of Christ before things get really bad. In an old Three Stooges short, an army colonel facetiously stated that Never in the history of United States movies has the cavalry ever been late. For todays American prophecy buffs, that statement can be amended to read; Never in the history of `Left Behind Armageddon Theology movies has the Rapture ever been late.
Based on the constant turmoil in the Middle East, which Armageddon theologians have helped to foment, many American fundamentalists assume that the Rapture cannot possibly be more than a few years away. This belief that there is no tomorrow can lead to irresponsible thinking patterns.
For instance, in an 1975 interview, Dr. G. Beauchamp Vick,
an associate of the prominent Baptist preacher J. Frank Norris,
complained that Norris used to say borrow as much as you
can, the Lords going to come before it comes due. They owed
everybody in the country.
This lack of fixture orientation and long-range planning can lead
to serious consequences, not only in the area of church finances,
but also in our foreign policy. When millions of Americans, some
of them in high places have no interest in avoiding World War
III, promoting peace in the Middle East, or protecting our nations
future, because they believe that we have no future and that the
only thing that matters is territorial expansion for Israel at
any price, then this fatalistic attitude puts our nation and every
other nation in the world (including Israel) at a critical risk
of being devastated in a pointless war that has nothing to do
with the genuine fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
The January and February 1988 issues of Moody monthly carried
a chilling fictional article called Thy Kingdom Come/Thy
Will Be Done, from the book Kingdoms in Conflict
by Charles Colson, about an American President who refuses to
take action to prevent Israel from destroying Jerusalems
Dome of the Rock. The fictional Presidents reasoning, based
on the Armageddon Theology, is that war over the Temple site is
the prelude to Christs return, and therefore it is his duty
to let it happen, even if World War III results.
The current situation in America is almost as bad. American foreign
policy in the Middle East is heavily influenced by millions of
Americans who agree that it is our duty to support the territorial
demands of the most extreme elements of Israeli society. It doesnt
matter how much suffering is inflicted on Israeli and Palestinian
civilians if war breaks out. (They believe, based on yet another
ancient prophecy twisted out of context, that two-thirds of all
Jews are fated to die anyway in the war, and they dont care
- they just want Armageddon to be started as soon as possible).
It doesnt matter if world-wide nuclear war breaks out and
spreads to the rest of the world. It doesnt even matter
if America is destroyed - America is expendable.
What can we do about this problem? The long-range solution is
to combat the ignorance of so many evangelical Christians in prophecy
matters, teaching them to understand Bible prophecy in its historical
context instead of applying everything to the decade we happen
to live in.
The short-term solution is to write our elected leaders, to let them know that we are Christians who believe everything that the Bible teaches, but that we totally reject the Armageddon Theology and do not want our foreign policy to be based on such madness.
Thomas Williamson
3131 S. Archer Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60608
(As appeared in Christian News, December 3, 2001)
[Editor's note: Israel-First Millennialists Predict Destruction of America
Let me add this note to the article, "Israel-First Millennialists Predict Destruction of America" in the last Examiner.
Many of us clearly remember a few years ago that the prognosticators looked into their crystal balls (bibles) and told the world that the US was clearly prophesied in Scripture, leading the world as the young lions of Ezekiel 38:13. Now the same prognosticators look into their crystal balls (surely not the Scriptures as we know them, for God does not change), and tell us that,
Based on the "scholarship" of "prophecy experts" like Lindsey, Logsdon and Hutchings, there are millions of Americans who believe that our nation has no future. Though their application of the Armageddon Theology to American foreign policy in the Middle East may lead to World War III and possible nuclear devastation, this does not bother them because America is doomed anyway. (Williamson)
It is distressing to the highest degree that many Christians follow these "profiting prophets" as they change with the wind, teaching their "newspaper exegesis" according to what brings in the most money at the time. When events change, their prophecies change. These men who change with the wind, going where the money is, are no better than the prophets in 1 Kings 22 who wanted Micaiah to speak only what pleased the king; they are no better than Hananniah the prophet, who spoke what the people wanted to hear in Jeremiah 28. These false prophets know where the money is, and speak accordingly. Many good, sincere people blindly follow them like a bunch of lemmings. They are blind following blind leaders.
Only God can command the light to shine in their darkness of deceit and falsehoods. (2 Corinthians 4:6.) The prophets' changing with the wind reminds us of the religious leaders of Christ's day, spoken of in John 12:
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. 42 ¶ Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
First, these prophets who change with the wind, going where the money is, are blind, either blind to the Word of God or blinded by money.
Second, their hearts are hardened in their ways, so they refuse to see the errors of their ways, and be converted.
Third, hence, God cannot heal the land.
Forth, loving the praise of men more than the praise of God, they continue in the way that brings the most money.
Fifth, the blindness is there from God. We have talked about this before, and we can call it a "judicial blindness." It is a blindness by God that allows men to continue in their wicked ways, so the just judgment for their deceits will catch up with them.
Bro Need, you are harsh! Yes, I am very distressed over men who change their supposed inspired message from "prophetic" scriptures from one extreme to the othera few years ago, they said America is in prophecy, all the young lions, and now they say that "our nation has no future" according to prophecy. These men are as evil as were the false prophets of the Old Testament and the religious leaders of Christ's day.
Is the following any of my business, or am I a busybody? Am I considered neither part of the problem nor part of the solution, and just someone stirring the pot? However, the theme of The Biblical Examiner has been, A Biblical Examination of Issues at Hand, and I find the following issue at hand.
John wrote to warn those Christians about the dangers to them,
1 John 2:26. I do not identify with John, but I do with Ezekiel,
3:16ff & 33:2ff. Over the years, I have felt that my job is
to warn Gods people of dangerous, unbiblical situations,
particularly in the religious community. This is no exception.
What we see taking place is very distressing to those of us who
love the Lord and know a little about the situation.
There have been a lot of sparks flying in the Reformed camp lately,
with pastors publicly accusing brothers of heresy or misapplication
of Scripture, creating straw man arguments instead of fairly representing
the beliefs of the accused.
According to Scripture and older men of God (late 1500s to the very early 1900s), unless I am reading far too much into Rev. Sandlins article, it sure appears to represent a serious departure from the historic Orthodox Christian faith. However, such departures by Christian leaders are not at all uncommon today. The compromised, even changed, Biblical instructions concerning the husband-fathers role in the family, and the womans role in society, including the work force, is very appealing. A strong Scriptural stand in areas such as these is not popular, and will not generate a large income nor following. However, I, and multitudes of other Christians, are very disquieted at the source of this departure. No doubt, some sincere people could be caught up in the movement unawares. Rev. Sandlins arguments sound good to the natural minds of those who wish to void certain requirements God places upon husbands-fathers and women.
Because of our limited space in this issue of this Examiner, I will only give the headings of various points from an article by Rev. Andrew Sandlin as a sample of what is going on. Some of you know or know of Mr. Sandlin, and I have posted the complete article on our web site, with a Biblical response. Those interested can check it there. <http://www.biblicalexaminer.org/Orthodoxy.html> If you do not have web access, I will send you a hard copy upon request.
by P. Andrew Sandlin
Todays secular culture is at war with the family. Lax divorce laws, radical feminism, rampant pornography, legalized abortion, childrens rights, mainstream homosexuality, and inheritance taxes all these and other factors collude to assault the family, particularly the Christian family.
The (Over)Reaction
It is perhaps inevitable that the Christian reaction will at times become overreaction and that the family, a central institution in Gods plan, should begin to monopolize all of life. ...
But the solution to social and ecclesiastical tyranny is not patriarchal tyranny, [emp. added.] which, in fact, is no less culpable than the former. Tyranny is tyranny, and spiritual tyranny is perhaps the worst form of all (think: Spanish Inquisition).
Old-Fashioned Conservative Tyranny
Todays hegemonic patriarchalism seems at points to bear an eerie resemblance to the pagan patriarchy of ancient Rome (before the rise of the Empire). ...
Baby Machines
Some Christian men that I have observed treat their wives as baby machines. ...
Apron-Centered, Kitchen-Table Tutelage
The authority that some patriarchalists arrogate to themselves truly borders on tyranny. One has written that a father who sends his daughter off to college is guilty of irresponsibility. ...
Day Schools
Other patriarchalists have gone so far as to suggest that Christian day schools are sinful or erosive of the family. ...
Obsequious Sons
Patriarchalists sometimes do even a greater disservice to sons. ...
Disservice to the Church
Perhaps, however, the most hazardous element of the new hegemonic patriarchy is its easy diffidence or downright hostility toward the church. ...
Hubris
The new patriarchalists would be less offensive if they couched
their hegemonic views, well, less hegemonically. ...
I am exaggerating, but not by much. ... hegemonic patriarchalism
is one of the latest fads that has emerged popularly, and will
eventually die quietly. ...
[End]
Here is a quote that implies from where Rev. Sandlin is coming:
We here know that Christians wont win back the culture by sad-sack quiet times, funeral-dirge worship services, fifth-rate apocalyptic fiction, tofu Sunday school socials, and Little House on the Prairie bonnets, but by boisterous invocations of the Almighty God, ear-blasting steel guitars, full-bodied Napa Merlots, exotic marital sex, and God-drenched avant-garde teenagers. We wont win the culture until we get over being embarrassed by our robust, world-affirming Bible. Embarrassed by Song of Solomons stunning eroticism. Embarrassed by Israels worship dance and loud musical instruments. Embarrassed by Jesus water-to-wine miracle (WWJD should really mean, What Would Jesus Drink?) ... So crack open the Bible, fire up a Cohiba [cigar], mix the martinis, and crank up the latest Coldplay CD [a British rock group]. (Those World-Affirming Dudes crack open your Bible, and mix a martini by Andrew Sandlin, October 16, 2002, published at RazorMouth.com. Comment: This view of Christianity will suerly gather a following.)
Enough Said.
For the complete article and Biblical response, See <http://www.biblicalexaminer.org/Orthodoxy.html>
Wash your ears out with this <http://www.visionforum.com/corner/blog/archives/2004_01_01_index.asp#107532362961131499>
NUTRITION NEWS!!!!
Heres the final word on nutrition and health. Its
a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical
studies.
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks
than the British or Americans.
The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks
than the British or Americans.
The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart
attacks than the British or Americans.
The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer
fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently
whats killing us.
Interesting Web Sites
The dollars crash
<http://www.whtt.org/whtt.shtml?articles/031229Gold2marge..htm>
See also <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22504-2004Feb7.html>
The first nuclear war was the Bush #1s first Gulf War, and
nuclear war continues under the Bush #2.
Check out this flash animation about depleted urainium. NOT FOR
CHILDREN.
http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
Are you ready for your shot!!!
ALERT TO PARENTS: CDC Verifies that Cancer is Seeded in Vaccines
Population Reduction Agenda and Medical-Industrial Complex at
Its Best (Worst)
http://www.radioliberty.com/pca.htm
NY Blackout was a Military Test
http://www.prisonplanet.com/120803blackout.html
Welcome to SARS Scam...Dr. Len Horowitz
The much hyped SARS epidemic served the purpose of
increased population controls without actual decimation. I believe
it has served to frighten the people into indiscriminant acceptance
of travel restrictions, quarantines, and mass vaccination programs.
People are now ready to accept the isolation and quarantine of
whole cities. We must ask ourselves why are the government labs
in Britain and the U.S working to revive the highly lethal H1N1
Spanish influenza ?? Perhaps, at some predetermined
time, the actual mass murders can begin amongst selected groups,
such as those already herded into stadiums and hospitals.
Although I dont always agree with Dr. Horowitz, this time
he has to be right.
Dr. Byron Weeks
http://www.sarsscam.com/
Lying Presidents
How presidents have lied to get the US into war---Franklin D.
Roosevelt and WWII.
http://www.daveblackonline.com/lying_presidents.htm
See http://www.daveblackonline.com/ for how Bush lied to get the
US into another war.
Concerned about the Income Tax?
Read Why the Income Tax is Bad by T. Coleman Andrews,
Former Commissioner of Internal Revenue. US News and World Report,
May 25, 1956.
http://www.hearliberty.com/usnews1.html
I still cannot understand why Christians are so determined
to support one of the worst presidents in American history, George
W. Bush. For those who think that the millennium has arrived with
Bush, check
http://www.BushRevealed.com
The website serves as notice to Christians across this nation
that President George Bush over the past few years has compromised
his Christian faith by promoting evil and openly supporting
wickedness. It is our hope and prayer that he would Repent and
turn from such blatant sin. He is not our friend and cannot be
trusted.
The website is dedicated to providing up-to-date factual news
information tracking the presidents anti-Christian and ungodly
behavior. We encourage you to pray for Mr. Bush.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew
7:20
(Some things from bushrevealed.com
*Bush, a Christian?*
BUSH: A SKULL AND BONE
There are secrets that George W. Bush guards at least as carefully
as any entrusted to a president. Hes forbidden to share
these secrets even with the vice president secrets he has
held ever since his days as an undergraduate at Yale. In his senior
year, Mr. Bush - like his father and his grandfather - belonged
to Skull and Bones, an elite secret society that includes some
of the most powerful men of the 20th century.
BUSH TO NBC: ITS SO SECRET, WE CANT TALK ABOUT
IT. 2/8/04
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush discussed Iraq,
the November elections and the war on terrorism in an interview
but laughingly stonewalled a question about his university secret
society.
Its so secret, we cant talk about it,
he told NBC television when asked about the fact that both he
and the Democratic frontrunner, Senator John Kerry, are members
of Yale Universitys Skull and Bones.
*Bush and his love for Christianity*
BUSH AGAIN ENDORSES OTHER RELIGIONS! 1/16/04
NEWS BRIEF: Associated Press reports (1/15/04) in a speech at
a New Orleans church, Bush told the crowd that God works through
many of the worlds religions. Miracles happen as a
result of the love of the Almighty, professed, by the way, taught,
by the way, by religions from all walks of life whether it be
Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bush said. The president
went on to say that there is nothing better than a faith-based
program to provide hope: Again, I dont care what religion
it is theres nothing more hopeful than the word.
It was not clear from the report what word President
Bush was talking about. [Fred Jackson/AP]
Associated Press via AgapePress
BUSH PRAYS TO ALLAH AND PRAISES ISLAM Dec. 29/ Jan. 5 Issue
American officials in Iraq are well aware of al-Rubaies
ability to navigate in both worlds; when President Bush landed
in Baghdad for Thanksgiving dinner, clearly hed been briefed.
As al-Rubaie remembers their encounter, the president pointed
at him and said, Dr. al-Rubaie, I want you to convey this
message to Mr. Sistani. Tell him that I pray to the same god he
prays to... Tell Sistani I have nothing but praise for your religion.
I have many millions of Muslims in my country back home.
Newsweek World News
BUSH: CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS WORSHIP SAME GOD 11/20/03
BUSH HONORS ISLAM HOLY MONTH 11/19/01
*Bush, the Christian Family Friendly*
BUSH REJECTS CHRISTIAN & HIRES OPENLY GAY MAN
BUSH INCREASES FUNDING TO HOMO-EROTIC ART AND PORNOGRAPHY 2/5/04
BUSH ADVANCES THE GAY AGENDA
BUSHS COMMENTS REGARDING HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE RANKLE PRO-FAMILY
LEADERS 12/18/03
Several pro-family groups are reacting negatively to a recent
comment by President Bush that implies he may be somewhat soft
on his backing of a Constitutional amendment protecting traditional
marriage.
Agape Press
BUSH CHEERS GAY CHURCH AFTER MARRIAGE WEEK
11/12/03
Not long after he endorsed Marriage Protection Week,
President Bush sent a letter of congratulations to a denomination
founded by homosexual activists that performs more than 6,000
same-sex weddings each year.
BUSH GIVES DEATH BENEFITS TO HOMOSEXUALS 6/26/02
BUSH PRAISES OZZY OSBOURNE AT WHITE HOUSE DINNER
Commentator calls president to apologize 5/13/02
DENOUNCING THE PRESIDENT BUSHS SHINTO SHRINE WORSHIP 2/19/02
BUSH ADMINISTRATION PROMOTES GLOBAL HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVISM
9/28/01
BUSH MEETS WITH GAY REPUBLICANS, SAYS
GAY LIFESTYLE IS PERSONAL AND PRIVATE 3/6/00
BUSH MARRIAGE STANCE NOT CLEAR 12/18/03
Pro-family groups said yesterday that President Bush drove
a wedge into their efforts to protect marriage by seeming
to accept homosexual civil unions, even as he said he could support
an amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and woman.
The Washington Times
PRESIDENTIAL EMBRACE OF CIVIL UNIONS UNDERMINES
PRO-FAMILY EFFORT TO SAVE MARRIAGE 12/17/03
BUSH: USA ISNT READY FOR TOTAL ABORTION BAN 10/28/03
*BUSHS PATRIOT ACT*
The Patriot act is frightening... It was passed in the fear
surrounding 9-11.
Various other articles:
The big vote buying rush is for the next election. Is your vote
for sale?
The Bush Budget, All Bulked Up
By James P. Pinkerton, Washington Post, Sunday, February 8, 2004;
Page B01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20621-2004Feb6.html
Conservatives and other limited-government types are furious at
President George W. Bush for his big-spending ways. One group
said the Republican-controlled government is dispensing cash like
a drunken sailor. But in fact, theres nothing
spontaneous or accidental about the spending spree. What were
seeing is the sober logic of a changing Republican Party, as well
as a changing American psyche, post-9/11 from peacetime
consumerism to wartime welfarism. Those seeking to measure such
changes might dip into Bushs newly released Fiscal Year
2005 budget; its pages offer proof that the era of big government
is back again.
Those who dislike the trend have been vocal in their opposition.
On Jan. 15, six right-leaning groups including the Club
for Growth, the National Taxpayers Union and Citizens Against
Government Waste announced that they had made a major
break with the Bush White House and the Republican-controlled
Congress in response to budgeting that had driven discretionary
spending up 27 percent in Bushs first three years in office.
The Cato Institute calculates that Bush has presided over the
largest increases in discretionary spending since President Lyndon
B. Johnsons budgets of the late 60s. ...
(If you can no longer get to the article, I downloaded it while
it was posted.)
Santa Claus has come to town
CONGRESS: Whatever happened to the Republican Revolution? Under
President Bush and a GOP controlled House and Senate, federal
spending---larded with pork-barrel programssurpasses Clinton-era
levels. ...
But critics charge that the measure is little more than a gift
bag for politicians bent on reelection. Its loaded down
with so-called earmarks, the special spending projects lawmakers
slip in to benefit their states and congressional districts. Despite
the Republican takeover of Congress, such budgetary pork has been
growing in recent years, and 2004 promises to set a record (see
chart). ...
(World, 12/13/03, p. 28)
Breathtaking.
Former Reagan administration health official BOB MOFFAT, now with
the Heritage Foundation, on the growth in government under President
Bush. A study of government records by the Scripps Howard News
Service last week found that the number of federal workers paid
at least $130,000 annually has more than tripled, rising from
6,249 in 2000 to 21,178 in 2003. The overall federal work force
has grown by 5 percent during the same period. (World, 2/7/04,
p. 16.)
If you have web access, do a search on Jim Traficant
It will be worth your time.
PUBLISH OR PERISH. Printing is Gods latest and
best work to spread the true religion throughout the world.
- Martin Luther
PRINCIPLES OF DISPENSATIONALISM:
Christians have always expressed a willingness to attribute
many things to the Jewish people. This fact is revealed in the
way some Christians interpret their Bibles. When they find an
unwanted truth it is cast aside by explaining that God was talking
to the Jews and it has no application to Gentile Christians. This
enables the Gentile to accept all the easy truth and leave the
difficult things for the Jewish people. - Norman H. Wells,
in The Religion Racket.
SHOULD WE CONCENTRATE ON SIGNS OF THE TIMES PREACHING?
These `dainties are skillfully varied to meet different
tastes. For `prophetic students they are spicy items from
the newspapers, served under the name of `signs of the times.
But these are `deceitful meat, for they leave the soul starved
and barren: there is no spiritual nutriment in them! - Arthur
W. Pink
WHY SOME PREACHERS SET DATES FOR THE RAPTURE.
The church of Jesus Christ could be raptured in months,
think about that! . .. If you have an offering to give, give it
now, you may not be here next week. - John Hagee, appearing
on Benny Hinns TV show, March 16, 2003.
Brother Need
HomeSchooler for this issue