Church of God News

Victorian silver mounted rabbit’s foot ‘lucky charm’ (Sobebunny)

COGwriter

Voice of America (VOA) ran the following:

Nearly Quarter of Americans Carry Lucky Charms

Nearly one in four Americans carries a good luck charm at least occasionally, according to a new survey.

According to a YouGov poll, seven percent of Americans carry a lucky charm every day, four percent said they carry one frequently, and 13 percent said they carry one occasionally. Seventy percent said they don’t carry a charm.

A lucky charm could be a shirt, a pair of shoes, a coin, a bracelet or a piece of ribbon. In fact, at the World Cup, star Lionel Messi tied a ribbon given to him by a fan around his ankle.

According to Elle magazine, actress Cameron Diaz wears a lucky necklace, as does Lindsay Lohan. Actor Benicio Del Toro is reported to have a lucky ring.

Women are slightly more likely to carry a charm, with 26 percent saying they carry one at least occasionally, compared to 20 percent of men who say they do. 07/13/18 https://blogs.voanews.com/all-about-america/2018/07/13/nearly-quarter-of-americans-carry-lucky-charms/

So the above is talking about 80 million Americans.

However, if you include religious icons like crosses, the amount of Americans who carry ‘good luck charms’ is much higher. Plus, various tattoos are considered to be ‘good luck.’

Back in 1971, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following about the occult, superstitions, and good luck charms:

Traditional Christianity is being abandoned for other forms of “worship.” Oriental religions, witchcraft, the occult, so-called Christian “sects,” and outright paganism have drawn thousands from the mainstream churches. WHY are people turning to the mystical in an age priding itself on scientific and material knowledge? …

Witchcraft is only one of many new forms of “worship” attracting thousands of new converts each year. Astrology, spiritism, occultism, Ouija boards (they have outsold Monopoly sets), Tarot cards, and other associated items are big business. …

There are approximately 2,000 active secret sects in France, which include the “onionists” (God is shaped like an onion), the navel worshippers, and the Druids (Druids are also in England and have an annual festival at Stonehenge). One report estimates the French spend about 1,000 million francs ($200 million) a year in consulting 60,000 sorcerers.

Germany is the traditional land of witches, spells and hexes. According to the German Medical Information Service, 10,000 people are engaged in witchcraft there. Charges of witchcraft often come up in court.
In the United States there are those who actually claim to be practicing “Satanists.” …

It is estimated that at least 5 million Americans plan their lives by the stars. This naturally does not include the additional millions who consult their daily horoscope out of curiosity or buy zodiac-decorated items ranging from drinking glasses to silk pajamas. There is enough business to keep 10,000 full-time and 175,000 part-time astrologers on the go.

More than two thirds of the daily newspapers in the United States carry astrology columns. …

For the millions who would not associate themselves with any of the aforementioned “cults,” there is still widespread superstition, often just an offshoot of astrology, witchcraft, or the occult.

According to one estimate, there are 20 million people in the United States alone who actually carry with them a rabbit’s foot or other good-luck charms. This does not include millions more who cross their fingers, knock on wood, cower before black cats, throw salt on their shoulder, or experience triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13). …

People are dissatisfied with our materialistic society. They are equally disenchanted with the standard-brand churches which seem to give no alternative to the secular world. In their frustration to find a power beyond themselves, they seem to feel the only other path open is mysticism and the psychic.

One of the major causes for the collapse of Rome was the decay of religion from the status of moral judge and champion to a hollow shell of ritual and liturgy. In desperation, people turned to astrology, sorcery, and divination, the natural refuge in a time of confusion and collapse. (Grabbe LL. The New Fad: MYSTICISM and the OCCULT. Plain Truth, November 1971)

The amount of superstitious Americans has seemingly increased over the decades.

Good luck charms are a form of idolatry.

They bring to mind something that the prophet Jeremiah wrote:

5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm–and they cannot do any good. (Jeremiah 10:5, CSB)

Good luck charms do not physically harm one, but they are spiritually bad.

Consider also some of what the Apostle John wrote:

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols (I John 5:21).

8 But …idolaters…shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

Many think there is nothing wrong with carrying a good luck charm.

But notice also the following:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Reve3lation 22:14-15)

Idolatry is a lie.

Good luck charms are a form of idolatry and idolaters are not among those who will inherit the Kingdom of God, unless they repent–which they can (see Christian Repentance and Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis).

Those interested in early Christianity may wish to study the following documented items and presentations to learn more:

What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? Two related YouTube videos would be Beware of the ‘Ecumenical Cross’ and Origin of the Cross.
The Occult Explosion – What Does It Mean? A booklet by Herbert W. Armstrong which also includes a challenge.
The Bible and Astrology Should Christians avoid participating in astrology or did God inspire it? Does the Bible encourage astrology? What does the Bible actually teach? What is astrology? How does astrology differ from astronomy? Should Christians Be Involved In Astrology?
OMENS? DIVINATION? HOROSCOPES? THE ORIGIN OF ASTROLOGY Where did astrology come from? Should you read your horoscope?
Does Astrology Work? Many believe and follow astrology–but does it work? Here is a link to the article in Mandarin Chinese: S`fg/QÆxnTÿ .
Tattoos: History and Biblical Teachings Would you like to know more about the history of tattoos, social concerns about tattoos, health risks of tattoos, and what the Bible teaches about them? Here is a related video titled Should Christians Get a Tattoo?
Clear Proof that the Shroud of Turin is Fake: Debunking the ‘reasons’ that the Shroud of Turin is real There is NO proof that the Shroud of Turin has Jesus’ image and those who are willing to believe the Bible can prove it is fake. Here is a link to a related video: Could the Shroud of Turin Be Real? 12 Reasons to Consider.
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. It also goes over many original Christian doctrines that many later tried to change. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account? Related sermon videos include Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved? A version of the main article was also translated in the Spanish language: Oferta universal de salvación: Hay cientos de versículos en la Biblia que apoyan la verdadera doctrina de la Apocatastasis.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.

EU Flag

COGwriter

A reader sent me a link to an article in Italian, that I machine-translated into English. Here is some of what it said:

WHY NOW FOR THE ALLOY THE BLUE WILL REPLACE THE GREEN IN PONTIDA?

AND WHERE IS THE AZURE SYMBOL OF ITALY AND THAT (WITH THE TWELVE STARS) OF THE EUROPEAN FLAG?
Antonio Socci

A complaint arose yesterday from the front page of the “Giornale” : “Salvini even smashes blue at Forza Italia” . That “even” implied: in addition to the votes and the leadership of the center. …It all began on 21 June 1366 when Amedeo VI of Savoy set sail from Venice to the Holy Land, for the crusade wanted by Pope Urban V. On his flagship he waved the Savoy banner along with a blue banner with a crown of stars around it to the image of the Madonna. Which brings an invocation: “Mary Most Holy, help of Christians” .This is why the historian Luigi Cibrario – to whom we owe all this reconstruction – states: “ That color of heaven consecrated to Mary is, so far as I believe, the origin of our national color”. In fact, that Marian banner, after its first appearance on the ship of Amadeus VI, was taken over by some Savoy knights who began to gird themselves with blue scarves in honor of Our Lady.

It became the tradition of the officers and January 10, 1572 , by the will of Emanuele Filiberto , the blue scarf became solemnly part of the uniform of the Savoy and later the ‘ heraldry of the Kingdom of Italy .

The blue then marked the United Italy in military uniforms , then also in sports competitions from January 6, 1911 when it was worn by our national team in the game with Hungary in Milan.

So, if you consider the origin of that blue from the banner of the Madonna, you could also grasp a significant reference to Matteo Salvini who ended the last election campaign in Milan, in Piazza del Duomo, under “La Madunina”, showing from stage the crown of the Rosary and the Gospel .

THE EUROPEAN FLAG

Curiously, the iconography of the Marian banner of Amadeus VI of Savoy, which saw the Virgin surrounded by twelve stars, is exactly the same that in 1955 inspired the painter Arsène Heitz in creating the European flag: twelve golden stars in the blue field .

Arsène, a Catholic, wore around his neck the famous “Miraculous Medal” of Saint Catherine Labouré where there is precisely that image of the Madonna referring to the 12th chapter of the Apocalypse : “Then a great sign appeared in the sky: a woman dressed in sun with the moon under his feet and on his head a crown of twelve stars “ .

Later, after the adoption of his flag by the Council of Europe (among more than a hundred proposals), the painter revealed what his design and the Marian reference meant.<

But that symbolism should not really be unknown to the leadership of Europe at that time, which was not that secular and technocratic today , but it was the deeply Christian Europe of De Gasperi, Adenauer and Schumann (not by chance the Treaties of Rome, birth of a united Europe, were signed in Rome on March 25, 1957, the feast of the Annunciation and the Incarnation ).

To understand the spiritual horizon of men who made Europe, it must be said that Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy, born on November 27th, the day of the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal , was an important Jewish intellectual who was deported by the Nazis to the concentration camp Braendonk, from where he fled in 1942. When he arrived in England he played a fundamental role in the liberation of prisoners from the Nazi death camps.

Lévy – second father Caillon – who became Catholic also presided over the commission for the “stained glass” of Europe, in the cathedral of Strasbourg .

There is the Virgin who takes her hands away to separate the European peoples who have waged war. At the top of the window is the twelve stars of the miraculous medal and the Apocalypse .

On December 13, 1955 , the Irish minister who presided over the Council of Europe, pronounced these solemn words to inaugurate the banner of Europe: “gentlemen, I have the honor to present this flag … waving for a long time, freely and in peace with the blessing of God “ .

In short, the blue of the Lega di Salvini, which incorporates Italian blue, has the same origin as the blue of the European flag, but of a Europe with solid Christian roots, not of Europe of Maastricht that has refused the reference to ” Christian roots “ . …

Blue is the color of Mary. I wonder if Calamandrei, who was a patriot, knew that Italian blue was coming from there. 30/06/18

Antonio Socci has long written on religious matters, and I even read a book he wrote on the ‘Lady of Fatima’ years ago.

I wonder if the pro-Brexit protesters in the UK, who use a lot of blue and often carry the EU flag, realize that blue and the EU flag are supposed to represent Mary. As far as the EU flag goes, notice something that was in Vatican News back in 2012:

Symbolism of EU flag is Marian

22 October 2012

The symbol of Europe was conceived by a Catholic and tomorrow, for the first time, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be carried past the EU Parliament building…

Lorenzo Fontana and Mario Borghesio said the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Strasbourg is “a unique event.” “Few people know that the symbol of unified Europe has exquisitely Marian origins, as the European Union’s official flag proves with its twelve stars and the Virgin Mary’s blue and white colours.”…

A competition was held in order to choose the flag and French Catholic designer Arsène Heitz won. The meaning of the flag’s symbolism can be found in an image of Marian devotion…

Heitz was inspired by the “Miraculous Medal” he wore around his neck: a medal named after apparition of the Virgin Mary to St Catherine Laboure in 1830. It was the Virgin Mary who told the nun to have twelve stars struck on the medal, in representation of the the stars on the crown worn by the woman in the Book of Revelation. Saint Bernadette Soubirous also had a necklace made of tin and string around her neck when the Virgin Mary appeared to her on 11 February 1858, dressed in white and blue.

Arsène Heitz did not reveal the symbol’s biblical origin (he only did so later on), but claimed the number twelve was meant to symbolise ancient wisdom, a “symbol of completeness”. This interpretation stuck and the number was confirmed in the constitutional treaty. So the European flag has a powerful Christian and Marian significance. Tomorrow Mary will “take back” the EU. http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/europa-europe-19118/

(It may be of interest to note that the statue claimed to be the Lady of Fatima going to the EU does not look anything like how the three children who saw the apparition described it. For details, including pictures of the Fatima statue and what was really seen, please check out the book Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. In addition to the print version, there is a Kindle version of Fatima Shock! which you can acquire in seconds.)

As far as the Vatican’s version of Mary goes, last year Pope Francis announced a new Marian holiday:

Pope Francis decrees new celebration dedicated to Virgin Mary

Pope Francis has officially declared a feast day for celebrating the Virgin Mary as the “Mother of the Church.” …

Pope Francis decreed that the feast day, which designates Mary as the “Mother of the Church,” would be celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost. This year, the day falls on May 21.

The decree stated that the feast day is intended to celebrate Mary not only as the mother of Jesus, but also as a fundamental figure in the church.

Francis hoped the feast day would “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.”

The Catholic Church already has a liturgical celebration honoring Mary as the “Mother of the Church” that began in 1975. Individual countries, dioceses and religious orders have also held Virgin Mary celebrations for longer periods of time — but Saturday’s decree means the celebration will now apply to all of the Roman Catholic Church. 4 March, 2018 http://www.dw.com/en/pope-francis-decrees-new-celebration-dedicated-to-virgin-mary/a-42815882

Pushing his version of ‘Mary’ is something Pope Francis has been doing for years. It is part of his ecumenical, interfaith, and European agendas.

European agenda?

Yes.

In addition to Pope Francis getting the Charlemagne Prize for his promoting of European unity (see Pope Francis given ‘Charlemagne Prize;’ EU leaders worried about EU’s future), the Church of Rome has other ties from ‘Mary’ to Europe.

Bible prophecy show that there will be something resembling a United States of Europe, with a dictatorial head (cf. Revelation 17:12-13). Biblical as well as Catholic prophecy suggest that signs and enchantments from one called a “virgin” and “Lady” will happen at the time of the end (cf. Isaiah 47).

As far as the comment in the Vatican News that Mary will “take back” the EU, notice the following:

R. Gerald Culleton (20th century): During the reign of the Great Monarch and the Angelic Pastor the Catholic Church will spread throughout the world, conversions will be innumerable…The Blessed Virgin will be the chief one in gaining victory over all heresy…

Blessed Hieronymus Agathaghelos (1279): The Angel, Mary and John, along with the great and first among martyrs…will intercede.

Anna-Katrina Emmerick (July 12, 1820): When the Mass had ended, Mary came up to Henry (the Emperor), and she extended her right hand towards him, saying that it was in recognition of his purity. Then, she urged him not to falter…

Catholic writer Yves Dupont (20th century): Henry is the Great Monarch…The Blessed Virgin urges him not to falter.

Saint Louis de Montfort (18th century): These great souls…shall be singularly devouted to our Blessed Lady, illuminated by her nourishment, led by her spirit, supported by her arm, and sheltered under her protection, so that they shall fight in one hand and build with the other. With the one hand they shall fight, overthrow and crush the heretics with their heresies, the schismatics with their schisms…

The Ecstatic of Tours: …the French people will… implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate…The French people will ask for the good King…this King…will ascend to the throne; he will free the church and reassert the Pope’s rights…

Sister Marie Lataste (died 1847): Peace shall return to the world because of Blessed Virgin Mary will breathe over the storms and quell them.

Pope Pius IX (died 1878): We expect that the Immaculate Virgin…will gain in influence from day to day among all nations and in all places, prosper and rule from ocean to ocean…to the ends of the earth…there will be one fold and one shepherd. (Thiel B. Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions, 2nd edition. 2012, pp. 204-205)

The “Great Monarch” according to Catholic mystics will be the final emperor of Europe, and according to various Catholic mystics, “Mary” will assist him in his objectives–including helping get Europeans (and others) to accept a more ecumenical form of Catholicism. The heretics that the Marian apparitions are prophesied to crush include, in my view, true Christians–none of whom will want to be involved in praising false apparitions.

And Pope Francis is trying to push more Marianism.

There will be much more involving what is and will be claimed to be “Mary” than most, especially in Europe, realize.  Notice the following:

The Father wants the world to recognize His handmaid…My sign is about to appear. God wills it…I cannot reveal my power to the world as yet… Then I will be able to reveal myself…Pray and sacrifice through me!…I will impose crosses on my children that will be as heavy and as deep as the sea.

Notice that this apparition is claiming that in a future time, she will become known to the world (and that she wants sacrifices through herself, apparently for her glory). (Thiel B. Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions, 2nd edition. 2012, pp. 208-209)

Presuming that apparitions claiming to be Mary will become publicly seen (as opposed to by a few individuals), this will likely deceive many (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; Matthew 24:24), and may lead to stronger temporary unity in Europe.

Pope Francis and the Vatican continue to promote ‘Mary.’ The European Union is also doing it, though many do not realize that.

Despite complaints, problems, and disunity in Europe, Europe will fulfill its biblically-prophesied role (cf. Daniel 2:41-43) and with the involvement of a claimed “virgin” (Isaiah 47) that really is a harlot (Revelation 17 & 18) is expected. And that will not bode well for the UK, USA, or their Anglo-allies (Daniel 11:39), nor ultimately the Europeans.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Europe and the ‘Holy Roman Empire’.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy. Here is a link to a sermon video: Why Learn About Fatima?
Fatima and the ‘Miracle’ of the Sun On October 13, 1917, tens of thousands of people witnessed what they considered to be a miracle in the sky in Fatima, Portugal. Was this a miracle from God? Can you be certain? A video of some related interest is Fatima and Pope Francis. Here is a link to the sermon: Fatima and the ‘Miracle of the Sun’.
The ‘Lady’ of Guadalupe: Any Future Ramifications? It is claimed that a female apparition appeared near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. How has it affected the world? What might it suggest about the future? A video of related interest is titled: The ‘Lady of Guadalupe’ and Prophecy.
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Assumption of Mary Did Mary die? Was she taken to heaven on August 15th? What is known? What does the Bible show?
Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. Whether or not you believe anything happened at Fatima, if you live long enough, you will be affected by its ramifications (cf. Isaiah 47; Revelation 17). Fatima Shock! provides concerned Christians with enough Catholic-documented facts to effectively counter every false Marian argument. In addition to the print version, there is a Kindle version of Fatima Shock!

Artist portrayal of the ‘Daughters of Zelophehad’ before Moses (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

The Temple Institute (a Jewish organization) sent out the following:

“Tzelaphchad’s daughters speak justly!”

(Numbers 27:7)

Tammuz 16, 5779/July 19, 2019

This week’s Torah reading, Pinchas, could easily bear the subtitle “Profiles in Courage.” …

The second act of courage which occurs in our parasha was performed by the five daughters of Tzelaphchad – Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milchah and Tirtzah. Their father had died without a son, and as things stood, that is, as Torah had stipulated, he had no one to inherit his portion in the land of Israel. The five sisters approached Moshe and challenged this law, saying to Moshe, “Our father died in the desert, but he was not in the assembly that banded together against HaShem in Korach’s assembly, but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should our father’s name be eliminated from his family because he had no son? Give us a portion along with our father’s brothers.” (ibid 27:3-4)The five sisters exhibited courage simply in standing before Moshe, as this was unprecedented. We have not heard of such a thing in the patriarchal society of the desert encampment. Had Miriam been alive they might have first enlisted her support, but Miriam was no more. They went directly to Moshe. But even more courageously, they appealed directly to G-d, via Moshe’s good offices. Like Pinchas, the five sisters, Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milchah and Tirtzah, were of the unassailable conviction that their desire was G-d’s desire, that what they were asking for was what G-d wanted for them. And, as in the case of Pinchas, G-d testified directly to their righteousness: “Tzelaphchad’s daughters speak justly!” (ibid 27:7) And so it was. In response to their query G-d dictated to Moshe an entire addendum to the Torah laws of inheritance, which, like Pinchas’ entry into the kehunah, would, from that day forth, stand forever.

(These women are called the “the daughters of Zelophehad” in Numbers 27:1, NKJV.)

Yes, women do have rights–and the New Testament also shows that many women had courage (cf. Hebrews 11).

Sadly, if you believe many US politicians, a woman’s “fundamental right” is the right to kill any child she may conceive–and while a women has the right to choose whether to marry or not, she does not have the right to kill via abortion or infanticide.

Jesus understood real women’s rights and roles.

Now, at the time of Jesus, one of the three routine declarations Jewish men made in the synagogue or their morning prayers was, “Thank God I am not a woman.”

Furthermore, in a rabbinic exposition of Jewish law, there were written these words:

A man should ever avoid women; thus he should never make any gestures at them, either with his hands or his feet, nor wink at them, nor jest with them . . .

A man must not greet a woman under any circumstances, and he is forbidden to send his regards to her even through her husband” (Ganzfried S. Translated by Hyman Goldin. Code of Jewish Law. Volume IV, Chapter 152, Verses 8,9, Hebrew Publishing Company, NY, 2004, p. 20).

Yet these “laws” were not found in the Bible, but were often generally understood improper traditions of men at the time of Christ.

Jesus denounced Jewish traditions that were in conflict with God’s commands (e.g. Matthew 15:3) and treated women differently than the Jewish leaders of His day did.

Some of the Jewish leaders saw limited good in women:

Rabbi Hiya taught: A woman is only for beauty, or only for the sake of the children she will bear. (Gemara as cited in The Babylonian Talmud in Selection, by Leo Auerbach, [1944], pp. 164-165. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/bata/bata10.htm viewed 08/15/13)

But women are more valuable than simply being beautiful objects to bear children.

The Bible says that Jesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22), and it often showed that He refused to take part in various added laws of Jewish tradition (Mark 7:5-13).

And this included the Jewish traditions involving women.

Notice John 4:7-19:

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

In the above account, Jesus violated two non-biblical Jewish traditions at the same time: He greets a woman and has interactions with a foreigner. And even this foreign woman knew that this was not the usual practice of the Jews.

Jesus even went a step further and started to talk with her about issues relating to religion and salvation. Hence, He considered that women were as deserving and capable as men in the area. And while that may seem to be self-evident, this does not seem to have been the usual practice amongst Jewish religious leaders of His day.

Furthermore, that woman, a foreigner, realized that Jesus was the Messiah before many men did:

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:10-26)

Jesus clearly felt that the woman had the right to get some questions answered.

That woman gave testimony of Jesus that others believed:

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. (John 4:39-41)

So a foreign woman, and other foreigners, who had some familiarity with the scriptures, believed.

Notice that Jesus had to teach something to the Sadducees, who tended to be priests, that they had not grasped. He corrected their poor doctrinal understanding:

23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:23-32)

Thus, many people were surprised that Jesus did NOT relegate a resurrected woman to be inferior to any man. This was a radical departure from the non-biblical traditions that they held.

Women have the same spiritual potential as men (e.g. see What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?).

Those who do not recognize this do not know “the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

As far as the role of women in the church and more specific rights, check out the article: Women and the New Testament Church. A related sermon is also available: Women’s Roles in the Church.

Some items of possibly-related interest may include:

Women and the New Testament Church What roles did women play in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles? Did Jesus and the Apostle Paul violate Jewish traditions regarding their dealings with women? Do women have any biblical limitations on their role in the Church? Were there female prophets? Do women have any special responsibilities in terms of how they dress? What does the New Testament really teach about women? Here are links to two related sermons: Women’s Roles in the Church and New Testament Women.
True Womanhood: A Lost Cause? Is there still a place for being feminine? Here is an article from Herbert Armstrong about his thoughts relating to women and womanhood.
Dating: A Key to Success in Marriage, a practical dating guide for Christians This is a scripture-filled dating guide. It discusses many aspects of dating, as well as who to not consider for marriage. Two related sermons are available: The Art of Christian Dating. and No One to Date? Teen Q&A? Engagement? 2nd Marriage? A short animation is also available: First Date: Worldly vs. Christian.
Love, Marriage, and Sex It is important to get them in the right order.
God Created Marriage Some falsely claim that God did not create marriage and that fornication is fine.  What does the Bible really teach? Here is a version in Mandarin Chinese y^R ZZYû.
Making Your Marriage Work Marriage is not always easy, but it pictures a divine relationship. How can you make your marriage work? Here is a link to the video sermon: You Can Make YOUR Marriage Work.
Here’s the Plain Truth About OLD TESTAMENT POLYGAMY by Herbert Armstrong. Here is a related article in the Spanish language: ¿Es la poligamia una senda de Dios?
Husbands Love Your Wives An article written by the late Selmer Hegvold.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may wish to view the YouTube videos Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt, American Infanticide, and Land of ‘Free’ Abortions and Debt.
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Christians are to Rule Are Christians really to rule? If so, how will that turn out? A related sermon is titled A sermon of related interest is titled Are Christians really supposed to rule?
Priscilla and Aquila An early Christian married couple from Rome who moved to Asia Minor.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

COGwriter

At the Christianity Today website, an author (Shawn Graves) asked and provided some answers to the question, Why are there still atheists?

A lot of ink has been spilled over whether God exists. Within this context, some theists like to point out that “God has made it plain” that he exists, that “God’s invisible qualities … have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). They urge us to remember that the “heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps. 19:1). In a recent Christianity Today article, Jim Spiegel cites these passages and writes: “This naturally prompts the question: If the evidence for God is so abundant, then why are there atheists?”

Spiegel asserts that for many atheists, it’s not “cool, rational inquiry” that led to their atheism. Rather, in many cases it’s complex moral and psychological factors that produce atheism. For example, Spiegel points to research suggesting that some prominent atheists had broken, defective relationships with their fathers. Others live in perpetual disobedience and rebellion—resisting lifestyle changes required upon adopting theism. And still others confess that they just don’t want there to be a God. Spiegel contends that immorality has cognitive consequences—it impedes one’s ability to recognize that theism is true.

No doubt he’s right. Surely some people accept atheism due in part to such powerful motivational factors. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/whytherearestillatheists.html

Now, actually one of the reasons that there are evolutionary atheists is, believe it or not, in the 19th century various male “intellectuals” were looking for excuses to not have to abide by biblical standards of sexual morality. And back then, some of them even admitted that is why they embraced the concept that life randomly evolved without a creator God.

I would also add hypocrisy to the list. The fact that evangelicals, for one example, are more likely to be involved with fornication than the general public, despite biblical admonitions against it, turns people off. Most who claim Christianity, do not really live as a Christian (see also Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian).

War is another factor. Many non-believers point to religions such as Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism as major causes of war, which turns many people off to the idea that there is a truly loving God. But of course, all scholars realize that early Christians would not participate in carnal warfare. And in my opinion, this is still true of faithful Christians today (for details, please check out Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?).

There are also scholars, for example, like Bart Ehrman, who started out as Protestant but when they learned more about church history, realized that Protestantism simply did not fit with much of the Bible (see also Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants) nor church history (see Continuing History of the Church of God ). And while he may be more of an agnostic than an atheist, the fact that most of what is considered by the world to be Christianity, is not Christianity, and this turns many off of religion (though it does not necessarily make them atheists). Information on genuine Christianity is in the free booklet Where is the True Christian Church Today?

But I would like to add that it is illogical to be an atheist. While there may be many reasons that people may doubt the existence of a personal God, such as the one that the Bible teaches about, the reality is that anyone who concludes that there cannot be a creator/god is being foolish:

1 The fool has said in his heart,”There is no God.” (Psalms 14:1, NKJV)

One of the reasons that it is foolish to conclude that there is no God is because humans should realize that we are finite beings. No human has been to every place in the universe, no human has lived forever, no human has been to every possible dimension that may exist in the universe. Since no human has done that, for any human to conclude that there cannot be a god of any type is illogical. Why? Because no human has enough possible proof that God cannot exist. Doing so with limited “evidence” is foolish.

Furthermore, if the laws of bioscience are accepted as valid, one can easily prove that something outside of those laws (God) was necessary for life to begin and to continue. Amino acids simply did not randomly line up, become alive, realize that they had to eat, realize that they had to have a means to eat, immediately have a way to utilize food (like a properly developed digestive system), realize they had to reproduce for survival of life, and have the means to do so. It is illogical to conclude otherwise.

But, despite the fact that some claim to be atheists, God’s existence is logical.

Some items of possible related interest may include:

Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
Does it Make Physical Sense to believe in God? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Gap Theory? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here are links to two sermons: Gap Theory: Doctrine or Modern Heresy? and Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article which answers what many really wonder about it.
Has time been lost? It Saturday the seventh day of the week?
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? There is also a video titled What is the meaning of your life?
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

Noam party logo (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Breaking Israel News reported the following:

New Political Party Formed to Fight Against Gay Agenda

Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence. Leviticus 18:22 (The Israel Bible™)

July 17, 2019

A new political party has been formed for Israel’s upcoming September 17 elections for the 22nd Knesset. The party, Noam (pleasantness) was established among other things to combat the foreign-funded LGBT agenda that has crept its way into the Israeli educational system and is trying to shape the country’s culture. Their slogan is: “A normal nation in our land”.

The party’s founders include Yigal Cnaan, a former fighter pilot, Ariel Shachar, a high-tech expert, Rabbi Itai Halevy, the Rabbi of the Migron Village and Rabbi Dror Aryeh.

As a response to the attempted secularization of the country by foreign-funded agencies, the party released a statement saying: “The majority of the nation of Israel wants their grandchildren to be Jewish. They want their sons to marry women and their daughters to marry men. The Noam party was formed to state the obvious – start acting in the interests of the majority of the nation of Israel.”

They also released a video …, one can see a family heading to the polls only to be accosted by gay “rights” activists waving signs reading “children don’t need mothers”. Once they enter the polling station, they can be seen writing on their ballot ticket wishes. One reads “I hope that my son marries a woman”.

Youtube removed their video saying that the content “violated Youtube’s terms of service.” https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/133549/new-political-party-formed-fight-against-gay-agenda/

Yes, one should hope that if a son gets married he marries a women. And yes, children are better off with a mother and a father.

Of course, it is not just YouTube that wants to censor freedom of religious speech. The LGBTQ agenda is being pushed by governments and other organizations around the world–basically with support from the predominant media in the West. Hence, even in Israel I suspect that the media will not back the anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Noam party.

Closer to home (I live in California), last month dozens of California lawmakers to a step to stifle religious speech against various aspects of sexual morality with ACR-99:

37 California Lawmakers Trying To Pass ACR-99 Which Would Make Preaching The Whole Counsel Of The Bible To LGBTQ+ People A Crime

California Assemblyman Evan Low and three dozen other lawmakers are pushing resolution ACR-99 in the state Assembly Judiciary Committee that’s aimed at telling religious leaders in California what they should preach from their pulpits.

The attacks on Christianity in America are coming so fast and so often now that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all of it at the same time. But in a nutshell, the pendulum is swinging all the way from a nation being founded on Christianity and the Bible, to a nation rejecting and persecuting Christianity and the Bible. 06/19/19 https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/california-lawmakers-trying-to-pass-acr-99-make-preaching-bible-to-lgbtq-people-a-crime/

California Assemblyman Evan Low and three dozen other lawmakers are pushing a resolution in the state Assembly Judiciary Committee that’s aimed at telling religious leaders in California what they should preach from their pulpits.

The California Family Council reports that Assembly Concurrent Resolution 99 (ACR 99) calls on “counselors, pastors, religious workers, educators” and institutions with “great moral influence” to stop perpetuating the idea that something is wrong with LGBT identities or sexual behavior. ACR 99 also condemns attempts to change unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion as “unethical,” “harmful,” and leading to high rates of suicide. …

A coalition of professional counselors, doctors, attorneys, and faith-based non-profits, have also signed onto a letter pointing out the resolution’s inaccuracies and its threats to basic liberty. “People should have the freedom to pursue what brings them true happiness and joy. ACR 99 is trying to cut people off from their own pathway to happiness,” writes the coalition.

The letter goes on to provide proof that traditional faiths are not the cause for high suicide rates among those identifying as LGBT. It points out, “Professional organizations agree that same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria are not simply biologically caused, they often change.” And “contrary to misrepresentations, therapists who are open to a client’s goal of change use non-aversive, well-established mainstream practices and evidence-based treatments for trauma and addictions used by professional therapists worldwide.” 06/18/19 https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/june/ca-lawmakers-trying-to-force-pastors-to-preach-pro-lgbt-sermons

The reality is that being ‘gay’ is an unhappy lifestyle. It is also against biblical teachings on morality.

That should be pointed out by religious leaders.

Of course, California legislators and YouTube are not alone in their censorship quest.

Places like Amazon have pulled some books off their platforms that teach that homosexuals can change:

In a very disturbing move, Amazon has removed the books of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, the psychologist whom critics have dubbed “the father of conversion therapy.” In other words, for claiming that sexual orientation is not innate and immutable, and for claiming that change is possible, Dr. Nicolosi’s books must be banned.

This leads to the logical question: Will Amazon ban the Bible next? There is no hyperbole here.

After all, it is the Bible that condemns same-sex relationships and the Bible that speaks of those who once practiced homosexuality but do so no more (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). These people, today, would be known as “ex-gays.” And it was Dr. Nicolosi’s life work to help people with unwanted same-sex attractions.

Why, then, should Amazon ban his books but continue to sell the Bible, which provides the theological underpinnings for Dr. Nicolosi’s scientific work?

After all, gay critics of the Bible refer to the so-called “clobber passages,” referring to verses that have been used to speak against homosexual practice. If these verses, then, have brought such harm to the gay community, why shouldn’t the book containing these verses be banned? 07/05/19 https://www.wnd.com/2019/07/will-amazon-ban-the-bible-next/#UEqAB2zsGpoJRA5C.99

Consider the following related to the text Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation:

Is it possible to be an ex gay?

Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse present social science research on homosexuality designed to answer the questions:

• Can those who receive religiously-informed psychotherapy experience a change in their sexual orientation?
• Are such programs harmful to participants?

The results show that outcomes for this kind of religiously-informed psychotherapy are similar to outcomes of therapy for other psychological problems. Such programs do not appear to be harmful on average to individuals. https://www.ivpress.com/ex-gays accessed 07/03/18

Notice that gay conversion therapy is about as effective as other psychological counseling, then should psychological counseling be banned if they are no more effective than books encouraging homosexuals to change?

Last year, I warned that some would consider banning the Bible and even made a video on that:

12:15

Banning the Bible?

Could we see a ban of the Holy Bible in North America? Have there been partial bans proposed and enforced by government officials in Canada? Do any USA politicians consider any biblical teachings as fraudulent and hence banning them is NOT a violation of the 1st amendment to the Constitution of the USA? Are there risks associated with AB 2943? Have politicians like Hillary Clinton and California Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi called for long-held religious beliefs to change and “evolve with the times”? What about Jude 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:14? Are there biblical prophecies about not being able to hear the word of God? Might we see more restrictions on explaining teachings of the Bible on the Internet and other forms of media? What are some of the verses that various government people do not want made public? Dr. Thiel provides facts on these issues and more.

Here is a link: Banning the Bible?

Sadly, we are getting closer to a time when more perversely think that banning the Bible would be of benefit.

While the USA likes to act like it is the bastion of free speech and freedom of religion, more and more restrictions keep getting proposed.

The Bible warns against the rise of despisers of good (which is what the bans from YouTube, Amazon, and others demonstrate) in the last days:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

Those of us who hold to the idea that sexual relationships are only to be between a man married to a woman are considered to have “ugly narrow-mindedness” by supporters of the LGBTQ movement.

Furthermore, the LGBTQ supporting crowd does not want people to believe the following:

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Bible not only warns that homosexuality, lesbianism, and cross-dressing are wrong, it also condemns those who condone all forms of sexual immorality:

5 A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5)

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:24-32)

In Canada, quoting parts of Romans 1 in certain ways is essentially banned (watch Canadian censoring of the Bible).

If you do not think that the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer (LGBTQ) crowd is not trying to change aspects of religion and speech.

Many despise the moral teachings of the word of God–this will not end well:

40 Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

41 ‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’” (Acts 13:40-41)

Despite opposition, a short work will be accomplished (Romans 9:28, Matthew 24:14); see also Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word).

Then disaster will befall the USA and UK (Daniel 8:24-25 11:39; Isaiah 17:3; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:21-22), and pride promotions and parades will encourage, not stop this.

Earlier, the State of California has proposed to have journalists, bloggers, and any one who has influence to register and to get their ‘news’ approved before putting it online (Doug Casey Warns ‘It’s Going To Get Very Disagreeable In The US At Some Level Quickly.’ California SB1424 risks. Brandon Smith claims ‘World War III Will Be An Economic War.’ Then there is the Bible). The bill, sponsored by California Senator Richard Pan was called the “Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan,” or SB1424. If carried to its logical limit, this would cover anyone who ever posts anything on the internet, and perhaps even those whose emails get spread around. Many in the government want to restrict what people tell others.

The Bible warns that there is a coming famine of the word of God:

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

The LGBTQ crowd is only one of several forces that are pushing towards making this famine of the word come. But the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the world as a witness” before “the end” comes (Matthew 24:14).

Until then, Philadelphian Christians want to go through the doors that Christ opens to proclaim the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 16:8-9; Colossians 4:2-4) and do the work.

Until then, we in the Continuing Church of God will also continue to follow this admonition in Isaiah:

1 Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 57:1)

The LGBTQ agenda is full of sin.

The work of God needs to be done now as Jesus said:

4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (John 9:4)

The time to do the work is now, while we still can do it! We are seeing more and more signs that “the night is coming when no one can work.”

That is part of why we in the Continuing Church of God are preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’

Philadelphia means “love of the brethren.” It is LOVE to properly teach what the Bible teaches, even if some group calls that “ugly narrow-mindedness.”

We in the Continuing Church of God will teach and stand up for the truth (watch also the short introduction to our YouTube channel: ContinuingCOG Channel), despite realizing that the ‘famine of the word’ that the prophet Amos referred to is coming. We must do the work and persevere to the end–despite government restrictions and others who do not truly respect the Bible.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
Internet Censorship and Prophecy Are concerns about internet censorship limited to nations such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. But what about the USA, Canada, and Germany? What about the European Union? What about internet media companies such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, or email services like MailChimp? Has the attempt to control information been made by various ones over the centuries? Was the New Testament affected by it? What about the church throughout the centuries? Has the Bible already been partially censored? Which Bible prophecies point to coming Internet censorship? What about the Book of Amos? What about the coming 666 Beast and final Antichrist? Is there anything that can be done about this? Should Philadelphian Christians be working on anything now? Will preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God vs. a highly media-supported alternative lead to a ‘famine of the word’? More internet censorship is coming as various statements in the Bible support.
The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions Was the Church of Rome really responsible for this? What happened? Here is a link to a related video sermon: The Past and Future Inquisition.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Orwell’s 1984 by 2024? In 1949, the late George Orwell wrote a disturbing book about a totalitarian government called “nineteen-eighty four.” Despite laws that are supposed to protect freedom of speech and religion, we are seeing governments taking steps consistent with those that George Orwell warned against. We are also seeing this in the media, academia, and in private companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With the advent of technology, totalitarianism beyond what Orwell wrote is possible. Does the Bible teach the coming a totalitarian state similar to George Orwell’s? What about the Antichrist and 666? Will things get worse? What is the solution? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more in this video.
Canadian censoring of the Bible In 2017, Lauri Skori of the Battle River School board told a religious school in Alberta, Canada that it could not teach/read certain portions of the Bible. In 2002, a court in Canada ruled against one who referred to certain scriptures that some homosexuals objected to. In 2017, there was “An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code” related to those who wish to be considered transgendered. Government officials in Canada and elsewhere have been ruling against the Bible. Is any of this prophesied? Will this get worse? What was the prophet Amos inspired to write? This is a video.
Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666 Is the internet going to be used to suppress the teaching of the word of God?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? A related sermons is titled: Pornography, False Comfort, and False Religion. Here a shorter YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
Australia and New Zealand in Prophecy Do biblical prophecies help explain the wealth blessings for Australia and New Zealand? Might cursings from disobedience come in the 21st century? Here is a link to a related sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2019, 2020, or 2021? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2018 o 2019? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:15:31

Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3)

The Bible teaches that salvation belongs to God (Psalm 3:8). Does the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-12 have anything to do with salvation? What are some of the mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment? How long does this period last? What does Isaiah 65:20-25 teach? Do well known preachers like David Jeremiah have the right answer? What about Lutheran ministers? What have early church writers taught? What have Jewish and Eastern Orthodox scholars concluded? What does the Bible reveal about the White Throne Judgment? Could there be any opportunity for salvation after death in this age? What are two other ages to come? What will happen after the millennium and after the second resurrection? What about grace and mercy? What role does God have for the currently elect then? What about free choice and spiritual blindness? What about tradition and spiritual deafness? Will the vast majority of humans that ever lived be saved? What does this have to do with the Great White Throne Judgment? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters in this third part of a multi-part sermon series on God’s plan of salvation.

Here is a link to the sermon: Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3).

Some items of related interest may include:

Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, and Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3).
The Last Great Day: Shemini ‘Azeret What is the ‘eighth day’ of the Feast? What does it help picture? A sermon on this topic is also available: Shemini Azaret: The Last Great Day.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differs from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]. A sermon is also available: How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You?
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?
Did the Early Church Teach Purgatory? Is there a place called purgatory? Does God have a plan to help those who did not become saints in this life?
What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die? When did Limbo start being taught? What is the truth about dead babies?
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? The ‘Fall’ Holy Days come every year in September and/or October on the Roman calendar. Some call them Jewish holidays, but they were kept by Jesus, the apostles, and their early faithful followers. Should you keep them? What does the Bible teach? What do records of church history teach? What does the Bible teach about the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? Here is a link to a related sermon: Should you keep the Fall Holy Days?
What is the Unpardonable Sin? What is it? Can you repent of it? Do you know what it is and how to avoid it? Here is a link to a related sermon video The Unpardonable Sin and the Prodigal Son. Here is a link to a shorter video The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’?
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account? Related sermon videos include Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved? A version of the main article was also translated in the Spanish language: Oferta universal de salvación: Hay cientos de versículos en la Biblia que apoyan la verdadera doctrina de la Apocatastasis.
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach? Here is a link to a sermon about Last Great Day.
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2024, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: 何日是神的圣日？ 这里是一份神的圣日日历从2013年至2024年。.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? an CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia? Here is a written link to a version of that first sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Africa, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Canada, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Europe, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos as well as some ContinuingCOG channel sermons. It is also available as a mobile app.
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube sermonette videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos.

Red Angus Heifer

COGwriter

The Temple Institute reported the following today:

Tammuz 2, 5779/July 5, 2019

Our sages long ago established the understanding that the text of the Five Books of Moses, (the written Torah) does not necessarily follow a chronological order. For different reasons the Torah may record an event out of the actual time sequence in which it originally occurred. Bearing this in mind we need to ask ourselves why the laws of the ashes of the red heifer are first explicated here in the opening of parashat Chukat, especially in light of the traditionally held notion that the laws of the red heifer were first conveyed to Israel all the way back in Exodus, just days after Israel exited Egypt and crossed the Sea of Reeds, even before receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. This occurred at Marah, when the people cried out for water and Moshe cast a piece of wood in the water rendering it potable, at which point Torah says “There He gave them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them.” (Exodus 15:25) The “statute” our sages teach us, was none other than the laws of the red heifer.

If the ordinance of the red heifer appears first as an obscure reference at the very beginning of Israel’s journey through the desert, and again, explicitly, at the beginning of the conclusion of Israel’s journey in the desert, then we can understand the very essence of the ashes of the red heifer to be a kind of bookends to Israel’s forty year desert experience. But what does it signify?

The ashes of the red heifer which can metaphysically purify an individual who has come in contact with a corpse are a signal from G-d that we mortal humans are endowed with the ability to transcend death.  …

The Mystery Of The Red Heifer: Divine Promise Of Purity: This week’s Torah reading Chukat (Numbers 19:1-22:1) opens with the ordinance of the red heifer, (para aduma, in Hebrew). Learn more about the Torah laws which describe the requirements of the red heifer and its proper preparation and application for the purpose of making pure individuals who have contracted impurity through contact with a dead body. And learn more about the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of the red heifer and its significance to the rebuilding of the Holy Temple …

Basically, the Temple Institute believes that the blood of a red heifer will provide the way for the most thorough cleansing to allow for a ‘third temple,’ whereas Christians point to the blood of Jesus to cleanse, therefore we do not need animal sacrifices(Hebrews 9-10).

For those who may wonder, here is a definition of a heifer:

heif·er [hef-er] noun a young cow over one year old that has not produced a calf. (Dictionary.com accessed 06/28/14)

heif·er noun \ˈhe-fər\ : a young female cow; especially : one that has not had a calf (Merriam-Webster.com accessed 06/28/14)

heifer noun [C] /ˈhef.ər/ US /-ɚ/ a young cow, especially one that has not yet given birth to a calf (= baby cow) (Cambridge.org accessed 06/28/14)

Some consider cows are heifers after about six months. Whether it is under or over a year, a ‘red’ heifer is a female cow that is reddish brown in color which has not produced a calf. They mainly look brown, but with a reddish tint.

Certain Jews believe that God will provide a red heifer just before the Messiah will arise. Some farmers are even raising cattle in the hope of providing the red heifer certain Jews feel is needed. Essentially some feel this is for a type of re-sanctification of the priesthood. Without that “red heifer” and/or the related sanctification, the sacrifices the Bible says will be stopped (Daniel 9:27, 11:31) cannot be resumed according to certain Jews (though others are willing to resume animal sacrifices without one).

The Temple Institute has one or two red heifers that it is watching to see if one is pure enough for their purposes.

If enough of the relevant Jews willing to sacrifice animals believe this is needed, the location of a ritualistically proper red heifer can be a major milestone in the sequence of end-time events.

Here is something related to the red heifer and the Temple Institute from just over five years ago:

“In truth, the fate of the entire world depends on the red heifer,” the institute says.

“For G-d has ordained that its ashes alone are the single missing ingredient for the reinstatement of biblical purity – and thereafter, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.”

The Temple Institute says purification with the red heifer “reminds us that man has the potential to rise above his transitory physical existence, with all its false sense of hopelessness and misery … the impurity of death.” http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/torah-condition-for-3rd-temple-now-met/#pTyWBvkkroch6Mub.99

Of course, the fate of the world does not depend upon a red heifer being found, though at some point in time, at least one will apparently be pointed to as important.

Here is what the Bible says about a red heifer:

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them. (Numbers 19:1-10)

Jews have interpreted this to mean that another red heifer needs to be sacrificed for sacrifices to be resumed or for the Messiah to return. While that is not directly stated above, it could be implied from that scripture (presuming one does not accept the New Testament) that one is again needed. And if those who want to sacrifice will not do so until they have a red heifer, then in that respect a red heifer is important.

Some Jews believe that the Books of Daniel and Isaiah tell about a future red heifer, despite the fact that they do not specify one. Notice the following passages that are sometimes cited starting with those in Daniel:

9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. (Daniel 12:9-12)

While certain Jews tie the purification in verse 10 to the removal of sacrifices in verse 11, the Bible does not tie this in with a red heifer. Some Jews then tie in the following from Isaiah:

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Some Jews tie the burning of scarlet in Numbers 9:6 to the above. Yet, while sins can be as scarlet, the Bible is not saying that this is related to a red heifer. It is a call from God to repent. And Christians do this without a red heifer (Acts 2:38) as it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus takes away sins (John 1:36).

The Jews have various traditions about the red heifer. In the Mishnah (Parah 3.5) it was claimed that “Moses prepared the first, Ezra prepared the second, and seven were prepared after Ezra.”

So, according to one tradition, supposedly there have been only nine properly prepared ones and the tenth one is what is needed.

Notice some else of what the Temple Institute teaches about it:

But in truth, the fate of the entire world depends on the red heifer. For G-d has ordained that its ashes alone are the single missing ingredient for the reinstatement of Biblical purity – and thereafter, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple…

The Divine ordinance of the heifer, beyond the grasp of man’s frail intellect, with all the details of its preparation and ceremony, calls out to Israel and to all who seek to cling to the living word of the G-d of Israel: “Purify yourselves! Shake off your despair! Death is an illusion!” Thus it is written, “…but all of you who cling to the Lord your G-d…you are all alive today” (Deut. 4:4)…

G-d uses many devices to bring His children back to Him. … the rabbis observed: “And if one should wonder, how could a man turn his life around, and come close to G-d on account of a heifer?! Do not wonder: For it is through the heifer that all of Israel becomes pure. https://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heifer/introduction.htm

The Mishna teaches that up until the destruction of the Second Temple, ashes had been prepared from a total of only nine red heifers. The very first red heifer was processed by Moses himself – as the verse states, “… have them bring you a red heifer.” The second was done by the prophet Ezra in the days of the First Temple, and during the entire era of the Second Temple only seven more heifers were used for ashes. This was enough to provide for the nation’s needs for purification throughout all those years.

The names of all the High Priests who prepared those seven heifers during Second Temple times are recorded by the Mishna: Simon the Just and Yochanan each made two; El’yhoeini ben Hakof, Chanamel HaMitzri and Yishmael ben Pi’avi processed one heifer each. Thus, from the time that Moses received the commandment of the red heifer from the Holy One, blessed be He, until the destruction of the Second Temple, purifying ashes had been produced by the hands of these great leaders from a total of nine red heifers.

The Tenth Red Heifer Will be Prepared by the Messiah

In recounting this historical record in his commentary to the Mishna, the great Maimonides ends with the enigmatic statement: “… and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be God’s will.”

With this amazing statement, Maimonides recounts an ancient tradition – that the tenth red heifer is associated with the Messianic era. Does this perhaps mean that the appearance of a red heifer in these waning end times is an indication, a forerunner of the appearance of the Messiah himself, who will officiate at its preparation?

If there has been no red heifer for the past 2,000 years, perhaps it is because the time was not right; Israel was far from being ready. But now… what could it mean for the times we live in, to have the means for purification so close at hand? With the words of Maimonides in mind, we cannot help but wonder and pray: If there are now red heifers… is ours the era that will need them? https://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heifer/tenth_red_heifer.htm

Some believe that the tenth red heifer came prior to the destruction of the last temple. Whether it did or not, the Bible simply does not mention ten red heifers.

Here are some Jewish claims of red heifer features/requirements:

The heifer must be three years old and perfect in its redness. This means that the presence of as few as two hairs of any other color will render it invalid; it is related that for this reason, the red heifer was always very expensive to procure. Even its hooves must be red. It must also be totally free from any physical blemish or defect, whether internal or external.

Although the red heifer is not a sacrifice per se, for it is not slaughtered in the Temple, it is forbidden that the heifer should possess any of those blemishes which render any sacrifice invalid – such as those enumerated in the book of Leviticus, chapter 22. The red heifer also has an additional, unique requirement: it must have never been used to perform any physical labor. In fact, using the animal in any physical sense at all would render it invalid, even for the slightest, most minor thing. This would include riding, or even leaning on her. The only exception would be some labor which is intrinsically necessary for the heifer’s own welfare, such as tying her for her own safety. But if a yoke were placed upon her even once, even if she were not used to plow – this would be enough to render the heifer unfit for use. Thus Scripture states, “that a yoke never went on.”

The commandment calls for the animal to be a “heifer,” that is, 3 or 4 years old; although an older animal could also be used. Since the verse instructs us to take a heifer, we do not purchase a calf and wait for it to grow older while in our custody; “and take a heifer” means that the act of acquisition has to take place while the animal is a heifer. However, if a red calf is available, a price can be set with its owner, and the transaction can be concluded, but we do not take possession until it reaches the proper age as mandated by the Bible. (The Red Heifer. The Temple Institute. http://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heifer/red_heifer_requirements.htm accessed 09/12/18)

Now, I will add that some of the requirements that the Jews have are NOT biblical, so compromise on some points would seem to be possible. It is my belief that once there is permission to start regular sacrifices, that whichever red heifer may be available then will be considered to be the right and acceptable one (even if it was not so beforehand).

Some have wondered if the abomination of desolation Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:15, that Daniel spoke of, is the sacrificing of the next agreed upon Jewish red heifer. Let me simply state that no, it is not. That abomination has to do more with the final coming Beast of the Sea of Revelation 13 and not a sacrifice of the Jews.

Some Jews, like those affiliated with the Temple Institute, want to resume animal sacrifices and believe having a red heifer is a sign that the time is right. An agreed upon red heifer may increase pressure on the nation of Israel to allow such sacrifices–though it may not happen until the deal of Daniel 9:27 is fulfilled (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

Last December, without having sacrificed a red heifer, the Sanhedrin (which has ties to the Temple Institute) had a sacrifice to dedicate an altar for future sacrifices.

We covered that in the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

6:57

Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!

The Reconstituted Sanhedrin performed a ceremony on December 10, 2018 to dedicate a new altar for the use of daily sacrifices. High Priest Rabbi Baruch Kahane officiated. How does this align with Bible prophecy? Daniel wrote three times that the daily sacrifices must stop, hence they first must resume. The Great Tribulation will begin shortly after these sacrifices stop. In this video Dr. Thiel, who has also been to Israel and spoken with The Temple Institute quotes several scriptures and explains why the actions by the Sanhedrin align with prophecy and the end times.

Here is a link to our video: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!

As far as the red heifer goes, here is one of the videos we put out on this subject:

Here is a link to our video: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World.

The fact that the Temple Institute is again bringing up the red heifer matter suggests, to me at least, that it is setting the stage to try to get political support for the resumption of animal sacrifices. It may also suggest that the Temple Institute is getting more optimistic that they have, or may soon have, a red heifer candidate that is acceptable.

We will see.

Having a ‘red heifer’ may be a factor in certain prophesied events moving forward in Israel.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to two related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, which is located on a Mount Zion, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Might the oldest church building have prophetic ramifications?
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications? After a 20 year negotiation, the Church of Rome has negotiated the right to have Catholic mass in the building known as the Cenacle. It is in the area where the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill once stood. This is believed to be the location of the earliest Christian church building. How does the Bible define the ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament? Could this be the area where the ‘man of sin’ will sit in the “temple of God’ that Bible prophecy discusses in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4? This is a YouTube video.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2024, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: OUeåf/y^v„W#eåÿ Ù‘Ìf/NNýy^v„W#eåeåS†NÎ2013^tó2024^t0.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book.

The US Bill of Rights

COGwriter

Today is the fourth of July. It is considered to be ‘independence day’ for the USA as its Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Many do not realize why the colonies rebelled.

Former US congressman Ron Paul wrote the following:

July 4, 2017

The colonists who rebelled against the British Crown were, among other things, unhappy about taxation. Yet, as economist Gary North points out, the total burden of British imperial taxation was about one-to-two percent of national income.

Some 241 years later, Washington claims more of our money as its own than King George could have ever imagined. What do we get in this bargain? We get a federal government larger and more oppressive than before 1776, a government that increasingly views us as the enemy.

Think about NSA surveillance. As we have learned from brave whistleblowers like William Binney and Edward Snowden, the US intelligence community is not protecting us from foreigners who seek to destroy our way of life. The US intelligence community is itself destroying our way of life. Literally every one of our electronic communications is captured and stored in vast computer networks. Perhaps they will be used against “dissidents” in the future who question government tyranny.

We have no privacy in our computers or our phones. If the government wants to see what we are doing at any time, it simply switches on our phone camera or computer camera – or our “smart” television. Yet today we continue to hear, “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

In a recent interview on our Liberty Report, Edward Snowden made the excellent point that,

“saying that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say.”

Think about the TSA. The freedom to travel is fundamental, and our Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is the law of the land. But if you dare to exercise that right by purchasing an air ticket, you are treated like a Guantanamo Bay detainee. Don’t dare question as the TSA agents commit acts that would be crimes were they done by anyone else. Yet so many Americans still believe this is what it takes to be “safe.” http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-03/ron-paul-we-must-declare-independence

Many in the USA do not seem to realize what has been happening.

Typically, on this day, many in the USA will have barbecues, watch parades, and/or view fireworks.

Yet, those who live in the USA may wish to re-read its Declaration of Independence as its government this century not only seems to have a disdain for more of the law of God, it also is probably more guilty than the old British rule for committing many acts that caused the colonists to revolt in the first place.

Several years ago, I read my family much of the Declaration and commented upon how the then current USA federal, state, and local governments had committed, within the past year or so, most of the same actions against our family (directly and/or indirectly) that the USA’s revolutionary leaders objected to from the British king.

In order to try to further protect the rights of the citizens of its new nation, the Bill of Rights came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791.

In the past several years, the first amendment protection for religion has gotten trashed by various governments and courts in the USA. That amendment states:

• First amendment — Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Despite what that says, the USA has had real problems with federal courts as they have ruled against religious freedom. Here are links to a couple of examples: US Federal Judge rules religious freedom law unconstitutional and US Supreme Court delivers another blow to ‘freedom of religion’.

People such as Edward Snowden, despite whatever flaws he may have, have pointed out some of how the USA government intentionally violated portions of the Bill of Rights, such as the 4th-6th amendment rights. So, he has been in hiding for years because of that. Here is what those amendments were supposed to protect (some of which have been mishandled related to him personally by the US government):

• Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

• Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

• Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

The ramifications of the Snowden leaks are that those in the USA have realized that their government tends to ignore or pretend to reason around its Constitution, while the international community is outraged by the amount of spying that the USA has engaged in. The Obama Administration claimed it would be the most transparent administration in recent USA history, and instead it repeatedly was caught for espionage and trying to cover various matters up. The international community has called the USA hypocritical on all of this. Many in Europe and elsewhere are getting upset with the USA for what it has been doing–and yes, also for many things from the Trump Administration.

As far as the early foundations of the USA go, if it was written today and adopted, I suspect that the USA Supreme Court might rule the Declaration unconstitutional as it starts out with the following statements:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

And the Declaration ends with the following statement:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

The Declaration is too religious for many today.

Also, the Bill of Rights has tended to be viewed as intending to provide citizens minimalist protection by the US Supreme Court, which is in violation of its intent. In the 21st century, July 4th does not truly find a court system or a country that is particularly keen on keeping the government out of most peoples’ lives. But that is what the signers of the Declaration wanted.

Let’s look at some of the grievances that the colonists had against King George and his government, from the Declaration:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

Both the current and last US president support ‘same-sex marriage.’ Back in 1973, the US Supreme Court decided that State prohibition against abortions would not stand and that unborn babies could be killed. Did the government of King George do worse?

Here is more from the Declaration:

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

The US Courts have told US States that they do not have the right to enforce various immigration laws and now plan (if certain immigration bills pass) to tell the States that they will have to recognize various foreigners in violation of existing laws and historical practices.

Here is more from the Declaration:

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

There are enough scandals from Washington this decade that suggest that various ones in the USA government have done this, including ones associated with the Internal Revenue Service under Barack Obama, and of course issues with Donald Trump.

The Declaration also states:

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

The Bush Administration got Congress to approve the so-called ‘Patriot Act’ and establish the Homeland Security Administration and other offices. The Obama Administration has added other offices, and under his Administration, the Internal Revenue scandal demonstrated that various officers were harassing people for years because of their perceived political views.

The Declaration also states:

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

Many US presidents have signed agreements with the United Nations and others that, in theory, are similar to what the colonists revolted against.

The Declaration also states:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

The above happens all the time, but because it is done through administrative fees and/or with some legislative intent, this is considered acceptable to many. Yet, the amount of taxes raised, in terms of percentage of income, is MANY times higher than when the colonists revolted. And the taxes they mainly revolted from were tariffs.

The Declaration also states:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

Essentially the so-called Patriot Act and other measures supposedly designed to fight terrorism and/or drug-trafficking have resulted in the US government doing this probably much more than the representatives of King George ever would have considered, let alone done.

The Declaration also states:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

The US federal government, including through various of its courts, has effectively done the above many times.

The Declaration also states:

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

This is more subtle. The USA government treats its citizens as potential terrorists and criminals. It engages in massive espionage on its citizens, etc. Additionally, as the Snowden matter brought out, pretty much all communications that the US government can monitor by its citizens is subject to being monitored.

The Declaration also states:

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Because it tends to consider itself the world’s policeman, the government of the USA has been engaged in almost non-stop warfare, in one foreign country or other, since the early 1950s. Though it has less actual wars in the past couple of years or so.

Back in 2014, the US Supreme Court issued a couple of rulings indicating that it feels that the Obama Administration exceeded its constitutional authority (such as with the ‘Hobby Lobby’ case related to paying for abortive forms of birth control). But those rulings have not reversed the trend of the US government growing in power and taking away rights that the founders of the USA wanted its citizens to keep.

And while simply restoring practices consistent with the Declaration of Independence will NOT stop the USA from going down the path that will lead it to destruction (nor am I advocating violent revolt), ignoring God as well as documents like the Bible and the ten commandments will insure the destruction of the USA.

National repentance is the only way to prevent it, and that does not look likely. The advocacy of homosexuality and abortion, and increased indebtedness and acceptance of various forms of pornography (including what would be considered soft pornography involving the current ‘first lady’ of the USA) that we have seen the past few years suggests that national repentance is about the furthest thing on the minds of the national political leaders and most of the mainstream media in the USA.

Personal repentance, however, is still possible. If you are an American, your personal future can still be much brighter than that of your country.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You?
The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA Can what happened with the leaks of what the NSA has done help the USA to be taken over? What does the Bible teach that seems to be related to this? Here is a related YouTube video titled Are the Snowden NSA leaks leading to the destruction of the USA?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of relaled interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? Here is a link to a YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There is also a YouTube video on this, titled Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change?
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? Here is a link to a YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic? Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.

Improperly Claimed Tomb of Peter

COGwriter

June 29th is the day the Greco-Roman churches observe or both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul:

June 29 marks the day of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Pavel (Paul) in the Bulgarian Orthodox calendar.

The feast day commemorates the martyrdom of the two great Apostles, assigned by tradition to the same day of June in the year 67. http://www.novinite.com/articles/161691/Bulgarians+Celebrate+Saints+Peter+and+Paul%E2%80%99s+Day#sthash.TMNyThUG.dpuf

Pope Francis observed it today:

June 29, 2019

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the patrons of Rome. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/saints-peter-and-paul-witness-to-the-power-of-gods-forgiveness-pope-says-48305

June 29, 2019

Pope Francis on Saturday celebrated the feast of the Patrons of this ancient city, Saints Peter and Paul.

Dressed in red vestments and against the backdrop of a magnificent St Peter’s Basilica, the Pope noted that these Apostles “stand before us as witnesses.”

During his homily, the Pontiff said, “if we go to the heart of that testimony, we can see them as witnesses to life, witnesses to forgiveness and witnesses to Jesus.”

Pope Francis underlined that the lives of these Saints “were not neat and linear.” …

He also greeted a Delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “Your presence”, he told them, “reminds us that we can spare no effort also in the journey towards full unity among believers, in communion at every level.” https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-jesus-seeks-witnesses-to-his-life.html

Pope Francis has, in the past, also called Peter and Paul patrons of Rome. He has often pushed for full unity with the Eastern Orthodox (the Ecumenical Patriarch is normally a reference to the Eastern Orthodox leader Bartholomew of Constantinople)–which again he did today.

Interestingly, according to certain Catholic and Eastern Orthodox scholars and priests, Peter and Paul were not the patrons/founders of the Church in Rome–despite ‘tradition.’

Here are some Roman Catholic sources:

Neither Peter nor Paul founded the Church at Rome, for there were Christians in the city before either of the Apostles set foot there. Nor can we assume, as Irenaeus did, that the Apostles established there a succession of bishops to carry on their work in the city, for all the indications are that there was no single bishop at Rome for almost a century after the deaths of the Apostles. In fact, where ever we turn, the solid outlines of the petrine succession at Rome seem to blur and dissolve…

Neither Paul, Acts nor any of the Gospels tells us anything direct about Peter’s death, and none of them even hints that the special role of Peter could be passed on to any single ‘successor’. There is, therefore, nothing directly approaching a papal theory in the pages of the New Testament (Duffy, Eamon. Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes. Yale University Press, New Haven (CT), 2002, pp.2,6).

Antonio Ferrua …was the Jesuit archaeologist responsible for uncovering what is believed to be the tomb of St Peter in the grottoes under St Peter’s Basilica in Rome…Ferrua was more circumspect. Aware of the scepticism that surrounded even the analysis of the Greek fragment – which others had read as Petros endei or “Peter is not here” – he recently told the Italian Catholic newspaper L’Avvenire that he was “not convinced” that the saint’s bones had been found…A man of deep faith, Ferrua was a rigorous scholar, much admired for his refusal to allow his beliefs to compromise his work (The Rev Antonio Ferrua. Telegraph, London – May 29, 2003 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1431338/The-Rev-Antonio-Ferrua.html viewed 07/20/09)

Irenaeus focuses on the church of Rome which he describes as “greatest, most ancient and known to all, founded and established by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul.” Here we must acknowledge a bit of rhetoric, as the church of Rome was obviously not so ancient as those of Jerusalem or Antioch, nor was it actually founded by Peter or Paul (Sullivan F.A. From Apostles to Bishops: the development of the episcopacy in the early church. Newman Press, Mahwah (NJ), 2001, p. 147).

ALTHOUGH CATHOLIC TRADITION, BEGINNING IN the late second and early third centuries, regards St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome and, therefore, as the first pope, there is no evidence that Peter was involved in the initial establishment of the Christian community in Rome (indeed, what evidence there is would seem to point in the opposite direction) or that he served as Rome’s first bishop. (McBrien, Richard P. Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. Harper, San Francisco, 2005 updated ed., p.25).

Some of the Eastern/Greek Orthodox use even stronger terms:

From the outset we must clarify that we Orthodox, not taking part in the politically correct spirit of western and especially ecumenist “Christianity,” do not refer to those religious communities who have, sadly, been separated from the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church as “Churches.” But, following the example of our Holy Fathers throughout the ages, refer to them as heretics, and you, Your Excellency, and your followers, we denominate as “Papists” and your heresy as “Papism.”…

That the Apostle Peter did not travel to Rome after the composition of his first epistle is witnessed to in his second catholic epistle, understanding , of course, that this epistle was obviously written for the Gentile Christians, whereas the first was written for the Jewish Christians. In this epistle there is also no mention of city of Rome.

Finally, the fact that, near the end of his life, the Apostle Peter did not journey to Rome is verified by the Apostle Paul’s second epistle to Timothy, in which he writes: “At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it.” From this epistle of the Apostle Paul, which was written near the end of his life, it is clearly verified, that during its writing, the Apostle Peter was not in Rome, otherwise the Apostle Paul would out of necessity have mentioned it.

Moreover, it is clear that before the composition of this epistle, the Apostle Peter had not traveled to Rome. If he had already preached there it would not be possible for the Apostle Paul to write that “also in Rome the Gentiles were taught and heard the preaching by him.”

When we add to these Biblical witnesses all that is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles regarding the Apostle Paul’s first journey to Rome, something that we will expand upon shortly, along with his epistle to the Romans, we come to the indubitable conclusion that, before the Apostle Paul’s first journey to Rome and also before the composition of his second epistle to Timothy, the Apostle Peter had not traveled to Rome…

Regardless, however, of the time and place of the death of the Chiefs of the Apostles, in our opinion, the most significant witness to the fact that the Apostle Peter did not travel to Rome before the Apostle Paul, and therefore that he did not found the Church in Rome, is concluded from the juxtaposition of the epistle to the Romans with the Acts of the Apostles regarding the Apostle Paul’s first journey to Rome…

Consequently, the Apostle Peter had not journeyed to Rome before the composition of this epistle, that is, before 58 A.D. Perhaps he made the journey during the two – year period that intervened between the writing of the epistle and the Apostle Paul’s first visit to Rome? For us, that which is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles regarding the Apostle Paul’s first visit to Rome, and his subsequent two – year stay, rules this out completely…

As for the fifth detail, that Peter and Paul meet their end at the same time (in Rome), we find no witnesses save apocryphal sources, which are bereft of validity…The witness of Origen regarding the death of Paul in Rome under Nero is refuted by Clement of Rome, who wrote “and come to the extreme limit of the West, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects.”…

And so, it is nowhere proved that the Apostle Peter traveled to Rome, nor that he preached and died there. Rather the opposite is witnessed to by the Holy Scriptures and Ecclesiastical History…

After reading the above, your recent presentation of the alleged Holy Relics of the Apostle Peter, unknown for two centuries, strikingly presents the tragic character of your religious system…

With respect,

+ Andrew of Dryinoupolis, Pogoniani and Konitsa

+ Seraphim of Piraeus and Faliro

(Letter to Francis. HOLY AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH OF GREECE. April 10, 2014, pp. 1, 37, 41, 45-56, 89. http://cdn.romfea.gr/images/stories/photos/2014/4/romfea1/spiti/Epistle%20to%20Pope%20Francis%20I.pdf viewed 04/21/2014)

Yet, despite the fact that the Apostle Peter is not buried in St. Peter’s, etc., the Eastern Orthodox will end up with unity with the Church of Rome. Both biblical and Catholic prophecies warn this will happen, and although much of the media will endorse this, it will not be good for the Roman nor Eastern Orthodox Catholics, nor the Protestants for that matter.

As far as the Protestants go, years ago Charismatic Ken Copeland and others met with the Pope (the original report is in Italian, with the machine-translated English version below it):

Francesco si è incontrato con degli importanti ‘leaders evangelici’ per pianificare l’alleanza tra la Chiesa Cattolica Romana e gli Evangelici, o meglio sancire una «unità nella diversità». L’incontro si è tenuto il 24 giugno 2014 in Vaticano presso il Palazzo Santa Marta. Ecco i nomi di coloro che si sono incontrati con lui: John e Carol Arnott (fondatori di Catch The Fire), Kenneth Copeland (fondatore di KCM Ministries), James Robison (fondatore di Life Outreach Int.), Geoff Tunnicliffe (Capo della Worldwide Evangelical Alliance ossia l’Alleanza Evangelica Mondiale). C’era anche Tony Palmer (Vescovo della Communion Evangelical Episcopal Churches)…

USCITE E SEPARATEVI DALL’AEI. Guardatevi e ritiratevi da tutti coloro che promuovono questa diabolica alleanza o unità nella diversità.

Chi ha orecchi da udire, oda (http://giacintobutindaro.org/2014/06/26/francesco-incontra-predicatori-pentecostali/)

June 26, 2014

Francis met with the important ‘evangelical leaders’ plan for the alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical, or rather establish a “unity in diversity”. The meeting was held at the Vatican June 24, 2014 at the Palace of Santa Marta. Here are the names of those who met with him: John and Carol Arnott (founder of Catch The Fire), Kenneth Copeland (founder of KCM Ministries), James Robison (founder of Life Outreach Int), Geoff Tunnicliffe (Head of Worldwide Evangelical Alliance that is the World Evangelical Alliance). There was also Tony Palmer (Bishop Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches)…

Shameful and scandalous.

LEAVE AND SEPARATE FROM THE AEI { l’Alleanza Evangelica Italiana}. Look and turn away from all those who promote this unholy alliance or unity in diversity.

The ecumenical movement is going forward, though some few are realizing some of the dangers of it.

Some Protestants and some Eastern Orthodox keep trying to have ecumenical unity with Rome. Sadly, many more of them will join in this disastrous unity as well.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2019, 2020, or 2021? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2018 o 2019? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? Former Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is now Pope Francis. According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? Could a Jesuit be “the black pope”?

COGwriter

The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis is about to declare John Henry Newman a Catholic saint:

June 28, 2019

It’s official: the consistory for the canonization of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman is set for early next week.

As announced in a Holy See Press Office bulletin this morning, Pope Francis will preside at the celebration of Terce and the Ordinary Public Consistory for the Canonization of the following Blesseds, on July 1, 2019, at 10 a.m. in the the Clementine Hall of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace:

– John Henry Newman, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, founder of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in England … https://zenit.org/articles/just-announced-the-consistory-for-canonization-of-blessed-cardinal-newman-set-for-july-1/

John Newman was an Anglican priest who became a Roman Catholic priest, then bishop in the 19th century. He eventually was raised to the rank of Cardinal, which is the highest ecclesiastical rank for a Catholic bishop, other than being the pope. Announcing his canonization would seem to be a further signal to others outside the direct fold of the Vatican that they too can be honored if they support the Church of Rome.

Anyway, Cardinal Newman wrote on various matters.

One of the things he wrote about was to condemn the biblical and early Christian view of the nature of the Godhead:

Lucian, who schismatized or was excommunicated on his deposition, held heretical tenets of a diametrically opposite nature, that is, such as were afterwards called Semi-Arian…I would rather direct the reader’s attention to the particular form which the Antiochene corruptions seem to have assumed, viz., that of Judaism… (Cardinal Newman, John Henry. The Arians of the Fourth Century. Longmans, Green, & Co., New York, 1908, pp. 7,9).

Lucian was from the late 3rd century and may have been a Sabbath-keeper. As far as being semi-Arian, up until the latter half of the fourth century, even most Greco-Romans held a semi-Arian/binitarian view of the Godhead (see Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning). The trinity itself was not formally adopted until the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. (see Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?).

Cardinal Newman further wrote about the Antichrist not being a trinitarian:

But, whereas one heresy and that the last, which has now risen as harbinger of Antichrist, the Arian, as it is called (Athanasius. Translated by JH Newman and Archibald Robertson. Four Discourses of S. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, Against the Arians Discourse 1. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies.)

Thus we have found S. Athanasius calling Arianism “the forerunner of Antichrist,” ( Newman JH. Four Discourses of S. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, Against the Arians Discourse 2. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies.)

Since the two witnesses (see Who Are The Two Witnesses?) would espouse the semi-Arian view of the Godhead (for details that may suggest why see Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning), apparently Athanasius seems to be warning that this will come just prior to the return of Jesus. And Cardinal Newman’s writings highlight that.

Now, related to history, here is something he wrote about the Church of Rome first being considered the Antichrist and Babylon:

Now, one of the first questions which it is natural to ask on entering upon the subject is, whereas the Pope is said to be Antichrist, sometimes from the fourth, sometimes from the seventh century, when was he first detected and denounced, and by whom?

On this point Dr. Todd supplies us with much information, from which it appears that the belief that the Pope was Antichrist was the conclusion gradually formed and matured out of the belief that the Church of Rome was Babylon, by three heretical bodies, between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, in consequence of their being submitted to persecution for their opinions:

“In the middle of the eleventh century, numerous emigrants from Thrace and the East had established themselves in the north of Italy, and especially in the neighbourhood of Milan; and some, despising a fixed habitation, or unable to obtain one, itinerated throughout various parts of France and Germany. The doctrines of these sects exhibit various shades of extravagance and error, and appear to have had a close affinity with the Oriental Manichees or Paulicians, from whom they are historically descended…they despised all external religion, ridiculed the office and powers of the priesthood, the efficacy of the Sacraments, and especially the use of baptism.”—Pp. 28-30.

These were the Albigenses, the first of the three independent families of heresy above mentioned…It would appear from these that the Albigenses founded their opposition to the Church on a Manichæan principle, viz., that, as there was an evil deity, and he the author of the visible world, so was he author also of the visible Church, which in consequence was “the devil’s basilica and synagogue of Satan,” and, in the language of the Apocalypse, “the mother of fornications.” (Newman JH. The Protestant Idea of Antichrist. [British Critic, Oct. 1840]. Newman Reader — Works of John Henry Newman. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies. http://www.newmanreader.org/works/essays/volume2/antichrist1.html viewed 12/03/07).

What the Cardinal seems to be teaching is that beginning in the fourth-seventh century one or two groups apparently began to feel that the Pontifex Maximus was an antichrist and that one who calls himself Pontifex Maximus may be the final antichrist. It should be pointed out that the Roman bishops did not refer to themselves by the pagan title of Pontifex Maximus (literally meaning the “greatest bridge-builder” between mortals and the gods) until the late 4th century–hence that is probably why they began to be referred to as “anti-Christ” or at least his representative back then. The Church of Rome supported Emperor Constantine, and later Emperor Theodosius’ persecutions against Church of God Christians in the 4th century (see Persecutions by Church and State).

It is of interest to note that groups that traced their descent from the Paulicians were clearly teaching a version of the papal antichrist doctrine in the eleventh and later centuries–but Cardinal Newman also indicates it was much earlier than that ((Newman JH. The Protestant Idea of Antichrist. [British Critic, Oct. 1840]. Newman Reader — Works of John Henry Newman. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies. http://www.newmanreader.org/works/essays/volume2/antichrist1.html viewed 06/28/19, p. 117)). Some affiliated with the Paulicians and Albigenses were in the Church of God (see articles The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 from 31 A.D. to present; 2. The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D. The Church led by Polycarp, Melito, Polycrates, etc.; 3. The Pergamos Church Era was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D. An especially persecuted Church; 4. The Thyatira Church Era was predominant circa 1050 A.D. to circa 1600 A.D. The Church during the Inquisition).–hence an understanding of the papal antichrist view has long been a Church of God view.

Although the Bible teaches that there are many antichrists, it also indicates that one will later be the Antichrist. And essentially all the antichrists preach a message different from the Apostle John–hence we in the Churches of God recognize that to a degree, all false religious teachers claiming Christianity are antichrists–we do not limit this to Roman or Orthodox Catholic leaders (we also include Protestant leaders).

This seems to be consistent with what one group told Bernard the Inquisitor, in the early 14th century, who reported:

…they claim that there is a double Antichrist, one spiritual or mystical and the other the real, greater Antichrist…(Bernard Gui: Inquisitor’s Manual, Chapter 5. Translated by David Burr, History Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. http://phi.kenyon.edu/Projects/Margin/inquisit.htm 04/09/07).

As far as a spiritual or mystic antichrist and a later one, that is consistent with what the Apostle John taught in 1 John 2:18. The “spiritual antichrists” would be perhaps all false Christian leaders (this is not at all limited to Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders, it includes even some who claim to be in the Church of God), while the “real Antichrist” is the final MAJOR false prophetic leader.

Notice also the following from Cardinal Newman:

Now let us recur to the ancient Fathers, and see whether their further anticipations do not run parallel to the events which have since happened.  Antichrist, as they considered, will come out of the Roman Empire just upon its destruction;—that is, the Roman Empire will in its last days divide itself into ten parts, and the Enemy will come up suddenly out of it upon these ten, and subdue three of them, or all of them perhaps… (Newman JH. The Patristical Idea of Antichrist, Lecture II. Newman Reader — Works of John Henry Newman. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies)

The above writing suggests that while there will be a resurrected Roman Empire, at first it will seem fine, but then it will change.  This appears to be a prophecy about what will happen to the European Union in the future and seems to be consistent with Isaiah 10:5-11 where a power that does not mean to become militaristic does so.

Notice also the following unusual comment from Cardinal Newman:

Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope … (Cited in Mass A.J. Antichrist. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

And that is correct.

It is my view that the final Antichrist will be a pontiff (a type of antipope pontiff) that will feign Roman Catholicism and essentially allow it to be betrayed in accordance with Revelation 17:16-18.

And my view is also consistent with something else written by Cardinal Newman:

The defenders of the Papal-Antichrist theory…cite St. Bernard as identifying the Beast of the Apocalypse with the Pope, though St. Bernard speaks in the passage of the Antipope; they appeal to the Abbot Joachim as believing that Antichrist will be elevated to the Apostolic See, while the Abbot really believes that Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and usurp his See (Cited in Mass A.J. Antichrist. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).