Babae sa Modern Church
Sa mga simbahan at denominasyon ngayon, ang mga kababaihan ay may iba’t ibang tungkulin. Nagtuturo sila, escort, naglilingkod. Ngunit may hawak din silang mga posisyon na HINDI kabilang sa kanila. Alam namin sa pamamagitan ng Tanach ( Lumang Tipan ) na ang mga kababaihan ay hindi pari o nagtrabaho sa loob ng templo. At ang mga simbahan ngayon na nagtataguyod ng posisyon na iyon ay tinatawag na legalista at sexist. Gayunpaman, ang posisyon na iyon ay ang posisyon din ng mga Apostol. Nabanggit ito sa iba’t ibang mga epistles. Kaya ang artikulong ito ay ilalagay sa unahan, lugar ng isang babae sa loob ng ministeryo at mga lugar na hindi nila inorden na mapasok.
Ang mga taong tulad ni Paula White, Gloria Copeland, at iba pa, habang ipinapahayag na tinawag silang mangaral, ipinakita nila na tunay na nilalabanan ang mga turo ng pinakaunang Kristiyanong simbahan na pinamumunuan ng mga Apostol.
Mga Banal na Kasulatan sa Papel ng Babae sa Simbahan
Sa Mga Gawa 2:17, ang manunulat ay nagsasalita ng parehong mga salita tulad ni Propeta Joel. “ Sa mga huling araw, sabi ng Diyos, ibubuhos ko ang aking Espiritu sa lahat ng tao. Ang iyong mga anak na lalaki at babae ay manghuhula … ” Kaya ang mga propeta ay maaaring maging kalalakihan o kababaihan. Ang mga propeta ay ang nagsasalita ng mga utos ng Diyos, karaniwang sa isang tiyak na sitwasyon.
Mayroong maraming mga banal na kasulatan na nagsasabing maaari silang magturo, kapwa lalaki at babae. Tulad ng Colosas 3:16, Lucas 24:44, Colosas 1:28, at Ephisians 5: 18-20. Kaya mayroon silang iba’t ibang mga tungkulin sa loob ng simbahan at tahanan ( 1 Timoteo 5:10, Tito 2: 3-5 ) Ngunit, tulad ng makikita natin, ang pulpito ay hindi isa sa kanila.
Banal na Kasulatan sa Babae sa Pulpit
Ang mga talatang ito ay nakalagay sa Banal na Kasulatan at dapat gawin bilang inspiradong Salita ng Diyos ( 2 Timoteo 3: 16-17 ), tulad ng mga Kristiyano na tanggapin ang lahat mula sa takip hanggang sa takip.
Sinasabi sa amin ni Pablo sa kanyang unang liham sa mga taga-Corinto kabanata 14 na talata 33 hanggang 35, “ sapagkat ang Diyos ay hindi isang Diyos ng pagkalito ngunit ng kapayapaan, tulad ng sa lahat ng mga simbahan ng mga banal. 34 Tumahimik ang mga kababaihan sa mga simbahan; sapagka’t hindi sila pinahihintulutang magsalita, ngunit hayaan silang magpasakop sa kanilang sarili, tulad ng sinasabi din ng Kautusan. 35 At kung nais nilang matuto ng anupaman, hilingin nila ang kanilang sariling asawa sa bahay; sapagkat hindi wasto para sa isang babae na magsalita sa simbahan. ”
Ika-1 Timoteo 2: 11-15, “ Ang isang babae ay dapat na tahimik na makatanggap ng pagtuturo nang buong pagpapasakop. Ngunit hindi ko pinapayagan ang isang babae na magturo o mag-ehersisyo ng awtoridad sa isang lalaki, ngunit upang manatiling tahimik. Sapagkat ito ay si Adan na unang nilikha, at pagkatapos ay si Eva. At hindi si Adan ang nalinlang, ngunit ang babaeng nalinlang, ay nahulog sa paglabag. Ngunit ang mga kababaihan ay mapangalagaan sa pamamagitan ng pagdala ng mga bata kung magpapatuloy sila sa pananampalataya at pag-ibig at kabanalan na may pagpipigil sa sarili. ”
Kaya, habang ang artikulong ito ay maikli, diretso ito sa punto sa loob ng Banal na Kasulatan. Ang mga kababaihan ay hindi dapat nasa likod ng pulpito o sa pinuno ng isang simbahan / kongregasyon. Mayroon silang mga tungkulin sa loob ng simbahan: hula, pagtuturo, gabay, pinuno ng kanta, atbp. Ngunit ang isang kababaihan ay hindi maaaring maorden ng isang denominasyon dahil hindi siya inorden ng Diyos para sa posisyon na iyon.
Sinasabi sa atin ng Banal na Kasulatan sa Hebreo 13: 8 na si Jesucristo ay pareho kahapon, ngayon, at bukas. Dahil dito, ang mga patakaran na itinakda sa Lumang Tipan tungkol sa mga kababaihan sa mga posisyon sa pamumuno sa simbahan ( kasama na ang pastor ) ay hindi nagbabago. Nagpapatuloy ang mga Hebreo sa 13: 9 “ Huwag magdala ng iba’t ibang at kakaibang doktrina. ”
Category Archives: Current events
No Women in the Pulpit
Women in the Modern Church
In today’s churches and denominations, women hold a variety of roles. They teach, escort, serve. But they also hold positions that DO NOT belong to them. We know through the Tanach (Old Testament) that women were not priests nor worked within the temple. And churches today that uphold that position are called legalistic and sexist. However, that position is the position of the Apostles as well. It is mentioned in various epistles. So this article is to put in the forefront, a woman’s place within ministry and the areas they are not ordained to be in.
People like Paula White, Gloria Copeland, and others, while proclaiming they are called to preach, show they truly defy the teachings of the earliest Christian church led by the Apostles.
Scriptures on a Woman’s Role in the Church
In Acts 2:17, the writer speaks the same words as the Prophet Joel. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy…” So prophets can be men or women. Prophets are those that speak the edicts of God, usually in a specific situation.
There are multiple scriptures that say they can teach, both men and women. Such as Colossians 3:16, Luke 24:44, Colossians 1:28, and Ephisians 5:18-20. So they do have various roles within the church and home (1 Timothy 5:10, Titus 2:3-5) But, as we will see, the pulpit is not one of them.
Scripture on Women in the Pulpit
These verses are set in Scripture and must be taken as the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), just as Christians are to accept everything from cover to cover.
Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians chapter 14 verses 33 through 35, “ for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 34 Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.”
1st Timothy 2:11-15, “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”
So, while this article is short, it is straight to the point within Scripture. Women are not to be behind the pulpit or at the head of a church/congregation. They do have duties within the church: prophecy, teaching, guidance, song leader, etc. But a women cannot be ordained by a denomination because she is not ordained by God for that position.
Scripture tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That being the case, the rules set in the Old Testament about women in leadership positions in the church (including the pastorate) don’t change. Hebrews goes on to say in 13:9 “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.”
Ang mga Mangangaral ngayon ay Mga duwag
Sa piling ng Diyos at ni Cristo Jesus, na hahatulan ang mga buhay at patay, at dahil sa kanyang paglitaw at kanyang kaharian, binibigyan kita ng singil na ito: Mangaral ng salita; maging handa sa panahon at labas ng panahon; tama, sawayin at hikayatin ang — na may malaking pasensya at maingat na pagtuturo. Para sa oras na darating na ang mga tao ay hindi magtitiis ng mabuting doktrina. Sa halip, upang umangkop sa kanilang sariling mga hangarin, magtitipon sila sa paligid nila ng isang mahusay na bilang ng mga guro upang sabihin kung ano ang nais marinig ng kanilang mga nangangati na tainga. Ilalayo nila ang kanilang mga tainga sa katotohanan at tatalikod sa mga mito. Ngunit ikaw, panatilihin ang iyong ulo sa lahat ng mga sitwasyon, tiisin ang kahirapan, gawin ang gawain ng isang ebanghelista, ilabas ang lahat ng mga tungkulin ng iyong ministeryo. 2 Timoteo 4: 1-5
Ang Amerika ay umalis mula sa Great Awakening hanggang sa henerasyon ng Woke. At ang isang nilalang na, hanggang sa huling ilang dekada ay lumingon sa pagtalikod. Ang simbahan ay ang tagapag-alaga ng moralidad at budhi ng Amerika. Ang mga pews ng simbahan ay puno ng mga nagtatanong sa ‘ bakit walang muling pagbuhay ’ habang binabalewala, demonyo, at tinatanggihan ang mga utos ng ating Lumikha. Tulad ng dati kong sinabi ng lola ‘ hindi mo maaaring bantayan ang bahay ng hen sa pamamagitan ng pagpapaalam sa fox ’, na kung ano mismo ang nagawa ng mga kalalakihan sa likuran ng pulpito.
Ang unang Mahusay na Gumising sa panahon ng Kolonyal na Era ng ating bansa ay dinala sa isang masayang simbahan. Ang mga kalalakihan na tulad ni George Whitfield, na may tinig na sinabi ni Ben Franklin na maaari niyang marinig ang kalahating milya ang layo. At marahil ang pinakadakilang mangangaral ng panahong iyon ng pagbabagong-buhay, si Jonathan Edwards. Ipinangaral niya ang isang sermon na alam bilang pinakadakilang sermon na ibinigay. Ito ay tinawag na ‘ Mga makasalanan sa Kamay ng isang Galit na Diyos ’. Ito ay batay sa banal na kasulatan ng Deuteronomio 32:35 “ Ang kanilang paa ay dapat mag-slide sa takdang oras ”. ( https://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/sermons.sinners.html)
Ang unang Great Awakening ay mayroong 5 pangunahing punto ng talakayan:
Lahat ng tao ay ipinanganak na makasalanan
Ang kasalanan na walang kaligtasan ay magpapadala ng isang tao sa impiyerno
Ang lahat ng mga tao ay maliligtas kung aminin nila ang kanilang mga kasalanan sa Diyos, humingi ng kapatawaran at tanggapin ang biyaya ng Diyos
Ang lahat ng mga tao ay maaaring magkaroon ng isang direktang at emosyonal na koneksyon sa Diyos
Ang relihiyon ay hindi dapat pormal at itinatag, ngunit sa halip kaswal at personal
( https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening)
Ang pangalawang Great Awakening ay nag-post ng American Revolution at tumagal hanggang sa mga 1830. Dinala nito ang Camp Meeting. Noong 1802 Kentucky ang pulong ng kampo ay binibilang 20,000. ( https://www.ushistory.org/us/22c.asp) Ang pinakamahusay na kilalang konsepto na nagmula sa kilusang pagbabagong-buhay na ito ay ang konsepto na ang freewill ay nanaig. Ang ideya na mapipili ng isang tao na maligtas, at ang kaligtasan ay para sa lahat. Mayroon din itong mas malaking tungkulin para sa mga kababaihan at itim na komunidad.
Ito ay sa oras na ito, natagpuan ng mga kalalakihan na tulad ni Charles Finney ang kanyang kaligtasan. Noong 1821 sinabi niya na pupunta siya sa kakahuyan sa New York upang matukoy ang katotohanan ng kaligtasan ng kanyang kaluluwa. Sinipi niya ang sinasabi na “ Ibibigay ko ang aking puso sa Diyos o hindi ako bababa mula doon ”. Noong 1824 siya ay naorden. Siya ay may natatanging paraan upang maabot ang mga nakarinig sa kanya at isang mensahe na hindi kilitiin ang mga tainga. Ang pagtatapos ng isa sa kanyang mga sermon ay sinabi niya sa mga tagapakinig, “ Ikaw na gumawa ng iyong isip upang maging mga Kristiyano, at bibigyan ang iyong pangako upang gawin ang iyong kapayapaan sa Diyos kaagad, dapat tumaas ”. Umupo pa rin ang kongregasyon. Ang kanyang tugon ay “ Tinanggihan mo si Kristo at ang kanyang ebanghelyo ”. Nagalit ito sa kongregasyon, at sa pamayanan. Sa punto ng galit, sa susunod na gabi ang isang ginoo ay naglalayong patayin siya.
Kinabukasan ay nangaral ulit siya. Sa oras na ito, ang mga naroroon sa pagtatapos ng mensahe ay tumayo upang bigyan ang kanilang pangako. Habang ang iba ay nahulog na umungol at nag-bell. Ang kalungkutan para sa kanilang mga kasalanan at ang nauunawaan na pangangailangan para sa pagsisisi ay pumalit sa kongregasyon. ( https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/charles-finney.html).
Ang iba pang mahusay na mga pagbabagong-buhay ay tumama sa ating bansa kung kinakailangan sa mga edad mula noon.
Ang Mahusay na Panalangin sa Panalangin ng Panalangin 1857 ( hindi bababa sa 1 milyon ang na-convert )
Civil War Revival ( isang tinatayang 300,000 na na-convert, parehong USA at CSA )
Ang Urban Revivals 1875-1885 ( Nakita ni DL Moody ang pagbabagong loob ng daan-daang libo )
Ang Welsh Revival ng 1904-1905 ay dumating sa Amerika ( Billy Linggo na ipinangaral sa pagbabalik ng hindi bababa sa isang milyong )
Nagsimula ang Azusa Street 1906 bilang isang serbisyo sa pagdarasal sa bahay ( na natikman sa loob ng 3 tuwid na taon, araw-araw sa buong araw at gabi )
Mula sa WW2 hanggang 90s, nakita ng Amerika ang mga magagaling na mangangaral tulad nina Henry Blackaby, William Branham, at Billy Graham.
Ang mga kalalakihan na ito ( at kababaihan ) ay nagtanim ng mga buto na nag-convert ng milyun-milyon sa US lamang. Ipinangaral nila ang pagkilala sa kasalanan at pangangailangan para sa kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ni Kristo. Ang bibliya ay ang kanilang ginamit na materyal lamang. Sinabi ito ng Diyos, isinulat ito ng manunulat, kaya ipinangaral ito ng mga mangangaral. Hindi sila nagbigay ng quarter at hindi nag-aalala sa kanilang sarili tungkol sa kung ano ang iniisip ng mga tao tungkol sa kanila o sa kanilang mensahe. Naunawaan nila na ang mensahe ng kasalanan at pagsisisi ng Diyos ay tulad ng isang tabak, hindi cotton candy.
Ngayon mayroon kaming mahina na mangangaral na naghahangad na punan ang mga pews at hindi masaktan. Nais nilang magustuhan hindi kinapopootan. Nais nilang makita bilang kaibigan sa masa hindi ang pagpapatuloy ng mga Apostol. Dahil sa pagkawala ng kapangyarihan sa mensahe ng pulpito at kompromiso ng Salita ng Diyos, ang mga Kristiyanong simbahan ay naging mga sosyal na club kung saan hindi tinalakay ang kasalanan at pagsisisi, at ang pag-ibig ng Diyos ay nangangailangan ng walang anuman kundi maging mabait. At binalaan kami ng mga ganitong uri ng mga mangangaral. ‘ Ang pagkakaroon ng isang anyo ng kabanalan, ngunit ang pagtanggi sa kapangyarihan nito: mula sa gayong pagliko ’. ( 2 Timoteo 3: 5 )
Pinuri ng mga kalalakihan ngayon at halos sumamba ay ang mga kalalakihan tulad nina Kenneth Copeland, Joel Olsteen, at Creflo Dollar. Ang mga uri na ito ay tinatawag na mga mangangaral ng kasaganaan. Ang kanilang mensahe ay simple. Kung hindi ka malusog at mayaman kulang ka sa pananampalataya. Kung kinamumuhian ka ng mga tao, mali ang iyong pangangaral. Ipadala sa amin ang iyong pera bilang isang binhi ( marami ang nawala sa lahat ng mayroon sila sa mga charlatans na ito ) at pagpapalain ka ng Diyos. Walang tawag sa pagsisisi, walang pagtawag sa kasalanan, at hindi na kailangang pumasok sa aparador ng panalangin.
Pinapayagan ng mga simbahan ngayon na umunlad ang homoseksuwalidad dahil hindi mahalaga ang mga patakaran ng moralidad ng Diyos, mahalin lamang ang bawat isa. Sige at gumawa ng pagpapalaglag dahil ang utos na hindi pumatay ng ( pagpatay ) ay hindi nalalapat, maging maganda lang. Ang paggamit ng mga talatang sinasabi na huwag hatulan at madulas sa mata upang bigyang-katwiran ang isang mahina na makamundong mensahe. Mas pinapahalagahan nila ang tungkol sa pag-kiliti sa tainga kaysa sa estado ng kaluluwa.
Siyempre ang mga Kristiyano ay hindi perpekto. Gayunpaman maraming nagsasabing ganoon o naibigay sa konsepto ay ang pag-ibig ang mahalaga. Ang isang tunay na Kristiyano ay maghanap sa kanyang puso, tingnan kung nasaan ang kasalanan, magsisi, humingi ng kapatawaran at biyaya mula sa Diyos. Ang isang tao na nagsasabing isang Kristiyano lamang ang nagsasabing hindi na kailangan dahil “ Mahal ako ng Diyos at sinabi ko sa isang oras na naniniwala ako kaya mabuti akong pumunta ”.
Sinagot ni Kristo at ng mga apostol ang tanong na ito. ‘ Kung mahal mo ako, susundin mo ang aking mga utos ’ ( Juan 14:15 ). ‘ Ang sinumang may Aking mga utos at pinapanatili ang mga ito ay ang nagmamahal sa Akin. Ang umiibig sa Akin ay mamahalin ng Aking Ama, at mamahalin ko siya at ihayag ang Aking Sarili sa kanya. ’ ( Juan 14:21 ). ‘ Namangha ako kung gaano kabilis mong iwanan ang Isa na tumawag sa iyo sa pamamagitan ng biyaya ni Cristo at bumaling sa ibang ebanghelyo – ‘ ( Gal 1: 6 ). ‘ Ngunit kung sanhi ka ng isa sa mga maliliit na taong nagtitiwala sa akin na mahulog sa kasalanan, mas mabuti para sa iyo na magkaroon ng isang malaking millstone na nakatali sa iyong leeg at malunod sa kailaliman ng dagat ’ ( Mateo 18: 6 ).
Ngayon nakikita natin ang Simbahan ng Laodicea. Sa anghel ng simbahan sa Laodicea isulat: Ito ang mga salita ng Amen, ang tapat at tunay na saksi, ang pinuno ng nilikha ng Diyos. Alam ko ang iyong mga gawa, na ikaw ay hindi malamig o mainit. Sana maging isa ka man o iba pa! Kaya, dahil ikaw ay maligamgam — hindi mainit o malamig — malapit na akong iwaksi sa aking bibig. Sabi mo, ‘ Mayaman ako; Nakakuha ako ng kayamanan at hindi kailangan ng isang bagay. ’ Ngunit hindi mo namamalayan na ikaw ay kahabag-habag, walang awa, mahirap, bulag at hubad. Pinapayuhan kita na bumili mula sa akin ng ginto na pino sa apoy, upang maaari kang maging mayaman; at puting damit na isusuot, upang maaari mong takpan ang iyong nakakahiyang kahubaran; at mag-salve upang ilagay sa iyong mga mata, upang makita mo. Ang mga mahal ko ay binabadlong ko at disiplinahin. Kaya’t maging masigasig at magsisi. Narito ako! Tumayo ako sa pintuan at kumatok. Kung may makakarinig sa aking tinig at magbubukas ng pintuan, papasok ako at kakain kasama ang taong iyon, at kasama nila ako. Sa isang matagumpay, bibigyan ko ng karapatang umupo sa akin sa aking trono, tulad ng ako ay nagtagumpay at umupo kasama ang aking Ama sa kanyang trono. Kung sino man ang may mga tainga, pakinggan nila ang sinasabi ng Espiritu sa mga simbahan. ” ( Rev. 3: 14-22 ).
Hindi epektibo ang simbahan dahil patay na ito. Patay ito sapagkat nakompromiso ang mga turo ng mga propeta, apostol, at si Jesucristo mismo. Ang kompromiso na ito ay nangyari dahil sa kahinaan ng mensahe mula sa pulpito. Mahina ang mensahe dahil napagpasyahan ng mga nangangaral na ang pagiging tanyag ay mas mahalaga kaysa sa mga kaluluwa ng mga tupa na inaakala nilang may posibilidad. Sa mga bansa ng Africa at Gitnang Silangan, ang mga Kristiyano ay namatay para sa kanilang walang tigil na pananampalataya sa mensahe ni Cristo. Ang mga apostol ay nabilanggo, binugbog, pinatay, at pinalayas dahil sa kanilang pananampalataya kay Cristo. Sa Amerika, ang mga mangangaral na ito ay natatakot sa panunuya at panlalait. Isipin kung ano ang mangyayari kapag ginawa ni Kristo ang kanyang maluwalhating pagbabalik at nakikita ang simbahan sa Amerika.
‘ Hindi lahat ng nagsasabi sa Akin, ‘ Panginoon, Panginoon, ’ ay papasok sa kaharian ng langit, ngunit siya lamang ang gumagawa ng kalooban ng Aking Ama sa langit. Marami ang sasabihin sa Akin sa araw na iyon, ‘ Panginoon, Panginoon, hindi ba kami nanghula sa Iyong pangalan, at sa Iyong pangalan ay pinalayas ang mga demonyo at gumawa ng maraming mga himala? ’ Pagkatapos ay sasabihin ko sa kanila nang malinaw, ‘ Hindi kita nakilala; umalis ka sa Akin, kayong mga manggagawa ng kawalan ng batas!…’ ( Mateo 7: 21-23 )
This World Stands Condemned By A Holy and Just God
Let me make this clear so all may understand. ALL of humanity was born into the sin of Adam. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). And despite how good we may act, no man on this planet has been good. “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God. They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They hove together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one” (Psalm 14:1-3). Isaiah tells us how good our works are without God being the center of our everything. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6). This includes those of us who are saved and that forget we are wretched creatures in a sin filled world, only are we saved by the grace of a Holy God.
Scripture tells us that ‘the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life’ (Romans 6:23). And multiple verses in Scripture talk about the result of sin. So let’s take a trip through scripture and find what death by sin means and the punishment it entails. We need to start right after creation.
We know the story of Eve, Adam, the devil, and the serpent. The lie told by Satan through the serpent was that she would not die for eating the fruit (Genesis 3:4). Now, two deaths occurred because of the one action that gave sovereignty of the earth to Satan. The first is bodily death. The original intention was for man to live eternally on this rock.
After a period of time,God set man’s age at 120 years (Genesis 6:3). The oldest person to live since Methuselah, was a gentleman named Jiroemon Kimura, who died at the age of 116 years and 54 days. The oldest female to live was Jeanne Calmet, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days. She is the only person to ever live beyond 120 years since the time of Methuselah. So we can ascertain that the 120 years is fairly set. Proving that physically God told the truth about age and death.
This brings us to the point of the Second coming and the two step resurrection. (John 5:29) The first resurrection will be of the righteous. And despite popular opinion, it won’t be a quiet and secret thing. ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed’ (1 Cor 15:51-52).
The second resurrection will be of the unrighteous. This occurs after the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:5). “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.read more. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”. (Revelation 20:11-15)
Those that follow the commandments of God (Exodus 20:1-17) and have the faith of Jesus the Christ (Galatians 2:16) will not endure the trials of the tribulation and be taken to their heavenly reward. (Revelation 14:12).
If you truly KNOW Jesus, there will be no Hell. But if you have NO Jesus, then you will know Hell. We all need to know we are sinners. Even the saved need to be reminded that our days of repenting will not end until we gain our heavenly reward.
Joel Olsteen and others say that people are really good people that make bad mistakes. The bible says different. Many in the church now say that all religions lead to the saving and Holy God. The bible says different. If your God and your Jesus tell you that since He loves all that nobody will be condemned, run the other way because it is not the God or Jesus of the Holy Scriptures. He is loving and graceful. But He is also Holy and Just.
Jesus came the first time to be the Christ and Savior. He will come again with an army to deal out Justice and Condemnation for those who did not seek His grace and mercy. When He comes back to place His judgment on the wicked, they too will acknowledge that He is the Son of God. But then it will too late. Because at that, end of the millennial reign, He will come with a consuming fire that will make the unrighteous ashes (Malachi 4:1-3) (Isaiah 24) (Revelation 21:8) (Revelation 20:7-10)
Joshua 24:15 says it best.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Christian Sabbath Worship, Demonic Doctrine?
A video came across my feed that disturbed me a bit so I thought I would write this article to make some clarifications on what was said in the video. Pastor Greg Locke is a pastor in Tennessee that I do have quite a bit of respect for. That respect comes from listening to many many of his messages on social issues in the light of Holy Scripture.
He carries the message of the need for the saving power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He pulls no punches in calling out sin. This has gotten him banned from social media and even hate mail and even curses from those proclaiming to be witches.
His zeal is needed in more pulpits. However, the latest video brought up an idea that needs commented on. In one of his latest messages, he called Sabbath observance a demonic doctrine. Now, he did make the truthful point that we are not under the law but saved by grace. That is true. It is only through the grace of Jesus the Christ and His mercy that gives us the hope of salvation. But that does not make the the Commandments of God void. In this article, I will give the few verses that pastors like Pastor Locke use. I will also use Holy Scripture to show that the commandments (all 10) are still relevant and give a short history on the Sabbath/Sunday issue.
And I’ll mention this in starting. There are more than just the Seventh Day Adventists that worship on God’s Holy Sabbath, although this is the best known. Sabbath Christian worship has been done through the history of the church. SDA came about from the Millerite movement in the 1800s. The Seventh Day Baptists trace their direct roots from the 1600s. The Spanish Inquisition was started because the queen (a Roman Catholic) despised ‘Judaizers’ (Sabbath keeping Christians).
There will be both Sabbath and Sunday worshipers in Heaven. There will be members from all denominations in Heaven. Because it is not about the denomination, it is about the personal relationship with Jesus that makes the difference.
Sunday worship
Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-2, Mark 16:9, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1 all speak of the day of Jesus’s resurrection. Yet in these verses, there is no mention of making that day the new Sabbath. John 20:19 speaks of the disciples being in the upper room on the day of resurrection. They were not there in worship, but fear for lives and and disbelief in that Jesus would be raised from the dead. Mark 16:14, showing the same see, has Jesus chastising the disciples for their unbelief. Nowhere in these verses does Sunday sacred worship come into being.
Mark 2:23-28 is where Jesus was being rebuked by the Pharisees for doing good on the Sabbath. In this verse we see Jesus saying that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. This harkens back to Genesis 2:2-3 and Exodus 20:8-11. In Genesis, after creation, God set the 7th day Sabbath as a day of rest making is hallowed (Holy). So the Sabbath was set before even man walked upon the earth. In Exodus, Jesus, being God, personally wrote in stone about the sacredness of the Sabbath. In the 4th commandment (3rd if your Catholic), two points were made. First, the 7th day Sabbath was set aside by God as a day of holy rest. Second, that it was meant for all men. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
There are various New Testament Scriptures that tell of meeting on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7,11,13 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. Yes, they did meet and expound upon the teachings of Christ. But, they also met on multiple days in the week as well (Acts 5:42). Nowhere in the entire New Testament did Jesus or His Apostles determine that that Sunday was to replace the Sabbath set by God. In fact, Jesus Himself, and the Apostles worshiped on the Sabbath. Jesus even went as far to continue to solidify the Sabbath and the commandments.
The need for the commandments.
Pastor Locke and most Christian preachers/priests speak on the grace of God through Jesus negating the laws of God. To be fair, they are partly right. The verse they use is a single verse spoken by Christ. Matthew 5:17 says that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, not to abolish them. To correct part of the error of modern thought let us go to Deuteronomy. There were the laws and the Commandments, two separate things. We know that the 10 Commandments of God were placed in the Ark of the Covenant. However, the law was placed on the outside of the ark “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you” Deuteronomy 31:26. These were the ceremonial and civil laws (food prep, rules of cleanliness, etc. These are the laws that Jesus fulfilled. The commandments stayed in place. These are the laws that Jesus said that the Pharisees forgot the intentions of. All of these laws, pointed to Jesus’s sacrifice and death. That is why he linked them to the prophecies about Himself.
Jesus mentions the need to follow the Commandments of God. Matthew 5:18 says that they will not pass away until all be fulfilled. That was referencing the second coming not the cross, so the need of the commandments continue. In John 14:15, 21,23 specifically has Jesus saying to keep His commandments. Since He wrote them on Sinai, it is not hard to understand what He meant.
In Jesus’s message to John at Patmos (Revelation/Apocalypse), Jesus said this, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12” There are two parts in this statement. 1) Have the faith of Jesus (Salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ). 2) Keep the Commandments of God (the 10 given on Sinai). It is self explanatory. Both are needed.
History of Sunday worship
Through the Holy Scriptures, it can be seen that Jesus and His Apostles kept the 7th day Sabbath as commanded by God in Exodus and set by God in Genesis. So we must ask where the change came from.
It started as a civil law by Constantine in AD 321. During a battle, Constantine said he saw a the Cross of Jesus in the sky and that was the aid that helped him win that battle. So he made Christianity the main religion in his territory. Being that the area was still pagan, and worshiped the sun god on the first day of the week (SUNday), he stated that Christians would observe this day to better convert (so to speak) the pagan masses. ‘March 7, 321, however, Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a civil decree making Sunday a day of rest from labor, stating:
All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon the venerable day of the sun. Country people, however, may freely attend to the cultivation of the fields, because it frequently happens that no other days are better adapted for planting the grain in the furrows or the vines in trenches. So that the advantage given by heavenly providence may not for the occasion of a short time perish.’
The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church states here: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c1a3.htm about Sunday worship.
And here are Papal quotes that they think gives them ability to change doctrine and God’s rules.
The New York Catholic Catechism, under: Pope, says, “The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth…by divine right the pope has supreme and full power in faith and morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true Vicar of Christ, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by one, God himself on earth.”
In his encyclical, “The Reunion of Christendom” (1885), Pope Leo XIII stated that the pope holds “upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”
The Council of Trent declared: “Sitting in that chair in which Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, sat to the close of life, the Catholic Church recognizes in his person the most exalted degree of dignity, and the full jurisdiction not based on constitutions, but emanating from no less authority than from God Himself. As the Successor of St. Peter and the true and legitimate Vicar of Jesus Christ, he therefore, presides over the Universal Church, the Father and Governor of all the faithful, of Bishops, also and of all other prelates, be their station, rant, or power, what they may be.”
The Catholic book, “My Catholic Faith” which is based on the Baltimore Catechism, on page 251, says, “The Pope can make and unmake laws for the entire Church; his authority is supreme and unquestioned. Every bishop, every priest, every member of the Church is subject to him.
One last verse to look at as I close. In the prophecies of Daniel on the last days we read this. “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (Daniel 7:25)
There is only one Commandment that is both a time and a law. The fourth Commandment (third for Catholics) is a law, Sabbath is a time. Worship on Sunday or the Sabbath is up to the person. But to call Sabbath day worship by Christians a Demonic Doctrine borders on heresy and could be seen as blasphemy.
Image borrowed from ‘Broken Adventist Ministry’
Prosperity and Healing Preaching Wolves
Over the next two days I am going to touch on two subjects. The first is the prosperity preaching of the Gospel. The second will be the falling and failings of Christians. Today it will be on the false narrative of the Prosperity gospel. But you may ask why these two subjects. That is a good question. Both of these issues have a great detriment to the body of Christ and the world as a whole. So today, let us look at the Prosperity gospel, some of those that preach it, and the consequences. And yes, the followers of these ‘preachers’ if they see this, will be out for my head. So be it.
The whole of the prosperity gospel is this, with enough faith, life will be wine and roses. You will have more finances than you can imagine, never be sick, etc, etc. There are two main texts taken from Scripture that they use to support their position on prosperity and health through faith. We will look at these and see the true meaning behind the texts.
- 2 Corinthians 8:9 Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. The real meaning of this verse is not that Christ became destitute in finances or position so through his death we will have finances and position. What is meant by Paul is simply this, Christ took a position of humanity (leaving behind his heavenly throne and the position of which he belonged) so that as humanity (wretched and poor in sin) could obtain the richness of heaven.
- Isaiah 53:5 The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his woulds we are healed. This is one of the many verses used to promote the idea that faith will bring full healing and no longer will you be sick or without bodily or mental issue. This verse speaks of spiritual healing and the ability to obtain heaven through the price paid at the cross. Nothing more, nothing less.
To prove the responsible preaching of these two verses, let us look at those whole believe both and see where they stand. I will say this first and foremost, I DO BELIEVE that God in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit does still help financially and with healing. But not to the abundance promoted by charlatans and wolves (Matthew 7:15) that pretend to be prophets and preachers. I have written already about healing that I have seen in my own family and I know that people and churches have had amounts needed coming through grace. That doesn’t mean that faith is a cure all for every ill and financial issue. Remember that even the devil can produce results to lead folks astray.
Financial: There is a woman who lives not far from here that is a devout follower of Kenneth Copeland (the richest prosperity pastor of the group) She send money faithfully. So if the prosperity gospel was real, she should be more than well to do. Yes, she owns some rentals. BUT, those properties are in need of refurbishment and repair. Her own home is falling apart and she has issues cover bills and maintenance costs. Guess her faith isn’t as prominent as her faith seeds.
Health: Benny Hinn is probably the best known faith healer today. After all, he has millions of faithful that plant financial seed and seek his ‘healing’ ability. I mean. Who else can wave a coat and knock a hundred people out in the spirit at the same time (never heard one time that Jesus or the Apostles did such a thing). Let’s look at one healing of Benny Hinn where the person must not have had enough faith. William Vandenkolk is legally blind. At 9 years old he went to Benny Hinn at a healing service. Benny Hinn told him his faith had healed him and all would be fine. By the end of that evening, he still couldn’t see and remains legally blind to this day. Christ gave a warning to preachers and prophets that gave a child a false belief, Matthew 18:6 If anyone cause one of these little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
All of that being pointed out, I’ll share two verses that dismantle the entirety of the Prosperity gospel.
- Luke 10::1-4After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.This speaks of very few preaching the true gospel and that wealth is not to be had by and pastor or follower. We are told this in the gospels through the story of the prince that asked what he needed to do (the camel through the eye of a needle story) and being care for by god (the birds and flowers story).
- 1 Timothy 5:22-23 Do not be hasty in the j laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)Paul had been shown to be able to heal others. But here, he says not to be quick to lay on hands (the description of divine healing) but instead to use medicine of a type. This does not mean that divine healing does not occur. It does. However, miracle healing is not always the answer. One must remember that modern medicine (like ancient medicine) and doctors (like Luke) are granted knowledge to be able to aid others in medical needs.
I am going to showcase both the financial results of Prosperity preachers Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn.
Kenneth Copeland is the richest Prosperity preacher in the world. He is worth a cozy 300 million dollars. Yes he is an author and owns cattle ranches and oil properties. And I’m sure invests well. He also owns multiple jets and homes. The place he resides is worth an estimated 6.3 million dollars. How is this wealth protected from income taxes? It is all under the heading of his ministry. So he bilks millions from his followers in ‘faith seed’ and lines his own financial coffers. Here is a link to an investigation into Kenneth Copeland and his ministries by the Senate Finance Committee a little over a decade ago. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/EMIC%20Copeland%2001-5-11.pdf
Benny (Benedictus) Hinn is another top elite in the prosperity gospel arena. He is ranked 4th in the top 10 richest preachers list. His wealth is reported at around 60 million dollars. He too has been investigated by the Senate Finance Committee. It has been noted in video proof, that Mr. Hinn also had questionable get togethers at his home over the years. https://youtu.be/bmGwCJABTR0
Many of these Prosperity ‘preachers’ have been investigated and found wanting. This is a perfect example of ‘let the buyer (faith seed giver) beware.
From Militia to Faith
Having watched a VICE program on the militia in this country, I was brought back to my time in two militias. And the reason I left both. So, in this article you will see some of the inner workings of both, a national militia and a local statewide militia.
First a small background. I was in the US Infantry (11B) and the Mechanized Infantry (11M). I left the Infantry in 1989. In 1995, I joined the SC National Guard as 11M with a Mech Inf unit. This is infantry that is mobilized. When 9/11 hit, I was still on inactive status but was not reactivated. The shock and awe phase of Operation Freedom occurred after my full enlistment time has ended. In 2019, I felt the urge to serve again but was over the age of acceptance. So, having a co-worker that was part of a national militia suggested applying. I did and was accepted into the III% Defense Militia (DM), Indiana unit.
There were no real issues and I earned a bit of rank (CPL) and attained the position of Chaplain. But, when the BLM, Antifa storm him in 2020, I started to see a mentality in many personnel that did not go with my faith as a Christian. It started with the forming of the NFAC.
For those that do not remember, the NFAC was an all black militia. They first came to prominence at Stone Mountain Georgia. But the big coming up was in Louisville, Kentucky during the protests over the Brianna Taylor killing. Yes, I remember her name. And my personal thought in this matter is that the actions following the no-knock raid, and her death, could have been avoided. As a former EMT-A in Indiana, I felt her death but not only for that reason.
While the protests were warranted, the DM was watching the situation and many units were responding, although it was left to the KY unit to deal with it and Indiana to hold at the Ohio River in case of spill over. And at that point, I argued with command stating we should have been on the side of the protesters. This thought was because one of our fell during a no-knock raid that also wounded his pregnant girlfriend.
The position of the DM was that armed BLM supporters would follow the steps of places like Ferguson, MO. It became heated in debate. My reasoning was this. We had a member fall in the same manner. We should have supported the protest. And I started to learn the mentality of the national group. They, like both liberal and conservative, choose to demand their Constitutional protects while denying the same for the side they don’t agree with. The had an issue with the protest (1st Amendment) and militia/arms (2nd Amendment) because they were against the ideology of the other side. Instead of supporting the same rights for others, I saw the racist mentality in those that I called my brothers in arms.
And let me make this clear so there is no misunderstandings about the makeup of my unit. We were 90% ex military. Some like me who never saw action, but the majority were combat vets. The XO having started his service in the first Gulf War in the 90’s and the rest from Operation Freedom. So it was not the typical non-schooled backwoods redneck. Most of us were trained infantrymen and some truly born in the flames of combat.
I resigned my position because I believe that the rights of protest/free speech and militia/arms belong to everyone with our borders. They are the guaranteed rights by which our nation was forged.
In 2021, the Indiana unit went independent and became the 19th Volunteer Militia. Personnel had changed a bit and I joined the state group, with my son, with the hope that things would be better without the national command. I was wrong. I found that looking back, despite the mentality and command by national hq, they were actually holding those racist soldiers back and somewhat in line. My son left first and I transferred into intelligence gathering. I would run the dark web and minute news sources, as well as social media, to gather information need for operations. Two things made me leave this group and call against militias. The first was personally related. My son, after leaving, outed the group including locations, names, and handles. They put cross hairs on his back. That brought the defiant parent out in me. Discussing it with command, the target was removed because I let them know that a strike against him would bring a vengeance from me.
The second reason was the lock down. While I did not agree with forced closures and masks, I knew enough of how disease worked throughout US history, I did not let it bother me. But during that close down here in Indiana, the racist hatred reared its head.
The Indianapolis group of BLM had set up emergency distribution. They did not discriminate but aided those who needed it. In intelligence, I was tasked with gathering the information the group needed to shut it down permanently (I’ll let you determine the meaning of that).I refused. This caused an issue to erupt. On comms (how we talked and had meetings) the XO and I went at it over my refusal. This then got my squad leader to personally call and read me the riot act for going against command’s order and doing so vehemently over an open meeting.
One light in the whole of this episode was my intelligence commander. He told command that they should be a bit more proud that they had a member that refused to go against his faith and ideals. The call from my squad leader was proof that they expected robots not individuals. I tendered my resignation.
What I did then was a spur of the moment decision, but the right one. I gathered all intel I had gathered from the group and notified the Indianapolis BLM of the groups intentions. Giving away names and handles, and operations. One may ask why I would have gone to this extreme. It’s simple. Evil on exists when good men choose to do nothing. I could not have allowed an operation to occur in my absence an look at myself. My faith would not allow me to go after BLM just because I disagreed with their politics. I support humanitarian aid no matter where it comes from. And despite my disagreements with much of BLM’s ideology, I saw them doing the works that Christ told us to do. Help those in need.
All of these things only led to Jan 6th. These were the precursors. Mix that hatred with the perceived wrongs of an election and the rantings of a demigod and it was only a matter of time. I do not know if my former comrades in arms went to that insurrection. But the mentality was the same as those who did. And through all of this, we have seen the rise of Christian Nationalism. Which, can not co-exist. Should one love where they come from? Of course. But Christians are held to a standard set by Christ and the Apostles. It only has two precepts (commandments). Love God and man. It does not say if they agree with you. It does not say if the look like you. Nationalism led to the National Socialist Party (NAZI) in Germany and we see how that went.
I still hold to the right to protest and speak your grievances. I still hold to the right of free speech. I still hold to the right to keep and bear arms and form a militia. What I do not believe in is the using of those rights to terrorize those you disagree with. And that goes for both liberal and conservative. Polarization from both ideological camps have caused the majority of the trouble our nation sees now. But it is not going to get any better.
The prophets of the Tanach, Christ himself, and the visions given to John on Patmos all speak of the times we see now. And whether one believes or not, Christ is the only way to turn to save your soul and help you deal with everything going bad globally. Because, even though all of this (and worse) was prophesied, we are also told the way to overcome it. Thos who have the faith of Christ and the commandments of God and endure to the end will be saved.
Now is the appointed time. Seek Christ.
Pakistani Christians
Pakistan started as part of India until the split in 1947. I won’t go into detail of U.S. policies concerning Pakistan because this is not information on Pakistan in that manner. But here is a brief reason we, as Americans, know about Pakistan. We know that they have ‘known terrorists’ as per the press releases over the years, brought to us by our ‘unbiased’ American news agencies. I won’t dispute this fact. We also know of Pakistan because of their fight with Indiana over the region of Kashmir. No need to go into that here.
What most do not know, is that despite being predominately Muslim, there are a multitude of Christians throughout the country. While the official Pakistani government policy is one of religious tolerance, looking at the situation without a biased lens, one can see thing differently.
A former co-worker who had been in the US Navy, had ported there a few times. He stated, that during his visits to the port city of Karachi, he noticed the squalor and lack of wealth by the majority of the population he encountered. He recalled one instance where he met a woman begging for food for a child she was carrying. But then noticed, that the child was deceased. Out of all the ports of Liberty, this was the one encounter he remembered. Although not part of the Christian tale of this article, it does relay some of the conditions of the populace.
Over the last year or so, I have gotten to meet, through online means, two Christian pastors in different regions of the country. Both had different educational pursuits. But the common denominator between them, is their desire to share the Love of Christ to a people not only with a desire for a better life, but a hunger for a hope that only Christ can bring.
Here is a little background on the Pakistani legal view of religious tolerance in the Muslim dominate nation. The Pakistani Constitution states: ‘Subject to law, public order, and morality, every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion’. They also have the right to freedom of speech, but is ‘reasonably’ restricted in accordance to the glory of Islam. Essentially, it is believe what you want but follow Islamic law and do not speak against Allah (which is a term used for God in the Middle East no matter the God spoke of) and do not desecrate the name of their beloved, yet false prophet, Muhammad.
Because of the way the law is written, those of non-Islamic faiths are basically second class citizens. The way Pakistani Muslims deal with Christians is by forced conversion, forced marriages, assaults, menial jobs (including abhorrent child labor), and conviction of blasphemy laws that result in prison time or death.
But two men, among others, risk martyrdom by gladly and boldly proclaiming Christ and teaching of His love for everyone.
Pastor Shakeel Samuel heads a Christian organization named United’s Christian Welfare’s Society for Children (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063562256551). Pastor Samuel is from Malaysia and now lives in Lahor, Pakistan. His coverage area for the ministry is in Gulistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Pastor Samuel studied at Forman Christian College in lahore.
As you can tell by the name of the organization, pastor Samuel takes to heart the words of Christ. ‘Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”. (Matthew 19:14)
His mission is not only to feed and cloth them physically, but feed them with the Living Bread and the Water that will never allow thirst.
If you would like to help Pastor Samuel his contact information is:
+923054332249 shakeelbhattibhatti8@gmail.com.
The second pastor I have a pleasure to know is PS Ravi Daniel Daniel. His location is undisclosed at this time. He studied at Christian Brothers University in Memphis Tennessee. He also has an affinity for bring children to Christ. If you view many of his congregation photos, you will find adults and children in attendance. His church was recently damaged from a nearby explosion, but that has not deterred him from his mission. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. (Matthew 28:19,20).
If you would like to aid Pastor Ravi, you can contact him at his Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/psravidaniel.daniel)
Besides the normal hardships they face from a lacking economy and dangers of martyrdom for being Christian, Pakistan was recently hit with the worst flooding years.
You can also donate to relief efforts at (https://www.gofundme.com/f/njgt3-flood-relief-for-pakistan?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR0AMLGFfsLR4ktjoe9nNH2O92Z0A3GEDnusGS5PwrmAKp_SiLV-M2Mh9uM).
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)
Abortion is NOT a Human Right
It has come to my attention, that today (July 17th, 2022) in Huntington Indiana, there is a so called Human Rights rally to defend a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. So, in that, I feel the need to bring some education to those that believe the termination of the unborn is a Human Right.
And to clarify my ability to speak on this, despite being an older white male, I have fought for Human Rights for over 2 decades. Earning my certification in Human Rights Education from the USIDHR. I have supported and worked through various organization such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and currently stand with groups like HIAS, Exodus, among others. Some based within the Christian faith and some that are fully secular. So, let’s begin.
Prior to fertilization, both the egg and he sperm contain half of the genetic coding of a human. Upon fertilization that combination creates a human life. This has been reported and documented as far back as 1974. But to show that, even with updates to modern medicine and research, that this offical declaration has not changed I’ll use more modern declarations. Such as T.W. Sadler’s 2006 declaration in Langman’s Medical Embryology text. It states “Development begins with fertilization, the process by which the male gamete (sperm) and the female gamete (oocyte) unite to give rise to a zygote”.
It was also stated in the 3rd version of Human Embryology and Teratology, “Although life is a continuous process, fertilization (which, incidentally, is not a ‘moment’) is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new genetically distinct human organism is formed when the chromosomes of the male and female pronuclei blend in the oocyte”.
In 2004, the American College of Pediatrics definitively stated that human life begins at conception. Now that I have shown that the unborn is truly a human life by definitive science and not by Christian belief, we can move on from the whole concept of ‘Keep your religion out of my ovaries’ chants and the dis-allowance of science.
Let’s now quickly look at the U.S. legal definition of murder. Under the United States legal code Title 18, Part I, Chpater 51 a it states “Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing; or committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, any arson, escape, murder, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse,child abuse, burglary, or robbery; or perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against achildor children; or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree.Any other murder is murder in the second degree”.
Now that we have scientifically determined that a fertilized human egg is a living being and legally defined the term murder, logic and law dictates that the unborn human is in fact a life. This is where the Human Rights part comes in.
On December 10, 1948, shortly after the founding of the United Nations, the member nations determined thirty articles of Human Rights that are to guaranteed in response to the Genocide of over eleven million (roughly six million Jews and roughly five million non-Jews) during the Nazi holocaust in the mid Twentieth Century. The Full declaration can be found at UN DOHR.
The Preamble is as follows. “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, therefore,
The General Assembly,
Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. ”
I will write articles on each of the thirty declarations independently. Each declaration in this declaration is an issue in itself and warrants expounding upon. So lets start with the very first declaration.
The Right to Life
The right to life is the very first because with it, none of the others have a need to exist. The Declaration states this rights as such. ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood’. Now, a bit of a note. This was not the original wording. The original wording used the term ‘all men’ instead of ‘all humans’. That wording was changed so that there would be no misunderstanding that these thirty declarations were meant for everyone to be born on this planet during every future generation. The two people credited with this change was Eleanor Roosevelt of the US (widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Hansa Mehta of India.
Now, the argument will come, ‘but it says born free’. Yes it does. And to be born, the conceived need to grow to fruition and delivered. And since science has determined that the fertilized oocyte is a living being and the US government has determined that murder is the ending of a life with malice and forethought (containing one but not both of these is a lesser degree of murder known as second degree murder) then logic dictates that the unborn are also protected under this declaration.
So let’s review the four main points of this article so there is no misunderstanding.
- Life begins at fertilization
- Murder is the taking of life with malice or forethought
- All life is protected as a human right as defined by the nations of the world
- Abortion is NOT a Human Right.
Ronan O’Rahilly and Fabiola Müller, Human Embryology and Teratology, 3rd edition. New York: Wiley-Liss, 2001. p. 8.
T.W. Sadler, Langman’s Medical Embryology, 10th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. p. 11
The Nation that Killed Itself
There are a few things I have learned in the 5 decades I have been on this rock. And usually, that wisdom tends to upset quite a few. One learns that when you speak through gained wisdom or a truth, that those that yell the loudest fit into 2 categories. The first is the ones who have to face in themselves what they have tried to hide. The other is one who has no true concept of decency or compassion beyond themselves. And nothing brings that out of people more than the discussion of Human Rights or faith.
For me, they go together, which tends to upset both liberal and conservative. I have defended Human Rights for decades. My generation started with things like the end of nuclear weapons, end of Apartheid in South Africa, AIDS research, and famine. And for the younger generation, this was the things Gen X stood for. The term Boomers actually is the generation before mine. Please get it right. Because they fought for things like Civil Rights, the end of the war in Vietnam, and Women’s Rights. The generation before that (The Greatest Generation) stopped the regimes that slaughtered millions of Jews and Gentiles.
You are not the first generation to see an issue and demand change. But, the change you seek will not be won through the burning of cities, the ending of law enforcement, or screaming like fools because your safe space and preferred gender are not respected. And to be honest, there are more important things in this world to deal with than your feelings and self imposed ego of pretend superiority.
Why a people and culture that is almost 200 years removed from slavery, it is still a global issue. Things like forced child labor and the Caste system in India, the sex trade, forced domestic and farmer workers, and the mines that produce blood diamonds. So while you have the freedom to act like babies wanting a bottle because you can’t be called by the pronoun you choose, people truly suffer and die at the whim of those that think they have the right to commit these atrocities against mankind.
You scream that abortion is a Human Right. But the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948 list the number one Human Right as the Right to Life. Because without life, no other right can exist. It matters because every life matters. You have no problem screaming that no life matters until all lives matter yet willingly defy science and demand the right to the most innocent lives on this planet.
The original founding of this nation and the laws they placed for the safety and common good, are solely based upon the Ten Commandments of God. For those who deny that fact need to read the words, speeches, and letters of our Founding Fathers.
And Conservatives you are just as bad. Nationalism, in historical context, has bred nothing but hatred. Germany during the early to mid 20th century is the best example of the evil that comes from a nationalist mindset. And no matter how you want to view it, the assault on the hallowed halls of Congress was not only insurrection, but treason. For the veterans and politicians that were involved in the assault, you defied your oath. Those that got jail time, probation, or nothing should feel extra happy about the light sentence. Treason against the government is a death penalty offense.
And Christians, you are the worst of all. The far right church has come to the point that you not only love the sinner but condone the sin. The far right church has come to the point of hating both. Yes, God loves everyone, hence the price of the Cross for redemption of man. But, like all other systems of justice, there is punishment as well as reward based upon actions of the person. But I find the far right church has forgotten whom they follow. As followers of Christ we are suppose to help those in need. Christ did not say only if they agree with you, only if they are from the same nation, the same color, the same gender, or the same anything as you. All he said was go help. Love those that hate and persecute you. Aid those that are hungry, weak, in jail, etc.
I am appalled at the people of this nation. The extremes on both sides scream and yell to force their viewpoint without regard how it affects the whole. But I’m more appalled at the majority in the center. Those that see the good options that lean both left and right as is warranted depending on the issue. Why? Because they are the majority but choose to remain quiet.
In another article, I will explain what I believe would be a good and centered position is on many things that cause contention in today’s political climate. And why they would work and the benefits. But right now, both sides need to get their heads out of their backside orifices and the center needs to get their heads out of the sand.
Every great power as fallen into the sands and abyss of time. Many from the inside not an outside enemy. And this nation is going the same way. I see and hear, God make this nation great again. He has lifted his hand of protection from this land because we have become what we once, as a nation, fought against. The Scriptures say there will come a time when man will be left to his reprobate mind and God will allow a nation to feel his wrath. We are there.
This nation will eventually fade into history and another shall take our place on the world stage. And it will not be from an attack or natural disaster. It will be from the combined extreme egos and mindset this nation now holds above logic and compassion. We used to be a nation that believed in the words on the Statue of Liberty in the poem, The Tempest. We used to fight for liberation of the oppressed. But we have allowed hatred of those from outside our borders and systems of injustice inside our borders to overrule common sense and common decency.
So when this nation falls, as it will if we don’t change our path and actions as a whole people, we shall have nobody to blame but ourselves.
Shabbat Baptist Ministries 