THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST...It's coming....

I know for a certain that the BIBLE (the word of GOD) is the only true word when measured against other religious books.So we know that the Bible predicts the future and tell of the return of Jesus at the close of probation.
Ellen G White wrote about this time of the end in her books.In the book Last Day Events this very interesting piece is found: you may ask what makes this piece so interesting,please take not of Bold areas in the writings of E G White and then that of Newt Gingrich Presidential candidate of the USA.

Ellen G White's quote:
"The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes, for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which
                                                                           228
their eternal destiny will be decided.--2SM 81 (1890).  {LDE 227.3}
     What is the "image to the beast"? and how is it to be formed? The image is made by the two-horned beast, and is an image to the beast. It is also called an image of the beast. [THE TWO-HORNED BEAST OF REVELATION 13:11-17 MAKES AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST PORTRAYED IN REVELATION 13:1-10.] Then to learn what the image is like and how it is to be formed, we must study the characteristics of the beast itself--the papacy.
When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state, and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of "heresy." In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends. . . .   
     The "image to the beast" represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas".--GC 443, 445 (1911).

Newt Gingrich's quote: "this is a new era in which conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants have joined forces in what they see as a defining struggle against abortion, same-sex marriage and secularism."


Who would have predicted this 500 years ago, when the great Protestant reformation began, exposing the Roman Catholic Church as antichrist. God knew! And Bible prophecy is always spot on!
Friends, please give your all to Christ Jesus now. Prepare, study, pray, be a witness for the truth. We are getting close!

WHOM DO YOU WORSHIP???..Nimrod or JESUS...

"NIMROD" - The LORD of Christmas

"NIMROD" - The LORD of Christmas
"Nimrod started the great organized worldly apostasy
from God that has dominated this world until now.
Nimrod married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis.
After Nimrod's death, his so-called mother-wife,
Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival
of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown
evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump,
which symbolized the springing forth unto new life
of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth,
she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree
and leave gifts upon it. December 25th, was the birthday
of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree."
-The Plain Truth About Christmas
by David J. Stewart | December 24th, 2005
"Traditionally, a yule log was burned in the fireplace
on Christmas Eve and during the night as the log's embers
died, there appeared in the room, as if by magic,
a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. The yule log
represented the sun-god Nimrod and the Christmas tree
represented himself resurrected as his own son Tammuz."
--After Armageddon -Chapter 4
Where do we get our ideas?
by John A. Sarkett
"So our Christmas tree -- and our yule log -- have
tremendous meaning, but not a Christian meaning.
The yule log is the dead Nimrod, human ruler of
ancient Babylon, who was eventually deified as the
sun incarnate, and hence a god. The Christmas tree
is mystical Tammuz, the slain god come to life again."
--After Armageddon -Chapter 4
Where do we get our ideas?
by John A. Sarkett

The Real Origin of Christmas
"The real origin of Christmas goes back to ancient
Babylon. It is bound up in the organized apostasy
with which Satan has gripped a deceived world these
many centuries!   In Egypt, it was always believed that
the son of Iris (Egyptian name for "Queen of Heaven")
was born December 25th. Semiramis also bore the title
"Queen of Heaven" - and she was Nimrod's mother.
Paganism celebrated this famous birthday over most
of the known world for centuries before the birth
of Christ."
-The Plain Truth About Christmas
by David J. Stewart | December 24th, 2005
"Christmas as a pagan holiday traces back
thousands of years before to a man named Nimrod,
founder of ancient pagan Babylon."
-Christmas Unwrapped
From the History Channel
by Alan Mansager
"December 25 was highly honored and recognized
by Nimrod's supporters...Many centuries later
this pagan custom was "Christianized" as being
the birthday of Christ."
-The True Origin of Christmas and Other Holidays
Who Was Really Born On December 25?
The Gilead Institute of America
"Lent, Easter and Christmas are of Babylonian origin."
-EASTER AND CHRISTMAS PAGANISM
2000 B.C. TO DATE
by Edward Stevens (1895-1966)
"December 25th was celebrated as
Nimrod's birthday. Generally, all mankind
is fast asleep, dreaming this old Babylonian dream."
-The Story Of Nimrod,
As It Relates To Christmas And Easter
by Wilhelm J Wolfaardt

A Deception of Satan
"Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25.
But December 25th can be traced back to Genesis
and a man named Nimrod. Nimrod was the founder
of a great false religious system that began in
ancient Babylon that has always opposed the truths
of God. It’s time we face facts! This world is deceived,
just as God prophesied it would be (Rev. 12:9).
Satan is the power behind this deception.
Satan has successfully pawned off the old customs
of the Babylonian mystery religion as being pleasing
to Jesus Christ."
- Why Christmas is (Not) So Important to God 
By Carl Hilliker and Mark Jenkins  December 2002
article in; The Trumpet

A Corruption Against Jehovah God

"As the people increased in number,
the Way of Jehovah was corrupted
and a principal figure in those days was Nimrod,
the grandson of Ham described as a mighty hunter
before Jehovah.  The word 'before' used in this
sense means, 'totally antagonistic to Jehovah.'
We celebrate Christmas on a date which coincides
with the birthday of Nimrod - the villainous king
of ancient Babylon."
-The Ensign Trust
VOLUME I No.2 - JUNE 1999
'NARROW IS THE WAY'
By Harry Lancaster

 

"Nimrod, who built Babel or Babylon, conceived a
one world government model in rebellion against
Jehovah-God and went about to establish a one world
government in the land of Shinar (which is today
known as Iraq) and institute a pagan worship system
that rejected the Lord God Jehovah."
-- The Book; THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
The Nimrod - Druid Connection
Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
© September 1998

 

"Not only has the original Babylonian religious system
served as the source of all the world’s non-Christian
religions, hut it has also infiltrated and corrupted
Christendom to an alarming degree."
--Babylon - Source of False Religion
"Babylon, Mystery Religion" by Ralph Woodrow

 

"Nimrod was a great grandson of Noah.
Nimrod became a "mighty tyrant in the face of Jehovah."
Much of the Babylonian worship was carried on through
mysterious symbols - thus the "Mystery" religion.
This system of idolatry spread from Babylon to the
nations, for it was from this location that men were
scattered over the face of the earth (Gen. 11:9).
As they went from Babylon, they took their occult
worship and its various mystery symbols with them."
--Babylon - Source of False Religion
"Babylon, Mystery Religion" by Ralph Woodrow

 

Nimrod and - His Mother - Semiramis
were the --  "MODELS"  --
after which Satan Fashioned
all other False gods and goddesses

 

"Thus from Babylon emerged the entire complex of
human "religion".  the various gods and goddesses
of Rome, Greece, India, Egypt, and other nations
can be identified with corresponding gods from Babel."
--Babylon - Source of False Religion
"Babylon, Mystery Religion" by Ralph Woodrow

 

Here - Below - is a partial list of some gods that were fashioned after Nimrod -
according to Secular Scholars -

 

 

Christendom is Tied to False gods

Christendom will not admit, that by compromising with the pagans of
the world when adopting December 25th as Christ's birthday - they have
tied themselves into honoring all the pagan gods of the world.

How so ?

 

Almost all the pagan gods - who are nothing more than "Nimrod" reincarnated,
all claim December 25th as their birthday.  The list is exhaustive.


Many False Gods - Whose Birthday was "December 25"
Fashioned After "NIMROD"

"December 25th - not only was Mithra, the sun-god of
Mithraism, said to be born at this time of the year,
but Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter,
Tammuz, and other sun-gods were also supposedly born
at what is today called the "Christmas" season, the winter solstice!
- Doane, p.474; 
- "The Two Babylons; Alexander Hislop, p.93.
"The "winter solstice (December) was the time at which all the
sun-gods "from Osiris to Jupiter" and Mithra had celebrated
their (birthdays) -  the celebration being adorned with
the pine tree of Adonis, the holly of Saturn, and the
mistletoe (of the pagan Druids).....tapers(candles) represented
the kindling of the newborn sun-god's fire..."
-Man and His Gods, p.201.
"Subtly...the old gods had entered their churches...
And they live still in the festivals of Christianity."
-(Testament: The Bible and History,
   Romer, 1988, pp. 230-31)


In Sharp Contrast to Jesus
And here we have Jesus Christ who was born in a warm month when the
flocks were still outdoors at night - as ample proof that a compromise has been
made.   December 25th was celebrated by the pagans in Christ's day, but
he and his early followers would have NO PART of it.

"It is evident that Jesus was NOT born during the middle of winter,
for at the time of his birth, the shepherds were living out in the fields
with their flocks. As the bible says: 'There were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night"
(Luke 2:8). As is well known, the shepherds in Palestine do NOT
"abide in the fields" during the winter season because of the extreme,
cold temperatures. The shepherds always bring their flocks in
from the mountain slopes and fields no later than October 15th! "- Mede's Works, 1679. Discourse xlvii

Christ's First Followers -
REFUSED to Celebrate December 25th
"On your day of gladness, we [Christians] neither cover
our doorposts with wreaths, nor intrude upon the day with lamps.
At the call of public festivity, you consider it a proper thing
to decorate your house like some new brothel. We are accused of a lower sacrilege because
we do not celebrate along with you the holidays ..."
- (Tertullian, (A.D. 155-220), 2001, p. 1176).
  (quoted by David Bercot, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs,
         1998, p. 342).

"The pagan Romans clad their doorposts with green and branching
laurels...In the Saturnalia...Presents come and go...There are...gifts...
and Banquets...yet Christians should have no acquaintance with
the festivals of the pagans."- Tertullian, (A.D. 155-220),
  quoted by David Bercot,
A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, 1998, p. 342).

"In the days of Christ, December 25th
was sacred to the pagan Romans..."-The Xmas Story Part 4
 "Heathen Holidays" by Denise Snodgrass
CHRISTMAS AND PAGANISM; The Winter Solstice

 

"Familiar to early Christians was the Saturnalia,
an ancient Roman festival celebrated during the
last days of December in honour of Saturn, the god
of agriculture. The Saturnalia...was diametrically
opposed to the teachings of Christ."- Hidden Truths About Christmas
  UCG; Australia

 

"To the pagans, the Saturnalia was fun.
To the Christians, the Saturnalia was an
abomination in homage to a disreputable god
who had no existence anyway."
-4,000 Years of Christmas:
A Gift from the Ages (1997)
Earl Count

"At the time of persecution,
Christians were detected
by NOT decorating their houses
at the Saturnalia. The ancient Christians
were puritanically jealous of anything that
might seem like coqueting with idolatry. "
-Crippen

 

"Gift Giving - during the Roman festival of Saturnalia,
gifts were given as good luck emblems and houses were
decorated with greenery.  The early Christians, however,
 frowned on this pagan ritual, and wouldn't have any part of it."
- Christmas Traditions & Trivia
1999 HFCWillcox

Judgment Time Has Come

 

There is a judgment going on in heaven right now that will decide who is counted worthy for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and is deciding the case of every professing Christian as to whether they lived the faith they proclaim.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 ...'I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.'

Not only are the righteous judged, but the wicked also. All mankind are judged and will be rewarded for what they have done, whether good or bad. But will anyone else be judged? ... Jude 1:6 ...'And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.' ... Yes, the angels who turned against God and followed satan will be judged for what they have done.

With who does the judgment begin? ... 1 Peter 4:17 ...'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?' ... So we who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are being judged first. You and I are being judged now! Are you living according to the faith you proclaim? What shall be the end of them that know the gospel but do not obey it? They will be thrown into the lake of fire and will be lost forever!
Daniel 7:10 ...'A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.' ... So there are books in heaven with the records of every deed of every person that has lived ... Ecclesiastes 12:14 ...'For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' ... There is nothing that is hidden from God. EVERY work that we have done, good or bad, and EVERY little secret sin will be brought out into the open and we will be judged by them.

In light of this, what should we all be seeking to do? ... Ecclesiastes 12:13 ...'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.' ... Keep the bible ten commandments.

2 Peter 3:11,14 ...'Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness ... Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.'

John 5:28-29 ...'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.' ... That hour is the hour of Jesus' second coming. Just before that time, which is very soon to come, judgment will have ended and the cases for all mankind will have been decided, NEVER to be reversed. If you are saved when judgment ends you are saved, if you are lost then that is final.

Luke 21:36 ...'Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.' ... We live in a time of great importance. This world as we know it is about to come to an end, and the judgment is coming to a close and every case will be decided for saved or lost, for eternal life or eternal death. Are you living a life worthy to escape the lake of fire and to be able to stand before the Lord? We need to watch and pray. We need to deny ourselves and take up our cross. We need to die to sin and follow the Lord Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

Who is it that presides over the judgment? ... Daniel 7:9-10,13 ...'I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him' ... What a scene this is! The awesome majesty of God, who presides over the judgment of mankind, with angels ministering to Him and the Son of God, Christ Jesus with Him.

So what happens in this judgment? ... Revelation 3:5 ...'He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.' ... So all who profess to follow Jesus have their names written in the book of life. Now each person is presented to God who profess to follow the Lord Jesus and their deeds are laid bare before God and all the angels to see whether they lived the faith they professed. Now notice one thing about those who Christ says He would NOT blot out of the book of life: He said above in Revelation that "he who OVERCOMETH" will not be blotted out. So it is only those professing Christians who have overcome sin and have truly lived for Christ that will NOT have their names blotted out. The rest will be blotted out of the book and be lost. Remember, this all happens BEFORE Jesus returns at the second coming and once this judgment is complete, the fate of every person is sealed!

Is it just our faith that we are rewarded for? ... Revelation 22:12 ...'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.' ... No, we are rewarded for our works which were done in faith. You see, faith alone does not save us as James explains in his book. Those who have TRUE faith will do good works which will PROVE their faith to be true in the judgment. Which is why James said that faith without works is dead. In the judgment, Jesus will see that "a person" believed in Him, but they did no good works and carried on living a worldly sinful life, therefore their name will be blotted out of the book of life. We are only saved by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, but those who profess a faith in Him but are not changed by having Jesus in their lives and continue to live in sin and don't do the "works" of faith, they will be shown to have a false faith and will be lost.

Revelation 14:6-7 ...'And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.'

There are two judgments that take place upon the world. The investigative judgment, to find out who is counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven, which is happening now. And the executive judgment which will take place when Christ Jesus returns at the second coming. So what must we be doing as Christians? We should fear God and keep His commandments. We should be turning away from sin and this world. We should be focusing on heavenly things that are eternal, not earthly things that are temporal. We should be denying ourselves and putting God first and others before ourselves. We should be following the Lord Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The time of judgment has come! Will you be counted worthy for the kingdom?

 http://www.endtimes-bibleprophecy.com/page47.htm

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO ISRAEL IS.......

Israel and End Times Bible Prophecy

Please remember as you study this subject of Israel in the end times, that God's promises to Israel wereconditional upon them keeping His commandments and accepting Christ Jesus as their Saviour. Now take a look at the following Bible verse:

1 Kings 9:6-7 ...'But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people.'

And everyone knows that the Jewish nation continued to disobey God and rejected Christ Jesus as their saviour!

If you type in the phrases end times or bible prophecy in a search engine, you will come across a huge number of websites connecting end times bible prophecy with the literal nation of Israel. Bible prophecy students and teachers alike have their eyes firmly fixed on Israel, eagerly watching and waiting to see what is happening there. These people base their end time beliefs purely on what is happening in Israel. Is this right? I don't believe it is, and in this study, I will reveal to you why I believe that many, many sincere people have their eyes focused in the wrong direction.

Where did this line of bible prophecy teaching come from? Well, in the 1980's, Hal Lindsey wrote books proclaiming this belief that the nation of Israel would be the centre of the end time struggle, including a literal armageddon. In his books he predicted a secret rapture of the church, a literal temple being rebuilt, the antichrist being revealed in this temple, the battle of armageddon and the beginning of the thousand year millennium. According to Hal Lindsey, all this was to happen by 1988. As we can see, these events have not happened, but the unfortunate thing is, even though these teachings were shown to be in error, they are still believed by many and continue to flourish among many Christians around the world. The big question we need to answer here is whether or not Bible prophecies concerning the end times point to the physical nation of Israel, or do they have a more spiritual deeper meaning. Before you continue with this study, I would highly recommend you take a look at the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel.

The Roman Catholic Church WANT you to look to the middle east for endtime events and a "future" antichrist, because it takes the focus off them as being thetrue Bible antichrist.

Take a good long look at the following bible verse spoken by Jesus ... Luke 17:20-21 ...'And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.' ... Now remember that the Jews misinterpreted the prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus. They were expecting Jesus to be this mighty warrior, who would set up a physical kingdom and crush the kingdom of Rome. Even during Jesus' life and ministry, the Jews were still watching and waiting for this earthly kingdom that Christ would setup. But as you can see from the above verse, Jesus explained that the kingdom was a 'spiritual' one. But even after all His teachings during His ministry, they were still waiting for a physical kingdom that would not appear ... Luke 24:21 ...'But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.' ... Looking at Jesus on the cross, they were still clinging on to this physical kingdom teaching, and their hopes were crushed.

When has Jesus ever said that His kingdom would be a kingdom of war and destruction? Jesus' whole message in the Bible was one of peace and love and doing good to one another. But there is a verse that many Bible students and teachers use in the wrong way ... Matthew 10:34 ...'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.' ... This has been applied to a physical kingdom and a physical war. Jesus' Word was the double edged sword that would cause division amongst people. When He said that He came not to bring peace, but a sword, He was talking about His teachings ... Ephesians 6:17 ...'And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.'

I really believe that the church today is making the same mistake, by applying Israel in end times prophecy to literal Israel, rather than in a spiritual sense. There is going to be huge disappointment and consequences for many Christians who are holding on to this literal end time teaching. During the reformation, the Roman Catholic Church was revealed as the antichrist by the reformers, and because of this the Jesuit priests were commissioned to invent new interpretations of Bible prophecy to take people's eyes off the Papal Church and place them somewhere else. Sadly, many of the end time prophecies that are taught today are based on these false Jesuit interpretations.

Israel in the Old Testament

Let's take a look at the name Israel in the Bible. How did this name come about? ... Genesis 32:28 ...'And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.' ... So the name Israel was first given to Jacob from God. God gave him this name after a long struggle with the angel. Jacob would not let the angel go until the angel blessed him. This represented Jacob's struggle and victory over sin through God's grace, and thus God applied the 'spiritual' name of Israel to him. We can see that God also applied the name of Israel to Jacob's descendents ... Exodus 4:22-23 ...'And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.'

Now note carefully the following amazing Bible truth about Israel ... Hosea 11:1 ...'When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.' ... This prophecy was spoken well after the literal nation of Israel had fallen in and out of apostasy many times. So did God have a deeper spiritual meaning to this Bible prophecy? ... Matthew 2:13-14 ...'And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.' ... So king Herod wanted baby Jesus destroyed, and God through an angel told Joseph to take them to Egypt. Now take a look at the next verse in Matthew ... Matthew 2:15 ...'And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.' ... Do you see what is being revealed here? Matthew is quoting direct from Hosea, and is confirming that Israel spoken of in Hosea was fulfilled in Christ! So we are now seeing a 'spiritual' application to the name Israel.

Paul also confirmed this principle of applying statements made about the nation of Israel to Jesus ...Colossians 1:13-15 ...'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.' ... Remember in Exodus 4:22, God called literal Israel His son, and His firstborn, but now He is applying it to Jesus.

Isaiah 41:8 ...'But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.' ... Can you see that this is applied to literal Israel? Now take a look at this next Bible verse ...Galatians 3:16 ...'Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.' ... Do you see this truth? Bible verses that applied to Israel in the Old Testament, are now applied to Christ Jesus. Israel is no longer the 'seed', but Christ is. If you studied the 70 weeks of Daniel, you will have seen that the nation of Israel are no longer God's chosen people. They are no longer the seed, but Christ is, and anyone who follows Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, is chosen of God. Christ fulfilled and overcame where Israel failed.

God no longer looks upon the flesh, but upon the heart to see who His children are.

Now remember that God said to Israel in the Old Testament that they were His chosen people, a kingdom a priests and a holy nation? ... Exodus 19:6 ...'And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.' ... And yet this is now applied to the Christian Church as seen in 1 Peter 2:9 ...'But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' ... Now some people say that this was for the Jews only, but this letter of Peter was to the church, 'the strangers scattered abroad'. And notice that in the verse above that Peter is saying they were 'called out of darkness'. The Jews weren't called out of darkness, they already had been given the light, but hadn't accepted it. It was the Gentile world that was in darkness and were called out. These are the Gentile converts who are now the chosen people of God.

Now notice this statement from Paul ... Galatians 3:29 ...'And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' ... Remember in Galatians 3:16, Paul confirmed that Jesus was now the seed of Abraham? And now here he is saying that ANYONE who is in Christ is Abraham's seed, ie, will be called Israel. That is spiritual Israel. Notice what Paul says in Romans 2:29 ...'But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.' ... This is the amazing Bible truth about Israel. There is no longer a chosen literal Jew, but ANYONE who is in Christ is a spiritual Jew, and the chosen of God.

Acts 15:7-9 ...'And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.'

I'm not saying that there are no more literal Jews of the flesh alive, orthat they are all lost. I'm saying that a Jew of the flesh is no longer the only special chosen people of God. But a Jew of the heart (including Gentiles) are God's chosen people ... Romans 9:6-8 ...'Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is,They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.' ... Being just a Jew of the flesh counts for nothing anymore. But anyone can now become part of the TRUE spiritual nation of Israel, whether Jew or Gentile, anyone who accepts and follows Jesus and who worship God in spirit and truth. God no longer looks upon the flesh, but upon the heart to see who His children are ... Philippians 3:3 ...'For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.'

Ephesians 3:5-6 ...'Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.'

We now need to look at another verse which is wrongly interpreted ... Romans 11:26 ...'And so all Israel shall be saved.' ... In light of all we have just revealed, there is only one conclusion to this Bible verse, and that is all SPIRITUAL Israel will be saved. If you take this verse to mean all physical Israel will be saved, then you contradict virtually the whole of the New Testament ... Galatians 3:28 ...'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' ... The end times are not all about literal Israel, but spiritual Israel, and the churches of today need to be awoken to this truth.

"The Christian religion is based upon a Jewish manual called the Bible. Christianity is not a new religion, but rather the completion of the Jewish faith." (Doug Bachelor, Amazing Facts)

Now that we see the truth about this, we can apply it to end times Bible prophecy. When we see words like Israel, the temple, mount Zion, Babylon, we can understand more fully that God is applying a spiritual meaning to them, not a physical one. Just remember that it says in Romans 9:6 ...'For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.' ... Christians need to stop applying Bible prophecy in Daniel and Revelation to physical Israel and start understanding the spiritual aspect of it. Jesus Christ is the centre of Bible prophecy, not the nation of Israel. We need to stop focusing on the flesh and the earthly kingdom and start focusing on the Spirit and the heavenly kingdom, which the Bible confirms is IN US! (Luke 17:21). Satan wants to divert your attention from the truth to lies. This way he is able to deceive you, so that you are unprepared for what is coming on the world, and unprepared for the second coming of Jesus. Put aside man made popular teachings, and come to God's Word in the Bible with prayer and faith, and God will be faithful and reveal His truth to you. Let's look to spiritual Israel in the end times, NOT physical Israel.

By:http://www.endtimes-bibleprophecy.com/page13.htm

THE END OF ISRAEL???

70 Weeks of Daniel

Not only does this Bible prophecy, the 70 weeks of Daniel 9, confirm Jesus as the Messiah, but it also gave a warning and an allotted time for the Jews to put an end to their sins and return to God. In this amazing study we will find out exactly what happened to the Jews when this time prophecy was fulfilled and came to an end.

It is interesting that the non-Messianic Jews who this 70 weeks of Daniel partly concerns, actually leave it well alone, because they believe it to be accursed. The tragic thing is, that if they really studied and heeded what it said, then they would have realized exactly who Jesus was. This is one reason why Bible prophecy is so important for us to study and find out the truth, because through it, God reveals vital information for us. Unfortunately, these days we have so many different interpretations of end times Bible prophecy. Why is that? Well, one of the reasons is that TRUE Bible prophecy points to the Roman Catholic Church as the Bible antichrist, and therefore, as a counter to the well known Christian reformation which exposed the Papal Church of Rome as antichrist, they commissioned Jesuit priests to think of different interpretations and to flood the world with those interpretations, so that the Roman Catholic Church no longer stood as antichrist (according to the new false Jesuit interpretations). How did they do this? By cutting off 7 years from this 70 weeks of Daniel and putting it in the future, where a future (different) antichrist would put an end to the sacrifices in a rebuilt temple in Israel, and sadly the majority of Christians have fallen for this false teaching of Rome.

How do you know that you will find the truth here? Because we only use the Word of God and historical facts to reveal the truth.

Many Christians, as said above, cut off the last 7 years from this 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel and place them in the future, but there is not a single line of scripture that tells us to do this. So let me start by saying that the seventy weeks of Daniel are seventy CONTINUOUS weeks of prophetic time. This is so important to grasp. There are no gaps in between this prophecy, but a continuous unbroken time line. There is no scriptural support for the theory that the last week of this 70 weeks prophecy is cut off and placed in the future, like so many people like to believe. So how long is the 70 'prophetic' weeks? We will find out below. Let's now delve into this fascinating Bible prophecy from Daniel, the great prophet and servant of God.

Daniel 9:2 ...'In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books thenumber of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.' ... Daniel was a student of Jeremiah's prophecies, and understood that the 70 years of captivity for the Israelites had come to an end .....Jeremiah 25:11-12 ...'And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.' ... The seventy years that Jeremiah had prophesied about had now come to an end with the fall of Babylon.

Daniel now comes before God in prayer. Take a good look at how Daniel approaches our Heavenly Father ... Daniel 9:3-4 ...'And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.' ... How does the majority of the Christian world come to God? We seem to think these days that a quick prayer without even a bowed head will do. There is very little reverence for God these days, so we need to learn a lesson from Daniel. He came to God in prayer,WITH FASTING, SACKCLOTH AND ASHES!! Does that mean we need to be covered in sackcloth and ashes? No, but we need to take the lesson of reverence and humility from Daniel. And how does he address God? 'the great and dreadful God'. He has complete reverence for our Almighty Creator. I really believe that God would move in a more greater and glorious way if the church would learn how to come before Him.

So why does Daniel come before God in prayer? ... Daniel 9:5-6 ...'We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.' ... The Israelites kept falling into sin and disobeying God, and if you study through the Old Testament you will find that they kept falling into apostasy over and over again and that is why they were taken into captivity, because of their many sins, and constant turning from the LORD. So Daniel comes before God to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. So this is a good lesson for us in that we should be asking for forgiveness for others we know, not just for ourselves. Daniel doesn't just pray for himself, he prays for ALL Israel.

Daniel 9:20-22 ...'And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.' ... Daniel was given a vision in chapter 8, and now during his prayer, the angel Gabriel was commanded by God to go and give Daniel understanding about the vision. Now we know that this was concerning the vision in chapter 8, because there is no other vision given to Daniel between that time and his prayer in chapter 9. The vision is concerning the 2300 days (from chapter 8), where at the end of the vision, if you read it, you will find that Daniel fainted and was sick and couldn't understand the vision (Daniel 8:27). Gabriel had come now to give Daniel 'skill and understanding' about the vision. We now delve into the actual 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel.

Daniel 9:24 ...'Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.' ... As mentioned at the start of this page, this prophecy of the 70 weeks were given to the Jews to put an end to their sins. God chose the nation of Israel to be a light to the World, to take God's Word to the world and bring glory to Him. But, the Israelites failed because of their constant sin and apostasy. So now God through Daniel gives them 70 weeks to put an end once and for all to their falling away, otherwise He would take away from them their special status of being the chosen nation and give it to someone else. Jesus confirmed this Himself when He said in Matthew 21:43 ...'Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.' ... Why did Jesus say this? Because the nation of Israel had failed. They didn't end their sin and rebellion against God's law, and they didn't accept Jesus as their Saviour. So the kingdom of God was taken from them and given to the Gentiles (anyone who accepts Christ Jesus). Did this mean that the Jews were lost? No, it just means that they no longer enjoyed special status as God's only chosen people.

"The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you (Jews) and given to another nation (Gentiles)"

Are the 70 weeks of Daniel literal weeks? No, you see in bible prophecy, a day equals a year. Note the following two scriptures:

Ezekiel 4:6 ...'And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.'

Numbers 14:34 ...'After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.'

So one day in bible prophecy is one literal year. So let's calculate the 70 weeks. 70x7 = 490. So the 70 weeks = 490 prophetic days, but taking into account that a day = a year in bible prophecy, then this 70 weeks is actually 490 years. Most bible scholars are in agreement that this time period is actually 490 years, not days. So to remain as God's special chosen nation, Israel had 490 years to put a complete end to their sins. But when did this 490 years start?

See 2300 day prophecy for more information on this time prophecy.

Starting Point for 70 Weeks

Daniel 9:25 ...'Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.' ... So as we do here, we need to use the Word of God and actual historical facts. Now the seventy weeks prophecy of Daniel would start, as said in the verse above, at the command to rebuild Jerusalem. When was this? ... Ezra 7:13,20 ...'I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.'

Artaxerxes issued the above decree in 457 BC. This is where some people disagree, because the command to rebuild Jerusalem had already been given by Cyrus, and the rebuilding had already started. We find this decree in Ezra 1:3 ...'Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.' ... This decree was given in 539 BC. But the Israelites were forced to stop rebuilding the city by Artaxerxes ... Ezra 4:21,23 ...'Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.' ... But notice that they were to only stop UNTIL they were given another command by Artaxerxes to continue. So it is at this second command that the 490 year (70 weeks) prophecy begins.

Is there any way we can be sure that we have chosen the right command? Yes! There is a very sure way of knowing that we have chosen the right one, because within this 70 weeks (490 years) prophecy, Christ is revealed as the Messiah ... Daniel 9:25 ...'Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.' ... Did you notice there, from the command until MESSIAH THE PRINCE? This is none other than Christ Jesus. So, we need to do some easy straightforward calculating to work this out. The seven weeks and threescore and two weeks in the above verse is 69 weeks, which amounts to 483 days. Now as we know a day in bible prophecy = a year. So this 483 days is actually 483 years. So in 483 years AFTER the command (second command from Artaxerxes) to rebuild Jerusalem, Jesus would be revealed as the Messiah. This is the important bit as to know which command to choose:

If you choose the first command by Cyrus in 539 BC and take away 483 years, we come to 56 BC.

If you choose the second command by Artaxerxes in 457 BC and take away the 483 years, we come to 27 AD.

What happened in 56 BC? Nothing that concerned Jesus.

What happened in 27 AD? Jesus' Baptism! He is revealed as Messiah.

For much more information on the evidence for this date, see Daniels 70 weeks prophecy.

So now you can see why the SECOND command by Artaxerxes HAS to be used. Not that we need any more confirmation that we are using the right starting point with the second command, but God's amazing truth gives us even more confirmation. You see, in Daniel 9:25, the angel Gabriel gives two time periods. One period of '7 weeks' and the other period of 'threescore and two weeks'. A little bit more calculating to do! Seven weeks = 49 years (don't forget the day to year rule). From 457 BC (the second command), 49 years would take us to 408 BC. Is this date significant? Yes it is!! It is the date that the restoration of the city finished! Then we have the threescore and two weeks which equates to 434 years. Now if we take 434 from 408 BC (when rebuilding the city had finished), we come to 27 AD, Jesus' baptism! Friend, that is the amazing truth of God right there! Praise God!!

Notice from this next scripture that Jesus Himself confirms that this time period from Daniels 70 weeks prophecy had been fulfilled by Himself ... Mark 1:9-15 ...'And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.' ... The time of the 7 weeks and the threescore and two weeks had been fulfilled. The voice from Heaven was heard and Jesus Christ was revealed as the Messiah.

So we still have one week left to account for in this 70 week prophecy. This is where a lot of Christians now cut off the last week of this prophecy and place it future to us at the very end times. But as we confirmed earlier, this prophecy is a continuous one. There is no scripture to say we need to cut off the last week and place it somewhere in the future. Again, this was done by the Jesuits to take the focus off the Roman Catholic Church as antichrist. So let's see where this last week fits in:

Daniel 9:26-27 ...'And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.'

So after the baptism of Jesus (after the threescore and two weeks, which ended in 27 AD), it says that Messiah shall be 'cut off'. Now those words, cut off means to be killed. This can only point to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Notice in the verse it also says that it was NOT FOR HIMSELF that he was cut off (killed). As we know, Jesus died for us to bare our sins. Now if you take this last week of this 70 week prophecy and put it in the future, then you are denying that it is pointing to the cross of our Saviour, which it clearly is. So this last week of the 70 weeks prophecy starts at the baptism of Jesus, and in the middle of the week, He would cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. At the cross, Jesus put an end to the priestly service, which included the sacrifice and offerings of animals for sins. The middle of 7 years is 3.5 years. If you take 3.5 years from 27 AD, you come to 31 AD. This is the exact year of Jesus sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. The great veil of the temple ripped in two, which symbolized the end of the sacrifice and oblation (offerings). In no way is this a future antichrist which the Jesuit false teaching proclaims.

There is 3.5 years left of this 70 weeks of Daniel. After they killed Jesus on the cross, the Jews were given another 3.5 years to end their sin and accept Jesus as their Saviour. What an awesome God we have, who is full of grace! Now it said in the 70 week prophecy that the covenant would be confirmed for 1 week, which is 7 'prophetic' days, which equates to 7 literal years. Christ confirmed the covenant for the first 3.5 years, and after His death and resurrection, it was now the job of the apostles to continue preaching the gospel message to the Jews for the last 3.5 years.

Luke 24:46-47 ...'And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'

So beginning at Jerusalem, the apostles were to confirm the new covenant. So when did the Jews finally reject the gospel message of Christ and when did this 3.5 years come to an end? ... Acts 7:57-58 ...'Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.'

Stephen had just given a speech about the gospel to the Jewish leaders, and notice above what they did, 'they stopped their ears' and stoned Stephen. So they finally rejected the new covenant message and thus rejected Jesus and this fulfilled the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel and that special status of being God's chosen nation was taken from them. By the way, the stoning of Stephen happened exactly 3.5 years after the cross, thus perfectly fulfilling the time prophecy of 70 weeks (490 years). Paul himself, after becoming a follower of Christ, confirmed this ... Acts 13:46 ...'Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.'

This 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 doesn't end there though. Something else was prophesied that would happen ... Daniel 9:26 ...'And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.' ... This is the part where the Jesuits 'made up' a different interpretation, so as to point to a future antichrist. Many Christians go along with this and believe this 'prince' to be the future antichrist. But this part of the prophecy has also already been fulfilled. The Roman army in 70 AD, came and destroyed the city of Jerusalem:

"In AD66, when Cestius came against the city, but withdrew, the Christians discerned in this the sign foretold by Christ and fled, while 1,100,000 Jews are said to have been killed in the terrible siege in AD70." Eusebius, Church History, Book 3, Chapter 5

This was a tragic consequence of the Jews rejection of Christ. The city of Jerusalem was completely leveled by the Romans, which also was foretold by Christ ... Mark 13:2 ...'And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'

The house of the Jews was left desolate!

So in this prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel, God forgave the Jews 70 x 7. Jesus confirmed this Himself when He said to Peter in Matthew 18:21-22 ...'Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.' ... How amazing is the Word of God?!! So the Jewish nation were given 70 x 7 (70 weeks or 490 years) to end their sin and turn to God. This they did not do and as a result, the Kingdom of God was taken from them and given to the Gentiles. The Jewish nation were no longer the chosen nation. This is something that many prophecy teachers and students miss. You will see many end times bible prophecy websites that focus on the nation of Israel in the end times, still thinking that they are God's chosen people, but this 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel proves that they are no longer that chosen nation. They can still turn to Jesus and be converted to Christianity, but they are no longer the one chosen nation, because now all who turn to Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile are TRUE Israel, as the following verses confirm:

Romans 2:28-29 ...'For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.'

Galatians 3:28-29 ...'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.'

Ephesians 3:6 .....'That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.'

A true Jew, a true chosen child of God, is anyone who turns to Him, accepts Jesus as their Saviour, andworship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus said Himself in Matthew 23:38 ...'Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.' ... The house of the Jews, and the special chosen status became desolate, destroyed, because of their complete rejection of the gospel message. So this amazing 70 weeks of Daniel confirms Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and at the same time confirms that Israel in the flesh is no longer God's chosen nation. Yes, I'm sure that Israel will have a part to play in the end times, as will all other nations, but don't focus your attention on them, as many other prophecy students do. Focus on following Jesus and obeying and keeping God's Commandments ... Revelation 14:12 ...'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.' ... These are God's TRUE end time people.

By:http://www.endtimes-bibleprophecy.com/page7.htm

THESIS 1

A Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be one

It happened during the first few weeks in a new parish. At this church, my goal was to visit every family to begin getting acquainted. But it's easy to stop with just small talk. Is that Aunt Minnie’s picture up there on the mantle? Yes.

So I came up with a gimmick: one question, the same question, asked at each home. What is your definition of a Christian? And I kept a clear record of each response.

A Christian is one who lives by the golden rule.

A Christian is honest.

A Christian is someone who is kind and loving.

A Christian is a good neighbor.

I’ve heard many different answers, but one common denominator. Every answer was a behavioral answer. The name of Christ was conspicuously absent.

You can read the reports of newsmen interviewing the man on the street; the pattern of the answers is the same.

A Christian does this, and does that, a Christian does not doesn’t do the other thing, How often do we hear the response. A Christian is one knows and loves Christ, 

What is Christianity?  Is it primarily based on behavior?  Or is it primarily based on a relationship here is the bottom line for understanding and experience salvation by faith in Christ. Christianity is a matter of knowing Christ, and the behavior which distinguishes the Christian from the non Christian, comes as a result of the faith relationship with Jesus-it is never the cause.

Let’s rephrase this thesis just a bit. an apple tree bears Apples because it is an apple tree, never in order to be one the Jesus made the same comparison: “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit: but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit, a good training can not bring forth evil fruits” Matthew 7: 17, 18

If you’re interested in good fruit, the starting place is a good tree, your task, then, is to water the tree, and fertilize it perhaps, and allow the sun and rain and wind to do their work, there is no need to try hard to produce fruit if you have a healthy tree, the fruit will, as a matter of course.

That’s how would it is in the Christian life, the one who tries to live the Christian life by working on behavior is on a dead end street. Christ Object Lessons- puts it this way; “it is by their renewing of the heart that the grace of God works to transform the life. No mere external change is sufficient to bring us into harmony with God. There are many, who try to reform by correcting this or that bad habit, and they hope in this way to become, Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. Our First work is with our heart” Page 97

No matter how upright your life may be, no matter how many good deeds you may perform, no matter how religious you may appear, you are not a genuine Christian until you know Jesus Christ personally, one to one. Doing what is right will never make you a Christian? It will only make you moral. The early church focused so on the Lord Jesus Christ that he was the theme of their thought and conversation. Christ did this, and Christ said that: finally someone said, let’s just call them Christ-ians.

What would you be: if you were named according to what thing you speak and think of the most?  Are you a good person?  Or are you really a Christian?  I think about it!

Doing it Like Joshua... 'F.I.R.S.'

"And the Master said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."  (Ezekiel 9:4).

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Neither will I be with you [Joshua] ANY MORE except ye destroy the accursed from among you." (Joshua 7:12). What is the accursed thing today?    "[And so],  Joshua then began a diligent search to find out the guilty one. He took Israel by their tribes, and then by their families, and next, individually. "[And]  Achan was designated as the guilty one. But that the matter might be plain to all Israel, that there should be no occasion given them to murmur, and to say that the guiltless was made to suffer, Joshua used policy. He knew that Achan was the transgressor, and that he had concealed his sin, and provoked the Lord against his people. Joshua discreetly induced Achan to make confession of his sin, that God's honor and justice should be vindicated before Israel: "And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him; and tell me now what thou hast done. Hide it not from me.      "And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment [that which is prohibited] and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, [those things that we lust after] then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent [like those secret sins of ours], and the silver under it [nicely hidden]. "So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord [like we should lay out the sins of those who are searched out to the church and the Lord]. "And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, AND HIS SONS, AND HIS DAUGHTERS, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, AND HIS TENT, and ALL that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. "And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them [sons, dauthers, asses and all] with fire, after they had stoned them with stones."  (Joshua 7:19-25). 'How does this instance [in sacred history] compare with the course pursued by those [in the SDA church today] who will not raise their voice against sin and wrong; but whose sympathies are ever [ALWAYS TO BE] found with those who trouble the camp of Israel [the church] with their sins? [Now, mark this point with the gravity it deserves: Because of this one man's sin, the Lord said to faithful Joshua, "Neither will I be with you any more except ye destroy the accursed from among you... Thou canst not stand before thine enemies until ye take away the accursed thing from among you [deal with the sin and the sinner]." (Joshua 7:12).] "The true people of Jehovah, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins .... Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand, who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people. This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration [Ezek. 4:9] of the last work, under the figure of the men, each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: "And the Master said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."  (Ezekiel 9:4).      "Who are standing in the counsel of Lord at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God, and murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? It is those who... sympathize with those who commit wrong?--No, indeed! These [murmurers], unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work, and [by] in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, [these] will never receive the mark of God's sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of all the wicked.... Mark this point with care; those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by the man in linen, are those "that sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done" IN THE  CHURCH. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in an agony, even sighing and crying.      "But... all those who do not thus see the wide contrast between sin and righteousness, and do not feel as those do who stand in the counsel of  the Lord... is described in the order to the five men with slaughter weapons: "Go ye after him through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; slay utterly OLD and YOUNG, both MAIDENS, and LITTLE CHILDREN, and WOMEN; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; AND BEGIN [the slaughter] AT MY SANCTUARY [the SDA Church]."  (Ezekiel 9: 5-6).    "God holds his people [you and me, all SDAs], as a body, responsible for sins existing in individuals among them. If there is a neglect with the leaders of the church to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon his people as a body, they become responsible for these sins. But this is the nicest work that men ever engaged in, to deal with minds. [But] All are not fitted to correct the erring. They have not wisdom to deal justly, while loving mercy. They will not be inclined to see the necessity of mingling love and tender compassion with faithful reproof of wrongs. Some will ever be needlessly severe, and will not feel the necessity of the injunction of the apostle, "And of some have compassion, making a difference; and others [who need a more stern approach] save with fear, PULLING them out of the fire." (Jude 22, 23). "There are many who do not have the discretion of Joshua, and who have no special duty to search out wrongs, and to deal promptly with the sins existing among them. Let not such hinder those who have the burden of this work upon them. Let them not stand in the way of those who have this duty to do. .... "... Should a case like Achan's be among us [and there are a great number of  such cases today], there are many [SDAs] who would accuse those who might act the part of Joshua in searching out the wrong, of having a fault-finding, wicked spirit. [But]  God is not to be trifled with [by disregard of duty], and his warnings disregarded with impunity by a perverse [SDA] people.     "The manner of Achan's confession is similar to the confessions that some have made, and will make, among us. They hide their wrongs, and refuse to make a voluntary confession, until God searches them out, and then they acknowledge their sins.... They may even know that the church is burdened, as Achan knew that Israel were made weak before their enemies because of his guilt; [and] yet their consciences do not condemn them. "[Yet] They will not relieve the church by humbling their proud, rebellious hearts... and putting away their wrongs. God's displeasure is upon his people, AND HE WILL NOT manifest his power in their midst while sins are existing among them, and [are] fostered by those in responsible positions [elders, department leaders, pastors, conference officials and conference presidents, etc.].   [We are told that in order to "find out the guilty one," Joshua made "a diligent search" of "Israel by their tribes, and then by their families, and next, individually." Oh that such thorough searching out of sin may be done in God's church today, how many Achans would be found out, and what a  thorough cleansing would take place in our churches].     " Those who work in the fear of God to rid the church of hindrances, and to correct grievous wrongs, that the people of God may... prosper in purity, and the name of God be glorified, will ever [always] meet with resisting influences from the unconsecrated. Zephaniah describes the true state of this class, and the terrible judgments that will come upon them: "And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem [the church] with candles, and punish the men [those shirks] that are settled on their lees [like dregs settles at the bottom of a barrel]; that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil." (Zephaniah 1:12).  "The great day of the Lord is near, IT IS NEAR, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord;... man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation... a day of the trumpet and alarm.... And I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord;... the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." (Zephaniah 1:14-18).      ".... It is in time of conflict when the true colors should be flung to the breeze. It is then the standard-bearers need to be firm, and let their true position be known. It is then the skill of every true soldier for the right is tested. Shirks can never wear the laurels of victory. Those who are true and loyal will not conceal the fact, but will put heart and might into the work, and venture their all in the struggle, let the battle turn as it will. The Lord is a sin-hating God; and those who will encourage the sinner, saying, It is well with thee, GOD WILL CURSE." Therefore, "LET EVERY ONE examine himself to see whether he be in the faith [and that you are faithful in reproving sin {'F.I.R.S.'}]" (II Cor. 13:5).

Taken from Review & Herald (June 8, 1886); and Test. Vol. 3, pp. 271-272.  ... an article by E.G. White.

By Philton Moore