Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Mother God, Heavenly Mother, Sophia, Isis, Lakshmi, Tara, Azna and other names are all aspects of the Divine Feminine.mother Mary ?? 2
Ask Azna - Online Advice Column
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Mother God,
Heavenly Mother,
Sophia, Isis, Lakshmi, Tara, Azna and other names are all aspects of the Divine Feminine.
Sylvia Browne, in her book, “Mother God”, reveals that “Azna” is the sacred name the Divine feminine is known by on the other side.
Mother God Azna, asked me to have a ’spiritual advice column’. Azna will chose questions she feels will help many.
Click here to read all Mother Azna’s answers to the questions submited to Rebecca
Got a question for Mother Azna? Please sign it like the ‘Dear Abby’ column. IE, Sleepless in seattle, Worried about my job, Concerened Mom, etc.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
before Cardinal Ratzinger took the Papal Throne.
The Vatican Prophecy
June 9th, 2007 — denbigh
International Paranormal News
recently came across a 1996 interview involving Malachi Martin ,
former Vatican priest and prolific author of books relating to the workings of the Holy See.
Part of that interview produced a stunning and thought provoking statement.
Having listened to the full interview , lasting one hour , which dealt with Our Lady of Fatima and the Three Secrets of Fatima , International Paranormal News poses the following question:
Did Malachi Martin accidentally predict the name of the person to succeed Pope John Paul II?
Check here to view the Video
IPN created a Youtube audio / video of that part of the interview which may or may not be prophetic.
So…
Does Fr. Malachi Martin , without actually realising it ,
predict the person to succeed Pope John Paul II?
This interview took place in 1996 , 10 years before Pope Benedict XVI became Pontiff.
Fr. Malachi Martin , a prolific author , died in 1999 , 7 years before Cardinal Ratzinger took the Papal Throne.
Coincidence? A happy accident? A prophesy? Or was Fr. Malachi leaving us a message?
Question: Only one non-Papal clergy was mentioned , that name was Cardinal Ratzinger. Why?
Comments (and answers) welcomed
Fr. Malachi was a great beliver in the New World Order.
Windswept House , his final publication ( faction)
deals with how he saw the inner working of the Vatican in relation to World Affairs.
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Virgin Mary apparitions- Are they legitimate?
Virgin Mary apparitions- Are they legitimate?
Virgin Mary apparitions at Fatima, Portugal are one of the most well known, even among non-Catholics. In 1917, three shepherd girls saw a vision of a lady whom they presumed to be the Virgin Mary. The apparition came back six times with messages for the children to relay to the world. No one else saw the vision of the lady except for the children; however the people saw other manifestations, such as solar lights coming at them.
Because of the apparent solar manifestations, the people believed the words of the children and worshipped Mary.
This occurrence has merited the Catholic Church's stamp of approval as a legitimate supernatural event.
But was it Mary the mother of Jesus or was it something else?
Fatima was the name of Mohamed's daughter for whom the town was named. The town kept its name even after the Moors were defeated.
In David Vierra's e-book "The Virgin Mary," he presents compelling evidence that the apparition the children saw was a manifestation of a familiar spirit of Babylonian origin masquerading as Mary. The apparition supposedly identified itself not as Mary but as The Lady of the Rosary whom the children understood to be Mary, the mother of Jesus.
He also "proves" that the solar manifestations were UFO phenomenon.
What about the Virgin Mary sightings at Medjugorje? Pope John Paul II commended it. He has called for a Marian Church, a universal church under the headship of Mary. On August 1, 1989, he made this statement in Rome. "Today the world has lost its sense of the supernatural, but many are searching for it, and find it in Medjugorje. . ."
On the 25th of each month, Our Lady appears to the Medjugorje visionary Marija who then goes into a trance which sometimes can last up to 30 minutes. After the apparition leaves, Marija shares the message. Each message is concluded with "I am with you and bless you with my motherly blessing."
That sounds like New Age channeling. Who are the spirits that come through a medium in a channeling session? They are deceiving spirits sent from the Big Deceiver. They can say anything they wish and impersonate anyone they want in order to make themselves sound big and important, but it is still necromancy and condemned by God. In 1 Samuel 28:16, we learn why people seek after such things. It is because spirit of God has departed from them.
Learn More about the Virgin Mary!
You are here: Religion >> Blessed Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary: Primary Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church
The Blessed Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ.
In addition to her Biblical biography, there are three primary doctrines that the
Roman Catholic Church teaches about Mary:
(1) The Immaculate Conception,
(2) Mary as co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ,
and (3) The Assumption.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin.
She was a virgin when she conceived Christ, impregnated through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In 1854, four years before the apparitions of Mary at Lourdes, Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception which stated that "the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of Original Sin."
The Bible teaches that only Jesus Christ, the last Adam, was born without original sin, and all other men and women are born into original sin, inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12).
Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was a virgin during her entire lifetime.
Yet Matthew, a Jew writing to Jews, calls Jesus "her firstborn son"
(Matthew 1:25),
an expression used by Jews only if other children were born after the first one; otherwise, "only son" would have been used.
Scholars believe Matthew wrote his gospel about 35 years after the birth of Christ and he evidently knew that Mary had children after Jesus was born.
The Bible specifically says that Jesus had brothers and Matthew even tells us their names: "Isn't Mary known to be his mother, and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? Aren't his sisters our neighbors?" (
Matthew 13:55-56). Roman Catholic scholars claim that Matthew, Luke and Paul
(1 Corinthians 9:5) didn't mean brother when they said brother, but meant cousin. This view is based on the Greek word "adelphos," which can be translated "brother" or "cousin."
However, the Jews compared Jesus to His ordinary brothers in an attempt to question the validity of His ministry; it would have been much less compelling to compare Jesus with His cousins.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of Mary as Co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ
The most disturbing doctrine affords the Blessed Virgin Mary a place positionally as co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ.
In the words of Pope John Paul II:
"In union with Christ and in submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all humanity...
In God's plan, Mary is the 'woman' (cf. John 2:4; John 19:26), the New Eve, united to the New Adam in restoring humanity to its original dignity.
Her cooperation with her Son continues for all time in the universal motherhood, which she enjoys in the order of grace.
Trusting in this maternal cooperation, let us turn to Mary, imploring her help in all our needs."
There is no scriptural basis for placing Mary in a position as co-mediatrix for the church on earth.
Christ's words were also very clear on this point: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
The doctrine of Mary as co-mediatrix has never been declared by any pope while speaking "ex cathedra," or under the cloak of infallibility.
There is currently some pressure within Catholicism for the Holy See to issue such a statement.
However, the outcry from Protestantism would shake the foundations of Christianity around the globe, and would be tantamount to the Vatican launching a missile strike against the Ecumenical (Christian unity) movement.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of the Assumption
The Assumption is a doctrine that teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.
This process is called "translation" in the Bible and there are two notable examples in the scripture, Enoch (Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11).
At the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean met in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol.
The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."
There is no scriptural evidence to support or deny this doctrine as applied to Mary.
Blessed Virgin Mary: Model for Faith, Not Idol for Worship
If the admiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary becomes anything more than using her as a model of faith in God the Father, Roman Catholics delve into dangerous theological territory.
The tendency to elevate her to a position of divine status is alarming.
Mary can be a model (like Paul or Peter) for our faith, but she is not divine nor is she able to provide for our salvation. Jesus Christ alone is God and is the only person capable of enabling the salvation of all mankind.
The Word of God is explicit on this subject.
Virgin Mary apparitions at Fatima, Portugal are one of the most well known, even among non-Catholics. In 1917, three shepherd girls saw a vision of a lady whom they presumed to be the Virgin Mary. The apparition came back six times with messages for the children to relay to the world. No one else saw the vision of the lady except for the children; however the people saw other manifestations, such as solar lights coming at them.
Because of the apparent solar manifestations, the people believed the words of the children and worshipped Mary.
This occurrence has merited the Catholic Church's stamp of approval as a legitimate supernatural event.
But was it Mary the mother of Jesus or was it something else?
Fatima was the name of Mohamed's daughter for whom the town was named. The town kept its name even after the Moors were defeated.
In David Vierra's e-book "The Virgin Mary," he presents compelling evidence that the apparition the children saw was a manifestation of a familiar spirit of Babylonian origin masquerading as Mary. The apparition supposedly identified itself not as Mary but as The Lady of the Rosary whom the children understood to be Mary, the mother of Jesus.
He also "proves" that the solar manifestations were UFO phenomenon.
What about the Virgin Mary sightings at Medjugorje? Pope John Paul II commended it. He has called for a Marian Church, a universal church under the headship of Mary. On August 1, 1989, he made this statement in Rome. "Today the world has lost its sense of the supernatural, but many are searching for it, and find it in Medjugorje. . ."
On the 25th of each month, Our Lady appears to the Medjugorje visionary Marija who then goes into a trance which sometimes can last up to 30 minutes. After the apparition leaves, Marija shares the message. Each message is concluded with "I am with you and bless you with my motherly blessing."
That sounds like New Age channeling. Who are the spirits that come through a medium in a channeling session? They are deceiving spirits sent from the Big Deceiver. They can say anything they wish and impersonate anyone they want in order to make themselves sound big and important, but it is still necromancy and condemned by God. In 1 Samuel 28:16, we learn why people seek after such things. It is because spirit of God has departed from them.
Learn More about the Virgin Mary!
You are here: Religion >> Blessed Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary: Primary Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church
The Blessed Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ.
In addition to her Biblical biography, there are three primary doctrines that the
Roman Catholic Church teaches about Mary:
(1) The Immaculate Conception,
(2) Mary as co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ,
and (3) The Assumption.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin.
She was a virgin when she conceived Christ, impregnated through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In 1854, four years before the apparitions of Mary at Lourdes, Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception which stated that "the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of Original Sin."
The Bible teaches that only Jesus Christ, the last Adam, was born without original sin, and all other men and women are born into original sin, inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12).
Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was a virgin during her entire lifetime.
Yet Matthew, a Jew writing to Jews, calls Jesus "her firstborn son"
(Matthew 1:25),
an expression used by Jews only if other children were born after the first one; otherwise, "only son" would have been used.
Scholars believe Matthew wrote his gospel about 35 years after the birth of Christ and he evidently knew that Mary had children after Jesus was born.
The Bible specifically says that Jesus had brothers and Matthew even tells us their names: "Isn't Mary known to be his mother, and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? Aren't his sisters our neighbors?" (
Matthew 13:55-56). Roman Catholic scholars claim that Matthew, Luke and Paul
(1 Corinthians 9:5) didn't mean brother when they said brother, but meant cousin. This view is based on the Greek word "adelphos," which can be translated "brother" or "cousin."
However, the Jews compared Jesus to His ordinary brothers in an attempt to question the validity of His ministry; it would have been much less compelling to compare Jesus with His cousins.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of Mary as Co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ
The most disturbing doctrine affords the Blessed Virgin Mary a place positionally as co-mediatrix with Jesus Christ.
In the words of Pope John Paul II:
"In union with Christ and in submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all humanity...
In God's plan, Mary is the 'woman' (cf. John 2:4; John 19:26), the New Eve, united to the New Adam in restoring humanity to its original dignity.
Her cooperation with her Son continues for all time in the universal motherhood, which she enjoys in the order of grace.
Trusting in this maternal cooperation, let us turn to Mary, imploring her help in all our needs."
There is no scriptural basis for placing Mary in a position as co-mediatrix for the church on earth.
Christ's words were also very clear on this point: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
The doctrine of Mary as co-mediatrix has never been declared by any pope while speaking "ex cathedra," or under the cloak of infallibility.
There is currently some pressure within Catholicism for the Holy See to issue such a statement.
However, the outcry from Protestantism would shake the foundations of Christianity around the globe, and would be tantamount to the Vatican launching a missile strike against the Ecumenical (Christian unity) movement.
Blessed Virgin Mary: The Doctrine of the Assumption
The Assumption is a doctrine that teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.
This process is called "translation" in the Bible and there are two notable examples in the scripture, Enoch (Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11).
At the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean met in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol.
The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."
There is no scriptural evidence to support or deny this doctrine as applied to Mary.
Blessed Virgin Mary: Model for Faith, Not Idol for Worship
If the admiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary becomes anything more than using her as a model of faith in God the Father, Roman Catholics delve into dangerous theological territory.
The tendency to elevate her to a position of divine status is alarming.
Mary can be a model (like Paul or Peter) for our faith, but she is not divine nor is she able to provide for our salvation. Jesus Christ alone is God and is the only person capable of enabling the salvation of all mankind.
The Word of God is explicit on this subject.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
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The Believer's Authority and Victory!
By Raymond D. Sopp
2 Timothy 4:3: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but wanting to have their ears tickled,
they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires."
Oh how we love to sit under teaching that teach us about our authority and victory in Christ!
We'll travel for miles, fill stadiums and churches to the max.
We'll buy multiple tapes and books just to get our hands on this authority (power) and victory.
How seductive it is to hear that we can have anything we desire and move mountains with just a mustard seed of faith.
Victory over our circumstances, authority over our lives, all so we can custom design our lives into our OWN desired image.
However, if we were to closely examine the Holy Scriptures, we would begin to see this teaching to be inconsistent with both God's Word, and the lives of God's faithful who are depicted in the Bible.
My purpose with this commentary is not to completely denounce the teaching on authority and victory, but to try to bring a proper perspective to it.
Therefore, unlike some of the "Super-Apostles" of our day, I'll try to balance this teaching with a smidgen of stark reality.
The one thing we all must be careful of is not to fall into the trap of putting on our rose-colored glasses and refusing to ENDURE sound doctrine just because it is not what we want to hear.
We must be very careful not to allow the cares of this world and the desire for other things, to obscure the truth.
Endure -- what an interesting word the Apostle Paul chose to use in association with the phrase "sound doctrine."
When I looked up this word in the Greek Lexicon, the word "endure" was in the middle voice.
The middle voice implies an action taken by you in order to secure a desired outcome upon yourself.
Therefore, when Paul said, "endure sound doctrine,"
Paul implied that we must act upon ourselves in such a way as to cause ourselves to bear up with sound doctrine.
In other words, we must act upon ourselves so we will not turn away from sound doctrine simply because it is hard for us to embrace.
We must be willing to put aside that which we WANT to hear for that which we NEED to hear, i.e., sound doctrine. Paul, realizing this would be no easy thing for us to do, chose the word "endure", which demands much from us individually.
In the beginning, as I studied God's Word, the hardest thing for me to do was to lay aside my agenda in exchange for God's -- to desire God's will more than my own.
Matthew 16:24- 26: "Then Jesus said to His disciples,
‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.'"
Therefore, all of us must be determined in our hearts not to interpret Scripture through the eyes of our desire (flesh), but through the eyes of God's Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14:
"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."
From this verse of Scripture can we not come to the conclusion that the ways of the natural man are abhorrent to God, and God's ways are abhorrent to the natural man?
Therefore, we need to pray every day that we will rightly divide His Word, i.e.,
pray for God to help us ENDURE sound doctrine, understanding that our mind,
the way we thought and reasoned up to the time of our "born-again" experience, was HOSTILE to God's sound doctrine.
Keeping all this in mind, let us take another look at our authority in Christ.
Did you not immediately love this word authority?
Before you were saved, what did this word mean to you?
In other words, when you were a natural man/woman and you heard this word "authority", what kind of thoughts were conjured up in your mind?
Most likely your thoughts went right along with a definition I found in the Britannica-Webster dictionary:
"The right to give commands."
Can you not just close your eyes and imagine the power coursing through every ounce for your being?
Slaying and casting out demons on your right and on your left, healing the sick, raising the dead, commanding prosperity to come to you, and rebuking poverty.
I could go on, but I'm sure you get my point.
Not only is that what we see today in the church here in the USA, but we also see it propagated throughout churches all over the world.
Christians congregate by the tens of thousands to hear how they can get their every desire fulfilled.
Their ears "itch" to hear more as they rush in to gain this power, this authority.
They are willing to do, or give, whatever it takes to receive this power.
Just as Simon did in Acts 8:17-19, "Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying,
‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'" Simon was just "itching" for this power, this authority!
However, Simon did not get the response from Peter he hoped for.
As a matter fact, Peter's answer was rather rude.
Acts 8:20-23: "But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible,
the INTENTION of your heart may be forgiven you.
For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.'"
What was that -- his heart was not right before God?
Full of wickedness?
But all he wanted was the power to give whosoever the Holy Spirit.
What could be wrong with that?
The Holy Spirit is a good thing, right?
Healing and miracles are good things, right? The more people with the Holy Spirit the better, right? Or could it have been he wanted this power -- this authority -- so he could do with it whatever he wished?
You may say, "But Simon wanted to use the authority so he could profit by the Holy Spirit -- that is NOT me!" Well, now would be a good time to ask yourself a very serious question.
When you sought to obtain this authority, was it so you may receive this power to fulfill your wants, your desires, and your prosperity? If so, how does that really differ from Simon's motivations?
Let's take a look at what Jesus had to say about people using their authority with the wrong motive.
Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.'
" This is where we begin to understand what the right motivation should be.
As you can see, everything these people were doing appeared to be righteous and good, even saying, "Lord, Lord", but evidently there was literally a FATAL flaw in the exercising of their authority.
Remember, they did have authority and power; they were casting out demons and healing the sick. So what was this fatal flaw?
We have in this Scripture two very important clues.
First is the context that this portion of Scripture was placed in. The context, both before and after, pertain to obedience, i.e., the opposite of lawlessness -- the opposite of fruitlessness.
The second clue we have is Jesus' statement, "I never knew you."
You may ask,
"What role does obedience play in the use of the power and authority given to the believer?" It has everything to do with it!
Remember, power and authority was displayed in the verse above, but obviously that was not the mark of a believer.
The mark of a believer is found in John 14:23-24,
"Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.'
" What an awesome statement!
Jesus thought it so important that He added emphasis to it by saying, ". . . and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me." Yes, this came directly from God the Father, so do not even try to debate this point!
Why did Jesus place such importance on obedience?
Because, the mark that God looks for in a believer is a heart-felt willingness to lay aside his/her life, "crucifying" personal desires for God's.
John 14:30-31: "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.
Arise, let us go from here."
Jesus had both the power and authority to avoid His cross, but CHOSE to lay His desire aside for God's.
Matthew 26:52-54: "Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled (God's desire)?'"
Therefore, we must come to the conclusion that the only power and authority God recognizes is the power and authority which are placed in the confinement of His will. This brings me back to another definition of authority I found in the same dictionary, ". . . to carry out or enforce the commands of another." This is the definition we as Christians must cling to.
Matthew 8:8-9: "But the centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!' and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!' and he does it.'" The word I want you to focus on in this Scripture is the word "under."
To be "under" authority is having an authority under the authority of another. In other words, this authority which is given to us is to be used exclusively to fulfill the desires of the person from whom the authority originates. Which, in our case, is God Himself.
The following are some questions we can ask ourselves to see if we are operating UNDER God's authority or our own.
Do we start every day in prayer, asking God to lead us into His perfect will?
Jesus said in John 5:19, "Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them,
‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.'"
Jesus knew that His authority was only to be exercised in the confinement of God's will; therefore, He prayerfully and diligently sought His Father's will in everything. That's what the Bible means when it says the Father and the Son are one.
This brings me to our second clue, "I never knew you."
Could it be that they never really knew God, because they sought Him with the wrong motive -- to have their own desires fulfilled?
They never really sought God; they sought only the gift. And since they never really knew God, then Jesus also claimed not to know them.
Are you willing to close your prayer, your request, your exercise of power and authority with the words, ". . . nevertheless Your will be done?"
Luke 22:41-44: "And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.'
Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground."
Jesus choosing to resist using His power and authority to fulfill His own desire to escape His cross, sweated blood in order to say no to self, and yes to God.
Hebrews 5:8: "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." Jesus, endured sound doctrine!
Are you angry at, disappointed with, or quarreling with God right now because your wishes and/or desires are not being fulfilled?
If you are, this is the clearest indication of all that you're trying to exercise your power and authority for your own pleasures and/or desires, and therefore, you have a wrong heart and motive.
James 4:1-3: "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Now, let us define the word "victory".
Luke 16:19-25: "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day.
And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.'"
If you were to come upon this situation today, would you not be tempted to look upon the one that is living in ease as having victory and the one who is poor and sick as the one who NEEDED victory?
However, the above story clearly indicates that Lazarus was the one who had victory all along.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you must be poor to have victory; I'm saying victory cannot be defined by outward appearances. Victory in Christ has nothing to do with your portion in this life.
In conclusion,
using your power and authority outside the confinement of God's will --
even if it appears on the surface to be good -- is in reality rebellion;
and rebellion is the same as witchcraft.
1 Samuel 15:22-23: "And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination (witchcraft), and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.'"
As far as defining victory in Christ, I could not define it more beautifully than King David did in Psalm 17:14-15, ". .
. From men of the world, whose portion is in this life; and whose belly Thou dost fill with Thy treasure; they are satisfied with children, and leave their abundance to their babes.
As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake."
Do you, as with King David, define victory in your heart as standing before God in righteousness and being in God's likeness when you awake?
If so, you already have your VICTORY!
1 John 3:2:
"Beloved, NOW we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."
,
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Psalm 25
Psalm 25
Of David.
1[a] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Of David.
1[a] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Both public and private speaking in tongues are called speaking to God."
Praying In Tongues - Praying In The Holy Spirit
Ray Watson
The Scriptural Basis For The Gift Of Speaking In Tongues
The gift of speaking in tongues as promised by Jesus to His disciples (Mark 16:17, Luke 24:49)
•the sign of a believer
•the purpose of speaking in tongues
•public versus private use of tongues
Speaking In Tongues - A Sign Of A Believer In Jesus Christ
Speaking in tongues is perhaps one of the most controversial gifts in the Body of Christ today.
Jesus however specifically mentions tongues in Mark 16:17 as a sign of a believer, one who would follow Him. He also told His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Father, and be endued with power from on high. Of all the nine gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues is the only gift not already found in the Old Testament.
This is perhaps why Jesus mentions tongues as the sign of a New Testament believer. There are many people who wish Mark 16:17 wasn't there. Well, it's there. My heart grieves for the dear folk who have had a wonderful christian heritage, but have been denied this one truth.
My own personal experience of tongues has been one of power, wonderful deliverance, and intimate communion with the Lord. If Jesus told the New Testament disciples not to leave town without it, He must have had good reason.
We need the power of the Spirit.
Is Speaking In Tongues Necessary For Salvation?
No. When a person is "born again" by the Holy Spirit they are saved and have the nature of God in their spirit.
The Purpose Of Speaking In Tongues
Spiritual edification - 1 Corinthians 14:4, Jude 20
Speaking divine mysteries - 1 Corinthians 14:2
To magnify God - Acts 10:46
Praying according to the will of God - Romans 8:26,27
Giving thanks - 1 Corinthians 14:17
Strengthening our inner man - Ephesians 3:16
A sign to unbelievers - 1 Corinthians 14:22; Mark 16:17
Praying In The Holy Spirit
"A believer operating the manifestation of the spirit called tongues will be edified spiritually, spiritually built-up. He can operate this manifestation in two situations: in public and in private.
(1) The bulk of a believer's speaking in tongues is in his own private life. As such, speaking in tongues in private will be prayer or praise to the Father and, therefore is never interpreted. This prayer and praise is spoken of as "praying in the spirit." When you speak in tongues it is the spirit in you which is in direct communication with your heavenly Father, and as such your spirit is edified.
(2) A believer can speak in tongues publicly in a believer's meeting.
When a person publicly speaks in tongues, he must always interpret.
A public message is never a prayer however; it is a communication from God meant for the people present.
Both public and private speaking in tongues are called speaking to God." Redbay.com
I have written this brief article on tongues, because in many of the spontaneous songs that I have recorded there are times when I break forth into "singing in the spirit" or singing in the heavenly language of tongues.
I hope this helps answer some of the questions people may have.
If you have more questions about the biblical basis for speaking in tongues go here -
An Apologia - Objections, Questions & Answers to Praying in Tongues.
Ray Watson
The Scriptural Basis For The Gift Of Speaking In Tongues
The gift of speaking in tongues as promised by Jesus to His disciples (Mark 16:17, Luke 24:49)
•the sign of a believer
•the purpose of speaking in tongues
•public versus private use of tongues
Speaking In Tongues - A Sign Of A Believer In Jesus Christ
Speaking in tongues is perhaps one of the most controversial gifts in the Body of Christ today.
Jesus however specifically mentions tongues in Mark 16:17 as a sign of a believer, one who would follow Him. He also told His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Father, and be endued with power from on high. Of all the nine gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues is the only gift not already found in the Old Testament.
This is perhaps why Jesus mentions tongues as the sign of a New Testament believer. There are many people who wish Mark 16:17 wasn't there. Well, it's there. My heart grieves for the dear folk who have had a wonderful christian heritage, but have been denied this one truth.
My own personal experience of tongues has been one of power, wonderful deliverance, and intimate communion with the Lord. If Jesus told the New Testament disciples not to leave town without it, He must have had good reason.
We need the power of the Spirit.
Is Speaking In Tongues Necessary For Salvation?
No. When a person is "born again" by the Holy Spirit they are saved and have the nature of God in their spirit.
The Purpose Of Speaking In Tongues
Spiritual edification - 1 Corinthians 14:4, Jude 20
Speaking divine mysteries - 1 Corinthians 14:2
To magnify God - Acts 10:46
Praying according to the will of God - Romans 8:26,27
Giving thanks - 1 Corinthians 14:17
Strengthening our inner man - Ephesians 3:16
A sign to unbelievers - 1 Corinthians 14:22; Mark 16:17
Praying In The Holy Spirit
"A believer operating the manifestation of the spirit called tongues will be edified spiritually, spiritually built-up. He can operate this manifestation in two situations: in public and in private.
(1) The bulk of a believer's speaking in tongues is in his own private life. As such, speaking in tongues in private will be prayer or praise to the Father and, therefore is never interpreted. This prayer and praise is spoken of as "praying in the spirit." When you speak in tongues it is the spirit in you which is in direct communication with your heavenly Father, and as such your spirit is edified.
(2) A believer can speak in tongues publicly in a believer's meeting.
When a person publicly speaks in tongues, he must always interpret.
A public message is never a prayer however; it is a communication from God meant for the people present.
Both public and private speaking in tongues are called speaking to God." Redbay.com
I have written this brief article on tongues, because in many of the spontaneous songs that I have recorded there are times when I break forth into "singing in the spirit" or singing in the heavenly language of tongues.
I hope this helps answer some of the questions people may have.
If you have more questions about the biblical basis for speaking in tongues go here -
An Apologia - Objections, Questions & Answers to Praying in Tongues.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Little Green Men and Bible Interpretation
UFOs, Little Green Men and Bible Interpretation
The Bible.
God’s Word.
The sword of the Spirit.
The “word of truth.” The Lord’s holy book goes by many names.
And you can prove anything with the Scriptures. Do you realize that? You can prove anything with the Bible. What do you need to prove? Some people believe in ETs and space aliens. And even the Bible backs these beliefs.
It really does.
(So they say.) Like when Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot. That really wasn’t what you thought it was. Instead, it was an alien abduction.
And what of the wheels/discs that the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision? Or the "star" the Wisemen followed? Yep. You guessed it.
They were flying saucers. And then - do you really think our Lord went to heaven on a cloud when He ascended from the Mount of Olives? No way. He, too, was stolen away - by little green men.
(Where's Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when you need them?)
Which brings me to the very important subject of interpreting the Bible.
And the art of interpretation – you really do need to have it in your head what is a reasonable approach to extracting the meaning from the Word of God as opposed to imposing your own meaning upon it.
Do you know there’s a difference? (The big words in Bible school are “exegesis” versus “iesegesis.”)
And a great start to correctly interpreting the Bible is when you understand the Bible itself is a useful tool for interpretation.
And there are thousands of commentaries out there, but did you know what the best commentary on the Bible is?
It's the Bible!
The Bible really is a commentary on itself.
Do you have a good commentary?
If you have a Bible you do! And so the next time you need to interpret a verse or passage or chapter you should search the Scriptures for relevant portions that speak to the same topic and find out what they have to say which then you’ll have a good idea especially when it comes to some of the more challenging issues.
To sum it up, let the Bible interpret the Bible.
When you do, you’ll find your understanding of God’s Word going in the right direction. And you’ll come to realize the UFOs and little green men you thought you saw in the Scriptures weren’t really there after all.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15; KJV) (Picture above in the public domain: HERE.)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
You Can All Prophesy
You Can All Prophesy (Book) and
Defeating the Demon of Fear (CD)
By Dennis Cramer
Make the gift of prophecy a spiritual reality in your life!
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." 1 Corinthians 14:1
It is an historical fact first century Christians openly embraced and actively participated in the gift of prophecy. They were a very active prophetic laity.
These were not just a few, strange, unapproachable, mystical "prophetic types" sitting on mountaintops somewhere dressed in camel's hair, eating locust and honey, and hearing audible voices. Rather, the entire church body, every man and woman who named the name of Messiah Jesus understood and experienced the gift of prophecy. They were a prophetic people.
A similar prophetic movement among today's laity is precisely what God is once again restoring to the Church. He is developing a practical yet powerful Church in these last days -- again, a prophetic people. He is raising up a prophetic army, a prophetic nation to operate in powerful prophetic giftings. The original prophetic purpose and plan of God for the Body of Messiah is coming to pass in our generation!
Included with the book is the CD, Defeating the Demon of Fear which includes a three step solution to overcoming fear and a multitude of scripture directly related to defeating the demon of fear in your life.
Book - Softcover: 112 pages
CD - approximately 54 minutes in length
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
2. The Priest's Life Revolves around the Sacraments
The second presupposition was that the Roman Catholic sacraments gave, as our catechism books said, "outward signs of inward grace". Our mindset, in the words of
Canon 840, was that the sacraments "...contribute in the highest degree to the establishment, strengthening and manifestation of ecclesiastical communion".2
In fact, the sacraments themselves were for us the center of salvation and of sanctification.
For example, regarding confession to a priest, Canon 960 declared that it was "the only ordinary way by which the faithful person who is aware of serious sin is reconciled with God".
Rather than proclaiming the finished work of Christ Jesus as the answer to the problem of our sinful nature and personal sin record, our lives revolved around these physical signs.
Some of us were shocked to read in Dollinger (the most respected Roman Catholic historian) that the sacrament of penance (confession) was unknown in the West for 1,100 years and never known in the East.
Dollinger said, "So again with Penance.
What is given as the essential form of the sacrament was unknown in the Western Church for eleven hundred years, and never known in the Greek."3
How could this be? The bishops were declared to be high priests "first and foremost" (Canon 835).
Were not we as priests also declared to be dispensers of the sacramental system? In the light of God's Word, this was magic rather than the gospel message.
The New Testament has two signs as instituted by the Lord;
yet rather than the two signs,
center stage in the Bible is the proclaimed message.
But for us the sacraments themselves were of major importance.
Every day began with Mass.
Our doubts regarding the physical sacraments as central to our life with God began from experience.
Many of us, priests for many years, had baptized countless infants, and had said the words, "I absolve you," over countless heads. We had anointed many aged, sick and accident victims with the words, "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."
Year after year we saw the children we had baptized as infants grow up as pagan as the pagans on the mission field. The myriads of people over whose heads we had pronounced absolution came up off their knees as much sinners after our words as before them. When the sick and the aged were neither saved nor "raised up", it was then that some of us dared to check the Bible. Here we discovered: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The verses in Ephesians shocked us most of all. Our standard definitions of sacraments defined them as "works", as in the famous Canon 8 of the Council of Trent: "If anyone says that by the sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred ex opere operato [from the work worked], but that faith alone in the divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let him be anathema."4
It was difficult even to begin to doubt the sacraments. Much of our time was absorbed by these and other physical signs. During Lent or Holy Week, for example, we had to make arrangements for procuring and putting in order the newly blessed oils, the Pascal candle, the Pascal fire, the palms, the ashes from last year's palms, the processional cross, the thurible with its charcoals and incense, the purple, red and white vestments, and so on. How could any of us dare to hear the Lord's principle stated so clearly in John 6:63: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing."
But hear the words we did, as these testimonies bear witness. The Father drew us, showing us our own worthlessness and the sufficiency of his Word. As Jesus said to the Father, "Thy word is truth".(John 17:17).
3. Unfit Subjects for Honor
The last presupposition was the most deeply rooted within us. As a child, before ever wanting to become a priest, I had labored at being "holy". During Lent I would "offer up" candy and sweet drinks to be a better Catholic. I visited nine churches in one day praying alternately "Our Father" six times, "Hail Mary" six times and "Glory Be" six times in each church. Some of us played at being holy by giving white peppermints to our friends when they would kneel down, as if we were the priest giving communion.
As priests, most of us were very enthusiastic about Vatican Council II. When the documents were published, some of us preached from them. One of the most popular documents was "The Church in the Modern World". But when the excitement had calmed, those of us who studied it saw the same message we had lived and preached. Paragraph. 14 states, "...Nevertheless man has been wounded by sin... When he is drawn to think about his real self he turns to those deep recesses of his being where God who probes the heart awaits him, and where he himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God." Paragraph. 17 continues, "Since human freedom has been weakened by sin it is only by the help of God's grace that man can give his actions their full and proper relationship to God."5
This type of modern teaching seemed very much like the old message. The old message was also contained in Vatican Council II documents in a less popular document, No. 6, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Paragraph. 6 which states: From the most ancient times in the Church good works were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners, particularly the works which human weakness finds hard...
Indeed, the prayers and good works of holy people were regarded as of such great value that it could be asserted that the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people."6
All these teachings were endorsed by messages at Lourdes and at Fatima. That many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and to do penance for them was part of our third and biggest presupposition. Grace was, of course, presupposed; but it is you who by means of your suffering and good works merit salvation for yourself and for others.
This is the net in which all of us who lived the works gospel so intensely were most deeply entangled by Roman Catholicism. This two-fold presupposition; that we were somehow holy and right before a holy God because we had prayed and suffered, and that we would continue as holy and righteous men to practise our religion, became our biggest undoing.
Mankind's Condition Before The Holy God Christ Jesus describes man's nature. "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:20-23). See also Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things; and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Both Old and New Testaments tell us that we are spiritually dead to God. Adam's sin brought death (Genesis 2:17). Ezekiel states, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20) and Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." We are not simply "wounded" as Roman Catholics believe. We are spiritually dead.
The Biblical Message of Salvation We find the remedy for this situation in both Old and New Testaments. The prophet Isaiah declares: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all". Peter and John tell us: "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot". "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I Peter 1:18-19, I John 2:2)
The Bible clearly states that salvation was Christ's work and his alone: ". . .by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
Romans 3:26 says that God is "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus". One is saved by God's work. Salvation is God's majestic, finished work. Woven through these testimonies is the same scarlet thread of God's sovereign grace. Before him, each person is dead in sin. By grace one is saved, through faith.
What the Bible has to say about priesthood becomes crystal clear in these personal testimonies of men who experienced both the false and the true priesthood (the priesthood of every believer in the once for all sacrifice of Christ Jesus).
The best summary of what happened to these men in the Roman Catholic priesthood is found in the words of Paul in II Corinthians 4:1-2: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Richard Bennett was trained by the Jesuits all of his elementary and high school years in Ireland, where he was born. He had eight years of intense education and formation by the Dominican Order, finishing at the Angelicum University in Rome, Italy, in 1964. He spent twenty-one years as a Roman Catholic priest in Trinidad, West Indies.
In 1986, he was saved by God's grace alone and formally left the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood. He is married and settled in Portland, Oregon. Since 1990, he has been director of the evangelistic outreach, Berean Beacon, whose primary task is to evangelize the lost, particularly Roman Catholics, and to inform evangelical Christians by speaking and by distributing literature and tapes concerning Roman Catholicism.
In 1994, he published the book, Far from Rome, Near to God: The Testimonies of Fifty Former Catholic Priests, of which he and Martin Buckingham of England are the editors. The book is presently in its second edition and is published by The Banner of Truth Trust. It is also published in Italian, and Polish, and will soon be available in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. He has also published The Truth Set us Free: Twenty Former Nuns Tell Their Stories. He has written several tracts for evangelizing Roman Catholics, available in Spanish, English, and other languages.
Mr. Bennett and his wife are members of Reformed Baptist Fellowship of Portland, Oregon. To contact him, write him c/o Berean Beacon, P. O. Box 55353, Portland, OR 97238, e-mail him at bereanbennett@juno.com or call 503-257-5995. [Bro. Bennett also has a website].
The second presupposition was that the Roman Catholic sacraments gave, as our catechism books said, "outward signs of inward grace". Our mindset, in the words of
Canon 840, was that the sacraments "...contribute in the highest degree to the establishment, strengthening and manifestation of ecclesiastical communion".2
In fact, the sacraments themselves were for us the center of salvation and of sanctification.
For example, regarding confession to a priest, Canon 960 declared that it was "the only ordinary way by which the faithful person who is aware of serious sin is reconciled with God".
Rather than proclaiming the finished work of Christ Jesus as the answer to the problem of our sinful nature and personal sin record, our lives revolved around these physical signs.
Some of us were shocked to read in Dollinger (the most respected Roman Catholic historian) that the sacrament of penance (confession) was unknown in the West for 1,100 years and never known in the East.
Dollinger said, "So again with Penance.
What is given as the essential form of the sacrament was unknown in the Western Church for eleven hundred years, and never known in the Greek."3
How could this be? The bishops were declared to be high priests "first and foremost" (Canon 835).
Were not we as priests also declared to be dispensers of the sacramental system? In the light of God's Word, this was magic rather than the gospel message.
The New Testament has two signs as instituted by the Lord;
yet rather than the two signs,
center stage in the Bible is the proclaimed message.
But for us the sacraments themselves were of major importance.
Every day began with Mass.
Our doubts regarding the physical sacraments as central to our life with God began from experience.
Many of us, priests for many years, had baptized countless infants, and had said the words, "I absolve you," over countless heads. We had anointed many aged, sick and accident victims with the words, "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."
Year after year we saw the children we had baptized as infants grow up as pagan as the pagans on the mission field. The myriads of people over whose heads we had pronounced absolution came up off their knees as much sinners after our words as before them. When the sick and the aged were neither saved nor "raised up", it was then that some of us dared to check the Bible. Here we discovered: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The verses in Ephesians shocked us most of all. Our standard definitions of sacraments defined them as "works", as in the famous Canon 8 of the Council of Trent: "If anyone says that by the sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred ex opere operato [from the work worked], but that faith alone in the divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let him be anathema."4
It was difficult even to begin to doubt the sacraments. Much of our time was absorbed by these and other physical signs. During Lent or Holy Week, for example, we had to make arrangements for procuring and putting in order the newly blessed oils, the Pascal candle, the Pascal fire, the palms, the ashes from last year's palms, the processional cross, the thurible with its charcoals and incense, the purple, red and white vestments, and so on. How could any of us dare to hear the Lord's principle stated so clearly in John 6:63: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing."
But hear the words we did, as these testimonies bear witness. The Father drew us, showing us our own worthlessness and the sufficiency of his Word. As Jesus said to the Father, "Thy word is truth".(John 17:17).
3. Unfit Subjects for Honor
The last presupposition was the most deeply rooted within us. As a child, before ever wanting to become a priest, I had labored at being "holy". During Lent I would "offer up" candy and sweet drinks to be a better Catholic. I visited nine churches in one day praying alternately "Our Father" six times, "Hail Mary" six times and "Glory Be" six times in each church. Some of us played at being holy by giving white peppermints to our friends when they would kneel down, as if we were the priest giving communion.
As priests, most of us were very enthusiastic about Vatican Council II. When the documents were published, some of us preached from them. One of the most popular documents was "The Church in the Modern World". But when the excitement had calmed, those of us who studied it saw the same message we had lived and preached. Paragraph. 14 states, "...Nevertheless man has been wounded by sin... When he is drawn to think about his real self he turns to those deep recesses of his being where God who probes the heart awaits him, and where he himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God." Paragraph. 17 continues, "Since human freedom has been weakened by sin it is only by the help of God's grace that man can give his actions their full and proper relationship to God."5
This type of modern teaching seemed very much like the old message. The old message was also contained in Vatican Council II documents in a less popular document, No. 6, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Paragraph. 6 which states: From the most ancient times in the Church good works were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners, particularly the works which human weakness finds hard...
Indeed, the prayers and good works of holy people were regarded as of such great value that it could be asserted that the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people."6
All these teachings were endorsed by messages at Lourdes and at Fatima. That many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and to do penance for them was part of our third and biggest presupposition. Grace was, of course, presupposed; but it is you who by means of your suffering and good works merit salvation for yourself and for others.
This is the net in which all of us who lived the works gospel so intensely were most deeply entangled by Roman Catholicism. This two-fold presupposition; that we were somehow holy and right before a holy God because we had prayed and suffered, and that we would continue as holy and righteous men to practise our religion, became our biggest undoing.
Mankind's Condition Before The Holy God Christ Jesus describes man's nature. "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:20-23). See also Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things; and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Both Old and New Testaments tell us that we are spiritually dead to God. Adam's sin brought death (Genesis 2:17). Ezekiel states, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20) and Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." We are not simply "wounded" as Roman Catholics believe. We are spiritually dead.
The Biblical Message of Salvation We find the remedy for this situation in both Old and New Testaments. The prophet Isaiah declares: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all". Peter and John tell us: "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot". "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I Peter 1:18-19, I John 2:2)
The Bible clearly states that salvation was Christ's work and his alone: ". . .by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
Romans 3:26 says that God is "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus". One is saved by God's work. Salvation is God's majestic, finished work. Woven through these testimonies is the same scarlet thread of God's sovereign grace. Before him, each person is dead in sin. By grace one is saved, through faith.
What the Bible has to say about priesthood becomes crystal clear in these personal testimonies of men who experienced both the false and the true priesthood (the priesthood of every believer in the once for all sacrifice of Christ Jesus).
The best summary of what happened to these men in the Roman Catholic priesthood is found in the words of Paul in II Corinthians 4:1-2: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Richard Bennett was trained by the Jesuits all of his elementary and high school years in Ireland, where he was born. He had eight years of intense education and formation by the Dominican Order, finishing at the Angelicum University in Rome, Italy, in 1964. He spent twenty-one years as a Roman Catholic priest in Trinidad, West Indies.
In 1986, he was saved by God's grace alone and formally left the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood. He is married and settled in Portland, Oregon. Since 1990, he has been director of the evangelistic outreach, Berean Beacon, whose primary task is to evangelize the lost, particularly Roman Catholics, and to inform evangelical Christians by speaking and by distributing literature and tapes concerning Roman Catholicism.
In 1994, he published the book, Far from Rome, Near to God: The Testimonies of Fifty Former Catholic Priests, of which he and Martin Buckingham of England are the editors. The book is presently in its second edition and is published by The Banner of Truth Trust. It is also published in Italian, and Polish, and will soon be available in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. He has also published The Truth Set us Free: Twenty Former Nuns Tell Their Stories. He has written several tracts for evangelizing Roman Catholics, available in Spanish, English, and other languages.
Mr. Bennett and his wife are members of Reformed Baptist Fellowship of Portland, Oregon. To contact him, write him c/o Berean Beacon, P. O. Box 55353, Portland, OR 97238, e-mail him at bereanbennett@juno.com or call 503-257-5995. [Bro. Bennett also has a website].
"36 REASONS WHY I AM NOT A ROMAN CATHOLIC
THE TESTIMONY OF -- BRO. C.V. VADAVANA
satyam_india@yahoo.com
Before my conversion, I was a Roman Catholic monk for eleven (11) years as a follower of St. Francis of Assissi. I was born and brought up in a Roman Catholic family. After completing my basic secular study, I joined the seminary. After four more years of training I took the vows for obedience, celibacy and poverty as a follower of St. Francis of Assissi. In 1980 I took the final vows in the presence of the Provincial of our congregation. While I was continuing my life as a monk, by God's providence I read a Gospel tract in 1984 and I was convicted of my sins. I realized my need for my salvation through Jesus Christ. I understood that salvation is by grace alone and not by works. I made my decision for Christ and His Gospel and then I decided to leave the monastery.
When I left the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church in 1985, my superior priest gave me 153 Indian rupees as a gift. That was the initial investment of Sathyam Publications. With that money, the first tract was printed and distributed. That was the beginning of a revolution in the Christian literature ministry.
The Lord gave me a deep urge to proclaim the truth to as many as I can. I sought fellowship with mature Christians. Then I was baptized and joined the local assembly and continued my study of the Word. I was convinced of the power of the printed page and the Lord gave me the motto of my mission: "Winning Souls through Christian Literature."
The Vision the Lord has given me
During the first five years after my conversion the Lord enabled me to write and publish 10 books and a total of 18 books up to the time writing this testimony. The Lord honored my desire to extend my ministry outside the local area and the Sathyam Literature Service Trust ("SLS") was born in the year 1988 with a vision to reach out with the Gospel on an all-India basis by mass production and distribution of Christian literature. SLS is a charitable Christian trust with five board members. So far SLS has published 214 solid Christian books. Quite a few are hardbacks. In addition, the Lord entrusted me with the responsibility to be the chief editor of "Jeeva Vachanam." This is a Christian periodical in the Malayalam language which is circulated every two weeks to over 4,500 Indians in India, the U.S.A., and the Arabian Gulf.
In 1998 SLS introduced a mobile literature unit(a fully equipped bus with five evangelists) for operation on every day of the year on an all India basis. I am also an evangelist commended by the Christian Brethren Assembly, Ullayam, Kerala.
The Lord has led me miraculously step by step from the day of my conversion about 16 years ago. My focus is still on the Roman Catholics, especially those in India.
The first booklet I published, "36 REASONS WHY I AM NOT A ROMAN CATHOLIC" was reprinted five times over and circulated to the Catholics in India. Further, I wrote and published eight other books to expose the wrong teachings of the Roman Catholicism.
For further information about our ministry, we invite you to visit us at http://www.Sathyam.org
SATHYAM LITERATURE SERVICE TRUST
WESTERN COMPLEX, TIRUVALLA
KERALA, INDIA 689 101
TEL: 011-91-473-634-252
FAX: 011-91-473-635-386
Monday, May 3, 2010
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder
Deuteronomy 13
Worshiping Other Gods
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder
14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
" 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19 " 'Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
" 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 13
Worshiping Other Gods
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place,
in Mejori,
The Medjugorje Web is dedicated to providing information about one of the most amazing and important supernatural events of our time. Since 1981, in a small village named Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina (map), The Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In her own words she tells us, "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God".
Since the apparitions began in 1981, millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Countless unbelievers and physically or mentally afflicted, have been converted and healed. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones, to investigate with an open mind and heart the events which are occurring in Medjugorje. I invite you to explore all the information contained on this Web Site, and decide for yourself whether you will answer Our Lady's call from Heaven. More...
or fatama ..
Jacinta and Francisco Marto are pictured with their cousin Lucia dos Santos (right) in a file photo taken around the time of the 1917 apparitions
Our Lady of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora de Fátima) (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfatimɐ]) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary with respect to reported apparitions of her to three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins, siblings Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also sometimes used in reference to the same apparition (although it was first used in 1208 for the reported apparition in the church of Prouille), because the children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as the "Lady of the Rosary". It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e. Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima). The events at Fatima gained particular fame due to their elements of prophecy and eschatology, particularly with regard to possible world war and the conversion of Russia.[1] The reported apparitions at Fatima were officially declared "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church.
The Story of Fatima Back to Top
At Fatima, Our Lady called the world to prayer, penitence and conversion of heart. She chose as her ambassadors three village children: Lucia dos Santos, who died in 2005, and her two cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, who died during childhood from influenza.
An official history of the apparitions posted on the shrine’s Web site (www.santuario-fatima.pt/portal) notes that on May 13, 1917, after praying the rosary, as was the custom of the three children, they were playing when: “Suddenly they saw a brilliant light, and thinking it to be lightning, they decided to go home. But as they went down the slope another flash lit up the place, and they saw on the top of a [hill]…‘a Lady more brilliant than the sun,’ from whose hands hung a white rosary.”
or the lady of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mesoamerica, the New World, 1521: The capital city of the Aztec empire falls under the Spanish forces. Less than 20 years later, 9 million of the inhabitants of the land, who professed for centuries a polytheistic and human sacrificing religion, are converted to Christianity. What happened in those times that produced such an incredible and historically unprecedented conversion?
In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a humble Native American at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.
She identified herself as the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth.
She made a request for a church to be built on the site, and submitted her wish to the local Bishop. When the Bishop hesitated, and requested her for a sign, the Mother of God obeyed without delay or question to the Church's local Bishop, and sent her native messenger to the top of the hill in mid-December to gather an assorment of roses for the Bishop.
After complying to the Bishop's request for a sign, She also left for us an image of herself imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 478 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.
It apparently even reflects in Her eyes what was in front of her in 1531.
Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Her. Yearly, between 18 - 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica, making it Christianity's most visited sanctuary.
Altogether 25 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Pope John Paul II, in his homily from the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent.
During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.
The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow.
You must purge the evil from among you.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [d] and an honest hin. [e] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "
Worshiping Other Gods
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder
14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
" 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19 " 'Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
" 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 13
Worshiping Other Gods
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place,
in Mejori,
The Medjugorje Web is dedicated to providing information about one of the most amazing and important supernatural events of our time. Since 1981, in a small village named Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina (map), The Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In her own words she tells us, "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God".
Since the apparitions began in 1981, millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Countless unbelievers and physically or mentally afflicted, have been converted and healed. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones, to investigate with an open mind and heart the events which are occurring in Medjugorje. I invite you to explore all the information contained on this Web Site, and decide for yourself whether you will answer Our Lady's call from Heaven. More...
or fatama ..
Jacinta and Francisco Marto are pictured with their cousin Lucia dos Santos (right) in a file photo taken around the time of the 1917 apparitions
Our Lady of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora de Fátima) (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfatimɐ]) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary with respect to reported apparitions of her to three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins, siblings Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also sometimes used in reference to the same apparition (although it was first used in 1208 for the reported apparition in the church of Prouille), because the children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as the "Lady of the Rosary". It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e. Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima). The events at Fatima gained particular fame due to their elements of prophecy and eschatology, particularly with regard to possible world war and the conversion of Russia.[1] The reported apparitions at Fatima were officially declared "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church.
The Story of Fatima Back to Top
At Fatima, Our Lady called the world to prayer, penitence and conversion of heart. She chose as her ambassadors three village children: Lucia dos Santos, who died in 2005, and her two cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, who died during childhood from influenza.
An official history of the apparitions posted on the shrine’s Web site (www.santuario-fatima.pt/portal) notes that on May 13, 1917, after praying the rosary, as was the custom of the three children, they were playing when: “Suddenly they saw a brilliant light, and thinking it to be lightning, they decided to go home. But as they went down the slope another flash lit up the place, and they saw on the top of a [hill]…‘a Lady more brilliant than the sun,’ from whose hands hung a white rosary.”
or the lady of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mesoamerica, the New World, 1521: The capital city of the Aztec empire falls under the Spanish forces. Less than 20 years later, 9 million of the inhabitants of the land, who professed for centuries a polytheistic and human sacrificing religion, are converted to Christianity. What happened in those times that produced such an incredible and historically unprecedented conversion?
In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a humble Native American at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.
She identified herself as the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth.
She made a request for a church to be built on the site, and submitted her wish to the local Bishop. When the Bishop hesitated, and requested her for a sign, the Mother of God obeyed without delay or question to the Church's local Bishop, and sent her native messenger to the top of the hill in mid-December to gather an assorment of roses for the Bishop.
After complying to the Bishop's request for a sign, She also left for us an image of herself imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 478 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.
It apparently even reflects in Her eyes what was in front of her in 1531.
Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Her. Yearly, between 18 - 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica, making it Christianity's most visited sanctuary.
Altogether 25 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Pope John Paul II, in his homily from the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent.
During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.
The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow.
You must purge the evil from among you.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [d] and an honest hin. [e] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "
will 5 hail marie's and 5 our father's do it... NO.. that's a Roman Catholic LIE
11 " 'Do not steal.
" 'Do not lie.
" 'Do not deceive one another.
12 " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13 " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
" 'Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
" 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19 " 'Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
" 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
" 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
20 " 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.
23 " 'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. [b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden [c] ; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
" 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 " 'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.
33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [d] and an honest hin. [e] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "
" 'Do not lie.
" 'Do not deceive one another.
12 " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13 " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
" 'Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
" 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19 " 'Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
" 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
" 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
20 " 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.
23 " 'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. [b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden [c] ; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
" 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 " 'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.
33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [d] and an honest hin. [e] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "
false wittness.. ok in the roman catholic church
Witnesses
15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.
18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother,
19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.
20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.
21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.
18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother,
19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.
20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.
21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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