Religious Liberty is an attack on Christian Liberty

Here we've been, Bible-believing Christians, for years thanking God for this liberty under the American Constitution and never suspecting that it is not really the protection we've taken it to be.

Oh it has seemed to be for a very long time, but that's only because the nation WAS predominantly Christian for that time. Now that our numbers are diminishing and this farcical notion of "liberty" has multiplied the enemies of Christ, and God's truth is being aggressively attacked in America, its true colors can perhaps be better recognized.

I for one have pondered the puzzle that this "liberty" has been allowing the enemies of God more freedom than true religious liberty should, but I interpreted this as due to today's politically correct misreading of its intent by our contemporary advocates of a malleable Constitution.

Then a year or so ago I saw a quote from one of the founding fathers, George Washington I'm pretty sure, specifically naming the religion of Islam as given freedom under this American provision. I didn't know quite what to do with this disturbing information, conditioned as I have been for so long to thinking the original intent of the First Amendment was to protect Christianity.

Protecting Islam, however, is the same thing as authorizing the wolf to eat the lamb, effectively destroying any real political liberty for Christians.  Not yet, of course, but just wait until the tide shifts and Christianity is marginalized enough in this country for the other religions to gain power.  They will not be as tolerant of their competitors as this once-Christian nation has been toward them.

I wondered if Washington was simply naive as so many these days are, treating all religions as equal. Whatever his conscious intent, however, it was clear that he was selling us out with a statement like that, turning Christians and the nation itself over to the wolves, and putting our current crop of Constitutional revisionists more in tune with the nation's founders than Christians.

It did begin to occur to me that our founders possibly intentionally sold us out, but I'm no historian and I just wouldn't be able to read enough in the original writings of that era to find out one way or the other.

All this has been coming more into focus for me finally thanks to Chris Pinto's films and radio shows. Pinto IS a historian who does read thoroughly in the original documents in order to get the full picture, and American Christians should all be learning from his work and thanking God for him.

Yes, they sold us out. Intentionally. They were not Christians, they were in fact haters of Christianity.

I knew Adams was a Unitarian and that Jefferson denied the supernatural truth of the gospel, and I think I had even heard that Washington refused to take Communion in his Anglican church, and I'd even been startled to read of one preacher from that era who specifically said that the founders had dealt treacherously with the Church of Christ. But in spite of all that I could never draw the reasonable conclusion but let it all sink down under a fog of confusion. These men were not only not Christians but unfriendly to Christianity, but it has been hard to see this clearly because there has been so much propaganda against such a conclusion.

David Barton is the main source of this kind of propaganda, as Pinto has been revealing, David Barton who has had such a strong impact on American Christians to the point of deserving credit -- or as I see it now, blame -- for a great deal of the political focus of the Christian Right. When we should have been affirming the gospel against the devices of the world and the devil we've been trying to reinstate a worldly institution that in its essence works against the gospel.

The main thing I've been learning from Pinto which I never would have been able to learn on my own, or from any other Christian teacher out there that I know of, is that the Roman Church through the Jesuit order was behind the concept of religious liberty, that its whole point was to overthrow Protestant strictures against Catholic influence in their communities, and ultimately to put the Catholic Church in a position to impose the rule of the Pope on the whole society.

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Pinto gets into all this in many of his radio programs, but try this one on Freemasonry in the Church #3 of May 5, 2011
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Liberating Catholicism is liberating the slyest and cruelest wolf of them all to eat the lamb of true Christianity. After tenderizing it on the rack and in the iron maiden of course. Interesting that the last Antichrist, Hitler, brought back some of the torture devices of the Inquisition, showing the spirit of Catholicism behind Nazism even in that form.

On the way to bringing all under the Pope they also -- inadvertently? -- liberated the similarly power-hungry religion of Islam with its own agenda to bring the world under Sharia Law.

And don't forget that Mormonism also has ambitions to bring the nation under their rule.

Not to mention that orthodox Judaism also has a rather paranoid desire to undermine Christianity, thanks largely to the common confusion of Catholicism with Christianity and very probably some Jesuitical encouragement there too.

Lotsa wolves out there after the lamb of truth.

Odd perhaps that what just came to mind was the immortal sputtering of that cartoon cat whose identity escapes me: "What a revoltin' development." Totally wrong tone there.

Oh I don't know. Reality often seems like some sort of tragic farce.

Oh, Sylvester the cat, right? Or was that Daffy Duck? No, I'm sure he lithped and spluttered, must have been Sylvester.

Please please come soon, Lord Jesus.

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Wow, Pinto says the Holocaust was directly modeled on the Inquisition, and designed by the Jesuits. He gets into this in his radio show for May 11, 2011.

National Israel is not God's Chosen People

Over the last three days, Chris Pinto has been doing a Bible study in the Letter to the Hebrews in which he clears up some questions I've had about how to view the nation of Israel in relation to the Church. I've never done a thorough study of these issues myself but have picked up bits of the controversies involved over the years from various teachers, which seem to range from the idea that ALL God's promises and prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Israel now belong to the Church, to something close to the opposite extreme, that NONE of it belongs to the Church but all pertain exclusively to national Israel.

As I've thought it through myself I've remained persuaded that God certainly does have plans for national Israel for the last days, though I've never been completely clear which scripture verses apply to this because they are often ambiguous, but I also reject the extreme views that treat the Church as some sort of afterthought rather than the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, which the New Testament clearly says is the case.

I've come to sort this in terms of the Church as the spiritual fulfillment of the promises and prophecies to Israel, such that we ARE Israel or the New Israel, or the spiritual Israel inheriting the heavenly Jerusalem, which was always the main objective of God's promises that would be realized through the Savior Messiah Jesus Christ, but that physical or fleshly Israel still inherits something from God. I'm not sure to what extent Chris Pinto would see it this way, but it still makes sense to me. He did point me to Ezekiel 36 as a scriptural reference for God's plans for earthly Israel as opposed to the Church, which helps me anchor all this better than I'd been able to before. I've copied out some of that passage below, where it seems pretty clear that attempts to make it apply to the Church are strained to say the least.

Those who apply most of the Old Testament to physical Israel at the expense of the Church are known as Dispensationalists, which is such a theological quagmire to me that I tend to try to avoid it, a theology which is held in varying degrees by different teachers, apportioning scripture more or less to the Church versus the state of Israel. I know I can't accept the full Reformed point of view, which treats Dispensationalism as a complete heresy and applies ALL the scripture to the Church instead, because I do believe scripture points to an end-times role for national Israel, and that we can see this already fulfilled in its becoming a state as of May 14, 1948, and it now seems to me, thanks to Chris Pinto's recent Bible studies, that Ezekiel 36 is the best description of this.

Dispensationalists are the ones who complain so loudly against "replacement theology" which puts the Church in the place of Israel to such an extent that no place is left for the prophecies concerning the literal land God gave to the Jews or the literal return of Christ to the Mount of Olives either, or other events prophesied in the Book of Revelation. And I agree with them that far, but even the best of them tend to go too far beyond that.

The main form this seems to take is in celebrating the State of Israel in its present apostate condition as if it were God's own people. They confuse physical Israel with spiritual Israel. They also call the Jews "God's Chosen People." They also tend to go into raptures over every event that shows Israel preparing to resume its Old Testament form, such as the plans that have been underway for years for the rebuilding of the Temple and the reinstatement of the animal sacrifices, or the search for a perfect Red Heifer, and the like. While these plans do point toward a likely reinstatement of the Old Testament religion, and there is scripture that supports such a reinstatement, after the Messiah has come there's something very wrong with Christians cheering them on.

The Lord Jesus was the Reality that ALL those Old Testament institutions and practices were intended to point to. He has come. There is no way any of that can be reinstated without being an offense to God. Yes, they may well be reinstated in fulfillment of prophecy, but Christians who applaud these developments, who rationalize them as simply a "different" way God has of dealing with Israel as opposed to the Church, who make Israel out to be a separate "dispensation" in God's plans from the Church, have to deny all the clear statements in the New Testament that Jesus Christ IS their fulfillment. I already said all this in my previous post about the animal sacrifices, about John Whitcomb's assertion on Brannon Howse's radio program that the animal sacrifices would continue although Christ Himself reigns from Jerusalem. Cannot be. They may be reinstated during the reign of the Antichrist but they couldn't possibly continue through the reign of Christ.

What I've not quite allowed myself to say in so many words is: Physical Israel is NOT "God's people" any more, the Church is God's people, and the Church is both Jew and Gentile, there is not one dispensation for Jews and one for Gentiles. Of course the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles were all Jewish and it may well be that God will also put other Jewish believers in special roles in the Church, I think there may be scripture to that effect, but they are still The Church and not a separate dispensation. The New Testament makes it clear that the Church is now God's "Elect" and only some fancy twisting of words can make that mean anything other than "Chosen" as if one people were the elect and another the chosen.

This is NOT "Replacement Theology." God still has plans for Israel because God still has plans for the world, to show forth His glory, to redeem not only His Elect but the whole Creation and shame the heathen and the devils who have been ruling this wrecked planet since the Fall. This is to be the finale of the grand drama that began back at the Creation, and He is bringing back His apostate people Israel for the final Act in which first all Hell and then all Glory will break loose.

They ARE apostate, they are NOT the Chosen People any more, though some of them WILL be. The Church is the Chosen People. But many of them WILL yet join us according to scripture, many many of them, as the Day of the Lord, or the times of the heathen, or the times of the Antichrist, unfolds.

It's one thing to watch with interest -- or bated breath with perhaps a little horror thrown in -- prophecy being fulfilled in the plans to reinstate the Old Testament religion, and other to celebrate it as if God could be happy with it. The Dispensationalists who celebrate it are whitewashing sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Orthodox Judaism today is the very same religion of the Pharisees that Christ denounced in His day. Spend any time talking to an Orthodox Jew about his beliefs and you will soon find out that it is the identical belief system, in which the traditions of men through the Talmud eclipse scripture. They still strain a gnat out of their soup lest they eat unclean meat unawares. I could probably write a very long post just on this subject because of conversations I had over many years with an Orthodox Jew. Orthodox Judaism is the aggressive denial of Christ. It was in His day and it still is.

Of course Israel is not just orthodox Judaism but atheism and paganism and devil worship and the sort of stuff to which all the nations of this world are in bondage. The devil's work.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Earthly Jerusalem is not the Holy City and earthly Israel is not God's people. As Paul said, "not all Israel is Israel." But some are and will be revealed in God's own time.

Although I believe this, believe we can't treat Israel as on a par with the Church, mustn't celebrate the reinstatement of the institutional and ceremonial types and shadows which have been fulfilled in Christ, I nevertheless believe we must support Israel for the sake of prophecy and in my opinion also because they are politically and historically in the right and surrounded by devil-driven enemies who are still seeking to overthrow God's rule on this planet. Jesus is to return to earthly Israel. His feet will split the Mount of Olives when He comes. Then it may be that there will be a Millennium as the dispensationalists believe, in which He will reign literally over the entire earth from Jerusalem. That would conclude the drama of Planet Earth in seven millennia which is a very nice number.

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Ezekiel 36:16-38 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols [wherewith] they had polluted it: And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These [are] the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.

Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that [were] not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Eze 36:32 Not for your sakes do I [this], saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fenced, [and] are inhabited.

36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined [places, and] plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken [it], and I will do [it]. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet [for] this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do [it] for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

Sorting out the history of true Christianity from that of the apostate Antichrist Roman church

I thought I had a pretty good grasp of church history and of the antichrist nature of the Catholic Church, but what I've been learning recently shows me that not only my own education in this area but what the Protestant churches in general know is sadly deficient. And I've heard some very good teaching on church history so this is saying something.

I'm talking about what I've been learning recently through Chris Pinto and Brannon Howse at their websites, and now this morning from Mike Gendron (pro-gospel.org), an ex-Catholic who seeks to educate Catholics to the truth, who was Howse's guest on today's radio show.

Much of the confusion comes from the fact that there are two different streams of church history, the Catholic and the Protestant, and it is possible to read a Catholic history without being aware that you are absorbing false propaganda. I'm sure that's happened to me many times. Getting the true history straight is not easy for the average reader.

A caller from the UK on Howse's program this morning referred to a book about the history of Christianity in England by Charles Bullock, titled The Story of England's Church written in the 19th century, which is online at Google Books. Wish I could copy out some of it. It's the sort of information that all Protestant churches should have been making a major effort to teach their people all along, so that no Protestant could ever be deluded that Roman Catholicism is a Christian church which so often happens.

Broader knowledge of this kind of information would have protected many individuals and even denominations from their own leanings in the direction of that apostasy that unfortunately seems to be growing these days, and it would have made a much stronger base for helping Catholics escape. It's certainly true that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, but of course we cannot remember it unless we are taught it if it is a past before our time.

What I've been learning from these ministries is that the Roman Church was recognized very early on as the seat of the Antichrist, at least back to the first Waldensians, who fled to the mountains upon recognizing the Pope as the Abomination of Desolation sitting in the temple making himself out to be God, as scripture warns us is to occur. I'd otherwise had the notion that it was the Reformers who first identified the papacy as the Antichrist system. I also hadn't digested the fact before that the Pope by receiving the sort of worship he receives does make himself out to be God, if the title "Vicar of Christ" weren't enough of a clue [and the Roman numerals in that title as written in Latin -- VICARIVUS FILII DEI -- add up to 666, by the way (The phrase means "In the place of, or substitute for, the Son of God")]. I've also learned that the Great Apostasy or falling away was attributed to the doctrines of the Roman Church all the way back to the early church as well, and that the apostasy was a thing that grew over the centuries so that it is hard to identify the exact point at which it was fullblown. Perhaps by the time of the first official Pope at least, which was in the late 6th century. I've also learned beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Emperor Constantine was not a true Christian convert since he continued to affirm the pagan religions that a true Christian would have abandoned completely, and that it's even possible he may have confused Christ with the pagan god Sol Invictus.

From this fuller view of history it's easier to see how some would not necessarily be expecting a final individual to be the Antichrist, as he's been in the world all these centuries. It certainly makes clear that Nero was NOT the Antichrist as some argue -- was THAT familiar idea a Roman concoction perhaps?

There's plenty of reading on this subject on the internet. Just following out the entries on this Google page should keep you busy for a while. I see that Michele Bachmann's church rightly says that the Pope is the Antichrist but of course the entry on that has the usual politically correct spin, which in this case is the Roman Catholic slant. I particularly appreciate Ian Paisley on this subject. He's a fire-and-brimstone Irish preacher whose style of preaching can be rather offputting, but I became a fan when he was shown in one of Chris Pinto's films confronting the Pope as the Antichrist when he was speaking in British Parliament [correction:  that's the European Parliament, and Dr. Paisley is more than just a preacher, he's also a high-ranking government leader in Ireland with a chair in the European Parliament]. THAT's the spirit of Protestantism we need more of.

One recent comment by Chris Pinto on a radio show caught my attention as he took to task Marshall Foster who said something to the effect that after Constantine legalized Christianity the Roman Empire furthered the spread of the gospel. Chris Pinto objected that all the Roman Empire did was spread the apostate Christianity of the Roman Church. I need this sorted out better. I hadn't heard of Marshall Foster before, but I have heard teaching along the lines that the Roman Empire was one of God's means for spreading the gospel. This goes along with other teaching I've heard that God chose to send the Lord Jesus into the world when Koine Greek was the universal language so that the gospel writings could be easily disseminated, AND when the Roman Empire with its wide reach made travel easy. God of course disposes all things, and the gospel did spread throughout Europe, but did the legalization of it through Constantine aid that or not? The idea is that after the persecutions of Christians by the Roman Emperors were lifted it was easier for the evangelists to do their work, along with the idea that the fact that Roman institutions were established all over Europe, even just the Roman roads, facilitated the spread of the gospel as well. This may be something along the lines of what Marshall Foster had in mind, but of course I don't know. And even if so, Chris Pinto may be right that the legalization of Christianity didn't aid anything but the spread of apostasy and Marshall Foster simply has the usual Catholicized version of history that we are all so easily made prey to. Or perhaps there's some truth in both views.

That reminded me of a book I read a few years ago about the effect of Christianity in changing the world for the better, Alvin J. Schmidt's Under the Influence. As I recall, the book presents the effect of the spread of Christianity (and I believe he attributes this effect partly to Constantine's legalization of the religion) as specifically fostering humane treatment of the sick and suffering, including rescuing newborn infants left to die and the aged who were also put out on the street to die, by first taking such victims in and caring for them but then by establishing hospitals and orphanages. He also credits Christianity with liberalizing society's attitude toward women through the model of Christ, also with paving the way for true empirical science because of Christianity's view of God as a God of law and order, unlike the gods of the pagans.

But now after seeing Chris Pinto's films I recognize that Schmidt misrepresented Francis Bacon as a Christian, who was an occultist. He also wrote a reference book about secret societies in America, which clearly presents them as benign positive influences, quite the opposite of what Chris Pinto's films reveal.

The plot thickens.

Another misreading of Cahn's "Harbinger"

Proverbs 18:13: He that answereth a matter before he heareth [it], it [is] folly and shame unto him

This review by a pastor Gary Gilley starts out positive about the book, though not in a particularly relevant way in my opinion, but then veers off into a serious misreading of the essential message:

So far so good. But then Cahn determines that Isaiah 9:10-11 contains a hidden second prophecy directed not to ancient Israel but to modern America.

No, Jonathan Cahn did not "determine" any such thing. What happened is that he OBSERVED that certain elements described in Isaiah 9:10, that demonstrate Israel's defiance of God's judgment of their nation, ALSO ACTUALLY LITERALLY OCCURRED OR "MANIFESTED" IN AMERICA in connection with 9/11.

Literally. Actually. Physical things: bricks, a hewn stone, a sycamore tree, a conifer tree, plus some speeches by American leaders that quoted this very scripture or echoed its spirit. This is based on the simplest possible reading of Isaiah 9:10, nothing added to it.

At this point the author massages Scripture and current events in an attempt to prove that God’s judgment on the United States has been hiding in these verses from the day they were given by Isaiah, but have now been unlocked by the careful investigation of Cahn.

Nonsense! Did this reviewer actually read this book? This is absurd and unjust.

Nothing could be further from the truth and, even more importantly, once someone decides they can cherry-pick verses at will, change the meaning of these texts to fit his theories and use random hermeneutical methods, anything can be “proven.”

Which I'm afraid describes what this reviewer has done to Jonathan Cahn! The reviewer has read all kinds of things into his book that simply are not there. Is this perhaps his own theology that he is imposing on Cahn?

Bottomline: The Harbinger is a semi-interesting novel that exposes the pride and sinfulness of America and God’s distain for such rebelliousness. But the novel does not in reality discover a mysterious Old Testament prophecy about America. Read as fiction with an important point, the book has value. Read as a prophecy, it is dangerous.

As I mention in my previous post, it's becoming clear that "Harbinger" takes some effort to really get the message to avoid some pretty odd misunderstandings, but sometimes it sounds like the critic didn't even really read the book or listen to Cahn's talks.

I could repeat my own description of what the book is about but I've repeated it so many times now I figure anyone who wants to won't have a hard time finding it-- label or key word "Jonathan Cahn" should do it.

Brannon Howse interviews Jonathan Cahn on "Harbinger"

Thank you, Brannon Howse, for having Jonathan Cahn on your radio program and giving him a chance to explain his "Harbinger" revelation. I hope this is sufficient to answer the misunderstandings expressed by Jimmy DeYoung about the book on a previous show.

I recognize that one doesn't necessarily have to read a book or see a movie to understand enough about it to criticize it fairly, but the more I hear about people's reactions to Jonathan Cahn's study the more I have to appreciate that it's a difficult message to grasp unless you spend some time thinking about it. Not that you have to have read the book but you do have to understand what he's actually saying, and apparently that's not easy to get UNLESS you either read the book or hear his talks.

The ways people have managed to misunderstand the message are a bit boggling. Cahn himself was boggled at the thought that anyone would accuse him of "replacement theology" but I guess it is possible to get that out of it if you don't spend enough time really thinking it through.

(I don't consider myself to be into replacement theology either, but I may be more in that direction than Jonathan Cahn is -- I certainly don't think physical Israel has been replaced by the Church, but I do think that the Church IS "Israel" in the spiritual sense, so that all who are saved and born again in Christ ARE spiritual Israel, and I believe scripture says that Abraham himself looked to a spiritual "land" -- although God certainly DID give physical Israel to his descendants. So there is no doubt yet a role left for physical Israel to bring glory to God as this wrecked and groaning planet reels to its soon-coming end -- but enough, I've posted on this recently already.)

It also seemed to me to be a handicap for Brannon Howse that he hadn't been able to read the book or find out much more about the "Harbinger" before doing the interview, as he seemed not to really "get it" for most of the interview, though maybe it was getting through to him more by the end. Cahn seems to be having to work extremely hard just to get the basics across. This message is more important than that, and I hope Brannon Howse will eventually find some time to give it some real thought.

I get that if you really believe God has given up on America you may not see the point of putting much effort into trying to understand a message which is really a call to repentance, but it seems to me that God's giving us these signs or omens or harbingers MIGHT suggest that He's still giving us time to repent despite it all.

Maybe not, maybe they are just supposed to stand as mute testimony against America just as the same signs were against ancient Israel, so that we really are doomed.

But again, God's even allowing this book to come out DOES suggest that we may still have some time IF the churches were to wake up and seek God in earnest. I personally think God's people and especially pastors and other leaders should be CALLING THE CHURCHES TO RESPOND TO THIS MESSAGE OF THE HARBINGERS WITH REPENTANCE, PRAYER AND FASTING BEYOND ANY LEVEL OF COMMITMENT WE'VE EVER EVEN THOUGHT OF DOING BEFORE, instead of sitting back and ASSUMING we're doomed. [Sigh. Feel I must add here, days later, that I'm again assailed with the doubt that this could happen without the interference of all the antichrist forces now occupying what used to be orthodox churches, even the inclusion of Mormons and the Pope, ai yi yi yi. How I wish we could have such prayer for revival and leave all of them out of it, or make prayer against them an effective part of it.]

Just have to post for the umpteenth time Jonathan Cahn's talk on this from 2005 (I'd post the most recent one but it's not available online:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXei0Zb3dxM

O Christians, shake off the influence of the higher critics of the Bible, it's all the devil's smoke and mirrors

I've come to believe that Chris Pinto's films should be seen by all Christians -- they've been feeding my own concerns in my blogs for a couple weeks now, from American politics to the Bible disaster of 1881 to End Times developments in general, and especially have illuminated the horrifically evil involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in these things.

CHRISTIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS.

Some of his radio shows should be heard too (I don't know what a "podcast" is, as opposed to a broadcast, but apparently that's what they are). His recent radio shows (March 26 and 27 at least) cover important information about the "higher criticism" of the Bible and how it can undermine the faith of Christians.

A GREAT MANY CHRISTIANS INCLUDING PASTORS ARE DECEIVED ABOUT BIBLE SCHOLARSHIP AND THE NEW TRANSLATIONS.

I was very happy to hear Pinto quote the first Psalm as an admonition to those who accept the counsel of unbelieving critical scholars such as Bruce Metzger:

Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Walking in the counsel of the ungodly is exactly what Christians are doing who accept the judgments of a Bruce Metzger. Sure, the ungodly may be great scholars in some ways, but on this subject which involves all kinds of subjective judgment calls about the history of Bible manuscripts, definitely not to be trusted.

This issue is very much like the evolution-creation issue, in which the evidence is also soft, largely a matter of mental gymnastics asserted as if it were fact, and when an unbeliever promotes such evidence it should NOT be accepted by believers.

Chris Pinto discusses Bart Ehrman on the recent radio programs, who claims to have been turned away from his original Christian belief in the inerrancy of scripture by this sort of evidence, evidence which gives an early date for a corrupt manuscript which, if accepted as valid, casts doubt on the traditional view of scripture as God's word. Ehrman was trained by Bruce Metzger. He's quite convinced, but such evidence is easily counterfeited.

Pastors and teachers who accept the judgments of a Bruce Metzger may think they are just being intellectually honest but this kind of work undermines the faith of many in the churches and can't help but do so. If they are convinced that all God's word is not all God's word, the faith of honest Christians WILL be shaken, and that undermines the power of witness in the churches.

This is the devil's work for sure.

Rumors of a soon-coming disaster

OK, after complaining about Brannon Howse's guests the last couple of days now I want to post today's radio broadcast (March 22) in which he brings up a topic he's touched on before, about indications that something disastrous is in the air. Here's the page for today's program (They're only available to the public for two weeks, then you have to subscribe to his Situation Room to have access to them).

23:10 They are discussing the recent updating of the executive order for emergency preparedness to extend the measure to NON-emergency conditions -- giving the government (the President) power at his discretion to take control of food, power, energy, health and transportation resources, and "all other material facilities and services" -- to create a condition of martial law.

At about 27.00 Brannon Howse asks if this might be connected to the recent revelation from an Iranian spy for the US that there are hundreds of Iranian sleeper cells in America waiting for some signal to start attacking some 800 sites.

Some hints or rumors include:

1) Law enforcement organizations have been getting directives that don't talk in terms of just being prepared IF we have some kind of disaster, but in a tone of certainty that such an event IS going to happen soon.

2) The government is showing signs of unusual activity in the direction of preparedness for something pretty enormous, construction of what may be an underground shelter or bunker under the White House lawn, plus a huge order of emergency food supplies (29:00) by some government agency, plus other emergency supplies and ammunition.[31-34.26 commercial break.]

3) Increase in spying equipment that can find out anything about anybody. Through chips being built into appliances, also anything on the internet is monitored, also all phone calls are monitored. (around 34.30+ ) "Don't ever assume whatever you say on the phone is private." Also all religious websites are being monitored.

4) 45:40 - Why you might want to start buying extra food to keep on hand in case there is a food shortage. 46.40 - 47.15 (Commercial 48:15 - 51:15).