Missionary Organizations and the Counter Reformation

Posted on December 20, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, saints

A couple of days ago, I was checking out missionary organizations online, curious to see what mission fields are considered priority right now.

One organization I checked out was SIM, an “international interdenominational mission” headquartered in South Carolina. Established in 1893, the acronym originally stood for Soudan (Sudan) Interior Mission, and, in 2015, the organization claimed to have had more than 2000 missionaries serving in over 65 countries on 6 continents.

On SIM’s website, under the menu tab, “Where Can I Serve?” was a page that broke the world down into three geographical areas: Africa and Europe, The Americas, and Asia Pacific. Under Europe and Africa, I was mildly surprised to see that the only European country listed was France. Germany, where I live and serve, did not appear; and all the other countries under this heading were African nations.

Because Europe is Roman Catholic, and because I am an evangelist here in Germany, where Roman Catholicism is very strong (Pope Benedict XVI is German), I had to know why France made the list, but not Germany. I therefore read SIM’s country and ministry profile for France. Following is their description of the religious situation there:

“France is one of the countries where the Reformation started. The Roman Catholic Church has played a predominant role in French society and mentalities in the past. Anti-religious sentiments have developed in France since the 1970’s and in 1999, those who labeled themselves as French evangelicals were labeled a “sect” by a government commission. There are 36,550 cities, towns, and villages in France, and 35,000 of them do not have an Evangelical church.

“Meanwhile Islam has seen strong growth. For each evangelical Christian in France, there are ten practicing Muslims. France has developed the reputation as a “missionary graveyard.” It is one of the least evangelized countries in the world—only 0.4% of the country are Evangelical Christian. It is both essential and urgent that everything be put into place so that the Gospel is preached with strength and vigor.”

A closer contextual examination of these statements will reveal a serious flaw in SIM’s evangelical focus. First, it is important to understand that Roman Catholicism is not Christianity, but a pagan system of idolatry that centers on the worship of an idol called the Virgin Mary and a piece of bread called the Eucharist that Roman Catholics believe is Jesus Christ Himself. It should also be understood that the highest authority in The Roman Catholic Church is not the Lord Jesus Christ, but a man called the Pope, who is considered God on earth.

1. “France is one of the countries were the Reformation started.”

The problem with this statement is that many Christians have no idea what the Reformation was, and are thus unaware of the importance of this movement and its effect on Europe and the world. Such a cursory treatment of the subject is therefore totally ineffective for helping perspective missionaries to understand the urgent need of evangelism in France.

The Reformation was the movement that began in 1517, when the courageous Roman Catholic priest, Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses to the door of All Saints Church at Wittenberg, Germany. Because Luther protested against the many excesses and abuses of power of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther and his followers were called Protestants, and the movement that emerged from his bold act became known as the Protestant Reformation. The Middle Ages, the time in Europe’s history when the Reformation began, was also known as the Dark Ages, so called because the Roman Catholic Church had nearly completely extinguished the light of the Gospel.

The Catholic Church claims that its pope is God on earth and that its priests also hold the place of God. This belief is the source of the Catholic Church’s tremendous power and is the reason it can set up and depose kings and queens at its leisure. During the Dark Ages, the only Bibles that were allowed by the Church were in Latin, which most people couldn’t understand. The laity were also forbidden to read the Bible, and it was forbidden to translate the Bible into the language of the common people. Because Luther and the early reformers preached the Gospel from the Bible, and taught that Jesus did away with earthly priests and is, in fact, the High Priest of the New Covenant, the Reformation threatened the power of the Vatican. Moreover, Luther, Tyndale, and other reformers translated the Bible into English, German, and other languages, and with Gutenberg’s movable type, which also came out of the Reformation, for the first time in history, the Bible became widely available to the common people in their own language, and anyone who wanted to know the truth (and was willing to risk his life to learn it), could know it.

With the truth of the Gospel for the first time available to the common man, Rome’s power over the people through fear, ignorance, and superstition was really threatened. In retaliation, Rome launched the Counter-Reformation, a movement to destroy Christianity and the Word of God. One way the Catholic Church is attempting to do this is by infiltrating the true Christian Church with Roman Catholic doctrine and by supplanting Reformation Bibles with thousands of corrupted Catholic-influenced Bibles which alter the true Word of God. Led by the Society of Jesus, a ruthless organization sworn to destroy Christianity and bring the world under the iron fist of the Papacy, the Counter Reformation is in full swing today and has nearly come to fruition.

 

2. “The Roman Catholic Church has played a predominant role in French society and mentalities…”

This is a gross understatement. The Roman Catholic Church played much more than merely a predominant role in French society. The Roman Catholic Church ordered all of French society. The Roman Catholic Church was all-present, all pervasive, and all-encompassing in the life of all of Europe. Priests took an active role in government, and with few exceptions, all European monarchs were totally subservient to the Roman Catholic pope, who had the power to depose any ruler at his leisure. If a king or queen would not recognize his authority, the pope would merely order all Roman Catholics to disregard the king’s authority, and the monarch’s reign was effectively ended. Several kings were, in fact, excommunicated and deposed by popes.

Through the Confessional, where Catholics confess their sins to a priest in order to have them “absolved,” the priests were privy to even the most intimate details of all Catholic marriages and used their influence to manage the minutest aspects of Catholic families. This practice continues today and through it, the priests wield the same power and influence over Catholics’ lives today.

“…In the past.”

The statement that the Roman Catholic Church has only wielded its influence in France “in the past,” is also very misleading, as it implies that Rome wields no influence in France at the present time. But, just as the Roman Catholic Church was all-present, all-pervasive, and all-encompassing in Europe during the Dark Ages, so is the Roman Catholic Church all-present, all-pervasive and all-encompassing in the 21st Century. Even today, if you drive down the highway in any country in Europe—especially in Germany and France—you will immediately notice that the largest and tallest building in all the little villages dotting the landscape will be a Catholic church. In Munich, Germany, for example, the city’s most famous landmark, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) often appears in many logos, while the official logo for the city of Munich is a Dominican monk.
3. Anti-religious sentiments have developed in France since the 1970’s and in 1999, those who labeled themselves as French evangelicals were labeled a “sect” by a government commission.

This statement is so misleading that it almost borders on a lie. There is no anti-religious sentiment in France, as the French are nothing if not religious. Anti-religious sentiment SIM is talking about is really anti-Protestant hatred.

It must be understood that the Roman Catholic Council of Trent (1545-1563) condemned all Protestants as heretics and placed them under one hundred twenty-five curses. Under Tridentine doctrine, heretics deserve to die and it is no crime to kill a heretic. As a result of this doctrine, Protestants have been persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church in France, Europe, and the world over for over a thousand years, and this persecution is indelibly recorded in French history. For example, when the Catholic Church succeeded in persuading King Louis XIV of France to revoke the Edict of Nantz, a decree granting religious tolerance to French Protestants, the Roman Catholics in France subsequently went on a killing spree, ultimately murdering over 200,000 Protestants.

The majority of popes have been French, and most of the murderous Crusades were led by French kings, including the Waldensian/Albigensian Crusade of 1208 against the Waldenses, a French Protestant people named for their leader, Peter Waldo. Led by Simon DeMontfort, this crusade so obliterated the Waldenses that it was said of DeMontfort that he “not only destroyed a people, but a literature.”
4. “Meanwhile Islam has seen strong growth. For each evangelical Christian in France, there are ten practicing Muslims. France has developed the reputation as a “missionary graveyard.”

Given that France is a Roman Catholic country—and the Roman Catholic Church wields a lot of power today—then no matter how much Islam grows, it will never overtake Roman Catholicism, even with the huge influx of Muslims into the country in recent decades. For every Muslim in France, therefore, there are probably one thousand practicing Catholics.

It should also be noted that many Muslim immigrants are really baptized Catholics: a fact that the media rarely covers. This is especially true of immigrants from former French colonial possessions such as Morocco and Lebanon. While not all such Muslims are practicing Catholics, it is true that many Muslims attend Roman Catholic mass. For example, one Sunday evening a couple of years ago, my family and I were strolling along the pedestrian shopping area at Marienplatz, here in Munich, when, on a whim, I opened the door of the Catholic Church of St. Michael and gazed in. The very moment I opened the door, an apparently Turkish family walked out, and a woman in the family was wearing the black garb commonly associated with Islam. If I were not already aware that some Muslims are actually practicing Catholics, I would have been very surprised.

Roman Catholics and Muslims actually have a lot in common. In Turkey, for example, Roman Catholics and Muslims have a joint shrine called the House of Mother Mary, believed by both Roman Catholics and Muslims to have been the final abode of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of Muslims make the pilgrimage to the city of Ephesus in Turkey every year to visit the shrine.

So, while Islam may be gaining influence in France, Islam is no threat to Roman Catholicism, as Roman Catholicism and Islam have always been able to coexist. The greatest challenge to Christian evangelism in France, therefore, is not Islam, but Roman Catholicism.

Bottom line: The growing influence of Islam notwithstanding, France will always be Roman Catholic. The historic enmity between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is the real reason France is a missionary graveyard, as the Council of Trent condemns all Bible-believing Christians as heretics, and Trent is the basis of the Roman Catechism, which every Roman Catholic must learn and follow. Roman Catholics therefore fear and hate the gospel message.

Given all this, it is very troubling that SIM does not consider evangelizing Roman Catholics a mission priority for France.

SIM’s reticence to evangelize Roman Catholics is not restricted to France. Of Australia’s over 24 million inhabitants (according to the November 2015 census), the majority are Roman Catholic (Encyclopedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, Vol. I Micropedia, p. 712 “Australia.”). Yet, SIM chooses to focus its evangelism efforts on the 1.3 million foreign students:

”With more than 25 percent of university students (total 1.3 million enrolled) coming from overseas, Australia has the highest concentration of international students in the world. A notable trend is that foreign students are proving more responsive to the gospel than Australians. Praise God for this open door.”

In that the vast majority of Australians are Roman Catholics, SIM’s decision to target foreign students, who make up only 4% of the total population, is tragic at best. SIM also neglects the indigenous population, the Aboriginals, most of whom are baptized Roman Catholics.

But it gets worse. Under “The State Religion” we read:

“Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus: More than 1.4 million Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus live in Australia. Pray for churches and Christians to overcome fears and prejudice and share the gospel effectively.”

If the majority of Australians are Roman Catholic, and Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus constitute less than 4% of the population, then, clearly “The State Religion” is Roman Catholicism. Again, SIM ignores the clear evidence that their evangelism efforts ought to be directed towards Roman Catholics and expends their energy on a small minority of the population, who are no more lost than the majority of Australians.

But if you think SIM missed the mark with France and Australia, look how SIM describes the ministry needs of the United States:

“The United States is a nation of immigrants with a great diversity of ethnic origins. Her history and vast space create a spirit of individualism and independence in her people. Though its modern history begins with Christians seeking religious freedom, and despite several outstanding seasons of spiritual awakening in the past, the nation has nevertheless become highly materialistic and consumer-oriented.” [boldface mine.]

This is absolutely incredible. The problem with America is not materialism or consumerism. As in France, Australia, and most every other country in the world, the problem with America is Roman Catholicism.

The majority of America’s immigrants have historically been from Roman Catholic countries, and, like, France, though recent years have seen a marked increase in Muslim immigration, Roman Catholicism is and will always be the largest and most influential religion in America. It should be noted that the Roman Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D. C., has been billed as “A Church For National Purposes.” In layman’s terms, this means a national church. If the national Church is Roman Catholic, then the national religion is Roman Catholicism. The Capital, seat of the national government, looks like a replica of the Vatican replete with an obelisk out front. You may also find it interesting that the Roman Catholic Church dedicated America to the “Immaculate Heart of Mary” in 1947, and, since then, the United States, like all Roman Catholic countries, even has its own patron saint called Our Lady of America. America is Roman Catholic.

If SIM were truly a Christian organization, then they would recognize the need for Roman Catholics to be evangelized in America. But SIM is not Christian, it is Roman Catholic. This can be proven by looking at SIM’s ministry profile for Canada:

“Canada has a long and rich heritage as a missionary-sending country, and it is the historical base for the original Sudan Interior Mission. The church in Canada has sent thousands of missionaries around the world over many years. This effort has declined in recent decades, corresponding to a weakening regard for global mission overall.”

“[Canada’s] diversity has a spiritual expression as well, and a multiplicity of spiritual beliefs and values is growing. Christianity remains prominent, despite a frequent bias against the church and Christian values in the public forum.”

It must be emphasized that Canada is a thoroughly Roman Catholic country that was originally settled by French Roman Catholic immigrants. Canada was originally known as New France, and the official language of the province of Quebec is French. When SIM says Christian, therefore, what it actually means is Roman Catholic. In that one of SIM’s original three founders was a Canadian, and the organization was originally headquartered in Canada, then it’s a safe bet that SIM was not founded to spread Christianity; that is Protestantism, but Roman Catholicism.

In that SIM is a Roman Catholic missionary organization that sends missionaries to countries that are already Roman Catholic, then the logical conclusion is that SIM’s goal is to counter the efforts of Protestant missionaries in those countries and ensure the dominance of Roman Catholicism. Since SIM has sent thousands of missionaries around the world, it is probably responsible for the growth of Roman Catholicism in Africa, Asia, and the Third World. The decline in SIM’s missionary efforts in many areas is likely, therefore, not due to “a weakening regard for global mission,” but because SIM has seen the fruit of its efforts in those areas to the extent that it can now shift its focus to its own back yard.

Further proof of SIM’s Roman Catholic roots can be seen in its affiliations. SIM is an associate member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FBAI). In 2002, at the Southern Baptist Convention, the sponsors of the Today’s New International Version (TNIV), a Bible version that uses “inclusive (gender neutral) language”, in response to critics that the translation was inaccurate, stated that their translation guidelines met FBAI standards. In response, the Forum stated that it does not “approve, endorse, or support” any particular Bible translation. If the FBAI doesn’t endorse any particular Bible version, then it endorses all Bible versions (except, of course, the King James).

Again, the goal of the Counter Reformation is to destroy Protestant Christianity and Reformation Bibles, including the Authorized Version (KJV). One way they are doing this in the English-speaking world is by attempting to destroy Christians’ faith in the King James Bible through promoting Roman Catholic Church-approved Bibles, like the NIV and TNIV, which are based on corrupt manuscripts. The TNIV was even advertised in Playboy Magazine.

In 1989, SIM merged with The International Christian Fellowship (ICF). Founded in 1990, the ICF bills itself as an “evangelical association of churches from [the] Neo-charismatic movement.” You may know that the Charismatic Movement originated in the Roman Catholic Church.

SIM’s history, mission focus, and affiliation, in my view, reveal it to be a Roman Catholic missionary organization which, while donning an “evangelical” guise, is actually part of the Counter-Reformation, promoting the interests of the Papacy through the promotion of Roman Catholic influenced Bible versions in its “missionary” efforts.

Because many Christians support missions and missionaries, we need to be aware of organizations like SIM and examine the origin, doctrine, and affiliations of those organizations we support to ensure we are not unwittingly aiding Rome and the Counter-Reformation.

Be encouraged, and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beast Watch: Pope Francis Celebrates The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Posted on December 12, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, saints.

Today, Pope Francis, the False Prophet of Revelation 13, celebrated the Mass of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Vatican in Rome. Guadalupe is the Aztec title of the Virgin Mary and literally means “the woman who crushed the serpent.” Guadalupe is said to be the patron saint of Latin America.

If you understand Spanish, then you will hear Pope Francis say that Mary was “the first disciple of Jesus.” Catholic Online says “She was the first evangelizer and the first disciple of her own Son, Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ. She gave the first Gospel testimony to her cousin, Elizabeth, without words.”

This, of course, is not biblical, of course, as nowhere in the Bible are we told that Jesus’ mother became a disciple during our Lord’s lifetime. In fact, when Jesus’ mother Mary came to visit him at the house of one disciple, requesting to see Him, Jesus said, “Who is my mother? or my brethren? And, after looking about the room at his disciples, added, “Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:32-35). Because Jesus did not see his mother at that time, the obvious implication is that Jesus’ mother was not yet a believer. Mary could not, therefore, have been Jesus’ first disciple.

Roman Catholic tradition also holds that the Virgin Mary was Jesus’ greatest disciple. This too is unbiblical, because nowhere in Paul’s letter to the Romans was Mary’s name mentioned among the long list of names in his  salutation (Romans 16:1-15). Moreover, Paul says that when he went to Jerusalem to visit the Apostles, James; Peter and John “seemed to be pillars” (Galatians 2:9); but he didn’t even mention Mary.

The fact is that Roman Catholicism actually exalts the Virgin Mary above the Lord Jesus, and this is especially true of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In order to understand the tremendous significance of this, we strongly suggest that you click here.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What Are You Prepared To Lose?

Posted on December 12, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, saints.

Many of you may remember the movie, “The Untouchables,” starring Kevin Costner, Robert DeNiro, Sean Connery, and Anthony Garcia. Lightly based on historical characters and events, the movie centers on the activities of Treasury agent Elliot Ness (Costner) and his crusade to bring down the notorious gangster, Al Capone (DeNiro) and put an end to his reign of crime in Prohibition-era Chicago during a time that has come to be known as the “Roaring 20’s.”

One of the things I most enjoyed about the movie was the interaction between Ness and Malone (Connery), a tough, hard-nosed Irish-American veteran beat cop, who was Ness’ first recruit onto his crime-fighting squad. Before committing himself to Ness’ cause, Malone asks him what he is prepared to do to get Capone. When Ness replies that he is prepared to do “everything within the law,” Malone says, “And then, what are you prepared to do?” Giving Ness a graphic, but sobering depiction of the “Chicago way” of dealing with an enemy, Malone explains that if Ness is going to take on Capone, he had better be prepared to go all the way, because Capone and his cronies would not stop until either he or Ness was dead.

Satisfied of both his and Ness’ commitment to the cause, Malone takes Ness and the rest of the group to the post office across the street from police headquarters. Stopping in front of the building, Ness asks Malone why they had come there.

“Liquor raid,” answers Malone.

“Here?” Ness remarks incredulously.

“Mr. Ness,” says Malone, “Everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Capone.”

The men then enter the building and proceed to a nondescript door. Looking intently at Ness, Malone says, “If you walk through this door now, you’re walking into a world of trouble, and there’s no turning back. Do you understand?” “Yes, I do,” answers Ness, undaunted. And thus begins the war on crime.

You and I, as Christians, have a lot in common with Elliot Ness. We, too, are soldiers of righteousness involved in a very dirty war the magnitude of which we did not fully appreciate until long after we had laced up our boots, strapped on our sword, cinched down our helmet, and stepped onto the battlefield. Unlike Ness, however, most of us didn’t have the benefit of a seasoned and wise veteran soldier to prepare us for what we were going to face when we took on this fight. No one taught us “the Jesus Way” of spiritual warfare.

But the Lord Jesus has nonetheless called us to battle. There is a job to be done, and we have been chosen to do it. And just like in the Untouchables, we Christians all know where the “stuff” is. The problem is not finding the enemy’s operation (because he operates everywhere): the problem is who wants to take on Satan.

What then, do we who have taken up the cross of Christ do when we are already in the fight, but have realized that the task is greater than we are?

1. We must always remember that this is a spiritual war.

The Bible says,

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh; because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3)

“Mighty through God” means that we do not war in our own strength, but by the power and authority of God Almighty. And as God is a spirit (John 4:24), so are our weapons spiritual. Of all the battle gear mentioned in Ephesians 6, only one is offensive; and that is the “sword of the Spirit [the Bible], which is the Word of God.” We must also remember that our war is not with people. Our focus must never be, therefore, on people, as they are merely pawns in the game. The Christian has bigger fish to fry. The Bible says,

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

2. We must fight on God’s terms, not on Satan’s.

I can tell you from personal experience that Satan is constantly trying to get the Christian to fight on his terms and to forget the guidelines God has given us. One way he accomplishes this is to try to get us to make this battle personal. When we make the battle personal, we bring our own personal feelings into the fight, and, before we know it, we are doing the same things the enemy does. This is not good. The Bible says that we should not “recompense evil for evil” (Romans 12:17). We cannot, therefore, allow ourselves to be beguiled into using Satan’s tactics against him. That is one of his favorite devices. If Satan succeeds in getting us to fight like him, then it is just a matter of time before we go over to “the dark side.”

3. We must remember that the fight is God’s and not ours.

The battle is not ours to win or lose. The battle belongs to the Lord Jesus, and He won it on the cross at Calvary when He said, “It is finished.” All we have to do to win this war is stay in prayer, stay faithful, stay obedient to God’s Word, and stay in the fight.

4. We must not fear

“In God have I placed my trust; I will not be afraid what man shall do unto me.” (Psalm 56:11)

Humans are taught nothing but fear from our earliest years, and most of that instruction has come to us via the media. If you haven’t noticed by now, the media is all about teaching us how to be afraid. Babies are not born afraid of the dark: why then, are so many children afraid of the dark? Where did they learn that? Answer: TV. Babies are not born afraid of insects, and most parents don’t teach their children (directly) to be afraid of insects. Why then, are so many children afraid of spiders? Answer: TV. Babies are not afraid of animals. (If you’ve ever seen a toddler walk up to a big, ferocious dog to try to pet it, then you know this is true.) Why, then, are so many children afraid of dogs? Answer: TV. And babies are not born afraid of imaginary creatures like monsters, gremlins and leprechauns, and most parents don’t directly teach such fears to their children. Where, then, did children learn to be afraid of “monsters under the bed?” Uh-huh, Teee Veee.

And besides those fears, all of us have been programmed from early childhood to fear death (Consider the cartoons “Bambi,” “Finding Nemo,” and “The Lion King”). It is the fear of death that remains strongest with us when we graduate to adulthood. It is understandable, therefore that we would be fearful, because all that we have ever learned is fear. Jesus understands this. Jesus knew that fear would be Satan’s greatest weapon against Christians, and it is for this reason that He preached on fear. He knows that the fear programming has been so well inculcated into our subconscious that most of us need supernatural help to overcome it.

5. We must be strong, and of a good courage.

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law…turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:7)

 

6. We must ask ourselves, “What are you prepared to lose?”

Malone asked Ness what he was prepared to do, which was a fitting question, as the movie portrayed Ness as a very clean, moral and upright man involved in the very dirty business of cleaning up crime in Chicago, arguably one of the most crime-infested and corrupt cities in America’s history.

Malone knew that if Ness were serious about bringing down Capone, then at some point he would have to cross the line between “good” and “bad,” because Capone lived and moved on the south side of that line. To get to Capone, Ness would have to be prepared to do anything, including fighting as dirty as Capone. And he would not have the luxury of time to reckon out the moral details.

Christians, however, are not called to do everything in our power (including break the law) to win this war. We are instead asked to do everything in God’s power to win. Rather than ask “What are you prepared to do?” then, the question every Christian should ask himself is “What are you prepared to lose?”

While the fear of taking action immobilizes most people, it is the fear of loss that keeps Christians from springing into action. It is the fear of losing friends, family, wives, husbands, jobs, prestige, reputation, and even our very lives that causes inertia in most of us and keeps us from doing what we know needs to be done. The Lord Jesus knew full well how difficult it would be for many of us to not only make a decision for Him, but to live fearlessly for the Gospel after we did. This is why he said that whoever is afraid to lose husbands, wives and siblings for His sake is not worthy of Him.

Jesus set the example of what our attitude should be towards our unsaved family and friends when, while in the house of one disciple, it was told Him that his mother and siblings (who were not yet believers) were waiting outside to see Him. Jesus said, “Who is my mother and my brethren?” And, looking round about upon those who sat with Him, He said, “Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:32-35).

We should not fear the loss of those dearest to us, because to do so would be to care more for their friendship than for their souls. And if we are so afraid of losing them that we won’t give them the Gospel of eternal life, do we really love them?

The Apostle Paul knew plenty about loss. Paul lost everything he had for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but he didn’t mourn the loss of those things, counting his relationship with the Lord Jesus far more valuable:

“Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss [I‚am willing to lose everything] for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

These are very strong words from the Apostle; for dung is excrement—solid human or animal waste—and Paul compares the things he has lost for the Gospel to dung. To say what Paul said in today’s English would be to say something along the lines of: “Those things I have lost don’t mean $@#!to me compared to what I have gained in Christ Jesus.” Amen, and amen!

We would all do well to adopt this attitude, because one way Satan loves to frighten the Christian into inertia is by constantly reminding him of what he could lose by witnessing to the unsaved or by standing for God’s righteousness and holiness by taking a stand against false doctrine and heresy in the church.

When we put what we could lose before the Truth, we put what we want before what God wants, our will before His will; and, in so doing, we disregard God’s admonition for us to “Love not the world, nor the things that are in this world” (1 John 2:18). God doesn’t want us to covet the things that the world covets, because the world’s priorities are inconsistent with God’s priorities and are earthy, sensual and ephemeral. Worldly cares are a snare to the Christian soldier, and his love of worldly things and his unwillingness to lose them will keep him from getting busy for the Lord.

The loss of our lives is probably what most Christians fear; and, again, the media plays a great role in that. It is a good thing, for example, that those of us in the West can follow on the Internet what is happening to the Persecuted Church in parts of the world that are most hostile to the Gospel. I have read very few, if any, news stories that focused on the victims’ testimonies before they were martyred. In my view, unless the media covers a martyr’s testimony, the Lord Jesus isn’t fully glorified. For this reason I believe that many stories of martyrdom are deliberately crafted more for their “shock and horror” value than for their ability to give hope to the body of Christ. And a martyr’s death should always give hope to and encourage the living.

Jesus was full away that the Church would be faced with this type of fear, which is why He said,

“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:13)

This important teaching is not often preached in today’s weak, politically correct “Church,” because it is considered too gloom and doom. (That ought to give you some idea who is responsible for keeping this teaching out of the pulpit.) If your pastor isn’t teaching this, don’t blame him; blame yourself. You should ask him why he hasn’t taught it and insist that he does.

While I don’t believe all Christians are called to lose everything, history is clear that some are. We would do well, therefore, to prepare our hearts for such a possibility and ask ourselves today if we are willing to suffer the loss of all things, including our lives, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, what are you prepared to lose?

Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

 

 

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Confess Your Sins! (Video)

Posted on December 9, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, saints.

A couple of weeks ago, I recorded a video on the way to a picturesque little ski town named Garmisch-Partenkirchen near the Austrian border. Occasionally, I will make the one and a half hour train ride from Munich to this little town and pass out Gospel tracts and/or preach a message on the train.

This was the first live video I had done since 2013, and the first since I experienced back-to-back strokes in November 2015 and in January of this year.  Don’t you tell me God ain’t good! I just whipped out my camera and went for it, so don’t expect anything fancy.

Your servant,

TSM

Share
Posted in Christian | 2 Comments

Beast Watch: Pope Francis Pays Homage To The Statue of the Immaculate Conception

Posted on December 8, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, saints.

Today I watched the live streaming of Pope Francis, the False Prophet of Revelation 13, paying homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome. As usual, the pontiff was thronged by Roman faithful crying “Papa!” and people vying to touch him or give him something.

As I watched the proceedings, three things stood out for me. The first thing was the same thing that always stands out for me when I watch the Pope interact with his votaries: the absolute lack of love and compassion in the man. Sure, he smiles; and yes, he does shake hands, kiss babies, and bless people. But you can never see any genuine feeling on Pope Francis’ face as he interacts with those people who throng to see him–especially the sick and disabled. The only thing more noticeable than that is the fact that no one seems to notice.

The second thing that stood out for me was that in watching the people adoring, idolizing, and fawning over this man, it was painfully obvious that were Jesus to show up at the same venue as the Pope, Roman Catholics would probably give the latter a lot more attention than they would our Savior. You may argue this, but the Lord Jesus Himself said that a man cannot serve two masters, as he will love one and hate the other. If they love the Pope this much, what could they possibly feel for the genuine article?

The third thing that stood out for me was the fact that there were sick and physically and mentally disabled people lining the street at the front of the crowd, obviously placed there intentionally in order that the Pope would be able to see, touch, and speak to any or all of them without obstruction.  This is probably done every time the Pope speaks, because I have seen this done before. As I watched this, I couldn’t help but contemplate the fact that the Pope of Rome claims to be the Vicar, or Substitute for Jesus Christ, yet he healed not one of those mentally disabled people waiting to see him. Some of them spoke something in his ear, but rather then answer, he just flashed a placating smile and walked away. I wondered if any of them asked the Pope to heal them, but I will never get the answer to that one.

When Jesus walked this earth, He healed everyone who asked Him for healing, bar none. And they asked Him all the time. Yet, the man who claims to be Christ’s Vicar on earth has publicly healed no one to date. Why is this?

As I considered this, it occurred to me that this may be the reason that Pope Francis will perform “wonders” in the not-too-distant future. If you think about it, most everyone on earth regardless of their religion believes that Pope Francis is really God on earth even though the man has never performed any miracles to prove this outlandish claim. When Jesus walked the earth, the people required of Him a sign–a miracle to prove that He was really the Son of God. Pope Francis claims to be the Substitute for Jesus Christ and to even hold the keys of heaven, but not one person to my knowledge has ever asked him to perform any miracles to back up that claim.

Now, if most everyone already believes the Pope is God without one shred of proof, then there should be no need for him to do anything extraordinary to prove himself. But the Bible says the False Prophet will, in fact, perform many miracles, including making fire come down from heaven. Why perform miracles if everyone already believes you are God? The answer is obviously because everyone doesn’t believe Pope Francis is God. Bible-believing Protestant Christians certainly don’t believe this, and it is for this reason persecution is on the near horizon for the body of Christ. The miracles, therefore will not be for the sake of the Roman faithful, but for those who doubt, possibly as a result of our witness. 

Pope Francis will perform miracles in order to counter the claims of true Christians that he really is The False Prophet and not God on earth. It will also be his final effort to deceive those Christians who are undecided about joining his One World Church: those “Christians” whose names are not written in the Book. And it will work marvelously.

Just something to think about. Good day!

TSM

Share
Posted in Beast Watch, Christian, Pope Francis, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, The Virgin Mary | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

I Was A Good Soldier

Posted on December 2, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

The Waco tragedy has been on my subconscious since I saw the documentary, “Waco Rules of Engagement” earlier this year. It tears me apart when I think that American soldiers and law enforcement personnel were responsible for the deaths of 76 unarmed civilians–many of whom were women, children and babies–with the full sanction of the President and the American government. And to think I used to wear the uniform.

One of the hardest things for me to come to terms with regarding the Waco Massacre is the fact that during the siege, which took place from February 28 to April 13 of 1993, I was a soldier stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado (a comparatively short distance from Waco, Texas), and I knew nothing about what was going on down there.
 
I can tell you right now that I don’t remember hearing anything at all about the government’s un-Constitutional military raid on the Branch Davidian church. I don’t remember seeing anything on the news at all regarding Waco. I cannot recall anyone with whom I associated discussing Waco. I have no memory of any of my co-workers talking about Waco. And I can’t recollect hearing any of my family members mentioning Waco. In short, my world was totally unaffected by Waco; which is odd, when you consider the fact that Waco established a precedent that should concern all freedom-loving Americans.

I must admit that as a soldier, I was pretty ignorant about what was going on with the rest of the world. My whole universe was my job, my family, and my hobbies. I didn’t know what the non-military segment of the population was doing, and I didn’t care (I say this to my shame). I was a good soldier.

In my opinion, most soldiers–especially in the enlisted ranks–don’t really appreciate the rights guaranteed Americans under the Constitution, because soldiers don’t enjoy many of those rights. Once he raises his right hand and takes the oath of enlistment, the soldier’s rights under the Constitution are effectively supplanted by privileges, and this affects his worldview.

I can tell you from personal experience that the words freedom, liberty, rights, patriotism, and Constitution are rarely, if ever, used in the military (I certainly never heard them when I served on active duty). And if they are now, I’d be willing to bet that they don’t mean the same thing for the soldier that they mean for the civilian.

For this reason, I believe that many, if not most soldiers are out of touch with what it really means to be an American. For them, the ultimate American is one who has served in the military. The statements of many active duty and retired soldiers on Facebook would quickly bear this out. If you have never served, they believe, then you don’t know what it really means to be an American.

Because of this mentality, the average soldier—especially in today’s military—is largely unaffected by what the average citizen faces. He is unaffected, for example, by the fact that Americans’ rights are being trampled upon, because the average soldier has never truly appreciated those rights himself. If he did, he probably wouldn’t have become a soldier.

I would argue, therefore, that a good soldier makes a poor American, because, in my experience, the qualities that make a good soldier are the very qualities that make a poor American.

A good soldier must out of necessity be either ignorant, indifferent or apathetic. He must be ignorant of or indifferent to the real reason he is being ordered to do this or that or go here or there; for if he knew the real reason he was being ordered to do this or that or go here or there, then he might question the propriety of doing this or that and going here or there. A good soldier must be ignorant of or indifferent to the problems faced by ordinary Americans and he can never be encouraged to keep his finger on the pulse of America, because to do so might effect his “judgment.” A good soldier must be ignorant of or indifferent to what is going on with his fellow Americans outside the gates of the military installation and how what they are going through relates to the Constitution and to his sworn duty in relation to the Constitution, because, if he knew those things, then he might identify more with what the folks outside the gate were doing than what he was doing; and that might affect his ability to perform his duty.

A good American, on the other hand, is anything but ignorant and indifferent. A good American always questions the propriety of his actions and ensures that whatever he is doing or being asked to do is in keeping with the values and principles upon which the Constitution is based, and he always makes sure that his actions fall on the same azimuth as his moral compass.  A good American cares about what is happening to his neighbor–American or not–and is concerned when his fellow creatures are being treated in a manner that is inconsistent with the ideals upon which this country was founded.

A good soldier can ill afford to believe in, let alone stand for, the uniquely American principles of freedom, liberty, and justice for all, because what he may be asked to do may run contrary to those principles and could very well involve depriving someone of the very liberties guaranteed in the Constitution–the document he is sworn “to support and defend.”

A good American however, knows that America was founded on the belief that all men are created equal and are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life and, most importantly, liberty. A good American values and covets his freedom above all else (except God), because all else (including the right to worship the God of his choice) depends on it; and he knows that when he stands up for the freedom of others—especially the defenseless—he is really standing up for his own freedom.

A good soldier can ill afford to have a conscience, and he doesn’t ask whether a command is right or wrong, moral or immoral; for, if he did, he may have a problem following that command.  A good American, on the other hand, must not only have a conscience, but he must also listen to it, follow it, and be guided by it. He is keenly aware that, as he must be ever watchful of those who would infringe upon the rights he so highly prizes, so must he always be careful not to infringe upon the rights of others.

A good American and a good soldier are incongruent as they do not serve the same master. This creates a problem, because, as the Lord Jesus said, a servant cannot serve two masters; for he will invariably love one and hate the other.

From February 23 to April 13, 1993, I was too busy being a good soldier to be a good American. I was too busy being a good soldier to know or even care that the government was trampling on the rights of the Branch Davidians—and, in fact, trampling on the very lives of those peace-loving people. I was too busy being a good soldier to care that those American citizens were guilty of no crime. And I was too busy being a good soldier to realize that I, my wife, and my children could just as easily have been among the seventy-six men, women and children who were mowed down by machine guns, suffocated by poisonous gas, crushed beneath muddy tank treads, and ultimately incinerated to ashes.  That could have been me, and that could have been you.

You must understand that contrary to the media’s portrayal of them, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians were a church: and churches (as well as the life and liberty of all American citizens) are supposed to be protected under the Constitution, not murdered by the government contrary to the Constitution.

Researcher Bill Cooper, in a speech he gave at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in 1993 said, ”If enough of us [American citizens] had just been standing there [outside Mount Carmel during the Waco siege] THOSE PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE DEAD.” Unfortunately, I was not standing there, and, tragically, those people are dead. Ultimately, therefore, I am as guilty of the deaths of the Branch Davidians as was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and then Commander-and-Chief of the United States Armed Forces, President Bill Clinton.

I declare right now, before God and man, that I will never again be guilty of being a good soldier. I prefer to be a good Christian.

In closing, I would like to ask anyone who cares about what happened on April 13, 1993 to consider marking that date to remember the men, women, and especially children who were murdered that day.

Good night, and God bless you.

TSM

Share
Posted in Gun Control, New World Order, Police state | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Subscribe to Comments

Posted on November 6, 2016 by The Still Man

comments

Grace and peace, Saints!

I have installed a plugin called Subscribe to Comments Reloaded that makes it possible for you to subscribe to the comments to any article on this blog, as well as receive a notification whenever someone posts a reply to a comment you leave. As I wrote a couple of days ago, some of the articles contain some very interesting and informative comments that it would behoove you to follow.

Your servant,

TSM

Share
Posted in Information | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It Pays To Read The Comments

Posted on October 28, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace to my fellow witnesses (excluding Jehovah’s Witnesses), and greetings to the unsaved (including Jehovah’s Witnesses).

I am doubtless one of the worst bloggers in the history of blogging. They say that ideally bloggers should post something every day and at the very least once a week. Many of you know that I have tried many times to do that and have even gotten pretty close a couple of times. But, I likely will never make it.

This ministry involves much more than me just sitting down and writing articles. We dedicate many hours to research–both secular and biblical. We spend a lot of time in prayer because of the many prayer requests this ministry receives. And, because we take great care to answer all questions you pose to us, we spend as lot of time answering your emails and answering the comments you post on our articles.  And we still have a wife and kids, a dog (OK, two mice), personal responsibilities, and missionary activities. This doesn’t leave us much time for writing articles.

And folks, when I say “we,” I mean the editorial we, which means me.

Because we are talking about spiritual matters that involve the spiritual growth and development of believers; define doctrine; clear up doubts; define and refute heresy; contend for the faith; and bring some to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I am careful to ensure that my responses are as thoughtful, thorough, and accurate as possible. This means I invest a great deal of time and energy responding to your comments.

Consequently, many of my responses are basically mini articles and contain much information that is not in the articles themselves, either because to include the information would make the article prohibitively long, I didn’t think of or know the information at the writing of the article, or I simply forgot to include it. You can, therefore, learn a lot of information by reading the comments. Some have found that in reading the comments, their own questions were answered before they even asked them, while others have found a discussion on a topic they didn’t even know existed. Quite often, the date of the responses and the length and depth of the content would reveal that I am actually responding to comments much more frequently than I am writing articles.

From time to time, someone will post a comment that requires such a lengthy response that I have elected to answer the comment by way of an article. On several occasions, however, I have been so busy that I have not always had time to do it. At my daughter’s suggestion, therefore, I am considering converting many of the comments into articles. I hope to do this by the start of the new year, God willing. In the meantime, you may consider checking out the comments from time to time.

I believe it is possible to subscribe to a blog’s comments, but I don’t if that is true or how it can be done. If it can be done and I find out how, I will share that information with you.

TSM

 

Share
Posted in Information | Tagged | Leave a comment

Confess Your Sins!

Posted on October 27, 2016 by The Still Man

Silhouette of a Man Praying

Grace and peace, brothers and sisters.

Unconfessed sin is the number one problem faced by many Christians today, and is what gives Satan free reign over many of our lives. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of confession in the life of the Christian. Confession of sins is what keeps us in a right relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The Bible says that if we say that we have no sin in our lives, we are only deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8); but it goes on to say,

“If we confess our sins, He [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (v. 9).

You may be surprised to learn that many who name the name of Christ have never even heard this verse; and of those who have, very few have ever paid attention to the preceding verse, which gives the context of the passage. There is good reason for this. Satan has deceived many Christians into believing that when they got saved, the blood of Jesus immediately washed away all their sins, past and future. But this is not true. While it is true that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:10), what most people fail to realize is that only Original Sin (the sin of Adam and Eve) and the sins we committed before we were saved are washed away when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour:

“God hath set forth [Jesus] to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25).

All sins (including generational sin) committed after our conversion have to be confessed for the blood of Jesus to be applied to them. The reason for this is simple: when we don’t confess our sins to God, we are in effect saying to Him that we are not sorry that we sinned against Him. The Bible says that “godly sorrow leadeth to repentance.” In other words, if we are truly sorry that we have sinned against a holy God, then we will repent of our sin and ask His forgiveness. And, if we don’t ask for His forgiveness, then we are not truly sorry and have not repented.

1 John 1:9 makes it clear that if we do confess our sins, the Lord Jesus will forgive our sins. On the other hand, the Bible also makes it clear that if we willfully sin after we are saved, then the blood of Jesus will not apply to those sins:

“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26).

No true Christian willfully sins. So, in that Paul wrote this letter to Christians believers, it stands to reason that what is meant here is that if we sin and do not ask for forgiveness, then we are willfully sinning, and the blood of Jesus will not be applied to those sins.

This is extremely important. Many, if not most, Christians are not confessing their sins as they should; and are suffering unnecessarily in their walk, believing their suffering to be part of God’s will for their lives. This is especially true with Christians who are suffering from mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder (yes, many Christians do suffer from mental illness). This, however, is not true. These people are suffering not because it is the will of God, but because they have forgotten that God has called us to righteousness. We are to be holy as God is Holy, and we cannot do that if we are living in sin. If we are not confessing our sins, then we are living in sin.

When we confess our sins (again, to God, not to men), the Lord Jesus forgives them and wipes the slate clean and returns us to the pristine state we were in when we first got saved. But, did you know that when we don’t confess our sins, we are living in sin (willfully sinning) and are thus in open rebellion against God? Our sins accumulate over the years until we are basically in the same condition we were in before we got saved. We are no longer washed, but are filthy. In that state, we become the enemy of God, who cannot come anywhere near sin. And when God retreats from us, the devil advances.

This is why so many Christians today are suffering unnecessarily and are living in defeat instead of enjoying the victory that Jesus purchased for them at Calvary. Many have intimated to me that they cannot feel the presence of God in their lives anymore: they can’t pray, they can’t read their Bibles, and they have lost all joy. There is good reason for this: they are living in sin.

You must understand that when we do not confess our sins, we are no longer living under grace, but under the law. The Bible teaches that the law is death, because no man can keep the law. If we are living according to the law, but cannot keep it, then we are giving Satan authority over our lives. We become his “legal and lawful prey.” The only way to revoke that authority is to confess those sins that gave the devil access. Then Jesus will go to bat for us.

The purpose of 1 John 1:8,9 is to remind us that we must confess our sins so that we are not guilty of willful sinning. This is proven two verses later, as the Apostle John says, “

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [lawyer] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

The Beloved Apostle is giving us hope that when we do fall prey to sin, we should know that if we repent and confess those sins, the Lord Jesus will defend us before the Father from the accusations of Satan, the accuser of the brethren. And Jesus always wins his cases.

So, brothers and sisters, repent, confess your sins, and get back into a right relationship with God.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Till Mother Church Do Us Part

Posted on August 10, 2016 by The Still Man

council-constance-huss

Grace and peace, to the Saints of God, and greetings to those who have yet to make a decision for the Lord Jesus.

The media has always portrayed the Roman Catholic Church as a stark advocate of marriage, family, and family values. Roman Catholics have always maintained that it is because of its belief in the sanctity of marriage that the Catholic Church has historically denied Catholics the right to divorce.

In support of this claim, the case of King Henry VIII of Great Britain is often cited. It is said that the Protestant Reformation got started in England because the Catholic Church refused to grant a divorce to King Henry from his wife Catherine in order for him to marry Ann Boleyn.

But while it ostensibly upholds and defends marriage, the Catholic Church’s own doctrine actually destroys marriage. You may find it interesting to learn that the Catholic Church not only permits, but actually encourages a Catholic husband or wife not to perform their marital duties if he or she is married to a Protestant, or heretic, as Christians are referred to by Catholics.

The Roman Catholic Council of Constance (1414-1418), the same council that burned the Bohemian Reformer John Huss at the stake in 1415, decreed:

“A Catholic wife is not obliged to any duty to her heretical husband, because by the husband’s heresy she is freed from her duty. In like manner, a Catholic husband is freed from all duty to his wife, if she be a heretic. Nevertheless, they cannot marry with others, because the bond of matrimony is not dissolved.

“A husband cannot be forced to cohabit with his wife, if she is fallen into heresy, even though she is reconciled: nor is he bound to maintain her, because her dowry is confiscated by heresy: and as she is stripped of her dowry by her own fault, the husband is not obliged to maintain an unendowed wife.”

Moreover, Pope Gregory IX said, “A Catholic wife is not obliged to perform the marriage contract with a heretical husband.”

And Zanchinus Ugolinus, author of a highly regarded Roman Catholic work on heresy, wrote:

“Yea, the very bond of matrimony with [a heretic] is dissolved. For if one departs from the orthodox faith, and falls into heresy, his [Catholic] wife is not obliged to cohabit with him, but may seek to be separated from him by the judgment of the church: such separation from the bed being as reasonable on account of spiritual fornication, as for carnal.” [brackets mine.]

With this decree, the Roman Catholic church denies the will of the Lord Jesus Christ who, with regard to marriage, said:

“What therefore God hath joined together, let no man [or church] put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6, Mark 10:9). [Brackets mine.]

And Roman Catholicism not only comes between a man and wife, but also between parents and their children, as Ugolinus adds:

“The very children, brothers, and sisters, ought to forsake them (Protestants).”

This is further evidence that the Roman Catholic church are the modern-day Pharisees, who taught the children of Israel that they were not obliged to respect their parents. Jesus told them:

 

“Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and Whosoever curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, it is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoevr thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition…” (Mark 7:10-13).

Now, if the Catholic Church advises the children of a Protestant parent to disown that parent, then, it must follow that parents of Protestant children are permitted to do the same. “Mother Church” even severs the natural bond of love and affection between a mother and her children! And it adds that a Catholic should forsake his Protestant brother or sister, thus completely destroying the family.

An obedient Roman Catholic, therefore, cannot love anyone unconditionally. If the husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, grandparent, or even child of a Roman Catholic is a Bible-believing Christian, then the Catholic is not bound to love, honor, obey, respect, or keep faith with him or her in any way, shape or form. Is this not a manifestation of the lack of “natural affection” which the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:3 said would characterize the last days?

And, since the Council of Constance was a very important general, or ecumenical council, and the Roman Catholic church considers itself infallible, meaning it does not make mistakes, then this decree regarding the relationship of a Catholic to a Protestant is still in full effect today and will never be repealed.

Let me say that I offer this information not to cast any dispersion on Roman Catholics in general, but only to offer further evidence to Protestant Christians that the Roman Catholic church has always been and will always be the implacable enemy of Protestant Christianity, and their history and doctrines prove it. While this information may not reflect the personal beliefs of some Catholics, it nevertheless happens to be a doctrine of the Catholic church, which means that any good Catholic will be called upon at some point to obey this decree and will consider it his duty to hold to this doctrine if he wants to be obedient. He may do so neither openly nor consistently, but, make no mistake: at some point, he will do so.

The faithful Christian needs to be aware of this doctrine and allow it to inform his relationship with Roman Catholics, remembering always that the Lord Jesus commanded us to love our enemies.

This information may help explain some things that may be going on in your personal life that seem to be inexplicable from any other perspective. If, for instance, you are a Christian, such as I, who is married to a Roman Catholic, and your spouse does not do what a spouse is supposed to do and/or your children do not behave as your children should behave, and are disobedient, disrespectful, or unloving, it may very well be that they are doing so out of obedience to Roman Catholic church doctrine. The same may be true if you are a Bible-believing child of a Roman Catholic parent(s) who behave(s) in the same manner.

Remember, the Catholic wife or husband is under no obligation to keep their marital vows or perform their marital duties if the husband or wife is a Bible-believing Christian. And, by the same token, Catholic children do not have to honor or obey their Protestant parents.

Catholics fervently maintain that Jesus Christ Himself established the Roman Catholic  church, yet Romanism disobeys the Lord Jesus.

“Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition…” (Mark 7:13).

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

—TSM

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Protestant, Volume 1

Posted on July 21, 2016 by The Still Man

protestant

We have added a new resource to our bibliography, a book entitled The Protestant.

Written in 1837 by William McGavin, a Scottish Christian merchant, the Protestant is a compilation of a series of essays written by McGavin and published weekly in a Glasgow newspaper for four years beginning in the summer of 1818.

The essays “embrace the principle areas of controversy between the Church of Rome and the Reformed (Protestant)” Church, and are remarkable for their demonstration of McGavin’s knowledge both of Scripture and of the history of the Roman Catholic institution, as well as for the author’s adroit presentation of the true character of the Romish church as revealed in papal bulls, the writings of the Roman “church fathers,” and doctrine derived from the decrees of various Roman Catholic ecumenical councils, such as Trent and Constance.

These essays were penned only three hundred years after the Reformation and contain a wealth of information unknown to most Christians, including Church history, the history and persecution of various Christian groups such as the Waldenses and the Culdees, and papal decrees and the decrees of Roman Catholic councils calling for the extirpation of Protestants.

The information in this book will enhance the Christian’s knowledge of the institution that calls itself the “Mother of all churches” and will reveal that Rome has never changed and is still the implacable enemy not only of the Christian Church and all Christians, but of truth and freedom.

The Protestant is very hard to find, but the information in it is vital for all serious Christians.  I have therefore digitized my personal copy and made it available for download here. Please forgive me if the quality is not as good as it probably could have been.

TSM

Share
Posted in Bibliography, Christian, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Blessing of Sleeping Late

Posted on July 19, 2016 by The Still Man

black-man-sleeping-late

Sunday morning, while everyone was still in bed, I took advantage of that time to have a cup of tea and spend a little time in reflection. But, as usual, when it was just getting good, in walks my son with his little sister, who decided she needed to go potty right at that moment, which she did.

Afterwards, I was cleaning up after her, when one of my daughters walks in and says “Good Morning,” adding that she had actually awakened a couple of hours earlier, but had decided to lie in bed a while longer.

“Well, praise God for the blessing of being able to sleep late,” I said. 

“Really,” answered my daughter, misunderstanding my meaning, “Because if it wasn’t for the Lord, I might not have been able to get out of bed at all this morning.” 

“True,” I added, “But that’s not what I meant. What I meant was that if it were not for Abraham Lincoln and men like him, we, as Blacks, would never be able to lie in bed until this hour of the morning. You know what I mean?”

“Yes, I do,” she answered, shaking her head as this reality dawned on her. “We would be working in the fields picking cotton.”

“There you go,” I said, happy that she understood this very important fact. Then, I quickly changed the subject in order to spare my children the sermon that was welling up inside me. I could tell they appreciated it.

I constantly remind my children that as Blacks we ought to appreciate every single freedom we have, because without the sacrifices of some brave and noble men and women—white men and women, by the way—who bought our freedoms with their own blood, Blacks would not even be considered human beings right now, let alone citizens of the great American republic.

It grieves me that many, if not most Blacks prefer to concentrate their energies on “how far we still need to go” and do not appreciate how unbelievably far we’ve come: and where we are, in fact, because there are still, many many people who, if they had their way, would ensure that Blacks would never enjoy the rights–rights, not privileges–guaranteed all Americans by the Constitution for the United States of America, the greatest document ever penned by the hand of man: the only document, in fact, that ever set man free.

Because my children and I are not only Black Americans, but Protestant Black Americans, living in Munich, a very Roman Catholic city in the very Roman Catholic state of Bavaria, Germany, I make it a point to always emphasize that we must, at all times, remember three very important things: who we are, what we are, and where we are. These three things are crucial if we are to stay grounded, stay saved, and stay grateful.

  1. Who we are: Black Americans, the descendants of slaves. 

A slave in the United States was the absolute lowest form of existence, because a slave was not considered a person, but was the legal and lawful property of his master. Because of this status, slaves were routinely beaten, frequently killed, and always mistreated. And very few people cared. Even animals received better treatment than slaves. Horse thieves were shot or hung, but slave murderers were ignored.

Slavery was a perpetual condition, meaning that a slave’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would also be slaves. And because slavery was also a permanent condition, a slave never stopped being a slave. He was born a slave, he lived a slave, and he died a slave. And if, by some miracle, a slave was either freed by his master or was bought and subsequently freed, he walked on egg shells, because there was always the very real danger he could be made a slave again, as it was believed that Blacks were only suited to be slaves.

The point I’m trying to make is that given the fact that Blacks don’t wield any real power in this world, and the further fact that there is an almost universal hatred of them, there is no reason that Blacks could not again be enslaved. I don’t think most Blacks fully appreciate this truth.

I believe that if Blacks in America were polled and asked if they thought slavery could be reinstituted, the overwhelming majority would answer that they did not believe it could happen. But, if you really think about it, not only is it possible now, but it has always been possible. 

You may find it interesting to know that when the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, the Confederate states in the South wouldn’t recognize It. Even though they had lost the war, the Confederate states were still reluctant to obey the federal government on the issue of the Negro’s right to freedom. They even passed the Black Codes, laws that effectively reduced Blacks to slaves in all but name. It eventually took the government of the United States to take military action to force the South recognize the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments (the so-called Reconstruction Amendments). In fact, in order for the state of Georgia to be allowed to enter the Union, it had to first ratify the Fifteenth Amendment, which it had refused to do. The Rebels continued to rebel. 

I believe that were it not for the fact that most people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line were just plain tired of war and bloodshed, there would probably have been another civil war, because the South was still very determined not to recognize Blacks as legitimate human beings entitled to the same rights as whites.

I don’t think most Blacks appreciate that the slave mindset is still held by many today, and just how close we are to a second civil war in this country right now. And I don’t think they realize that if that were to happen, the outcome of the second civil war would be far different than the first. During the Civil War, President Lincoln and many of those in the federal government were against slavery. Even after the death of Lincoln, there were still enough opponents to slavery in the government that when the South refused to honor the Constitution with regard to the rights of Blacks, the federal government took action and declared martial law in the South, appointing military officers as governors, mayors, and other government officials as part of Radical Reconstruction, until men who would honor the Constitution and obey the federal government could be found.

Today the situation is very different than it was back in those days. With the exception of the Kennedy Administration, most administrations, including the present (notwithstanding our Black president), have not been very sympathetic to Blacks. And because of the media’s coverage of Blacks, which always depicts them as being dissatisfied, disgruntled, pampered, lazy, proud, and combative, there is very little sympathy on the part of the international community for the plight of Blacks. I believe, in fact, that is the reason Barack Obama was chosen to be President and would be in office at the present time, when all these things are going on in the United States with respect to Blacks. If anyone should question if racism is a problem in the United States, they would quickly be reminded that President Obama is Black. The string pullers are light years ahead of the rest of us.

  1. What we are: Christians. ———————–>Would you like to know more?

A Christian is a repentant sinner who has accepted the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and the shedding of His blood for the remission of sins. He is trusting in that blood for his salvation, and patiently awaits the return of the Lord Jesus and the Resurrection. 

My identity as a Christian is important to me because, at one time, it was believed that Blacks could not be saved because they didn’t have souls. It was even forbidden in some areas to evangelize Blacks. But, thanks to the boundless mercy and breathless grace of God, some slaves heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the liberty that is in Christ resonated with them. They made the Lord Jesus their Savior, and, though their bodies were still bound, their souls were freed! Being a descendant of slaves—people who were given very few options—the fact that I have the freedom to worship the God of my choice is very dear to me, and I try to impress the importance of freedom of worship upon my children.

This holds even more importance for me because my wife is a Black African. There is an incredible difference between me and my wife’s family and friends with regard to issues concerning freedom and liberty. I have never, for example, heard my wife use the word freedom, or show, express, or profess gratitude for the freedoms she enjoys. I believe there are two reasons for this:

  1. My wife and her people have never known slavery as an historical institution, as Blacks in America do.

Sure, they know poverty; sure, they know deprivation; and sure, they know hunger. But, they have never known slavery of the American variety and the stigma attached to being a descendant of slaves. Having always been “free,” they have no frame of reference and, thus, do not and cannot know the inestimable value of freedom, and, therefore, have no real appreciation for the ability to do something as simple as oversleeping.

  1. My wife is a Roman Catholic.

You may ask what my wife being Roman Catholic has to do with why she does not appreciate freedom and is not grateful for the liberties she enjoys. To understand that, you must first understand that, as a religion, Roman Catholicism exercises absolute control over its votaries’ spiritual, psychological, and intellectual lives. Their doctrine and dogma demands that Catholics are not to think critically, exercise discernment, or use personal judgment on matters of faith. In Roman Catholicism, the priest has the authority of God. A good Catholic, therefore, is not one who faithfully attends mass or confession, gives to charity, or reads his bible. A good Catholic is one who does exactly what his priests tell him to do. Period. Though they are given a great deal of leeway these days, Catholics are never to question their priests or “Mother Church.”

A faithful Roman Catholic knows nothing of true freedom, especially freedom of conscience, because he has never had it. If you are not free to question the actions or commands of your superiors or the doctrine of the church, if you are not free to believe what you will, if you are not free to exercise your free will, and if you are not free to worship the God of your choosing in the way you feel led, then you are not truly free.

So, though my wife and I both have black skin, and are both descendants of Africans (she is an African), only I am the descendant of an African slave. I am very conscious of the fact that less than a hundred and fifty years ago, Blacks in America did not even enjoy the simple freedom to come and go as they pleased—a freedom that we so often take for granted today. I’m always grateful and thanking the Lord Jesus for this freedom.

My identity as a Christian is also important because most Blacks know little more of their history than the fact that our ancestors were brought to America from Africa as slaves. I, for example, know that around six hundred years ago, a Black African stepped off a boat that brought him from his land to the New World, and that African was made a slave. That African man was the first in a line that led to my father, the late Pastor Warren Keeton. I know little else about my ancestry. I don’t know what that African man looked like. I don’t know what country he came from. I don’t know what language he spoke. And I don’t know what he did for a living back in Africa. All I know is one thing: he was a slave.

It would be nice to know what facial and body characteristics I inherited from that man. It would be nice to know what talents and abilities I share with that man. But I will never know those things in this life, because my history was stolen. But it is nice to know that I have a spiritual history and that the Bible records it.

I was blown away when I saw the significance of Blacks in biblical history. I was amazed to discover that Moses’ wife was Black. I was astounded to find out that it was a Black man (Moses’ father-in-law) that helped Moses transform the Hebrews after the Exodus out of Egypt from a ragtag gaggle into an organized fighting machine that spread terror in the hearts of the Canaanites. I was flabbergasted when I read in the Scripture of Truth that the first non-Jewish person to bless and worship God was a Black Man. And I was speechless to discover that one of Jesus’ disciples was a Black man (I bet you didn’t know that there were black Jews during the time of Jesus?) I was encouraged when I discovered that contrary to secular history, Blacks were not ignorant savages before Catholic missionaries “evangelized” them. In fact, it was those missionaries who paganized them. I was happy to discover from the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8 that unlike the European converts to Christianity, the Ethiopian eunuch already worshipped God, whom he probably called Jehovah.

There is a great deal Black Americans can learn of their true identity from the Bible, which is why Satan does not want Blacks reading the Bible at all; and, in fact, is on a mission to turn Blacks away from the Bible and The Lord Jesus.

  1. Where we are: The World.

The Word of God teaches that “the whole world lieth in wickedness,” and that we, as Christians, are merely strangers and pilgrims here. The Bible also says that we should neither love the world nor the things that are in this world, because anyone who loves the world is not of God. In short, we are aliens on this planet and are not to get too comfortable during our stay here even though it is the only existence we have ever known. We literally have one foot on earth and the other foot in Heaven.

Moreover, as Black Protestant Americans, my children and I have an even greater reason to remember where we are, as we live in Munich, Germany, an extremely Roman Catholic city in a very Roman Catholic country on an essentially Roman Catholic continent. This is especially significant, because, besides my children, there are very few—if, in fact, there are any other—Black American children here. There are many other Negro children in Munich—mostly Africans, but the majority are Roman Catholics and Muslims. And, of the very few that are not Roman Catholics or Muslims, most are either Eastern Orthodox (essentially Roman Catholic), identify as “evangelicals” (nominal Protestants who have been heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism), or are either Jehovah’s Witnesses, “renewed” charismatics, or belong to a religious cult of personality (such as the followers of deceased African religious leader Simon Kimbangu, known as Kimbangistas). So, if perchance there are other Black American children here, they are very likely either Roman Catholics or heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.

By now, you can probably appreciate why I feel it is important for a Black American to know who he is, what he is, and where he is, so that he can keep everything in its proper perspective and know what he ought to be thanking the Lord Jesus for. This is important here, but no less true where you are.

It is true that blacks have always had and continue to have their share of injustice, inhumanity and cruel treatment; the historical record is too well known to deny this. But we should not let that fact blind us of the fact that we have also made incredible progress. If we spend too much time thinking about “how far we have yet to go,” we cannot truly appreciate how far we’ve come.

And, lest we forget, we did not do it alone: we had a lot of help from the Lord Jesus Christ, who, through the Apostle Paul admonishes us to:

“Be content with such things as ye have” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Timothy 6:8).

The message is clear:

  • Be satisfied with just having a roof over your head; many don’t.
  • Be happy you have a change of clothes and decent shoes on your feet; many don’t.
  • Be grateful if you have beans and rice on the table; many don’t.
  • Be beside yourself with glee when you can eat what you want from time to time and not just what you can afford; many can’t.
  • Be grateful you can come and go when you please and where you want. (You’d be surprised how many can’t.)
  • Appreciate the blessing of being able to sleep in every now and then; many can’t.

If you think about it, then, these are truly blessings!

Thank you for putting up with my ravings today.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Edification, End Times | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Racism and the Roman Catholic Takeover of America

Posted on July 12, 2016 by The Still Man

Demonstrators march in New York, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, during the Justice for All rally and march. In the past three weeks, grand juries have decided not to indict officers in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York and the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The decisions have unleashed demonstrations and questions about police conduct and whether local prosecutors are the best choice for investigating police. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

 

Grace and peace, Saints,

This morning I awoke around 3:30 .A.M. And could not go back to sleep. This is nothing new, but, today was different. Today, I couldn’t go back to sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about a letter someone wrote me concerning our article, Does God Hate Blacks?

It is incredible how deceived my people are, and it grieves me that after all we’ve been through, after all the deceptions we’ve survived, and in spite of being used for so long to foment rebellion, sow discord, and spread hatred many–and I dare say most–Black people still cannot see the forest for the trees. They still can’t see that racism is being used not only to destroy Blacks, but also whites as well.

Racism is a tool of the devil. And, just as racism was used in the nineteenth century to divide the United States over the issue of slavery, an issue that eventually ignited the most bloody conflict in the History of the United States and caused the death of one of the bravest and noblest men who ever lived—Abraham Lincoln—so racism is being used in the twenty-first century to once again divide our nation over the problem of racial inequality and the unjust treatment of Blacks by the “Justice” System.

You know, racism, slavery, the Civil War, and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln have much in common, and that is no coincidence. They all share one common denominator: Rome.

Charles Chiniquy, in the book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome writes that the U.S. Civil War was actually instigated by the Roman Catholic Church. According to Chiniquy, a close personal friend and confidant of Lincoln, the President was well aware of the role Rome played in starting that conflict, and he quoted Lincoln as saying:

“This war would never have been possible without the sinister influence of the [Roman Catholic] Jesuits. We owe it to Popery (Roman Catholicism) that we now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons.

Though there were great differences between the North and the South on the question of slavery, neither Jeff Davis nor any one of the leading men of the Confederacy would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on the promises of the Jesuits, that, under the mask of Democracy, the money and the arms of the Roman Catholics, even the arms of France, were at their disposal, if they were to attack us.

I pity the priests, the bishops, and the monks of Rome in the United States, when the people realize that they are, in great part, responsible for the tears and the blood shed in this war; the later the more terrible the retribution will be. I conceal what I know, on that subject, from the knowledge of the nation; for if the people knew the whole truth, this war would turn into a religious war…” (p. 498-499). [Brackets and parentheses mine.]

As a former Roman Catholic priest, Chiniquy well knew that racism is an integral part of the Roman Catholic belief system, and he held that this was ultimately what motivated Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, a devout Roman Catholic, in handing down the infamous Dred Scott decision, to write, “The Negro has no rights that the white man is bound to recognize.”

You may also find it interesting to learn that Mary Surrat, another devout Roman Catholic, who was tried, found guilty, and ultimately hanged for being one of the chief conspirators in the murder of Abraham Lincoln, and in whose house the Roman Catholic priests and other engineers of Lincoln’s murder met, slept, ate, and planned that assassination, said, “The death of Lincoln was no better than the death of any nigger in the army.”

Chiniquy went on to explain how the Roman Catholic Church went to great lengths to ensure that it’s involvement both in the Civil War and in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln were kept out of the press and out of the history books. That is why many of us never learned any of this in high school, which is incredible, when you think about it.

And, lest you be further deceived into believing this is purely a white vs. black thing, you should know that many blacks have also taken part in this scheme. In fact, without the help of many blacks of all ranks, stations, education levels, and income brackets, Rome would not be able to implement its racial agenda nearly as efficiently. You may recall, for example, our article entitled the Occult Hand signs and the Cult of Mary, where I explain a certain hand sign in use by Mary worshippers of all flavors, and provide ample photos of many Blacks: famous, infamous, and relatively unknown, flashing the Marian Signal: from President Barack Obama and the First Lady to Muhammad Ali.

Moreover, in an article entitled Trayvon Martin and the Roman Catholic Takeover of America, I show you Rachel Jeanteel, Trayvon Martin’s alleged girlfriend, (as well as George Zimmermann) flashing the Cult of Mary hand sign during Zimmermann’s trial, and I explain that the whole Trayvon Martin affair was just another Jesuit plot to further divide America over the issue of racism.

So, folks, don’t fall for the lie. This is not about White vs. Black; this is about Rome vs. Freedom. And the ultimate goal is to destroy the American republic and eventually enslave all of humanity—not just Blacks.

In order for Rome to rule, America must fall. And for America to fall, it must remain fractured and divided; and racism has proven to be the most potent weapon of fraction and division ever devised.

Read more about the Roman Catholic Takeover of America here.

 

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Racism, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Lord, In Whom Can We Trust?

Posted on July 7, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

Today I was on YouTube looking for the lyrics and melody to an old Negro Spiritual entitled “Changed My Name” to add to my repertoire.

Because I went to church only occasionally before I got saved in September, 2005, I never knew many Christian hymns or spirituals. So, when my children and I started having church at home, in 2013, and wanted to have praise and worship, we found that we didn’t know any praise and worship songs. Then, I remembered a couple of songs from “Vacation Bible School” which I attended one summer when I was about ten years old. One of the songs I remembered was “Onward Christians Soldiers.” I couldn’t remember all the lyrics to the song, so I googled “Christian hymns” and one of the sites that came up was hymnal.net, which has the lyrics (and sometimes the accompanying music) to many Christian hymns and spirituals. They had the lyrics and the melody to the song, and it took us about a month to learn it.  Now we know about 15 songs, which is not very many, but is way better than just one.

When I want to learn a new hymn, I’ll occasionally go to a site like hymnal.net and look for something. If I find a song I like, but the melody isn’t available, I’ll often go to YouTube and search for the song there. Sometimes only the lyrics and melody will be available, while, at other times, a person, group or choir will perform it.

Yesterday, it occurred to me that we know only a couple of Negro spirituals, so I went to a site I had visited years ago called negrospirituals.com ,where years ago I found the lyrics to “Oh Freedom!”  There I found a song called “Changed Mah Name” that I really liked. Here are the lyrics:

I tol’ Jesus it would be all right
 if He changed my name,

Jesus tol’ me I would have to live humble
 if He changed mah name,

Jesus tol’ me that the world would be ‘gainst me 
if He changed mah name,

But I tol’ Jesus it would be all right 
if He changed mah name.

I believe this song is based on Revelation 2:17 where the Lord Jesus, through the Apostle John says that one day He would give all victorious believers a white stone with a new name on it:

“To Him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

I like that.

While searching YouTube for a video of someone performing the song, I happened across this video of a renowned Gospel singer singing “Changed Mah Name” at a church celebration. I don’t know why, but I was rather surprised to see this lady flash the Cult of Mary hand sign a couple of times in as many minutes.

I had never heard of Irma Gwynn before today, and so I don’t have enough background information to venture a comment as to her religious beliefs. But I do know the Cult of Mary.

I also couldn’t help but notice that during her testimony, Ms. Gwynn used the words “Lord” and “God,” but did not once mention the name of Jesus Christ.  I would have wondered why had I not seen her flashing the Cult of Mary hand sign.

As she continued, the smile I originally had on my face in response to her opening words slowly vanished, and I realized that she was not going to give the Lord Jesus the glory He so richly deserves by specifically saying His name. Then, again, why would she?

I have noticed that many Gospel singers seldom use the name of Jesus, but often substitute the words “Lord,” “God” and “Christ,” which I guess we are to assume mean the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to know why our churches are so jacked up? This is why: many of our leaders belong to the cult of Mary.

Warning from the Lord…

TSM

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Christian, Roman Catholicism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pop Smoke And Keep It Moving!

Posted on June 29, 2016 by The Still Man

popsmoke

Grace and peace to my fellowservants who have the testimony of Jesus, and greetings to the servants of the Infernal One.

As Christians, how we react to—or rather, that we not react to, but resist, peer pressure—is vitally important. As a Christian preacher living, working, and raising my children in a very un-Godly place, resisting peer pressure is of paramount importance, and I have spent considerable time and energy trying as best I can to teach my children why they should and how they must resist peer pressure.

A few days ago, while talking with my children on this subject, I used Romans 12:2 as an example of how we should resist peer pressure.

“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2).

The root word of conform, I explained, is form, which means to shape. When we conform to the world, we are allowing ourselves to be shaped by the world. In order to shape something, you have to be able to some degree to hold onto it and handle it. It follows, therefore, that if we make ourselves impossible to hold, then we make ourselves impossible to shape.

The easiest way to keep something from holding and handling you is to keep moving. In boxing, when an opponent finds he cannot stop your assault, or, when he is too slow to keep up with you, he will either run from you or try to hold onto you to slow you down and keep you from moving.

This is no less true in spiritual things. If Satan sees that you are staying busy for the Lord  and he can’t stop you, then he will try everything in his power to slow you down and keep you from moving. He will first try to grasp you; and, if he manages to grasp you, then he will try to hold you. If he manages to hold you, then he will try to mold (conform) you. And once he forms you, you lose the will (and power) to resist.

The best way to keep from conforming, therefore, is to keep it moving, and to not slow down for anyone or anything. That way, Satan can’t grab you and hold onto you. And if he can’t hold you, then he can’t mold you.

My way of staying busy for the Lord and keeping it moving is by witnessing, whether it be by passing out Gospel tracts, teaching the Word, giving my testimony, writing edifying pieces for this blog, or working on or doing research for the book I hope to soon publish. Witnessing is a good way to keep it moving.

But not everyone can witness, has the boldness to witness, or is able to witness, especially at school or work. How do these “keep it moving?” The answer is by being careful where they focus their attention. The same way Satan tries to grab us and hold onto us to keep us from moving, he also tries to grab and hold our attention to keep it off the things of God. He is constantly dangling carrots (sin) before our eyes to get us to focus on them, because he knows that where the eyes go, the mind will follow.

The key, then, is not to focus on the carrot. We should certainly see the carrot (for we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices), but we should not fixate on the carrot, become obsessed with the carrot, or go bonkers over the carrot. When we see it, our antenna should go up, and we should be aware that Satan is up to no good. But after saying, “Get thee behind me Satan!” we should take our attention off the carrot, pop smoke (military vernacular for get out of Dodge), and keep it moving.

And, let us not forget that one sure-fire way Satan throws a cockroach in the cake mix is through a spouse, one or all of our children, a friend or family member, or a troublesome co-worker or boss. These can hold you and slow you down too if you let them. Like everything else in our lives, they have to be managed if we are to keep it moving.

If we do this thing, then we will never stand still long enough for Satan to get his hands on us, let alone go to work on us.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

Share
Posted in Edification, Encouragement | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Witness to Jasenovac’s Hell

Posted on June 27, 2016 by The Still Man

jasenovachell

Grace and peace, Saints.

We have added another resource to our bibliography, a book entitled Witness to Jasenovac’s Hell.

Written by a survivor of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Yugoslavia during WWII, this book provides a horrifying glimpse into the torture, murder, deprivation, starvation, and psychological trauma which were a daily part of life at Jasenovac, the third-largest concentration camp in Europe.  When it was apparent that the Nazis were going to lose the war, and the Allies were approaching, the Roman Catholic Croatian Ushtashi who ran Jasenovac began murdering all the prisoners, to try to erase all evidence and witnesses to their crimes.

This book is one of the few first-hand accounts of the atrocities that occurred at Jasenovac, written by a survivor who escaped the camp at sixteen years of age.  It is amazing that given it’s historical significance, only a couple of copies of this book are available at Amazon and they cost over six-hundred dollars. It is not available at all through Abe’s Books. I was blessed to find a copy at a university library here in Munich and spent the next two weeks digitizing it. It is my goal to help keep this important historical resource available, and to awaken Christians to what is going to happen to the body of Christ in the very near future when the Roman Catholic Takeover of America is complete.

Witness to Jasenovac’s Hell is a fitting companion to Monica Farrell’s account of the massacre of the Serbs in Ravening Wolves, also found in the Bibliography.

I strongly urge you to download and read this important historical resource.  And please pray with me for the Persecuted Church as well as prepare your own hearts for what will soon be coming for all who name the name of Jesus.

TSM

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That They Should Kill One Another

Posted on June 14, 2016 by The Still Man

Islamic Tolerance Flag

“There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.”

–British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on May 23, 2013, during a press conference following the brutal daylight slaying of British soldier, Lee Rigby, by two Muslims.

“Muslims kill more Muslims than anyone else.”

–Usama Hasan, Sr. Researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, during a CNN interview on May 24, 2013, regarding the murder of British soldier, Lee Rigby.

 

By now, many of you know about the man who opened fire on partygoers at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, Saturday night, killing 50 and wounding 53. He has since been identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Florida, a devout Muslim of Afghan parentage.

This will no doubt fuel the anti-gun rhetoric in the United States and many believe it will also serve as an impetus for more anti-gun legislation. Critics of Islam are calling for the government to quell the influx of immigrants to our shores, and supporters of Donald Trump are hoping that this will cause many to see that he was right in his stated belief that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States.

What is for sure is that Islam is once again on the radar. It had popped up on the radar last week upon the death of Muhammad Ali, as CNN, during its coverage of the influential boxer, was careful to mention that the Islamic holy week of Ramadan was beginning. But, all the contradictory media propaganda notwithstanding, anyone who was deceived into believing that Islam is a religion of peace was violently awakened to the unfortunate reality that Islam is anything but peaceful.

On the heels of this latest episode of Islamic violence, many Americans are asking themselves why Islam is such a violent religion, and why the adherents of a religion that purports to be peaceful, not only kill others, but also kill each other.

As an evangelist, I have often witnessed to Muslims, both in the United States and here in Germany, and I have occasionally asked Muslims why Islam is such a violent religion. Of those who will admit that Muslims do, in fact, kill non-Muslims, most will offer various reasons for this, usually having something to do with someone offending their religion, their prophet, or their holy book, the Qur’an.  One Muslim gentleman even told me that the reason Muslims kill is owing to a misinterpretation of what their prophet, Muhammad said. Most, Muslims, however, will not admit that their holy book not only condones, but commands the killing of non-Muslims, or infidels. Of course, in that Muslims promote Islam as a religion of peace, any explanation they offer for why Muslims kill falls way short of the mark.

But, while Muslims may be able to explain–albeit insufficiently–why Muslims kill non-Muslims, there is one very perplexing phenomenon that no Muslim to date has been able to explain: why Muslims kill each other; because Muslims do kill each other–frequently. As a religion, Islam is distinguished in this regard. One statistic holds that (as of 2007) over 11,000,000 Muslims had been killed worldwide and that 90% of those deaths were the result of Muslims killing other Muslims. This is a startling statistic for a religion that claims to be a religion of peace.

The situation is so bad that even Muslims are asking the question, “Why do Muslims kill other Muslims?

For his part, vocal Muslim cleric and Islamic apologist, Dr. Zakir Naik, blamed “division within Islam,” the media, and anti-Islamic rhetoric for Muslims killing other Muslims. But this does absolutely nothing to truly explain why Muslims kill other Muslims.

 Let me illustrate for you by way of example how perplexing this question is even for the most devout Muslim.

A few months ago, I was walking through the main thoroughfare of the Munich main train station, when I spotted two African men talking together.  Knowing that the majority of Africans in Munich are from Muslim countries, I decided I would witness to these men, as I had gospel tracts in my pocket targeting Roman Catholics and Muslims.  I approached the young men and, greeting them in English, asked them if they were Muslims.  When they affirmed that they were, I pulled out the German version of the Chick tract, “Allah Had No Son,” and handed it to them.  They didn’t seem to speak German well enough to understand the tract, so I told them to please hold onto it, until such time as their German was good enough to enable them to comprehend the tract and its message.  

One of the men spoke enough English to hold a decent conversation, so I decided to give this man the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I first asked him where his religion taught he would go when he died.  When he answered “Paradise,” I told him that his religion would not get him into Paradise, because Islam does not solve the problem of sin. I then asked him if it were not true that Islam teaches that Muslims should kill infidels (non-Muslims).  He agreed that this was true, but added that he did not believe that this was the right thing to do.  I then asked him if he were a good Muslim, and, when he replied that he was, I asked him why he disobeyed his prophet Muhammad, who wrote Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an, which commands Muslims to kill non-Muslims.  He said that not all Muslims believe that the Qur’an is right about this teaching.  I asked him if he obeyed the prophet Muhammad, and he answered that he did, adding that if anyone “touched” the prophet Muhammad or the Qur’an, he would kill them.  He then went on to say that the men at Charlie Hebdo were wrong for what they did, and that had he been there, he would have killed them himself.

Charlie Hebdo, as most of you know, is a satirical magazine based in Paris, France. In January 2015, Islamic terrorists murdered four employees of the magazine, including the editor, supposedly for satirizing their prophet Muhammad. Religion is a personal and highly charged subject, especially for Muslims. One should not mock another’s religion, even if it is protected speech in some countries. That said, the taking of a human life for any reason, according to the Bible, is a sin, which makes it wrong. So, while I don’t agree with what Charlie Hebdo did, I also don’t agree with how these men chose to express their discontent. As the saying goes, “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“Allah must be a bloody god,” I said, “if he commands the murder of anyone.” At that, the man quickly changed the subject by saying that he had never seen a Muslim become a Christian, though he had seen Christians become Muslims.  I told him that the only reason he had not seen any Muslims become Christians was because he lived in a Muslim-dominated country, and Muslim-dominated countries are notorious for persecuting and killing Muslims who convert to Christianity.  I told him that I know of Muslims who have become Christians.

Returning to the subject, I asked the man if he were being obedient to Islam’s holy book by not killing non-believers.  It was then that he said that he, too, would kill non-believers. This, I felt was the truth of the matter. I then asked him why, if Islam is a religion of peace, it commands Muslims to kill others, and permits Muslims to kill other Muslims.  “How does one know,” I asked, “who is right and who is wrong, when both sides are shouting, ‘Allah U Akhbar!’ (Allah is great!)?” “Yes, that is a problem,” he said, not attempting to explain this phenomenon.

Again attempting to change the subject, he repeated that he had never seen a Muslim become a Christian, though he had seen Christians become Muslims.  I then told him that the Bible explains why Muslims kill other Muslims. “The Bible prophecies about Islam,” I told him, “and even prophesies that Muslims would not only be known for killing others, but for killing one another also”

Suddenly, he yelled to one of his companions, who was now heading for the train, and abruptly left. “God bless you,” I said, again urging him to read the tract I had given him.  I then headed for my own train.

While this man at least tried to justify the killing of non-Muslims, he did not even attempt to explain why Muslims kill other Muslims. The reason is simple: If a good Muslim obeys the Qur’an and follows the teachings of their prophet, Muhammad, who did not command Muslims to kill their brethren, then why do Muslims still kill other Muslims?

I have asked Muslims why, if Islam is a religion of peace, their holy book not only allows, but encourages Muslims to kill non-Muslims. And I have been given many different answers: someone has insulted their religion, offended their prophet, or mistreated or disrespected their holy book. One even attributed this violence to some Muslims having misinterpreted what Muhammad wrote. But, like the Muslim at the train station, not one Muslim whom I have asked has been able to explain why Muslims kill other Muslims.

I once watched a YouTube video of one battle of the civil war in Egypt apparently taken by a rebel fighter, that well illustrated this perplexing phenomenon.  Each time a soldier fired his weapon, he shouted “Allah U Akhbar!” and opposition soldiers could be heard shouting the same thing as they returned fire.  In the “Comments” section, Shias and Sunnis took turns offending one another, using some of the most appalling and hate-filled speech I have ever heard.

How can this be?  How can two individuals share the same religious heritage, believe in the same god, hold to the same religious tenants, profess to love and obey their religion’s prophet, and obey their holy book, yet hate each other with such an intense hatred?  What is for sure is that the god of the Qur’an is not the God of the Bible; for the Bible states that God is not the author of confusion, and this inexplicable hatred between Muslims is extremely confusing—confusing, that is, to those who do not know the Bible.

Did you know that the Bible prophesies about Islam? It’s true. And not only does the Bible prophesy about Islam; it also prophesies that Muslims would wage war against others, and that Muslims would kill other Muslims. Turn with me to the Book of the Revelation chapter 6.  Many of you will be familiar with this chapter, which speaks about what are commonly called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Our concern is with the second horse, which is red.

“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:4).

There are varying opinions as to what this rider and the red horse symbolize. Jack Chick, in volume 16 of his Crusader series of comic tracts, writes that the rider of the red horse symbolizes Communism, while the red horse symbolizes war.

chick-4horsemen2 chick-4horsemen1

Former Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera, in a sermon dedicated to this subject, focused on the red horse, believing that the color red symbolized government, as many governments, including the Nazi and Communist governments, have used the color red.  And false prophet, Tim LaHaye, in Revelation Revealed, a commentary on the Book of the Revelation, also believes the red horse to be a symbol for war.

Though all of these interpretations contain some truth, they all effectively miss the mark, not only because they place too much emphasis on the horse, but because they either completely overlook or misinterpret the symbolism of the rider. A correct interpretation, which can only come from the Holy Spirit, would reveal the mystery that is Islam. It would behoove us, therefore, to listen to what the Spirit has to say about this. We will use the perfect, inerrant Word of the Living God, the King James Version, to unravel this mystery.

Now, I believe that much of the misunderstanding regarding the rider of the red horse is due to the New International Version’s (NIV) faulty translation of the passage. The NIV renders Revelation 6:4 thus:

“When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.  Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.  To him was given a large sword.”

Because the NIV interprets the passage differently than the King James, much of the prophetic meaning of the passage has been lost, leaving the passage subject to misinterpretation. The result is that three crucial details have been missed that are crucial to an understanding of the identity of the rider of the red horse.

First, while the KJV says the rider of the red horse is given the power “that they should kill one another,” the NIV says he is given the power “to make men slay each other.” This misinterpretation has caused most to believe that the rider of the red horse has been given the power to cause the inhabitants of the earth to kill one another. This has led to the incorrect belief that the rider of the red horse simply means war.

Second, the faulty interpretation that the inhabitants of the earth are the “men [who will] slay each other has led to a second faulty interpretation: that the rider of the red horse represents some system that will cause the inhabitants of the earth to kill one another. Jack Chick, as we have seen, believes the rider is a symbol for Communism.  Communist regimes have killed hundreds of millions of their own citizens in the countries where they have come to power. But Communist regimes are not known for causing those citizens themselves to kill one another.

Third, the faulty interpretation that the rider of the red horse represents some system that will cause men to kill each other, has led to the faulty interpretation that the red horse represents war. But this, I believe is complicating the overt symbolism of the color red.  The color red symbolizes blood.  The red horse, therefore, symbolizes bloodshed.

Fourth, The NIV says that the rider of the red horse is given a “large” sword, while the King James says that he is given a great sword. While this may not seem very important, it is actually a very important detail. It may even be the most important detail in the passage. Bear this in mind.

Before we reveal the prophetic significance of Revelation 6:4, let us take one more look at this passage as rendered in the King James Bible:

“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:4).

First, we are told that the rider of the red horse is given power “to take peace from the earth.” Many interpret this passage to mean war, but, while war is the best known way to take away peace, it is not the most common way. Peace is more than just the absence of war. Peace is the absence of strife. Peace is the absence of contention.  Peace is the absence of vengeance. And peace is the absence of hatred. War may be the most effective way to take away peace, but it is not the only way. The incident in the Orlando gay bar brings this home.

Second, we are told that the rider of the red horse is given power that “they” should kill one another, but we are not told who “they” are.  Again, because the NIV says that the rider is given the power “to make men slay each other,” theologians have incorrectly interpreted this to mean that it is the inhabitants of the earth that would kill each other.  The King James, however, says that the rider is given power that “they” should kill one another. Bear in mind that we are not told in the passage who “they” are, and, since no one else is mentioned in the passage, we can only conclude that “they” refers to the rider. Therefore, in that the rider is a symbol—that much is clear—then we know that the rider symbolizes a group of people—a nation, who will take peace from the earth. This is an important detail.

Because every society to some degree has been guilty of killing its own people, then this must mean that this people is especially distinguished by this behavior. Bear this in mind.

Third, the symbolism of the sword is highly significant for several reasons:

1. The rider receives it from God, meaning whatever the sword represents was given of God.

2. That the sword is given to a people means it is not merely a symbol for war, but a symbol for this people. It is an emblem, so to speak. We may therefore call these people the “people of the sword.”

3. Because the sword is symbolic of a people, then the Apostle John’s description of the sword as “great” (as opposed to the NIV’s use of the word “large”) is also symbolic.

To summarize Revelation 6:4, the rider of the red horse is symbolic of a warlike people, who are known not only for waging war against and killing others, but also waging war against and killing each another. The sword has historically been a symbol for this people, and they are great (both in number and in power and influence) and their greatness was given to them by God. I submit that there is only one people on the face of the earth who fit this description marvelously: The Muslims.

“[They shall] take peace from the earth…”

The Muslims are a warlike people who have conquered most of the world by waging war in the name of Islam. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the Muslims have been waging an unconventional war of jihad (Islamic holy war) against their enemies, mostly Jews and Christians, using terrorism.

We should also remember that war is not the only way to take peace from the earth.  Muslims have been known to stab and behead people in public, throw acid in the faces of Muslims and non-Muslims alike (such as in the case of Umar Mulinde, a Ugandan pastor and former Muslim who was attacked in 2011 after a church service).

“They should kill one another…”

Shias and Sunnis, the two major branches of Islam, have been warring against each other for more than a thousand years. Various minority Islamic sects have also been persecuted and killed by both majority branches.

Sharia (Islamic law) is another way that Muslims kill one another. In the countries where sharia dominates, Muslims have been imprisoned, tortured, and put to death for a variety of things considered crimes under sharia law, such as converting to Christianity, adultery, homosexuality, criticizing Islam, and other things. Sharia law even condones the murder of a woman for refusing to marry the man her parents have arranged for her. It is called an “honor killing.”

“[They were] given a great sword.”

A large curved sword, called a scimitar, has traditionally been the symbol of Islam.

ottoman-scimitar

Ottoman scimitar

The scimitar appears in Arab and Muslim art and folklore:

 

Boulanger-A-Tale-of-1001-Nights

Boulanger’s “Tale of 1001 Nights” (note the red fez worn by the boy in the foreground).

 

Many Islamic nations and organizations have used a scimitar as their emblem.

Flag of Saudi Arabia

Flag of Saudi Arabia

 

Flag of Paki

Flag of Pakistani Army

 

Peace flag of Fath Ali

Peace flag of Fath Ali

 

Lion and sun emblem of Persian Empire

Lion and sun emblem of Persian Empire (Iran)

 

Flag of Persian Army Corps general

Flag of Persian Army Corps general

 

Modern jihadist flag

Modern jihadist flag

 

Seal of Muslim Brotherhood

Seal of Muslim Brotherhood

During the Second World War, there was a Muslim Division of the Nazi SS called the 13th Waffen SS Gebirgsjaeger or “mountain fighters,” which was composed primarily of Muslim Croats. They were also called the handschar (German for scimitar), because of their unit insignia, which featured a scimitar.

13th Waffen SS insignia

13th Waffen SS insignia

Below are the 13 SS Waffen Division’s patches. Note the scimitar on the collar patch at the upper left. The Gebirgsjaegers wore the patch in place of the SS runes worn by the German SS soldiers.

13th Waffen SS Brigade patches

13th Waffen SS Brigade patches

The red and white shields were worn on the sleeves. The color red corresponds to the color of the horse and is no coincidence.

“He was given a GREAT sword.” [Emphasis mine.]

Again, the use of the word, “great” is not arbitrary; it is symbolic. The symbolism of God giving this people a “great” sword not only means that God made them great, but that God called them great (think “given” name). If God called this people great, then the Bible should record this.

And it does. In the entire Bible, there are only two nations that God specifically said He would make “great,” and those nations sprung from two sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.

Speaking of Isaac, God told Abraham:

“I will make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 12:2).

“My covenant will I establish with Isaac…” (Genesis 17:21).

Speaking of Ishmael, twice God said He would make him great:

“As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly (make him great in number); twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (great in power and influence) (Genesis 17:20)

“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation” (Genesis 21:18)

The children of Isaac, as we know, are the Jews, and the children of Ishmael are the Arab nations—the Muslims. Of these two nations, the Muslims marvelously fulfill the criteria of Revelation 6:4. There is another very important factor to consider: Muslims are not of any particular race or culture. In fact, Muslims are distinguished by their religion, and that religion is Islam.

The rider of the red horse, therefore, is Islam.

As for the symbolism of the red horse, the color red is one of five colors long associated with Islam: red, black, white, yellow, and green. The fez hat, an Islamic headdress, is red.

Muslim fez

Muslim fez

The fez is believed to be named for a city in Morocco where at one time, it was exclusively made. It’s red color is significant: In 980 A.D., the Moslems, under Mohammed,  attacked the city of Fez and massacred over 50,000 Christians there. As the streets ran red, Mohammed’s soldiers reportedly dipped their fezzes, formerly white, in the blood of the slaughtered Christians and wore them as a testament to their god, Allah.

Given Islam’s bloody history, I submit that the red horse is symbolic of this history.

fez4

ren-stimpy-fez

The hat of a Shriner (a degree of Freemasonry based on Islam) is a fez emblazoned with a scimitar. Coincidence?

Fez of a Shriner

Fez of a Shriner

The uniform of the 13th Waffen Division included a red fez.

13 Waffen SS soldiers wearing fezzes

13 Waffen SS soldiers wearing fezzes

Now, the next time you ask yourself why Islam is so violent and why Muslims kill not only non-Muslims but other Muslims as well, don’t be perplexed. It is prophetic.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Islam | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vatican May Apologize for Persecution of Christians

Posted on June 8, 2016 by The Still Man

The Vatican may soon issue a formal apology for the Roman Catholic church’s historical persecution of Bible-believing Protestant Christians. During a recent homily, Pope Francis, the False Prophet of Revelation 13, said,

“Jesus, before the Passion, prayed for the unity of Christians, so that they might be one—as He and the Father are one—that the world might believe. But within the Church there are those who “sow weeds,” who divide and destroy the community with their wagging tongues.”

“The unity of the Christian community,” he said, “is a witness: a witness to the fact that the Father has sent the Son. But achieving unity is very difficult.”

He then went on to say this:

“We have to seek forgiveness for our history, for having waged war against our Christian brothers,—divisions which continue even today.”

“Those who sow weeds,” I believe, refers to those Protestants who know the truth; those Protestants who know that all cumbaya rhetoric aside, the Roman Catholic church and its Pope always have been and always will be the irreconcilable enemy of Protestant Christianity.

Jack Chick, in volume 16 of the Crusader Series, entitled “The Four Horsemen,” says that according to former Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera, the Vatican is planning to one day formally apologize for the Holocaust. Perhaps this is a lead up to that event. The Roman Catholic church has always been the bitter enemy of both the Christian Church and Israel and has sworn to destroy both—and it will pull out all the stops during the Great Tribulation towards this end.

You must understand that the Roman Catholic Council of Trent declared Martin Luther and all Bible-believing Christians heretics and placed them under one hundred twenty-five curses. Beginning with Vatican II, the Roman Catholic church ostensibly left off the incendiary rhetoric and began to call Christians “separated brethren.” But the reality is that the Vatican has never repealed the decrees of the Council of Trent and follows them to this very day. Bible-believing Christians are still considered heretics who deserve to die.

Charles Chiniquy, in the book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, speaking on the hatred the Roman Catholic church holds towards Christians writes:

“The Roman Catholics [feel that they] have not only the right, but it is their duty to kill heretics” (p. 78). [brackets mine.]

He then goes on to quote the Roman Catholic church father, “Saint” Alphonsus Liguori to have written:

“Though heretics must not be tolerated because they deserve it, we must bear with them till, by a second admonition, they may be brought back to the faith of the Church. But those who, after a second admonition, remain obstinate in their errors must not only be excommunicated, but they must be delivered to the secular powers to be exterminated.”  [Emphasis mine.]

Think about that and consider what the United States government did to the Branch Davidian church, in 1993, during the siege at Waco, Texas, when it burned those men, women, and children alive. Think about that and consider what the Philadelphia police department did to the Move Group, in 1985, when it burned those men, women, and children alive. It is important to understand that both those groups had religious beliefs that were very un-Catholic.

The Roman Catholic church feigns friendship for the time being in order to beguile Christians to go along with its One World agenda. Their reason for courting Christians, according to Ligouri, is to bring them “back to the faith of the Church.” They want to unite the Roman Catholics and Protestants in the Vatican’s One World Church. But, once they achieve their ends, the mask will come off and the poor Christians who fell for the deception will see Rome’s true colors. History will repeat itself.  Don’t be deceived!

“Christian brothers” could also mean the Eastern Orthodox Church, which Rome has too persecuted, but the Pope’s use of the term “wagging tongues” and that he says they cause division makes me believe he is talking about Protestant preachers who preach against Rome.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Christian, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two Fingers In The Air!

Posted on June 3, 2016 by The Still Man

m-obama-papal-salute

This photo depicts First Lady Michelle Obama at a Times Square event with members of the United States Olympic team passing a basketball. My question is how she manages to pass a basketball with those two fingers sticking up like that without trying. Then again, who said she wasn’t trying?

As many of you may know, the two finger salute, or papal salute, is used by romanists as a sign of their allegiance to the pope and by popes as a token of their claim of supreme spiritual and temporal (worldly) authority.  

We have seen Mrs. Obama throw up the Cult of Mary hand sign so often that we have no doubt of her romish leanings, but I couldn’t resist adding this photo to the mix.

TSM

Share
Posted in Christian, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Corpus Christi Day/Fronleichnam: Worshipping The Creature More Than The Creator

Posted on May 26, 2016 by The Still Man

eucharist1

Thursday May 26, 2016, here in Bavaria and in other German states, a holiday called fronleichnam will be celebrated. Fronleichnam is the German equivalent of what is called Corpus Christi Day in America.  Corpus Christi Day is a Roman Catholic holiday honoring the Eucharist, the consecrated bread used in the Roman Catholic Mass.

TimeAndDate.com says this about Corpus Christi Day:

“Corpus Christi is a Christian observance that honors the Holy Eucharist. It is also known as the Feast of the Most Holy Body of Christ, as well as the Day of Wreaths.”

The “Holy Eucharist” is the round, flat, consecrated bread–the wafer–that Roman Catholics eat during the celebration of the Mass. Corpus Christi Day, therefore, is a Roman Catholic holiday or holy day which honors a piece of bread.

The Augsburger Allgemeine, a German newspaper, in the May 24, 2016 edition, has this to say about fronleichnam:

“Fronleichnam wird in der Kirche auch ‘Hochfest des Leibes und Blutes Christi’ genannt. Das Fest knüpft an Gründonnerstag an und setzt die Menschwerdung von Gottes Sohn fort. Der Name leitet sich aus dem mittelhochdeutschen vrône lîcham – „des Herren Leib” – ab.

“Das Fest selbst entstand, nachdem die Augustinernonne Juliana von Lüttich im Jahr 1209 eine Vision hatte. Christus offenbarte ihr eine Mondscheibe, auf der ein dunkler Fleck zu sehen war. Die Mondscheibe sollte das Kirchenjahr darstellen und der Fleck symbolisierte ein fehlendes Fest zu Ehren des Abendmahls.

“Das Bistum Lüttich führte daraufhin das Fest im Jahr 1246 ein. 1264 wurde es von Papst Urban IV zum allgemeinen kirchlichen Fest erklärt.”

Translation:

“In the [Roman Catholic] Church, Corpus Christi Day is also called the ‘High Feast of the body and blood of Christ.’ The Festival falls on Maundy Thursday and celebrates the incarnation of God’s son. The name is derived from the middle high German vrône lîcham, which means ‘the Lord’s Body.’

“The festival itself was created after the Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège had a vision in 1209. Christ revealed to her a moon dial on which could be seen a dark spot. The moon dial represented the liturgical year and the spot symbolized a missing feast in honour of the Lord’s Supper.

“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Liège then introduced the feast in 1246. In 1264 it was declared a General Church feast by Pope Urban IV.”

Note that Corpus Christi Day is not based on the Bible, but was inspired by the alleged vision of a Roman Catholic nun. That means the early Christian Church did not celebrate Corpus Christi Day or anything like it. The Bible does not record the Lord Jesus commanding His Church to establish a holiday honoring the bread used in the Lord’s Supper. The reason for this, I believe, is simple: the bread is merely symbolic.

At the Lord’s Supper, the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). “This do” refers to the breaking, sharing, and eating of the bread, which is recorded in Mark 14:22,23:

“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

“And He took the cup, and when He has given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it.”

Jesus said “This do in remembrance of me.” This means that in the breaking and sharing of bread we are to remember Him. It is an imperative: that is, a commandment. And the early Christians, obeying this commandment, continued to remember Jesus through the breaking of bread every Sunday, the first day of the week:

“On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7).

“And [the disciples of Jesus] continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).

“And [the disciples of Jesus], continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart (Acts 2:46).

It is through the breaking of bread (the Lord’s Supper) that true Christians are to honor the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, not by celebrating a holiday in honor of that bread. Corpus Christi Day then, or fromleichnam, is unscriptural.

But, there is something else you should think about. More than being merely unscriptural, Corpus Christi Day is actually blasphemous. Jesus said that through breaking the bread we symbolize the giving of His body “which was broken for us.” The breaking of bread, then, symbolizes His crucifixion. If we do not break the bread, then, we effectively deny the death of Jesus. And by denying Jesus’ death, we also deny His resurrection; for in order to be resurrected, Jesus had to first die. Because the Eucharist is a perfectly round intact piece of bread, it actually denies the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But there is still more. The Roman Catholic Church has not only established a holy day in honor of a piece of bread, but it actually worships that piece of bread as Jesus Christ Himself. The Roman Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence (also not biblical) declares that the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ are actually present (hence the term Real Presence) in the Eucharist:

“First of all, the holy council teaches and openly and plainly professes that after the consecration (blessing) of bread and wine, Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is truly, really and substantially contained in the august sacrament of the Holy Eucharist…”

“This has always been the belief of the Church of God, that immediately after the consecration the true body and the true blood of Our Lord, together with His soul and divinity exist under the form of bread and wine…” –Council of Trent, Thirteenth Session, October 11, 1551.

Many of you Christians who count Roman Catholics as your brothers and sisters in Christ may be asking yourselves why we should even care that Roman Catholics have set aside a day honoring a piece of bread and, in fact, worship that bread as Jesus Christ. Allow me to illuminate you by quoting from the Roman Catholic Council of Trent on which the Roman catechism is based and is the basis for much of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church:

“If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist are contained truly, really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ, but says that He is in it only as in a sign or figure, let him be anathema” (Canon 1).

“If anyone says that in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the worship of latria…let him be anathema” (Canon 6). (Latria is the highest form of worship and is only supposed to be given to God).

“Let him be anathema,” as many of you know, means “Let him be accursed.” When the Roman Catholic church curses someone, it is, in effect, a death sentence. And, because the Council of Trent was instituted primarily to condemn Martin Luther and all Protestants, then the “him” that is being cursed is the Bible-believing Christian–me, and, hopefully, you.

Roman Catholics profess to be Christians, and many say that the only difference between Catholics and Protestants is that they have “a different worship tradition.” DON’T YOU BELIEVE IT! If you were paying attention, then you know that the Roman Catholic church holds the Bible-believing Christian in very little esteem, to put it charitably, especially if you don’t agree with their doctrines concerning the Eucharist. Roman Catholics are very serious about the Eucharist and it is considered the most important of the seven sacraments (the sacraments are the “channels of grace” by which the Roman Catholic strives to merit the grace of God). They really believe that Jesus Christ is present in the communion wafer, and, in fact, call it Jesus.

The worship of the Eucharist is yet another form of idolatry practiced by the Roman Catholic church. Roman Catholics attempting to justify their worship of the Eucharist will say that they don’t actually worship it, but merely “adore” it. But, you must understand that adoration is a type of worship. And, as the previous quote from the Roman Catholic Council of Trent affirmed, the Roman Catholic must give the Eucharist the highest form of worship: that of latria. This makes the Eucharist an idol–a false god. The First Commandment is that we should worship God only, and, according to my Bible, that is Jesus Christ, who right now sits in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus Christ, contrary to Roman Catholic doctrine, cannot be compelled to leave Heaven at the whim of some priest and enter into a piece of bread.

In “A God Whom His Fathers Knew Not,” we explain that Corpus Christi Day is a literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel found in Daniel 11:38. It is also an example of the idolatry that Paul speaks of in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans:

“When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image…

“…And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:21-23,25).

On Corpus Christi Day, the Eucharist is paraded around some Roman Catholic towns and communities housed in what is called a monstrance. A monstrance looks like a sunburst and is supposed to represent the glory of God. The Eucharist, housed in a monstrance, is literally an “image of the uncorruptible God.”

monstrance_crescentmoon

Roman Catholics have been deceived into believing that they are worshipping Jesus Christ when they “adore” the Eucharist. They need to know that they are, in fact, committing idolatry.

Christians who consider Roman Catholicism to be just another Christian denomination are also deceived, and they should be offended by the spectacle of Eucharist adoration and the idea that Jesus Christ resides in a piece of bread.

Christians should also be aware that during the Dark Ages, millions of Christians were burned at the stake under the Roman Catholic Inquisition, because they denied that Jesus Christ was “really present” in the Eucharist. If you believe the Bible, then you must also believe that history will certainly repeat itself.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

Note: The source for the quotations of the Council of Trent were taken from The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, translated and introduced by Reverend H.J. Schroeder, TAN Books, Charlotte, NC, ISBN: 978-0-89555-074-3.

 

 

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Helicopters Over Munich?

Posted on May 2, 2016 by The Still Man

black-helicopter

Grace and peace, Saints.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard the sound of a helicopter flying somewhere near my house. By the sound of it, I could tell that it was flying very near to the ground and very close to my apartment building. Helicopters are not a novelty–especially if you live near a military base, or a civilian helipad. But, I don’t live near a military base or a civilian helipad; and, even if I did, helicopters are not supposed to fly that close to a residential area. As I listened, it seemed to be no more than about a couple hundred feet away and getting closer. When it sounded closest, I looked out the window, and saw a blackish-grey military-type helicopter with no markings cruise by my apartment building at about a hundred feet off the ground–about treetop level.

Now, I’m not a pilot, but I’m pretty sure that no aircraft–civilian or military–should be flying that low over a densely-populated urban area when there is no war or civil unrest . There were no military maneuvers going on in the area, to my knowledge, so there was really no reason for the helicopter to be there and for it to be flying so low in a residential area. What was even more notable was the fact that no one even seemed to notice or care that a military helicopter was cruising through their neighborhood–even the construction workers on the nearly completed two-story building right beneath the helicopter as it flew over. No big deal: just another day in paradise.

You probably would think that I would have been at least a little surprised by this event, but, I wasn’t. I’ve been hearing helicopters flying over or near my house for years, but I never got a look at one. I’m actually not the first person to see such a thing. Many Americans have reported seeing low-flying black helicopters over their neighborhoods for many years. The late researcher, William Cooper, on his shortwave radio show, “The Hour of the Time,” often talked about this, and had even seen them flying around his house in Eager, Arizona. I had never seen the helicopters for myself, but because of what I have been through, I believed the reports. Now I’ve seen one for myself, and can testify that the reports are true.

It is interesting about this is that all of the incidents of helicopter harassment that I have read about have been reported by Americans living in the United States.  I live in Munich, Germany.  This happened at around 10:30 A.M., and when I looked out the window, no one else was looking out of theirs and the few people I saw on the street didn’t even look up, not even the construction workers when the helicopter flew right over the building they were working on!

Common sense says that when something unusual happens and everyone acts as though it isn’t happening, they are probably in on the game. Under the circumstances, I am not surprised, as I’ve been aware of my neighbors’ involvement in my harassment for many years.

As you may be aware, the enemies of freedom and liberty of conscience have been harassing me and others like me for years. These people have been from virtually all walks of life, and have involved police officers, government officials, and military personnel, including pilots. Let me tell you about something that happened a few years ago.

Back in 2012, my children and I were visiting the United States. Being retired military, I am eligible to travel on military aircraft on a space-available basis. At Andrews Air Force Base, MD, we boarded a plane bound for Pope Air Force Base, NC. After we were seated, the pilot came and told me that he and the crew would be performing some type of “special maneuvers” as a training exercise. Now, I knew that it is against regulations to perform such maneuvers in non-tactical situations and with civilian personnel on board—especially children. But I didn’t protest, knowing what was going on, and confident that the Lord Jesus had foreseen this situation well in advance and would use for good what the devil meant for evil.

After takeoff, we climbed to cruising altitude, and after about fifteen or twenty minutes, the plane dropped abruptly a few hundred feet, before ascending to its former altitude. Then, it rapidly descended again, before repeating this maneuver several times in the next half hour. It was like flying on a roller coaster. And every time we descended, we were very low to the ground–so low that I thought we were preparing to land. This went on for about half an hour. During these maneuvers, I glanced around and noticed that most of the passengers seemed unfazed, while some were visibly uncomfortable. One man, for example, lay across from us on two seats pretending to be asleep, but he would stiffen like a board every time the plane began another rapid descent. One of the crew, seated next to me, had a wry smile plastered to his face. Strangely, not one passenger complained about this strange and highly unusual event.

It was obvious to me that the whole thing was planned in advance and was meant to terrify my children. By the grace of God, however, they were calm the entire trip. My daughters were asleep most of the time, but my son was awake and experienced the whole thing. Only back in Munich, almost a year later, did my son, then only ten years old, admit that he had been a little afraid that day. He was very relieved when I told him that under the circumstances, it was totally normal for him to be afraid. “It does not matter if you are afraid,” I told him, “what matters is what you do when you’re afraid. And you did very well!”

People have been asking why police officers, government officials, and even soldiers have been behaving very badly. It makes no sense that someone who has taken an oath to “protect and to serve” and to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic” would violate that oath and abdicate his sworn responsibilities in order to fulfill another obligation: no sense, that is, unless seen from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Takeover of America.

There may have been a good reason for the helicopter. And even if there was not, one would have been fabricated. But as far as I’m concerned, it was merely more proof that in this war, many of those whom we trust—even many men and women in uniform—have been compromised. Choose your heroes wisely.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

 

 

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Forgive Me

Posted on April 26, 2016 by The Still Man

forgive-me

Grace and peace.

Saints, when I wrote my first blog post back in February 2011, I had no idea that it would develop into a ministry. I didn’t have a plan. I neither knew what I wanted to say nor how I wanted to say it. I didn’t have any short- or long-term goals. And I didn’t know what I would do if everything failed. All I knew was that I wanted to serve the Lord Jesus in some way, and the only way I knew to serve Him, besides preaching, was to write and give my testimony.

I try to be honest and glorify the Lord Jesus in everything I do. And so it is with this blog. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I don’t claim to be a prophet, an apostle, or a pastor. And I’m not trying to be some spiritual guru. What I try to do is glorify Jesus Christ by giving you “sound Bible doctrine and sound Bible teaching,” and I do that by sticking to the inerrant Word of the Living God. If it’s not in the Bible, I don’t teach it as doctrine.

It has been said that the difference between your character and your reputation is that your reputation is what people think you are, while your character is what you really are. Since I have been saved, I have always tried to live as honestly as possibly in private as well as in public, and I have tried to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Sometimes that is hard to do, but it is something, we must do if we are going to glorify the Lord Jesus with our lives. Jesus Christ is the Truth, and, we, as His children, are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. If we live a lie, then we make Him a liar. And Jesus never lies.

Jesus did more than save me: he gave me a ministry. And, Jesus expects more from his ministers than He does from those who are to be ministered unto. While we are not expected to be perfect, Jesus expects us to set the example in all things pertaining to our Christian walk. I come before you to say that I have not done this.

Since about May of 2013 until about a couple of months ago, things had been pretty bad around the Keeton household.  Our little family has been through the ringer.  That’s really not surprising if you consider the things I write and preach about.  Our message has not been well-received by most.  Tribulations and trials are part and parcel of the Christian life, but how we handle those trials and tribulations that is important.  That’s why I admire Job so much.  Even after God took away his children, destroyed his health, bankrupted him, alienated his friends and family, and turned his wife against him, the Bible says, “In all this, did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10).

I wish the same could be said of me.  I must confess that at times—and especially in the last six months or so—I have not been faithful in all things. I have been known to curse, something I was guilty of before I got saved and had been delivered from. I have also been spiteful. I recently finished an historical novel in which one of the characters was a very spiteful man. While I was not nearly as spiteful as this character, it really made me look at myself and admit that I, too, at times, have been spiteful. I tried to justify it, but there was really no excuse for it. I wasn’t able to see what I was doing until I realized that I could identify to an extent with this spiteful character. I have also been proud, haughty, and arrogant. And though I speak the truth, I have not always done so “in love” as the Bible says we should.

But, above all this, I have been unfaithful. The Bible says that when we make a promise to God, we should “defer not to pay it” (Ecclesiastics 4:5). That means that when we promise the Lord that we would either do something or not do something, we should do what we promised God we would, and we should not do what we promised Him we would not. There is a particular thing I have done from time to time that I know the Lord Jesus would rather I would not. While not a grievous sin, I know in my heart that the Lord is not happy with it. I once promised the Lord that I would not do that particular thing again, but I did not keep my promise. Every time I do it, I confess it and ask the Lord Jesus to forgive me, but my conscience will give me no peace. The Bible teaches that whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Whatever we do, we must be convinced that God is okay with it for our conscience’s sake. And, if not, then we must confess it and believe that in accordance with 1 John 1:9, Jesus has forgiven it. That way our conscience stays clean and we do not sin with our conscience.

Now, I know that when I confess my sins, Jesus forgives my sins. But I also believe that God holds those in ministry to a higher standard. This, I believe, is especially true for those of us involved in spiritual warfare.

I believe that Christians involved in spiritual warfare must be more vigilant than most, because spiritual warfare is not defensive, but offensive. In spiritual warfare, you are taking the fight to Satan’s doorstep (his strongholds), and, to do this effectively, you must do more than just have faith and live right; you have to be more diligent in every aspect of the Christian walk: You have to pray more. You have to be more obedient. You have to confess sins more often. You have to be more diligent in recognizing and avoiding sin. And you must strive to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But, most importantly, you must have a clear conscience.

It is concerning this last reason that I am writing to you.

It is now Tuesday morning 2:30 A.M. Central European Time, which is Monday evening about 8:30 P.M. E.S.T. Before about an hour and a half ago, I did not have a clear conscience because, though I had confessed these things to the Lord Jesus and asked His forgiveness, I had not confessed them to you, the body of Christ. The Apostle James admonishes us to confess our faults one to another (James 5:16). I could not, in good conscience, continue to minister without confessing these faults to the brethren. And you are my brethren.

I ask, therefore, that you would please forgive me for my failings, and I also ask that you would pray for my physical and spiritual strength because the past four months have not been easy and it is not likely to get any easier. Please pray also that God would forgive me for anyone who was seeking the truth and got turned off because of my actions, or for anyone who trusted me and was disappointed. I pray that I have not discouraged anyone from investigating the Gospel for themselves and, if I have, I pray that the Lord Jesus would please forgive me. If I have hurt any one of you through a lack of compassion and love, or in any other way, please accept my apology.

I also ask that you please pray for my wife, because, I have come dangerously close to undoing all my prayers for her to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. And please pray for my children also. I covet your prayers.

Thank you, and God bless each and every single one of you.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Testimony | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Remember President Abraham Lincoln

Posted on April 15, 2016 by The Still Man

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863

Grace and peace, Saints.

Today is the anniversary of the murder of one of America’s greatest statesmen, presidents, abolitionists, fathers, husbands, and Christians, President Abraham Lincoln.  I owe a great debt of thanks to Mr. Lincoln, and, in my small way, I want to honor the man without whom I literally would not be where I am today, doing what I am today.  For, were it not for “Honest Abe” Lincoln, I would not be sitting in my chair, in my “study,” in my apartment (which is not even mine), writing this on my computer (which is mine), looking at my monitor (also mine) as I write this.  I would not own anything, not even the clothes on my back.  In fact, I would be owned by someone else and I would be considered little more than someone else’s property. My name would be of little consequence.  I would have no address of my own.  I would never know what it is to receive mail, and I wouldn’t know what it is to get paid for the work I did.  I wouldn’t be allowed to raise my own children, to go where I wanted, or to wear what I wanted.  I wouldn’t know how to read, wouldn’t know how to write, wouldn’t know how to format this essay.  The fact is that I would know little else other than what I needed to know in order to pick cotton, which ain’t much. In other words, I would be a slave.

President Abraham Lincoln lost his life because he believed that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them being life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness. President Lincoln did something that few people do anymore: he walked the talk.  He lived what he believed knowing full well that it would cost him his life.  According to former Roman Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, whom Lincoln once defended when he was a young lawyer, when Chiniquy informed him that the Jesuits of Rome were conspiring to assassinate him, Lincoln said:

“You are not the first to warn me against the dangers of assassination. My ambassadors in Italy, France, and England, as well as Professor [Samuel] Morse, have many times warned me against the plots of the murderers which they have detected in those different countries. But I see no other safeguard against those murderers but to be always ready to die, as Christ advises it. As we must all dies sooner or later, it makes very little difference to me whether I die from a dagger plunged through the heart or from an inflammation of the lungs…”

“My dear Father Chiniquy…Has not He (God) taken me from my poor log cabin by the hand, as He did of Moses in the reeds of the Nile, to put me at the head of the greatest and the most blessed of modern nations, just as He put that prophet (Moses) at the head of the most blessed nation of ancient times? Has not God granted me a privilege which was not granted to any living man, when I broke the fetters of 4,000,000 of men (the slaves) and made them free? Has not our God given me the most glorious victories over our enemies?

“Now, I see the end of this terrible conflict, with the same joy of Moses, when at the end of his trying forty years in the wilderness; and I pray my God to grant me to see the days of peace, and untold prosperity, which will follow this cruel war, as Moses asked God to see the other side of the Jordan and enter into the Promised Land. But do you know that I hear in my soul, as the voice of God, giving me the rebuke which was given to Moses? (Though shalt not go over!)

“Yes! every time that my soul goes to God to ask the favour of seeing the other side of Jordan, and eating the fruits of that peace, after which I am longing with such an unspeakable desire, do you know that there is a still, but solemn voice, which tells me that I will see those things, only from a long distance, and that I will be among the dead, when the nation which God granted me to lead through those awful trials, will cross the Jordan, and dwell in that Land of Promise.” (Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, p. 50).

 

So much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln was not a Christian, and so much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln did not want to free the slaves.

Saints, I am not feeling to well today, and, for that reason I did not write the article and do the podcast I wanted to do to commemorate this great man. But I have provided a link to the podcast I did in 2014 on the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination.  I pray you will listen to it.  Even if you don’t, please think on Honest Abe today and tomorrow, especially if you’re Black.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Share
Posted in Christian | Leave a comment

But, At What Cost?

Posted on April 2, 2016 by The Still Man

gift1

“Thou shalt not take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous” (Deuteronomy 16:19).

Grace and peace, Saints.

Last month, I went to visit a friend whom I had not seen in almost two years. The last time I saw him, he had told me about a relative of his, who had stage three cancer, and was not expected to live much longer. Since then, I had been praying for the woman’s healing, and was quite pleased to learn that, in the meantime, she had made a complete recovery. I give all the glory to the Lord Jesus.

The conversation thereupon turned to the blessings of God, and, during the course of our conversation, my friend related that he had recently moved into a large house on the German economy the purchase of which was made possible by a sizable monetary gift from a widow whose car he had once repaired.

I was very happy for my friend, because, unlike in America, a house in Munich, one of the most expensive cities in the world, is almost impossible for the average person to purchase. Even a modest two-bedroom with a tiny garden could cost well over a million dollars. My friend only lives about a couple hours drive away from Munich, so I don’t think it is much different where he lives.

This gentleman happens to be one of the most pleasant and agreeable people I have ever known, so I was very pleased at his good fortune. Still, I was somewhat troubled, and I could not help but wonder, if I were in his stead, if I would have dared to give this generous lady the Gospel message. 

This is an important question, when you consider the fact that the region of Germany where we live–Bavaria–is very Roman Catholic.  All over are to be found statues of the Virgin Mary and altars with dead men hanging on them (which many suppose to be Jesus). It is very possible that the woman was Roman Catholic.  And if she was Roman Catholic, then it is very possible that her generosity was motivated by something other than a genuine desire to help my friend. It may have even cost her eternal soul.

Let me explain. The Roman Catholic church derives its catechism (body of beliefs and doctrine) from the Council of Trent which was convened in sessions from 1545 to 1563. The Council of Trent was instituted to counter the “errors of the Protestant Reformation” started by former Roman Catholic priest, Martin Luther. The Council of Trent condemned Luther and all Bible-believing Christians (including you and me), whom they called heretics, pronouncing upon them over 125 anathemas, or curses. These curses still stand today.

You may be interested to know that the Roman Catholic church declares it an anathema (curse) to believe that faith in Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood alone is enough to save you:

“If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.” –Canon 9, Council of Trent, Sixth Session.

“Action of his own will” means “good works.” The Roman Catholic, therefore, is taught that he must earn his way into Heaven by his own good works. The Bible says our works are but “filthy rags.” Only faith in the blood Jesus shed on the cross at Calvary can wash away our sins:

“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 Roman Catholic, however, is taught that it is anathema to believe that his good works will not get him into heaven:

“If anyone says that all works done before justification, in whatever manner they may be done, are truly sins, or merit the hatred of God; that the more earnestly one strives to dispose himself for grace, the more grievously he sins, let him be anathema.” –Canon 7, Council of Trent, Sixth Session.

The same Council of Trent also declared it anathema for one to be confident he is going to heaven:

“Moreover, it must not be maintained, that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubt whatever, convince themselves that they are justified…and that absolution and justification are affected by this faith alone…so each one, when he considers himself and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension concerning his own grace, since no one can know with the certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.” –Council of Trent, sixth session, January 13, 1547.

By its own admission, then, the Roman Catholic church believes and teaches that Roman Catholics must always be in doubt about and have “fear and apprehension” concerning the future of their eternal souls.  And they do.

Evangelist Monica Farrell, a converted Roman Catholic, in the book, “From Rome to Christ,” writes that Roman Catholics live in a constant state of fear. On page 24, Farrell says that Catholics are taught that Jesus’ death opened the door to Heaven, but that you had to “work your own way in.” Because of this doctrine, the sincere Roman Catholic can never know if he has been “good enough” and is always striving, through good works, to merit the grace of God. For this reason, Roman Catholics have been known to be very generous.

That’s why I was concerned about my friend accepting the woman’s generous gift. If she was a Roman Catholic, it is highly possible that could have been trying to earn her way into Heaven. I doubt that my friend is a Christian; so, unless he is himself a Roman Catholic, it is highly unlikely that he would suspect that her action was motivated by the hope of eternal rewards. It would be a pity if this were the case.

Generosity is good, and the good works done by many sincere Roman Catholics doubtless benefit many. But if their good works are, in fact, efforts to “earn” their way into Heaven, then they are only deceiving themselves. Only faith in the shed blood of Jesus saves.

As a missionary and evangelist here in Munich, I witness to Roman Catholics quite frequently. I took all this as a sign from the Lord Jesus that I must never forget that, regardless of my circumstances, my first concern should always be for the souls of the lost Roman Catholics. I cannot allow gifts, promises, or personal gain deter me from telling them the truth.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

–TSM

 

 

 

 

 

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Easter is Not Resurrection Day

Posted on March 25, 2016 by The Still Man

no-easter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grace and peace, Saints.

Last week my son and I were waiting for the subway, when an advertisement for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies appeared on the television monitor on the wall of the subway station. As we watched the advertisement, it dawned on me that I had never explained to my son the difference between Easter and Resurrection Day and why Easter eggs and bunnies have nothing at all to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The modern-day Christian Church is extremely ignorant about the pagan origins of many of our holidays, traditions, and customs. Consequently, many Christians believe that Easter is the same as Resurrection Day. Not a few churches, for example, will host Easter egg hunts on the church grounds (weather permitting), and children will receive Easter baskets full of chocolate bunnies, eggs, and candy.  Many Christians believe that because Easter is mentioned in the Bible, it must be Christian. But this is not true. Easter is not the day our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, but is instead a pagan celebration in honor of the ancient Phoenician fertility goddess Ashtoreth, also called Ishtar and Easter.

In reality, Easter has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. In fact, Easter is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Chapter 12 of the book of the Acts, and it is not in connection with Jesus or the Christian Church:

“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 

“And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

 “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

 “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:1-4).

To understand the Bible’s mention of Easter, it is important to first understand that it Easter is connected with King Herod and not the Christian church.  It is also important to understand that Herod was not a Christian. He even mocked Jesus when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to him. Herod wasn’t even a believing Jew. He was a pagan: Jewish by birth, but Roman at heart. The Herods were always loyal to Rome. The Romans worshipped the goddess Diana (and many other gods and goddesses), and there is every reason to believe that Herod did also. Herod wanted to wait until Easter passed to kill Peter, because he worshipped the goddess Ishtar or Easter.

Easter has also been confused with the Passover, because the Roman Catholic church used to base the date of the Easter celebration on the Jewish Passover.  Christians make the mistake of believing that because the Bible says Herod had Peter arrested during the days of unleavened bread, which are the six days that precede the Passover, then Easter must be the same as the Passover. As a matter of fact, one of my Bibles, the 1990 Regency Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers, in the “read along translation,” says that Easter is the Passover. Additionally, the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (also from Thomas Nelson) says that Easter is the Passover.

How can this be? The Passover is celebrated on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week. They are not the same. Nowhere in the Bible is the word Easter substituted for Passover.  That is because Easter is a pagan fertility festival.  

Secular sources agree. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Easter as “the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” yet it goes on to say that the word Easter is “derived from Eastre, the name of a goddess associated with spring.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), says the word Easter comes from the “West Germanic name of a pagan spring festival.” Collier’s Encyclopedia says that the word Easter comes from Eostra a “goddess of dawn or spring” (p. 492). And the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition (1970), defines Easter as “a goddess of light or spring, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated in April.”

For its part, the New Strong’s Concordance says that the word Easter is Chaldean, not Hebrew. Chaldean means Babylonian, and the Babylonians worshipped the goddess Beltis. Many historians agree that the paganism of Rome was handed down directly from Babylon. Easter is a pagan Roman holiday named for the goddess of sex. This goddess goes by many names; Easter is just one of them.

The Bible gives absolutely no evidence that the early Church celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with a holiday. In fact, according to the Bible, the only way the first century Church celebrated Jesus’ resurrection was by eating the Lord’s Supper.

At the Last Supper, the night before our Lord Jesus was to be crucified, He told His disciples that the bread symbolized His body, which was broken (crucified) for us, while the wine symbolized His blood, which was shed for us (Mark 13:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). By eating the Lord’s Supper, then, we celebrate Jesus’ death. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 16:9). When we eat the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, therefore, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The Sunday observance of the Lord’s Supper is therefore, the celebration of Jesus’ death AND resurrection. The early Church ate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday (Acts 2:42), and, therefore, celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection every Sunday. Incredibly, the Encyclopedia Britannica, a secular publication, says that Sunday “came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection” (Vol. 4, Macropedia, p. 333 “EASTER”).

How, then, did the Christian Church come to identify the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with a pagan fertility festival? Well, the Roman Catholic church had everything to do with that. It was the Roman Catholic Council of Nicaea in 325 that established the Easter celebration as a church holiday. And what is even more revealing of the true nature of the Easter celebration is that the Nicene Council did not base the date for the Easter celebration on the day Jesus rose or even three days after He was crucified, but set it to fall “always the first Sunday after the full moon on or next after the vernal equinox, March 21” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, p. 716).  The current date of the Easter celebration is based on the moon!

This is especially significant when one considers that the Roman Catholic church was not established by Jesus Christ, but by the Roman Emperor Constantine. History records that Emperor Constantine worshipped the Sun God “Sol Invictus,” and the Romans in general worshipped Diana, the goddess of the moon. That the Roman Catholic church did not base the date of the Easter celebration on Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest evidence that Easter is not the day Jesus rose from the dead.

But there is more.  Not only was Diana the Roman goddess of the moon, but she was also the goddess of fertility and sexual love (Oxford Dictionary of English). This is where Easter eggs, the Easter rabbit, and chocolate enter the picture. They all have a pagan sexual connotation. The Encyclopedia Britannica, says this:

“Easter eggs…have been very prominent as a symbol of new life and resurrection. The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America. Its place is taken by the Easter rabbit, the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar, accredited with laying eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter or with hiding them away for children to find” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Fifteenth Edition, Vol. 4 Macropedia, p. 333).

Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac (a substance that heightens sexual urges). The word aphrodisiac is actually derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of fertility and sexual love. As one can plainly see, Easter is not about Jesus. Easter is about sex.

There is something else to consider. Because the Apostle Luke, the writer of the Book of the Acts, uses the word Easter so matter-of-factly and with no explanation whatsoever, it stands to reason that he, and perhaps all Christians at the time, were familiar with this pagan holiday. This is especially true, when one considers that many of the early church were former pagans.

In conclusion, one difference between Christians and the world should be that Christians don’t do anything without knowing why they do it. The basis for everything we do as a Church should be the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible, we shouldn’t be doing it. Easter, while on the surface, a day to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is really a pagan fertility festival, and has nothing to do with Jesus. According to the Bible, the Church ought to be celebrating the Lord’s resurrection by eating the Lord’s Supper, and we should be doing that every single Sunday.

Now, I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.  All I’m saying is that the first century Church and Christians for long after celebrated Jesus’ resurrection every Sunday with the Lord’s Supper. The 21st century Church should do the same. My Bible says that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Shouldn’t that be true of His Church also?

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

–TSM

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

 

Share
Posted in Holidays, The Resurrection | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Bone of My Bones”

Posted on March 3, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

A lady wrote me recently asking what she should do regarding choosing a minister to marry her and her longtime boyfriend.  She wondered whom she should choose to say the nuptials, because she and her boyfriend no longer believe in “man-made religions,” and, for this reason, they had no church and, therefore, no minister to marry them. 

As I considered this question, it dawned on me that Adam and Eve had no minister to marry them either.  Now, some would most likely argue that God was their minister, but I would disagree, because, according to the Bible, God uttered not one word to marry the two.  Eve didn’t say anything either.  As a matter of fact, the only one who did any talking was Adam:

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

“And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Did you see that?  God did not officiate at Adam and Eve’s wedding.  Adam did.  God, then, was the Witness [stomp, stomp, stomp].

And get this: Adam was the one who defined what marriage is and the terms of that marriage: to wit:

  1. Marriage is to be between a man and a woman. (Because God brought Adam a woman and not a man.)
  2. The woman and the man become one flesh (that is, they work together in concert, not each one doing his own thing).
  3. The man is to leave his father and mother (no living under your parents’ roof or in their garage, and the man’s parents are not to meddle in the affairs of the couple.
  4. The man should cleave–stick like glue–to his wife.  

Now, how many marriages would have been saved long ago if the couple (and the parents-in-law) would have adhered to these guidelines?

So, Adam married Eve, when he accepted her as “bone of his bone” and “flesh of his flesh.” He made her his other half. Besides making the both of them, God basically just hooked them up. Adam did all the rest. That ought to be preaching to you right about now.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Doctrine, Marriage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A Stroke of Genius

Posted on February 5, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

You may have noticed that I have yet to make good on my New year’s resolution to be a better blogger this year. Believe me when I say I have every intention of writing more, podcasting more, and doing more videos for our You Tube channel this year. But, as the Good Lord would have it, I suffered a pretty bad stroke back in mid-January, and was in the hospital until this past Monday. I’m actually writing this from a rehab center outside of Munich.

By the grace of God I suffered none of the debilitating effects usually associated with a stroke as large as the one I suffered. In fact, though they never came right out and said it, the surprise of the neurologists who treated me and the nursing staff at my rapid recovery made it obvious that my recovery was considered no less than a miracle. In fact, the reason I’m in this rehab center is because when the neurological team at the hospital where I received treatment saw my CAT scan results, they were certain I would need a great deal of physical therapy to return to a normal life. I had suffered some brain damage, which resulted in a large amount of bleeding on my brain, and my brain was badly swollen. When the chief of the Neuro-Brain Clinic saw me, he said that my condition was not consistent with the brain scan he saw.

But, God was merciful, and, this past Monday, 19 days after I was admitted, I walked out of the hospital with my wife on my arm, and we caught the streetcar and the subway home, stopping for a pizza on the way, while my enemies, who were all over the hospital, the subway station, and the street outside the hospital, looked on in anger and amazement, glorifying God in the process. A few hours later, we celebrated one of my daughters’ sixteenth birthday. Don’t you dare tell me God ain’t good!

Jesus is Lord, and the devil is a liar!

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian | Leave a comment

Posted on January 7, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

This year has not started off too well with regard to blogging, as I’m having a lot of trouble accessing the internet.  My browser just keeps on freezing and I get the spinning beach ball.  It seems to happen most whenever I try to log in to the blog.  I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m suspecting that it’s either some sort of virus, or my site has been hacked. Either way, it wouldn’t be the first time.

So, if you see I haven’t posted anything in a few days, that’s what’s going on.

TSM

Share
Posted in Information | Tagged , | 4 Comments

In 2016, Maybe Less Is Better

Posted on January 7, 2016 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

Going into this new year, many of us reflected on last year intent on doing better this time around. We did the same thing last year, when we looked back on 2014 and determined to do better in 2015. We set goals, we established priorities, we made lists, and we set boundaries and limitations on ourselves governing everything from food intake to home energy consumption. We determined to get more exercise, to be nicer to our neighbors, to spend more time with our families, and to get a hobby. We decided to finally write that book, plant that garden, build that shed, and fix those stairs. We decided to get more done.

But if you think about it, while getting more done is a good thing, sometimes the best thing you can do is less.  Sometimes it’s better to work less, to travel less, to worry less. To just stop and smell the roses.  Sometimes it’s best to think less about getting more, doing more, and being more, and concentrate on appreciating what you already have: relatively good health, “three hots and a cot,” and the freedom to come and go as you wish.

If you are fortunate to be one of the reported 5% of the world with spare change in their pocket, perhaps it would be a wake-up call to reflect on what that means and to try to imagine what it must be like to be in that 95% who has never known that kind of a blessing. Sometimes it is enough to appreciate having a roof over your head, clothes on your back, shoes on your feet, and food in the fridge.

Did you know that the simple act of brushing your teeth is a blessing? It is. If you brush regularly, it is likely that you are eating regularly. Consider how many people in the world don’t have to worry about brushing their teeth daily.

We all want to have a good life. We all would like to have a good-paying job that we love, a nice house, a new car, and a fat bank account. While nothing is wrong with any of those things, we should not lose sight of the most important thing: Freedom; for without it, none of the other things would be possible.

Some of the greatest privileges in the world are being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, raise your own children, live where you please, come and go as you like, and, most importantly, worship the God of your choice. Remember that. Cherish that. Appreciate that. And thank God for that.

This reminder was brought to you by the same Person who brought you air, water, and life: the Lord Jesus Christ. When was the last time you said, “Thank you, Jesus?”

If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, consider doing so today. It will be the best decision you ever made.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Information | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Still Man Reads Luke 1 & 2

Posted on December 25, 2015 by The Still Man

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grace and peace.

This Christmas, I read from the Book of Luke, Chapters 1 and 2, which tell of the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I did something like this also this past Resurrection Day, and because I enjoyed it, and, because many of you did also, I am doing it again, as a way of sharing my love for Jesus with you.

I hope you enjoy it and that it blesses you.

Be encouraged today, and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Share
Posted in Christmas | Leave a comment

It’s A BOY ! (My God!)

Posted on December 25, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints!

Today is Christmas, and I want to wish you all a safe, peaceful, and blessed day.

You may notice that I didn’t say “happy.” That is because not everyone will be happy today. Some will not be happy because they are not with family and friends. Others will not be happy because they weren’t able to buy presents for their children. Still others will not be happy because they or a loved one are in the hospital. And still others will not be happy because someone they love very much has passed on into the next world, and will not be here this year to spend Christmas with them. Some will not be happy because they are alone.

While you are enjoying Christmas with your family, please think on these people. They would like to be where you are today, but life happened to them, differently than it happened to you. Say a prayer for them. And while you’re at it, say a prayer for yourself, and thank God that it wasn’t you.

Putt, I’m sorry that Ronnie can’t be here this Christmas. And I’m sorry that I can’t be there for you and Stink. I love you both, and I’m thinking of you all.

Remember, Christmas is not about being happy. Life can be too difficult to keep up that charade. Christmas is about Jesus and Him crucified. If you’re a Christian, then you have a reason to celebrate. If you’re not, then you should really consider becoming one. If you’re not interested…well…enjoy the day off.

God bless you all, and have a safe, peaceful, and blessed day.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian, Christmas, Holidays | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The True Meaning of Christmas 2015

Posted on December 22, 2015 by The Still Man

peanuts_christmas_tree

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grace and peace, Saints.

Well, another Christmas is upon us, and, again, millions of people will be spending money they don’t have to buy presents they can’t afford for people who neither appreciate nor need them. The line between the haves and the have nots will become broader and bolder, and people everywhere will remember why they always hated Christmas. Arguably, no other time reminds people just how poor they really are like Christmastime.

I can remember when I first came back to Germany, after getting out of the military, back in December, 1998, about a month before Christmas and about a week before the birth of my middle daughter. My then girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I had gone to the shopping mall to “window shop.” The mall was teaming with cheery people and screaming children, and the smell of cookies, cakes, and pies, and other baked goods filled the air. I was more grateful about being reunited with my girlfriend than I was about the approaching Christmas season, because she and I had been separated for about six months prior to this. As we walked hand in hand, perusing all the beautifully decorated confectionaries and bakeries with all their cakes, chocolates, pies, and cookies on display for all to see, it suddenly dawned on me that as beautiful as all of this was, none of it was free. Everything these stores had to offer cost money. And if you didn’t have the money to buy any of these things, then you were out of luck.

That was my situation: my wife and I were flat broke. And the better the food smelled, the more beautiful and sparklier the decorations were, and the happier the people looked, the broker I felt. And the fact that my wife was with me did not help matters at all. In fact, it made things worse.

My wife used to be a very cheap date. She just didn’t ask for much. But one thing she has always loved is roasted walnuts. And the time my wife most loves roasted walnuts is during the Christmas season. Now, roasted walnuts are always available somewhere in Munich year-round, but during the Christmas season, roasted walnuts are prolific. Everywhere you turn, there is someone selling roasted walnuts. Everywhere you walk, there are bags of roasted walnuts somewhere on display. And every five minutes, you are bumping into someone eating roasted walnuts. At Christmastime, roasted walnuts are literally everywhere.

So you can probably appreciate my chagrin as we passed store after store, confectionary after confectionary, and nut stand after nut stand, while the smell of roasted walnuts wafted through the air. But the only thing I have in my pockets is lint. Again, my wife used to be a cheap date, and she would understand if I didn’t have the money to get her what she wanted. She well understood, however, that she was a cheap date. And she knew that as a woman, she deserved a lot more than I could offer her. So, when my wife wanted roasted walnuts, she got roasted walnuts.

That day, however, there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was flat broke. So broke, in fact, that I couldn’t even pay attention. So broke, that if it weren’t for the lint in my pockets, they would have been completely empty. So broke, that if I had passed one of those Santa Clauses on the street corner ringing his bell asking for donations, he might have had a problem. Yes, I was that broke. And that wan “That’s OK baby” smile on my wife’s face didn’t help matters at all.

All this came back to me a couple of weeks ago, when I went to the mall and saw all the beautiful decorations, nativity scenes, and all the candy and baked good vendors situated in the center of the mall thoroughfare. And again this week, as I watched a news story on “Christmas stress,” and the fact that most people are highly relieved when Christmas is over, with its hustle and bustle of shopping for presents, decorating the house, and sweating over a hot stove cooking dinner for dozens of family and friends, not to mention the traffic jams and crowded airports that characterize the Christmas travel season.

As I considered this, I realized that Satan was at the bottom of it. Who else, but Satan, that old serpent and the father of lies, would take Christmas–the greatest day in the history of the world–and twist it, pervert it, and profane it, by turning it into a day that poor people dread, “middle-class” people regret, and rich people profane. Satan hates Christmas, not because the name of Jesus is glorified that day, because you and I know that that is certainly not the case. Satan hates Christmas because Jesus was born that day. And Satan knows that if Jesus had not been born, then Jesus could not have died. And it was Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood that set you and me free from the curse of sin. The Bible says:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, [Jesus] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; 

“And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).”

Satan is a defeated foe. He has been conquered by the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I, as Christians, are also conquerors through the blood of Jesus. Satan has no power over us except that which has been granted him by the Lord Jesus.

Satan is not happy about this at all. Of all days, Satan hates Christmas more than any other day. He would like nothing more than to wipe that day from history and from memory forever. He cannot, however, so he ops for the next best thing: to profane Christmas: to twist it, to pervert it, and, above all, to commercialize it. Satan makes Christmas about everything but Jesus. Christmas is not about Jesus. Christmas is about money—spending money, that is.

If you’re going to put up a Christmas tree, unless you live in or near the forest, you have to buy a tree. Then, unless you have the lights and ornaments from the previous year, you have to buy those. Then you have to buy lights and ornaments for the house. Then you have to buy presents for family and friends. Then you have to buy a “Christmas goose” or a ham and other food for the Christmas dinner. And, if you’re going to have family over who live in another state (or states), you might need to buy extra blankets, pillows, or even an extra bed or mattresses. And we can’t have people sitting on ten-year-old couches, can we? KA-CHING!

You may even have to buy a plane or bus ticket for a family member who is unable to do so. And if you have children, you may have to buy a Christmas present or two or three for them to give to their classmates at school. Add to that the box of chocolates for the mailman, the teachers, your boss, etc. etc.

Christmas is only a day long, yet the reverberations from this day can and often do reach all the way until the next Christmas. As you can see, Christmas is not at all about Jesus. Christmas is about MONEY. If you have money, you celebrate Christmas. If you don’t have money, you dread Christmas. This should not be.

As Christians, we need to think about why we do what we do. Romans 12:2 says that we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We should not be celebrating Christmas the same way the world celebrates Christmas. We should not have a Christmas tree, we should not be spending a lot of money on presents, and we should not be telling our children that Santa Claus is coming to town. The only thing we should be on Christmas is thankful that Jesus Christ was born into the world to take away our sins. We should be grateful for our salvation.

Christmas is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The Apostle Paul said that one man believes one day to be more important than others, while another man believes all days are the same. He went on to say that every man should be “fully persuaded in his own mind.” In other words, it is not necessary for Christians to celebrate Christmas, as Jesus never mandated we celebrate the day of His birth. I believe the reason He didn’t do this is because He knew that men would legalize His birthday the way the Pharisees legalized the Sabbath. And Jesus is about liberty, not slavery.

Now, there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of our Savior, especially in the antichrist climate in which we now live. But Jesus did not command us to celebrate His birthday. In fact, the first-century Church didn’t celebrate Christmas.

Whose idea was it then, to celebrate Christmas? Did you know that Christmas stands for Christ Mass? And who celebrates the Mass? Why, the Roman Catholic church. And the Roman Catholic church is a pagan institution. Christmas is pagan.

Let me illustrate. Did you know that the practice of giving and receiving presents is Satan’s perversion of the story of the wise men of the East, who came to visit the family of our Savior (when he was about two years old) and gave presents to the young child Jesus? Listen to Scripture:

 

 “And when [the wise men] where come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11).

 

Did you see that? The wise men gave gifts unto Jesus. Why? Because they knew that Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh, and that He was born to take away the sins of the world. Why, then, do we give each other gifts? Did any of us die for the sins of mankind? No, we did not. Then we ought not to be giving each other gifts, should we? 

 

We don’t give Christmas gifts in our house. That’s for birthdays. 

 

Let me share something else with you: Did you know that putting up and decorating a Christmas tree is an ancient pagan custom? Hear what the Bible says:

 

“For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

“They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

“They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good” (Jeremiah 10:3-5).

peanuts-christmas

You will note that the verse addresses the fact that the Christmas tree can neither speak nor move, and that one must not be afraid of it. This would be a very strange thing to say, unless you understand that, in those days, the Christmas tree was an idol. It represented Nimrod, the first king of ancient Babylon. Nimrod was called “The Oak,” because of his great stature and strength, and was symbolized by trees, among other things. Gold and silver are representative of the sun and the moon, and represent Nimrod and his wife, Semiramis. Nimrod and Semiramis were both deified as the Sun God and the Moon Goddess, respectively.

People would erect the tree in their homes, deck it with silver and gold, and make their petitions of it. If they wanted something, they would write their petition on a piece of paper and attach it to the tree. In come cases, they would fashion a model of the desired object and set it under the tree.

And get this: the star, which people set atop the Christmas tree, represents Semisramis, the wife of Nimrod, and the queen of ancient Babylon. The star is a symbol of Semiramis in her aspect as the ancient Phoenician fertility goddess, Ashtoreth. The ancient Jews, including King Solomon, worshipped Ashtoreth with a star. Listen to this:

 

“Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god, Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them” (Acts 7:43).

 

Moloch is another name for Nimrod, and Remphan, according to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, is an “Egyptian goddess of the moon.” That would identify Remphan with Isis, who was also the Egyptian goddess of the moon. By now, you should know that Remphan is really Ashtoreth, who is really Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod.

Ashtoreth is the same goddess you see on the Starbucks logo with the star on her crown, only there she goes by a different name.

So, with the star on top of the Christmas tree, you have Nimrod and Semiramis, the first King and Queen of ancient Babylon, the worldwide center of paganism for thousands of years, in your living room.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 of the Holy Bible says that behind every idol is a demon. Since the Christmas tree is really an idol, then once you set up a Christmas tree in your house, you are inviting a demon into your home. Now, is there any wonder that so many murders just happen to occur on Christmas in homes all over America every year? Remember Jon Benet Ramsey?

 

We don’t have a Christmas tree in our house: that’s for idolaters.

 

Finally, most people of European, and, especially German descent, know that Santa Claus or Sankt Nikolaus, is an old European folk character, which went house-to-house accompanied by a demon called Krampus (sometimes there were two such creatures), of which elves are merely a symbol. And everybody was scared of him.

 

We don’t recognize Satan Claus in our house: that’s for pagans.

 

See what Satan has done? He has completed perverted and distorted the true meaning of Christmas and turned it into something that only the rich and pagan can relate to. What a shame!

I said all that to say this: What people call Christmas is not really a celebration of the birth of our Savior. Christmas, as the world celebrates it, does not glorify God: it glorifies Satan. Satan hates Christmas, so he does his level best to destroy what should merely be a day of gratitude and joy that Jesus came into the world to take away our sins. Satan makes Christmas about everything but Jesus. Christmas is not about all the things that it has been associated with. Christmas is about Jesus Christ and His triumph over sin and Satan.

So, if you are not where you would like to be financially this Christmas, don’t worry. If there are no Christmas presents, don’t worry. If you have not been invited to Christmas dinner with friends or family, don’t worry. If you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom to cuddle up in front of a Christmas fire, don’t worry. If you are in a tent in Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, or any of the other trouble spots in the world, far away from family, don’t worry. If you don’t have a “Christmas tree,” don’t worry. If there is no snow where you live, don’t worry. If you are homeless and sleeping in a shelter, on the streets, in your car, or at a friend or relative’s house, don’t worry. If you are a police officer, an emergency room surgeon or staff, a nurse, a fireman, a pilot, a bus driver or taxi driver, or anyone else who can’t be at home because of your job or other responsibilities, don’t worry. And if you are just plain alone this Christmas, don’t you worry. Christmas is not about any of these things. Christmas is about one thing or should I say one Person: Jesus Christ.

The only thing that makes Christmas important is that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born in a manger in a little town called Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus Christ is God Almighty and was born into this world for one reason and one reason only: to die for the sins of the world, including yours and mine. If you think about it, the only people to whom Christmas really means any thing are Bible-believing Christians. If you are not saved, then you probably have no idea what Jesus did for you. And if you do know what Jesus did, but aren’t saved, then you probably couldn’t care less. You’re probably just happy you get a day off from work, right? But, if you think about it, even this is something you should thank the Lord Jesus for.

The best thing you can do for yourself this Christmas is to really get to know the Man for whom the day is named: You can talk to Jesus about anything. I talk to Jesus all the time, and I never worry that He is going to go and tell somebody what I told Him. That’s because, unlike our fake friends, Jesus really cares. Jesus is Holy. He never sinned in His whole life. But He was born into this sinful world just like you and I were, and He was tempted just like you and me. So He understands what you and I are going through.

Jesus wants to have a relationship with you today. But in order to have a relationship with Him, you have to come to Him with a true heart.

The Bible says, that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord shall not hear us (Ps. 88:7). Our sins are the only thing standing between Jesus and us. But if we accept what Jesus did for us, His death and the shedding of His blood on the cross for our sins, then Jesus will come into our hearts and be our Friend. The Bible says that Jesus sticks closer than any brother. Once you got Jesus for a Friend, you truly have a Friend.

If you are ready to make Jesus your Friend today, just close your eyes wherever you are, and talk to the Lord Jesus. This is called prayer. Say something like this:

“Lord Jesus, I understand now that Christmas is not about food and family gatherings, Christmas parties, presents, or a Christmas tree. I understand now that Christmas is not about being with friends, or cuddling up with a loved one in front of the fire. Christmas is about you and the sacrifice you made for me. I accept your sacrifice for my sins, Lord Jesus. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and my Savior. My friend.”

If you prayed that, or something like that, then you are now a Christian, and next Christmas, you will celebrate Christmas for the right reason and in the right way.

Thank you for joining me for this special Christmas 2015 edition of the Gospel Light and Truth Crusade. Find us on the web at www.GospelLightAndTruth.org. You can also visit our blog at www.TheStillMan.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and also our podcast on iTunes, soon to be on Spreaker and other podcast venues. For your convenience, you may download the podcast of this article below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

And, as always “Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian, Christmas | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

He Said/She Said – December 17, 2015

Posted on December 17, 2015 by The Still Man

“We’re standing here on the brink of a whole new world.”

—Christiana Figueres, U.N. Climate Chief, in an interview with CNN’s Christianne Amanpour, on December 15, 2015, with regard to the “historic” agreement reached at the COP21 climate summit in Paris last week. The agreement called for the limiting of global warming to two degrees.

Share
Posted in He Said/She Said | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Did Jesus Die For My Future Sins?

Posted on December 14, 2015 by The Still Man

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grace and peace, Saints.

I recently received an email from one of our readers who had read our article on generational curses. I responded to her email, and she wrote me back later that day asking me a very interesting question. I want to share our correspondence with you drawing particular attention to the question she asked in her second email.

I must make it perfectly clear that we do not share anyone’s personal information with you. Though the situations are real, we use pseudonyms to protect the person’s identity. Because we are all looking for answers, we share this information in the hope that it will minister to others out there who may be going through the same thing.

 

[Begin letter]

Hi, its interesting to read your explanation as I notice there are generational curses resulting from my ancestors’ sins. I am [a] born again Christian and, lately, I have been lazy reading my Bible and praying. I also read some signs of generational curses one of which is chronic unemployment and broken relationships. I release this pattern in my life.

Also as a Chinese descent, my parents didn’t accept me as their daughter and I was almost aborted as a baby. Adoption was my mom’s option, but I was raised in this dysfunctional family. My mom suffered chronic illnesses before she died as she consulted paranormal fortune tellers and prayed to dead ancestors. Money was her idol as in my late father’s life. I don’t want to suffer the consequences of generational curses.

I think God directed me to your site as I asked Him how I can be delivered from curses. I’ve been unemployed for a long time, and when I would apply for jobs, my late dad would pronounce a curse on me so that I wouldn’t get the job. Is this spoken curse by God’s authority or by the spirit of limbo? It affects every relationship that I have had, and all contacts I have with other Christians. My mom used to say I would be divorced if I ever married and that even if I did manage to marry, I would not receive blessings from above. This is the word that she received from a fortune teller.

I need to know how to break these curses or generational curses. My siblings robbed me of my inheritance when my parents died. Thats another abuse. People in asia think women should carry burdens of aged parents and it’s normal to abuse daughters. I have God’s calling but I realise I can’t be effective as a Christian or receive God’s plans for me if I have to serve others.

[End letter]

 

This was my response:

Hello, Lilly.

You are correct when you say you cannot fulfill God’s calling on your life when you are in bondage to sin, as a generational curse is bondage. God can and will still use you, but for you to have the testimony God wants you to have, then you will have to break free of the generational curse that is holding you back.

Fortune telling is a form of witchcraft called divination, and praying to dead ancestors is another form of witchcraft called necromancy. It is also idolatry. Since your mom was guilty of these things, then you are bearing the burden of this activity. If you want to enjoy true freedom in Christ Jesus, then you will have to confess these sins to the Lord Jesus so that He may forgive them and set you free.

These curses that your mother and father spoke against you regarding marriage and employment were not spoken with God’s authority. God doesn’t curse people out of spite or hatred. God only curses us when we commit those sins that He hates because when we commit those sins against His prohibition, we are saying, in essence, that we hate Him (Exodus 20:5).

If the curses they pronounced are having an effect on you, it is only because you are under a curse already because of the sins of your parents. When we are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ, no curse, spell, hex, or incantation can have any effect upon us, because Jesus protects us.

What you need to do therefore, is to confess those sins that brought the curse upon you in the first place.  You must understand that although you may not have practiced witchcraft, because your mother did, God is punishing you for her sin. That is how a curse works. However, God tells us in Exodus 20:5 that He will curse a descendant with the same sin that the parent committed.  In other words, if a parent is guilty of witchcraft, God will punish the children of that parent with that sin. So the child will practice witchcraft just like the parent. Now it does not necessarily mean that the child will cast spells like the parent did, but she may smoke cigarettes, which is also witchcraft, according to the Bible. She may also merely be rebellious, and the Bible teaches that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23).

I said all that to say this: to break free of this curse, you will have to confess your parent’s sins that you of AND your own sins, since you will also be guilty of committing the same TYPE of sin, if not the same sin per se. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say here. For you to do this, you will have to have a knowledge of what sins God hates, which can be difficult, because we are such a sinful society. You, however, should have no problem doing this, as I perceive in you a knowledge of spiritual things above the norm, and you have the requisite honesty that you will need to confess your sins to The Lord Jesus Christ. Just ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those things that are sin, and He will reveal them to you.

Regarding your culture’s views on women, I understand how difficult that must be for you. But I am confident that with the Lord’s help you will overcome even this. You are not alone in this, Nancy. I perceive the hand of God on your life. The Lord Jesus has plans for you, sister, and nothing anyone says can alter His decree.

I will be praying for you, Nancy. Please keep me informed of your progress and do let me know if there is anything else that you need. I will help in any way The Lord directs me.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,
Tony

[End response]

 

Lilly wrote me back within the hour, saying that she will do what I suggested. But she expressed confusion as to why she should confess her parents’ sins and

Here is what she wrote:

Dear Still Man,

Thank you for [your] reply. I’m going to pray for God’s forgiveness on the part of my ancestors’ sins. However, I just want to know why if I’m born again I have to break off from the sins of my parents or ancestors? After all Jesus died for my past sins and future. Anyway, what I am trying to understand is why if we belong to Jesus when we accept Christ, some people still bear the ancestral curses. I’m sure my previous ancestors up to 10 generations had done evil in God’s eyes. None of them I knew.

Yours,
Lilly
Lilly’s question revealed a fundamental misconception regarding salvation. She asked how it is possible that some Christians are living under a generational curse if they have accepted Jesus as their Savior, as Jesus died for our past AND future sins. When I read this, I realized that many who have disagreed with my belief that Christians can be under a generational curse have believed the same thing, only they did not come right out and say so as Lilly did.

It is not true that Jesus died for our past and future sins. Jesus’ death remitted 1. Original Sin: that is the sin of Adam and Eve and 2. those sins that we committed before we got saved. For proof, let us go to the Holy Word of God. Let us first establish that because adam sinned, we all have sinned (Original Sin). The Bible says:

“Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all mean, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Next, let us see that Jesus’ death cleansed us from Original Sin:

“For if by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Now let us see that Jesus’ death also cleansed us from the sins that we committed before we got saved:

“God hath set forth [Jesus] to be a propitiation (substitute) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25).

As you can plainly see, Jesus death and the shedding of His blood redeemed us from our past sins: that is, the sins that we committed before we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

It is important to understand that though Jesus paid for all our sins with His blood, when it comes to our future sins and generational sins, that payment does not take effect automatically. In other words, in order for Jesus’ blood to be applied to our future sins and generational sins, we must confess those sins to God.

So, though Jesus died and shed His blood for all our sins—past, present, and future, all sins committed after our conversion, as well as generational sins, must be confessed in order for the blood of Jesus to be applied to them.
Let me prove this. The Bible teaches that in order for us to be saved, we have to 1. Believe on Jesus Christ: that is, that He died and shed His blood for our sins:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 4:38).

“If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

And we see the manifestation of this with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The Holy Spirit told Philip to go up to an Ethiopian man who was returning to his land from worshipping at Jerusalem. A brief exchange led to Philip giving the man the gospel of Jesus Christ, whereafter the Ethiopian received Jesus Christ as his Savior. The Bible tells it thus:

“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

“And Philip said, If thou believest [on the Lord Jesus] with all thine heart, thou mayest [be baptized]. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him” (Acts 8:36-38).

The entire event is recorded in the Book of the Acts 8:26-39. So the Bible makes it clear that in order to be saved one must only believe on the Lord Jesus and confess Him as Savior.

Now, in my experience, those who believe that all our sins are forgiven at conversion, including generational sins, do so because of a faulty interpretation of 1 John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins, He [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 is an if/then statement, where the first action must be completed in order for the second action to take place. Therefore, if we confess our sins, then Jesus will forgive them. Conversely, if we do not confess our sins, then Jesus will not forgive them. Because 1 John 1:9 says that we must confess our sins in order for Jesus to forgive them—and we do not need to confess sins in order to be saved—then this verse cannot be talking about salvation, as one need only believe on the Lord Jesus to be saved.

If 1 John 1:9 is not talking about salvation, then what could it be talking about? I submit that the sins that need to be confessed in order to be forgiven are generational sins and the sins we commit after we are saved (future sins). We have already proven that, according to Romans 3:25, Jesus’ death on the cross obtained forgiveness for our past sins. So, because we will continue to sin until we receive our glorified bodies in the resurrection, we need some way to get forgiveness for those sins we commit after we get saved. This is what 1 John 1:9 is talking about. If we confess those sins we commit after our conversion, Jesus will forgive those sins. He has already paid the penalty for them on the cross at Calvary; all that is needed is for us to acknowledge and confess those sins to the Lord Jesus for His blood to be applied to them.

1 John 1:9 also covers generational sins. Generational sins are a special category of sin which God calls an abomination. Webster’s Dictionary defines an abomination as “something hateful and detestable.” An abominable sin, therefore, is a sin that God hates and detests. The Bible teaches that all disobedience is sin, but an abomination is something that God hates and detests so much that he will curse the descendants of anyone who is guilty of this type of sin. Examples of abominable sins can be found in chapters 8 and 9 of the book of Leviticus and include idolatry, murder, fornication, witchcraft, adultery, and homosexuality.

I believe that before Jesus paid the blood at Calvary, when God cursed a person’s descendants, that family line stayed cursed until someone came along who would repent of his family’s sins and ask forgiveness of God. Because God says in Exodus 34:7 that he would “by no means clear the guilty,” I believe that God would allow a curse to skip a generation because of that repentant individual. But even so, the curse would return upon the next generation. One reason I believe this is because of the aforementioned verse, Exodus 34:7:

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…”

“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Notice that unlike Exodus 20:5, where God says that He would punish a person’s descendants unto the third generation, this verse adds “unto..the fourth generation.” I believe the reason God says this is because he is willing to allow a curse to skip a generation because of the faithfulness of one person. I could give two examples of this, but I discuss this in greater detail in our podcast on generational curses.

If you truly want to be free, then you won’t have a problem confessing any sins, that’s for sure. I have known people to be so resistant to this teaching, that they refuse to confess any sins. Consequently, they continue to suffer the effects of their curses and become bitter and cynical, and constantly ask God why they continue to suffer when they are saved. Some, I would not be surprised if some have even left the faith for this reason. What a pity!

Confession of sin is important because we will continue to sin as long as we are in this sinful body. Sin is an obstacle in our way, blocking us from enjoying all the benefits of a right relationship with Jesus. Thankfully, God has provided us a way out by allowing us to confess our sins to Him and remove the obstacle blocking our path.

Do you now see that Jesus’ blood washed away our past sins, but for us to be forgiven our future sins, that is, those sins we commit after our conversion, we must confess them. 

This is one of the reasons Christians are suffering even though they are saved. They believe Jesus died for their future sins and don’t understand that 1 John 1:9 is telling them to confess their sins so that they can be forgiven. So, even if they are not under a generational curse, they are not confessing any sins and are, therefore, living in sin, which is just as bad as being under a curse. 

Can you now understand why the Christian Church is not as powerful as we ought to be? We are almost in as bad a shape as the unsaved. This ought not to be.

The podcast for this article is available for download at the iTunes Store.  Subscribe to the Gospel Light and Truth Crusade podcast today! For your convenience, you can also download this episode below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh,

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Generational Curse | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Global Warming: A Doctrine of the Devil

Posted on December 9, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

This morning, one of my daughters remarked that this winter in Munich has been unseasonably warm.  She’s right: this is the warmest winter I have ever experienced in this city. Usually grey and cold this time of year, Munich has seen the sun shine practically every day since summer began.

I told my daughter that someone may be tampering with the weather, because the COP21 Climate Change summit was held last week in Paris, and it’s just possible that the string-pullers wanted to make sure that, while the world’s attention was on Paris, the actual weather supported the stated agenda of COP21.

This was a lot for my daughter to handle.  She doesn’t understand that the true state-of-the-art of technology is much more advanced than what we are led to believe.  That it may actually be possible to manipulate the weather was something she could not yet get her head around.  

When I explain things to my children, I try to make sure that whatever I’m saying can be backed up by the Bible.  It is very important to me that my children understand that the Bible is not a book only to be picked up on Sunday and disregarded the rest of the week.  The Bible is the breath of the Living God: it is the book of Life, and, as such, it is a roadmap through life, especially in these perilous times.  If we trust in the Word of God, we will neither be misled by the myriad deceptions running amuck in the world, nor troubled by the fear-mongers with their false doctrines and arguments of science, falsely so-called.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any biblical proof that the weather can be manipulated through technology.  What I could prove, though, is that Global Warming, according to the Bible, is a hoax.

So, I told my daughter that God promised Noah there would always be four seasons: a planting season (Spring), a hot season (Summer), a harvest season (Fall or Autumn), and a cold season (Winter).  If this is true, I said, then Global Warming (and the theory of a coming ice age, depicted in the movie, “The Day After,” for that matter) is a lie.  True to form, my daughter asked me where she could find that in the Bible.  I directed her to Genesis 8:22 where God says,

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

My Bible says that God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent.  When God says something, you can take it to the bank. Global Warming then, is a lie.

If Global Warming is a lie, then the world is spending billions of dollars for nothing.  Everyone is crying about the global hunger problem, when it could be solved overnight by taking the money that is being wasted in “green” research, technology, and programs (and paying the salaries of those involved in those endeavors) and applying it to the hunger problem.  It could be used, for instance, to subsidize farmers, and help them stave off losses experienced during times of drought, flood, freeze, blight, plague, etc. This would keep the cost of food production down and the benefit would trickle down to the consumer the same way farmers’ losses (which translate to higher food prices) trickle down to the consumer. Moreover, because many plants and factories have to be refitted to comply with new “green” environmental regulations, the cost of food production increases to pay for these modifications, and food prices have to be increased accordingly. By raising the price of food, you make it that much harder for many to survive.

And don’t forget the poorer countries, many of which are bound by the Kyoto accords to implement the same green technology the richer countries have to implement.  These countries are already broke, so whose going to pay for this?  We are: the United States and other western countries.  The problem is that the U.S. is already trillions of dollars in the hole.  We can’t handle such a financial obligation.  Nevertheless, that is exactly what’s coming.  COP21, I’m sure, has seen to that.  Global Warming, then, besides being used as a tool for the redistribution of wealth, or socialism, will be used to bankrupt the United States and other countries. Goodbye middle class.  Hello slavery.

It gets much deeper than this.  But even this cursory view of the effect the Global Warming hoax is having on the economy ought to convince you that while we are killing ourselves supposedly to save the environment, we are destroying the global economy and starving millions of people to death.  What good is the planet without people to inhabit it? Global Warming, then, is a means of population control. 

Now you know that there are some pretty smart people who have already figured all of this out and more. That they are still going forward with the Climate Control agenda, therefore, means that they know exactly what they are doing. That should worry you, because many of the people you voted for have signed onto the Climate Control agenda. Don’t you just love how your tax dollars are being spent?

Global Warming is not only bad, it is satanic.  And why wouldn’t it be, when it is contrary to the Word of God?

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian | 3 Comments

Was The San Bernardino Shooting A Set-Up?

Posted on December 8, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

Saints, the media’s coverage of the San Bernardino shooting left more questions in my mind than it answered.  It bothered me so much, in fact, that I had to do a video on it and share my insights with you. There are no astounding revelations here, but it should make you question what the media told us.  Because when you really look at it, everything just does not compute.

Share
Posted in Mass Shootings | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Dead Priests Tell No Truths

Posted on December 7, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints. 

If a church is made up of people, and people “are human and have failings,” why does the Roman Catholic church call itself infallible (perfect)? If Roman Catholic priests “are human and have failings,” why do people confess their sins to them? If God is the only One who can forgive sins, shouldn’t we be confessing our sins to Him only?

Could one truth-telling priest have made a deadly mistake?

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Strange Bedfellows: Buddhism and Roman Catholicism

Posted on November 19, 2015 by The Still Man

buddha-1

A few days ago, I returned home from a week’s hospital stay for a light stroke I suffered the Saturday before last. A couple of days before I was released, I went to the hospital coffee room to write and to get out of my room for a while. For a hospital coffee room, especially in a ward supposedly full of stroke patients, who need peace and quiet to make a good recovery, it was as crowded and noisy as Starbucks on a Saturday night. This, however, is very common in my experience. After about a half hour, the crowd had dwindled to a group of women seated at a corner table by the window. I decided to go witness to these women.

As I approached them, I gathered that this may have been a family, as there was a young girl, probably about sixteen or seventeen years old, a women in her twenties, and an older woman of middle age. The teenager wore pajamas, so I gathered she was a patient in the hospital.

I walked up to the women, and, after giving the greeting of the day, asked them if they were Roman Catholics. When all three answered that they were not, I asked them what religion they were. The women replied that they had no religion, while the young girl said that she was a Buddhist. 

Now, I’ve been living in Munich since 1998, and I can tell you that if there is one thing that every single person has in this town, it is a religion. Munich is about two-thirds Roman Catholic and one-third Muslim. And Roman Catholics and Muslims are nothing if not religious. In Munich religion is everything. 

Notwithstanding, I told the ladies that it was great that they had no religion, because I could then tell them about Jesus, who, I told them, was coming soon. At that, the young girl interjected, saying that she was a Buddhist, and that there was no Jesus. I told her that whether she believed in Jesus or not, He was coming, and she should get ready for that. I added that as a young person, it was always a good practice to listen to as many varying opinions as you can. The worst that can happen, I said, was that she would walk away more confident in what she believed than before. She insisted that she didn’t want to know what anyone else believed, so, before she could further protest, I handed each of the ladies a gospel tract, thanked them for their time, and went back to my seat.

From my chair, however, I asked the young lady what Buddhism taught. At this question, her attitude completely changed, and she rather enthusiastically began to explain to me what Buddhists believe. The gist of her explanation was that Buddhists believe they are on a journey towards perfection, and that this journey involved being reincarnated into this world and, in the course of successive lifetimes, balancing one’s karma, or evil deeds (what Christians call sin), with good deeds. When one’s good deeds outweigh one’s evil deeds, she said, the individual reaches a state of perfection called Nirvana. I asked the girl how long it took for the average Buddhist to balance out his karma, and she said that no one knows. I next asked her when the Buddhist would know he had reached Nirvana, and when she said she didn’t know that either, I asked her what constitutes a good deed. She replied that there was no rule for what is good and that “it depends on the person.”

Amazed, I told her that according to Buddhism, the murder of over six million Jews under Hitler could be considered a good thing, because Hitler personally thought that by killing the Jews, he was doing a good thing.* The countenances of all three women dropped perceptively at this revelation (especially that of the mother), as they no doubt realized that this was absolutely true.

I then asked her how one could know what bad is, if one doesn’t even know what good is? In other words, how does one know how to counterbalance one’s evil deeds with good deeds, when there is no standard for good and evil? Visibly perturbed at this point, the young lady said that she was recuperating from a stroke and didn’t feel like talking anymore.

This was one of the most enlightening encounters I have ever had in my evangelistic travels. And It made my whole hospital stay totally worth the time. This girl, without even knowing it, strengthened my confidence in the Bible. She made me realize how blessed we are that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid the price for sin at Calvary, and that there is nothing that the Christian need do to overcome sin except trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Think about it. The Buddhist is taught, through the doctrine of reincarnation, that he is on a perpetual wheel of life, being constantly recycled into this sinful world for the purpose of working off his evil karma (what Christians call sin) by doing good deeds. Only, if this girl can be believed, there is no standard for what constitutes good and, conversely, what constitutes evil. Good and evil, therefore, for the Buddhist, are subjective, and “depend on the person.” The problem with this is that though the Buddhist can determine for himself what is good and what is evil, he cannot determine for himself when he has done enough good to have compensated for all the evil he has done. Without an objective standard for what is good and what is evil, the Buddhist will continue to be recycled into this evil world, but will be no more moral in the next life than he was in the previous. The wheel of life, therefore, is actually a perpetual wheel of death.

When I thought about it, I realized that Buddhism is a great deal like Roman Catholicism, which also stresses good deeds (which the Bible calls works). Though Roman Catholicism professes to acknowledge Jesus’ death and resurrection for the sins of mankind, what Roman Catholics practice suggests that Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood on the cross at Calvary was not enough for one to obtain complete forgiveness of sins. 

Former Roman Catholic, Monica Farrell, in the book, From Rome to Christ, writes:

“I knew the Lord Jesus died on Calvary, and had He not died nobody could get to heaven. What I did not know was that because He died anybody could go to heaven.

We were told that the death of Christ opened the gate to heaven, but that you had to work your own way in…” (“From Rome to Christ,” p. 24).

To “work his way in,” the Roman Catholic, like the Buddhist, must perform good works. Unfortunately, like the Buddhist, a Roman Catholic can never know when he has done enough good deeds. 

A few years back, while witnessing to a Roman Catholic, I asked her if she was confident that she would go to heaven if she were to die at that moment. She told me that she didn’t know if she would, because she didn’t know if she had been “good enough.” The fact is that the Roman Catholic is taught that he can never be good enough. Purgatory, therefore, is inevitable.

Additionally, the Roman Catholic is taught that in order to receive the grace of God, he must do it by keeping what they call the “seven sacraments,” or the “seven channels of grace.”

The seven sacraments are:

1. The Sacrament of Baptism (which happens when the Roman Catholic is a baby).

2. The Sacrament of Penance (confession, where the Roman Catholic confesses his sins to a priest).

3. The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (the “unbloody” sacrifice of the Mass, where Roman Catholics eat a wafer they believe contains the body, blood, soul, and divinity of the Lord Jesus).

4.The Sacrament of Confirmation (when the Roman Catholic is made a citizen of Rome).

5. The Sacrament of Matrimony.

6. The Sacrament of Holy Orders (reserved for priests, nuns, and monks)

7. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (formerly called Extreme Unction, given when the Roman Catholic is on his deathbed).

If he doesn’t receive enough grace through the sacraments, the Roman Catholic is taught that he will have to get the rest in Purgatory. Purgatory is a mythical place of torment, where the Roman Catholic goes to have his sins burned off. Once his sins are purged, he is taught, he may enter into heaven: or so he thinks.

Now get this: the Roman Catholic is taught that he can only receive God’s grace through keeping all seven sacraments. If he misses one, then he will have to go to Purgatory. But here is the kicker: the average Roman Catholic cannot receive the sacrament of holy orders, as it is reserved for the clergy. And, because of the un-Scriptural doctrine of celibacy, priests, nuns, and monks cannot receive the sacrament of matrimony. Furthermore, even if, by some miracle, the Roman Catholic receives all the sacraments, he is still taught that he is sinful and can therefore never be “good enough.” All Catholics, therefore, have to go to Purgatory.

And like the Buddhist, who doesn’t know how long he will be on the Ferris wheel of reincarnation, the Roman Catholic has no idea how long he will be in Purgatory. According to former Jesuit priest Alberto Rivera, there are popes that have been in Purgatory for over a thousand years, and priests are still saying prayers for their souls. 

The fact that Buddhists determine for themselves what is good and what is evil also made me realize that Buddhism is a satanic religion. In the garden of Eden, Satan told Eve that if she ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then she “would be as gods, knowing good and evil.” In other words, Eve would be able to determine for herself what was good and what was evil. In saying this, Satan actually told a half truth (which is the only kind of “truth” he is capable of telling).

You see, only God knows what is good and what is evil, because, as sinful humans, we could never make that determination. The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). We could never determine for ourselves what is good, because we are inherently evil. It takes someone inherently good to determine what is good, and God only is good. To try to determine for ourselves what is good, therefore, is to attempt to usurp the authority of God. We could never be as God, however, because we are created beings, while God is the Creator. Satan knows this, which is why instead of saying that Adam and Eve would be as God (big G), he said that they would be “as gods” (little G). Slick, ain’t he?

Which brings me to another point. Because Buddhism teaches that man can perfect himself: that is, solve the problem of sin without going through Jesus, then Buddhism essentially exalts man into the place of God: man becomes his own Savior. Roman Catholicism, if you think about it, does the same thing. With it’s mass, emphasis on good works, and unbiblical Purgatory, Roman Catholicism declares the sacrifice of Jesus to be of none effect. The Roman Catholic must therefore save himself. This is the false promise of Satan to Eve.

I don’t like getting sick. And I certainly don’t like going to the hospital. But, on this occasion, I’m glad I was in the hospital on Friday, November 13th, 2015. (?)

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

*”As for the Jews, I am just carrying on with the same policy the Catholic Church has adopted for fifteen hundred years…and perhaps I am doing Christianity a great service.” –The Nazi Persecution of the Churches, by J.S. Conway, p. 25, 26, 162.

Share
Posted in Buddhism, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Parliament of the World’s Religions and the Gun Control Agenda

Posted on October 12, 2015 by The Still Man

parliament-world-religions2015

 Grace and peace, Saints.

You may be interested to know that the Parliament of the World’s Religions is meeting this Thursday October 15, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Their first meeting was in 1893 in Chicago, and their last meeting was 2009 in Melbourne Australia.  The Parliament’s website says that they are part of the Global Interfaith Movement, which you and I know is merely code for the One World Church.  Since the Bible says that the one world religion will be headed by the Antichrist, and the Antichrist is Pope Benedict XVI, then we know who is behind the Parliament of the World’s Religions.

It’s interesting that the Parliament is convening roughly three weeks after Pope Francis pushed his interfaith agenda while addressing the joint session of the U.S. Congress. The Pope also addressed gun control, which, ironically (or not), is also on the Parliament’s agenda.  The Parliament has a program entitled “Faiths Against Hate,” which campaigns to “transform fear and anger into peace, love, and interreligious harmony.”  It should be noted, however, that while they claim to be concerned with hate speech and attacks on religious minorities, they also mention the fact that:

  • The number of armed militias [in the U.S.] have doubled (TIME)

  • 2.5 million more Americans bought guns for the first time in 2011 (FBI)

It would seem, therefore, that the Parliament of the World’s Religions is not just interested in promoting interfaith fellowship and harmony.  Like so many other groups these days, they are also interested in Americans’ Constitutional right “to keep and bear arms.”

I remind you of Pope Francis’ words during his speech to Congress:

“[Interfaith] cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery…”

He said this after saying “We must be mindful of every type of fundamentalism” and “We must combat every form of polarization.”  Since both fundamentalism and polarization were veiled references to biblical Christianity, then one of the “new global forms of slavery” is doubtless Christianity.  

It is important to note that Bible-believing Christians–many aware that the Second Amendment exists not only to enable law-abiding citizens to defend themselves from criminals, but also for all Americans to defend themselves, should the need arise, against a tyrannical (read fanatical) government–are some of the staunchest supporters of the right “to keep and bear arms.”  Pope’s Francis’ words, therefore (and the Parliament) should be considered in the context of The Roman Catholic Takeover of America, since disarmament is a major step in the takeover.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

P.S. You may want to read the bios of the women who will be speaking at the “Inaugural Women’s Assembly,” which includes at least three avowed goddess worshippers and a Wiccan priestess.  One of the women, a professor of philosophy and religion, who teaches courses on the “Eleusian Mysteries” (Babylon), says she is “interested in promoting dialogue between Goddess people and God people” (actual quote).  

So you see, in order for Christians to have a “dialogue” with these people, we would have t0 be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers.  They know we would never do this, of course, and for this reason we are considered a threat to global peace and harmony.

–TSM

 

Share
Posted in Ecumenism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Incredible Truth About the Mark of the Beast

Posted on October 4, 2015 by The Still Man

vaticanarms

Grace and peace, Saints.

We have just completed what will probably be the most important video we have ever done.  It concerns the truth about the biblical Mark of the Beast and it is guaranteed to blow your mind.  By the time you are done watching this video, you will wonder why you never saw yourself what has always been sitting right before your eyes.

Saints, watch this video and please, share it with everyone you know, especially your friends and loved ones.  The Mark of the Beast will be offered very soon as the cure for the global economic crisis that is looming on the horizon.  But the Bible teaches that everyone who takes the Mark will be doomed to eternal flames.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Thoughts on Pope Francis’ Visit

Posted on September 29, 2015 by The Still Man

popefranciswaving

Grace and peace, Saints.

Well, the Roman Catholic pope came to the United States amid much fanfare, pomp, and gaiety. The American press hailed it as possibly the greatest moment in our country’s history. I, however, believe it to be the most tragic moment in America’s history: the moment when America gave a hero’s welcome to one of the greatest enemies of freedom in the history of the world.

CNN dedicated much airtime to the coverage of the pope’s visit, and I couldn’t help but notice that they did everything they could to differentiate their coverage of the pope from their coverage of any other world leader.

I’ve talked to my children at length about why CNN dedicates so much airtime to covering the Roman Catholic pope. As I told them, the Roman Catholic church believes that it’s pope is the substitute for Jesus Christ on earth and that he is actually God on earth. Now, if you love God, then everything that God says and does will interest you. Therefore, if you believe that the pope is God in the flesh, then everything the pope says and does will interest you.

CNN has always had an intense interest in all things popish. On one of CNN’s promotional commercials, Christianne Amanpour even addresses Pope Francis as “Holy Father!” Now, a non-Roman Catholic does not have to address the pope as Holy Father, as it is a spiritual title. Only one who acknowledges him as his spiritual authority would address Pope Francis or any pope as Holy Father. A true Bible-believing Christian certainly would not address Pope Francis as Holy Father, because it is a blasphemous title. Holy Father is reserved for God the Father ALONE. The title of Holy Father occurs only once in the entire Bible: Chapter 17 verse 11 of the Gospel of John. In this verse, Jesus is praying to God the Father on the behalf of the Christian church. Listen to what He says:

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be as one, as we are.”

Jesus says several times in the Gospel of John that He and the Father are one. That is why Jesus has almost every title that God the Father has: Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, Savior, Lord, etc. Etc. The title of Holy Father is the one title which Jesus Christ does not claim for Himself. In John 10:39 Jesus says, “My Father…is greater than all.” Though Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus places God the Father above Himself. The title of Holy Father places God the Father at the head of all righteousness. For the Pope of Rome to allow himself to be called Holy Father is to blaspheme the name of God the Father.

One could simply address Pope Francis as Pope Francis just as one may address a president named Smith as President Smith, a king named Jones as King Jones, or a judge named Johnson as Judge Johnson, though they may have other titles. When one therefore, calls Pope Francis Holy Father, he is doing more than acknowledging the pope’s position; he is acknowledging him as his spiritual leader. Christianne Amanpour represents CNN and is one of their highest-regarded journalists. When Amanpour addresses Pope Francis as Holy Father, therefore, she is not just speaking for herself; she is speaking for CNN.  It should therefore be no surprise that they would dedicate a great deal of time covering Pope Francis.

The only religion in the world that does not have a human leader is the true Christian Church. The Roman Catholic church has its pope, Buddhism has the Dalai Lama, Islam has its imams, Hinduism has its gurus, Jehovah’s Witnesses have their presidents, Mormonism has its prophets, and on and on it goes. The only religion that has no human head is Bible-based Christianity. Our head is God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Now, if you watch CNN, you will notice that though they do occasionally cover the major doings of some religious leaders, they never cover any other religious leader like they do the Pope of Rome. This makes sense if CNN not only believes that the Pope is God, but that he is the spiritual leader of every other religion on earth. CNN wouldn’t so brazenly publish this belief if they didn’t know that all other religions (except true Christianity) believe the same thing. They are promoting Pope Francis as the greatest spiritual leader on earth.

So when Pope Francis, the greatest religious leader on earth came to America, CNN went to great lengths to do more for him than they have done for any other world leader that has ever come to the U.S. CNN, as well as virtually every other news outlet, always covers when a world leader first sets foot on U.S. soil, and is right there when the leader lands at a U.S. Airport or military base. However, to distinguish Pope Francis from every other world leader and to give him the ultimate star treatment, CNN did something that to my knowledge they have never done for any other world leader. CNN actually announced that Pope Francis had entered U.S. Airspace!

francisusairspace 

That was truly a first. 

On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis made history by addressing a joint session of Congress. The significance of the United States Congress allowing the Pope of Rome to address them was not lost on me. For you must understand that for Roman Catholics, the voice of the Pope is the voice of God. Pope Francis, therefore, didn’t fly all the way to the United States and appear before Congress in the nation’s capital just to give us his opinion. As the Pope of the Holy See, the Pope was putting the full weight of the Vatican, the most powerful organization in the history of the world, behind whatever issue he was speaking on. And he spoke on several issues.

We published on our YouTube channel, The Gospel Light and Truth Crusade, the Fox News coverage of Pope Francis’ address. In the description box I listed a number of quotes the Pope made relative to the issues he addressed that I thought were rather revelatory and that held particularly ominous portent for the future.

Francis begins by implying that biblical Christianity (also referred to as “fundamentalism”) is the source of friction and discord in the world and a hindrance to global unity:

12:00 – “We must be mindful of every type of fundamentalism.”

 13:40 – “We must combat every form of polarization.”

 Then he makes a reference to the ecumenical agenda:

15:00 – “We must move together as one in solidarity.”

16:57 – “We must pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience.”

Francis then implies that all religions need to work together to combat Christian fundamentalism. After pointing out that all religions have contributed to making America great, Francis says:

 “[Interfaith] cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery…” 

Because this statement was still in the context of fighting fundamentalism and polarization, he is implying that Christianity is a form of slavery that must be eliminated.

He then implies that new legislation and social programs need to be put in place to aid in this battle:

“…which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.” 

Don’t overlook the fact that Pope Francis is addressing the United States Congress, the highest legislative body in the United States. So when he speaks of new policies to combat Christian fundamentalism, Pope Francis is urging the Congress to enact laws to curtail the activities of Christian fundamentalists. In that our main activities are evangelization through preaching and witnessing, then Francis is suggesting that laws be enacted to stop those activities.

But there’s more.  Preaching and witnessing are protected under the First Article and Amendment to the United States Constitution: it is protected speech.  In order to curtail protected speech, the First Amendment would have to be eliminated or drastically altered.  We ought to be on the lookout for this.  Moreover, since the authority for our activities is the Bible, then you can also look forward to seeing legislation that will further demonize and even outlaw the Bible.

Francis then goes on to imply that the ultimate goal of the political process is to build a a New World Order, free of the prejudices of fundamentalism (Christianity):

18:11 – “Politics is instead an expression of our compelling need to live as one in order to build, as one, the greatest common good…”

The “greatest common good” also called “the greater good” is a code word for democracy, which is a code word for the New World Order. You must understand that a democracy is not the same as a republic. The United States was founded a republic. In a republic, the rights of individuals takes precedence over the rights of the whole. In other words, the belief was that if you take care of the needs of every individual, then by extension, you will meet the needs of everyone. The individual was the most important factor. In a democracy, however, the needs of the whole–the majority–supersede the needs of the individual. In a democracy, individuals are only needed to support the state. It is from democracy that we get the term “human resource.” The individual is only seen as a resource, a commodity, which needs to be managed like every other resource: to be planted, harvested, consumed, and discarded. Webster’s Dictionary says that a democracy is the last step before communism. In short, a pure democracy is socialism.

It is from democracy that we get the terms minority and majority with respect to society. Blacks are considered minority, not because they are fewer than whites, but because in a democracy, the needs of blacks are secondary to the needs of whites, who are considered the majority. So, even in a city like Washington, D.C., where the majority of its inhabitants are blacks, they are still considered the minority.

Christians will not be welcome in the New World Order because the New World Order, like the Tower of Babel, will attempt to exalt itself above all that is called God.

Now let’s get back to Pope Francis’ address.  This is where it gets scary. Francis then defines the New World Order:

“…a community that sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life.” 

You must understand who is speaking and what he is saying. If you substitute “eliminates” for “sacrifices” and “whoever doesn’t fit into our utopian society” for “particular interests,” then it is clear that Pope Francis is suggesting that Christians and all who will not bow down to the Roman Catholic pope and his idol will not be allowed to share in the benefits of the New World Order utopia they are trying to build. They will be eliminated. This is a literal fulfillment of biblical prophecy!

But it doesn’t stop there. Francis then turns his attention to the global disarmament agenda:

“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply money. It is our duty to confront and stop the arms trade.”

In most parts of the world, weapons ownership by private individuals has been severely curtailed. Only in America is gun ownership a legal right rather than a privilege. So, Francis was really voicing his desire to eventually ban gun ownership in America as well as the world. We can look for him to reiterate this sentiment when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly, during his visit to New York. It is through the United Nations that Pope Francis will eventually decide the gun issue in America. Disarmament is Step Four of Phase Three of the Roman Catholic Takeover of America.

In her book, “Ravening Wolves,” Christian evangelist Monica Farrell gives the blueprint for the Roman Catholic takeover of a nation, which she observed when the Nazis (who were the political and military cell of the Roman Catholic church) took over the former Yugoslavia. The phases of the Roman Catholic takeover are as follows:

  1. A crusade of prayer, claiming a country for the Virgin Mary
  2. Formal dedication by the Roman Catholic church of that country to the Virgin Mary.
  3. A Holy Warfare to possess that country.

Phase Three occurs in five steps:

  1. Secession: The Roman Catholics declare an independent state within the formal country. This is what happened in the United States and which preceded the Civil War. The Roman Catholic South, supported by the Vatican, seceded from the mostly Protestant Union and declared war upon it by firing upon Fort Sumter. It also occurred in Yugoslavia, according to Farrell, when the Roman Catholics seceded from that country and formed the Independent State of Croatia.
  1. The formation of a Roman Catholic army supported by other Roman Catholic armies. The current manifestation of this is the United Nations Security Council. Most, if not all, of the member nations in the Security Council are Roman Catholic or Roman Catholic friendly, including the United States. This is why most units in the United States army wear the blue U.N. beret and our army fights in wars that have nothing to do with defending the United States. Our army now belongs to the United Nations, which is headed by the Vatican. It goes where and does what the Pope says it goes and does.
  1. The government, which is by this time almost entirely composed of Roman Catholics, publishes a notice that only Roman Catholics may serve in government. This is about to happen in the United States. Our government has an “unusually high Catholic representation,” and virtually every candidate for President in 2016 is a Roman Catholic. Vice President Joe Biden is a Roman Catholic, and Barak Obama is a secret Roman Catholic.
  1. CONFISCATION OF ALL WEAPONS. This was the purpose for the University of Texas shooting; Columbine; Virginia Tech; Sandy Hook; Oslo, Norway; the shootings on military bases around the country and overseas, and every other mass shooting that has occurred in the United States. The Vatican wants to demonize weapons so that there will be a global outcry to ban weapons in the United States. This is in preparation for Step Five which is…
  1. The Inquisition. In Croatia, the Roman Catholic USTACHI (Catholic Action), led by priest, nuns, and monks, swept through that nation and horribly massacred the Bosnian Serbs, who are Eastern Orthodox. Interestingly, they did nothing to the Croatian Muslims. In fact, in the Independent State of Croatia, all religions were outlawed EXCEPT ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND ISLAM. This will happen in the United States.

You must understand that Pope Francis is not the friend of the United States. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope in the history of the Roman Catholic church, and that is no small matter. The Jesuit Order was specially commissioned by the Council of Trent to destroy the Protestant Reformation and Christianity. Though it was a pope who instituted the Jesuit order, the Society of Jesus, as the Jesuits are formally called, became a danger to all constituted authority in the world, including the Catholic Church. They have been thrown out of virtually every country in the world, except the United States, which gave them a safe haven from which to operate. They were finally disbanded by Pope Clement X, but they resurfaced again and have been tirelessly working ever since to complete their goal.

The warm welcome Pope Francis received by the American people showed just how far down the road to apostasy we really are. America, the former Protestant nation, welcomed the Roman Catholic pope with open arms. We will soon regret that move.

I will have more to say on the Pope’s visit and it’s implications for America in the coming days, God willing.

Click here to read more about the Roman Catholic Takeover of America.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Is Anybody Still Out There?

Posted on September 22, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints!

I am so excited and happy to be writing to you again after a rather long hiatus from writing. I cannot say why I have not written anything of substance in such a long time, though there’s no doubt that to a certain extent my spiritual battles have played some role in this. Whatever the reason, the end result is that I have not been writing as often as I should. And the bad part is that just as when you write constantly you get so used to writing that you cannot see yourself not writing, when you write infrequently you get so used to not writing that you cannot see yourself writing anymore.

That is what has happened to me. Even writing this was work for me, and I had to make myself sit down and do it. This is deadly for a writer. And, though I am a preacher first and foremost, I am still a writer. You would not believe how many articles I just shelved and never wrote. The “Incoming” folder of my Evernote account has more than a hundred drafts articles and pieces of research in it, just waiting on me to take action. How terrible!

This is a terrible dilemma for a writer, but for a preacher and teacher, this is more than terrible–it is disobedience! The Lord Jesus has commanded us through the Apostle Paul to make full proof of our ministries: that is, we must use our God-given talents and resources to the fullest extent possible to fulfill the Great Commission.

I have not done that. I haven’t even come close.

I ask therefore brothers and sisters, that you pray for me that I would break through this Satan-Induced slump that I have been in for almost two years. The Gospel Light and Truth Crusade must go on!

I apologize to my brothers and sisters for not remaining faithful.  I’m sorry I have not consistently kept you educated, edified, and encouraged.  If there are any of you still out there who have faithfully waited for me to get over this hump, I am happy to tell you that I have finally turned the corner, and I thank you for sticking by me.

Carolyn and Tom M., you have not failed to drop me a line or an encouraging word every now and again.  I thank you for your fellowship.  Sean, thank you for hanging in there too.  Pastor Owak, thank you for your fellowship as well as Evangelist Babu.  If this ministry has helped you, would you be so kind as to drop me a line and let me know?  I’d like to get to know you.

I have taken the first step in breaking through this slump by writing this to you, because I did not want to write this to you. But I just had to get my fingers moving as well as my spirit. Experts say that bloggers should blog every day. Can I do that? I doubt it. But I can write at least once a week, can’t I?  Pray that I will. I have a lot to say.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Information | 5 Comments

We Need To Talk About Sandy Hook

Posted on July 16, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

We are again sharing with our readers the expose on the Sandy Hook massacre entitled, “We Need To Talk About Sandy Hook,” a video which presents a very compelling case that Sandy Hook may have been a completely staged media event.

YouTube had originally disabled the video because of a copyright infringement claim made by the HONR Network, a group that claims to represent the interests of the families of the alleged victims of Sandy Hook.  I filed a counter claim against the HONR Network, because they were neither the copyright owners of the video nor an authorized agent thereof.  Today, YouTube again made the video available on our ministry’s YouTube channel.

Because the alleged victims of Sandy Hook were children, many get upset when anyone suggests that the alleged shooting may, in fact, never have happened.  This is understandable.  Americans, in general, seek to protect society’s most helpless and vulnerable members, and rightly take offense when children are abused or mistreated in any way. 

It must, however, be understood that things in America right now are not what they should be.  A foreign and hostile government is in the process of destroying America–the last bastion of Protestant Christianity in the world–and everything this country originally stood for.  The Roman Catholic Takeover of America is in Stage Four of Phase Three.  Phase Three is “A Holy Warfare,” while Step Four is the complete disarmament of the American people.  Sandy Hook may very well have been a part of this plan.

The Bible teaches that it is folly to pass judgment on a matter before hearing all the facts (Proverbs 18:13).  Therefore, please withhold judgment until you have seen the video.  View it and weigh it in the balance of your heart.  And then decide.

I should add that Step Five of Phase Three of the Roman Catholic Takeover of America is The Inquisition.  If you know anything about the Roman Catholic Inquisition, then you know that the future is not looking too bright for America.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Mass Shootings, Roman Catholicism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Book of Mormon: Another Testimony of “Another Jesus”

Posted on June 28, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace.

A couple of days ago, I was going through some of my books, compiling a bibliography for a book that I am working on, when I came across the Book of Mormon.  I had not looked at this book in at least five years, so I decided to just peruse its pages.  On the very first page, I came across this:

bookofmormon_mc

As any Christian with even a smidgen of discernment knows, Mormonism is not a denomination of Christianity and, in fact, is not Christian at all.  Mormonism is a mystery religion: that is, its source is not Jerusalem, but ancient Babylon.  It’s “Jesus,” therefore, is not Jesus the Christ, but Jesus the Antichrist–another Jesus.  Proof of this is the Cult of Mary hand sign that “Jesus” is displaying with his right hand.

Now, we know from the Bible that every person on earth as well as every religion on earth will worship the Antichrist as well as Satan.  And, as I have alluded to before in articles such as House of the Virgin Mary, the common denominator that will be used to unite these religions will not only be their worship of the Antichrist, but their veneration of the Roman Catholic Virgin Mary.

The Bible teaches that the Roman Catholic church is “the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5).  This means that the Roman Catholic church is the modern representative of Babylon on this earth and the fount from which every ungodly religion, organization, belief, dogma, and philosophy springs.  If this is true of Mormonism, then we should be able to find some commonalities between Mormonism and Roman Catholicism.

We have already seen one of those commonalities: the Cult of Mary hand sign.  This means that Mormonism also revers the goddess called the Virgin Mary.  But there are other similarities.

We know, for example, that though it purports to worship Jesus Christ and revere His Word, the Roman Catholic church, in reality, worships the Virgin Mary and places their tradition on par with the Holy Bible: for the fourth session of the Roman Catholic Council of Trent (1546) decreed:

“[The Roman Catholic church] receives and venerates with a feeling of piety and reverence all the books of the Old and New Testaments…

“[A]lso the traditions, whether they relate to faith or to morals, as having been dictated either orally by Christ or by the Holy Ghost, and preserved in the Catholic Church.” (“Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent,” by Rev. H.J. Schroeder.)

As a great many, if not most, of the traditions of the Roman Catholic church come from the writings of the so-called Church Fathers, then this decree, in effect, places the words of men on an equal footing to the Words of God–the Holy Bible.  To place human traditions on par with the very words of God is to actually exalt the words of men over the Word of God. 

The Mormon Church does this exact same thing with its Book of Mormon, which it bills as “another testament of Jesus Christ.”  Notice below that the Book of Mormon is purported to be “comparable to the Bible” and that Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, is quoted to have said that by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon, “a man would get nearer to God…than by any other book.”  Mormonism, therefore, places its holy book–written by Joseph Smith, a man–over and above the Holy Bible: the same thing the Roman Catholic church does.

bookofmormon2

There are many other similarities between the Mormon and Catholic religions, some of which we cover in our discussion of the Roman Catholic Charismatic Movement. I strongly suggest that you read it and consider it.

In these deceptive last days, many religions claim to have the truth.  But those who know their God know that the real Truth can only be found in the True Church of Jesus Christ, which cannot be found in any temple, church, dojo, hall, cathedral, lodge, or any other building made with hands, but in the hearts of those who love Him.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

P.S. I had never before considered the link between Mormonism and goddess worship, but I will ponder this and devote further research to it, if God wills. –TSM

Share
Posted in Mormonism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Election 2016 and the Roman Catholic Takeover of America

Posted on June 15, 2015 by The Still Man
Roman Catholic "Patriotic Flag"

Roman Catholic “Patriotic Flag”

Grace and peace, Saints.

Many of you are aware that the Roman Catholic Takeover of a country involves three phases:

1. A crusade of prayer, claiming a country for the Virgin Mary,

2. Dedication or consecration of that country to the Virgin Mary,

3. A Holy Warfare to claim that country for the Virgin Mary.

Phase Three, A Holy Warfare, occurs in five steps:

1. Secession: (The formation of an independent Roman Catholic state)

2. The formation of a Roman Catholic army to pound the populace into submission

3. A governmental decree that only Roman Catholics may serve in government

4. Confiscation of all weapons

5. The Inquisition

As we discuss in The Roman Catholic Takeover of America, the plan to take over the United States for Rome has almost reached fruition.  Steps one and two have already been accomplished (Washington D.C. is in Maryland–MARY LAND–and the U.N. Security Council has every army in the world, including our own, at its beck and call), while steps three and four are progressing steadily.

2016 is set to be a monumental year in Catholic government, as the following video will show.  As Stephen Schneck says, “All three of the major branches of our government have extraordinarily high Catholic representation.”

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Munich Occult Symoblism – New Photos

Posted on June 10, 2015 by The Still Man

DSCF5503

Grace and peace.

We have added new photos to our montage of Munich’s Occult Symbolism.  You want to see these.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A Letter To Jack (Epilogue)

Posted on June 4, 2015 by The Still Man

chickchoice1_mc

Grace and peace, Saints.

Last week, we received an answer to our last letter to Chick Publications regarding occult symbolism we discovered in some of their gospel tracts.  Again, it was from Karen Rockney, Jack Chick’s secretary.  Here it is:

chick20150519

So there you have it.  The official position of Chick Publications on the matter of occult imagery in their gospel tracts is that Jack Chick was responsible for only one of those tracts, and that the inclusion of the occult hand signs in their gospel tracts was not intentional.

Here is my response:

jackchick20150529_2

Those of us who care about the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these perverse last days should be encouraged by this development: not only because Chick Publications has promised to correct this issue, but because Chick Publications, now that they know we are paying attention, will be careful what they print from now on.

They realize that many of us in the body of Christ are awakening from our blissful slumber.  They realize that, in this climate of apostasy, they can ill afford many incidents that cast doubt on the faithfulness of their ministry.  Let’s pray that others will also take notice.

Saints, let this be our wakeup call. Let us take seriously the Bible’s commandment for Christians to “watch in all things.” Let us become the Watchmen we are supposed to be, for the glory of God and of His Christ.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in The Occult | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Mother’s Day Woes

Posted on May 25, 2015 by The Still Man

mothersday

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grace and peace, Saints.

On Mother’s Day, I received an email from a very despondent mom, whose plans for that day were ruined when her daughter became ill. I sometimes get emails from Christians whose trials may be causing them to experience a crisis of faith or doubt the goodness of God. But this was the first time someone admitted that her trials are causing her to actually hate God.

Hate is a word that people don’t normally throw around as lightly as we do the word love. When someone says they hate something or someone, that is usually exactly what they mean. So when Gretchen said she was beginning to hate God, that really got my attention.

Here is her email:

“Hello, Still Man. I found your website when I did an internet search on curses.
Today is Mother’s Day, as well as my 18th Wedding Anniversary. My husband, daughter, and I had very special plans for celebrating two such special occasions today. I was SO excited and happy. I had been listening to a series of sermons by Andrew Wommack, that were recommended to me, and I was feeling so peaceful and happy, and growing so much spiritually.

“Then yesterday my daughter became sick, so all our special plans had to be cancelled. I had prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus that she, would be protected from getting sick, and that we would all have a wonderful time today.

“This sort of thing happens EVERY TIME we have special plans. Either one of the three of us gets sick (usually my daughter), or something else will happen to ruin our plans. I am sick of ALWAYS being disappointed.

“Every time I start getting closer to God and Jesus, very disappointing things happen. I am starting to hate God. He doesn’t answer my prayers, and I really don’t think that He wants me or my family to be happy. I have already renounced my sins, and become born again.
Regarding Catholicism, I have Catholic friends and family who glide through life on a perpetual cloud of happiness.

“All I asked for was for 1 DAY OUT OF THE YEAR not to turn out to be a disappointment,  but apparently that’s too much to ask.

—Gretchen” [CAPS in the original, boldface mine]

This was my response:

Hello, Gretchen.

I understand how tough this must be for you.  And I can understand the temptation to blame God for your troubles.  But you shouldn’t hate the Lord Jesus or believe He doesn’t want you to be happy.  The Bible says that God wants you to have an abundant life, not a life of misery.

Understand that the Christian life, though a wonderful existence, is not all fun and games. Jesus Himself said that it is given to us who are saved not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).  I can testify that this is a gospel truth.  Suffering is part of the Christian experience.

The Apostle Paul loved the Lord with all his heart and soul and couldn’t wait to die so that he could be with the Lord.  And Paul suffered more than all the Apostles, losing everything he had just to follow Jesus.  Did Paul complain?  Not hardly:

“I count all but loss (I’m willing to lose everything) for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them (the things he lost) but dung (poo-poo) that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8). [Parentheses and boldface mine.]

Those are pretty strong words from the Apostle.  But he meant business.  Suffering is part of the Christian walk.  In fact, Paul goes on to say that to know Jesus is to know “the fellowship of His sufferings” (3:10). Only when you have suffered for Jesus’ sake do you truly come to know the Lord, because He is going to take you through the fire to perfect you.  And perfection is had through suffering.

Even Jesus suffered.  And the Bible says that Jesus “learned obedience through the things that He suffered.”  This is exactly what happens to us when we suffer. God doesn’t let us suffer because He gets a kick out of it.  God allows us to suffer for our good and for His glory.

I believe this may be part of what you are going through.  Note that you said every time you start getting close to Jesus, “very disappointing things happen.”  This happens to all of us.  In Jesus’ parable of the sower, He describes the seed that fell among stones as the person who gladly receives the Gospel, and rejoices.  But as soon as troubles come, he becomes weary, and Jesus becomes an offense to him (Matthew 13:20-21).

Don’t let this be you.  Don’t confuse the Christian life with what many have made it out to be: all fun and joy and no tribulation. This is not biblical.  Remember, Job was a righteous man in all his ways, who hated sin. Yet, God allowed Job to suffer.  God allowed Satan to kill Job’s children, bankrupt him, and destroy his health.  Satan was sure that when he was finished with Job, he would “curse God to His face.”  Yet, the Bible says, “In all this, Job sinned not with his lips.”  Job said, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The Bible says that our trials are no different than what the average person goes though (1 Corinthians 10:13).  The difference, however, is that Jesus is with the Christian every step of the way.  He won’t allow us to suffer more than we are able, but “will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we will be able to bear it.”  That’s why you don’t hear about true, Bible-believing Christians committing suicide.  God either stops our trials before they break us, or strengthens us so that we can handle them.

You shouldn’t worry about your Roman Catholic friends and relatives who are “gliding through life”, as you put it, as not everything is what it appears to be.  Besides, the Apostle Paul says that we err when we “measure ourselves by ourselves and compare ourselves among ourselves” (2 Corinthians 10:12).  We shouldn’t be looking at the person to our right and left and comparing what we are going through to what they are going through (or not).  Keep your eyes on Jesus. Whatever you are going through, has nothing to do with them and vice versa.

It may very well be possible that you may be placing too much value on everything being just right, just perfect, on that special day.  You may instead consider putting less emphasis on the day and more on the person.  For example, Mother’s Day is a day to honor mothers for the special sacrifices they make every day to take care of their families. I get that.  But, at the end of the day, isn’t it more important that mommy is around to hear her husband and children say “Happy Mother’s Day?”  

Believe me when I tell you that there are many daughters out there who are very sad on Mother’s Day, because mom is no longer alive to receive her daughter’s love and appreciation.  If your daughter or anyone else gets sick, and you are unable to do what you had planned, just switch to Plan B.  (You should always have a Plan B.) And plan B should be a very scaled-down version of Plan A. Something that maybe doesn’t even require you to leave the house.  Just stay home and watch some videos like “Mommy Dearest, “Throw Momma From the Train,” or “Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot!”  LOL.

If you are a Christian, then Jesus is allowing this to happen to you.  And if He is allowing it to happen to you, then He has a reason.  It could be that the Lord Jesus feels you are putting too much importance on “special occasions.”  The Apostle Paul said, “One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).  What Paul meant by this is that, at the end of the day, these days were not ordained of God, but by men, and they are not as important as we make them out to be.  It is like the Pharisees, who put so much importance on what you couldn’t do on the Sabbath, that just about everything was a violation of it.  Jesus told them that the Sabbath was made to serve man, and not man to serve the Sabbath.

One last thing:  Satan is very aware of the importance you place on days like Mother’s Day and your wedding anniversary. You can count on him, therefore, to do all he can to derail those days for you.  The way you thwart him is to not put so much emphasis on those days. That way, he can’t spoil it for you.  All Christians have enemies, and many, if not most, of those enemies are witches.  A witch will watch you, study you, and learn you.  A witch will know when you have a birthday coming, or an anniversary, or a family outing, etc., and when that day approaches, will go into action, casting a spell on you, someone in your family, or someone else with whom you have to do.  They will either try to make you sick, be in a bad mood, or argue with someone, in an effort to ruin that day for you.  This happens to me all–and I do mean ALL–the time.  So I know what I’m talking about.

Whenever a birthday is coming in my family, for example, I take it in stride, placing more value on the fact that whosever’s birthday it is lived to see it, than I do on all the trappings. There is always a cake (even a burnt one that I made) and, if possible, at least one present and a party.  But it is not always under the best of circumstances.

On my youngest daughter’s 1st birthday, for example, my wife and I were at odds, so she didn’t attend the party.  On another daughter’s birthday, a month later, we were still at odds, so I didn’t attend the party.  Did it stop anything?  No sir.  Would it have been more fun if everyone had been there and getting along?  Of course.  But you must understand that we are in a war, and in a war, nothing is sacred; even birthday parties.  At my son’s birthday party, my wife and I were still not speaking, but we both were at the party.  And because we respected one another and dealt with one another amiably, everyone had a great time.  The next day, my wife and I reconciled (briefly).  (My wife is a Roman Catholic and has many many spiritual problems.  So we are almost always at odds.) My children understand very well the spiritual warfare that is raging, and they always have a good time, under the circumstances.  We have learned to lower our expectations, and we have redefined what makes a day special and what makes it fun.

In closing, I would like to say that I do not believe this is a curse at work.  What I believe is that you may be placing too much importance on special days, and, in so doing, you are serving those days rather than letting those days serve you.

One last last thing.  Don’t hate the Lord Jesus, and don’t feel He doesn’t want you and your family to be happy.  I can tell you, as someone who has had things happen to him that my daughter says could make a bestseller, that the Lord Jesus loves you very very much.  Just ask Him what His purpose is for all that is happening to you.  If you are sincere, He will answer.  And He will tell you what to do.

And please, please repent of hating the Lord.  It could be a whole lot worse than a spoiled Mothers Day. You should be thankful it isn’t.
Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Tony

 

I appreciated this lady’s sincerity, and I’m sure the Lord Jesus does too. Now, someone reading this probably thinks it is the epitome of evil to hate God because of something He allows us to go through. But, in my heart, I believe this lady is not alone. My spirit tells me that it is probably very common for someone who names the name of Christ to hate Him, when the going gets tough.

Doubtless, all of us know something about God. But I would argue that very few of us actually know God. Because, once you know Him, it is impossible to hate Him; for to know God is to love Him. To hate God would be to hate goodness. To hate God would be to hate truthfulness. To hate God would be to hate honesty. To hate God would be to hate love. In short, to hate God would be to hate everything that is good in the world; for every good thing comes from God, the Father of Lights (James 1:17).

I don’t believe, therefore, that Gretchen really hates God, because I don’t believe she really knows Him. And the first clue that she doesn’t really know Him is that she doesn’t mention His name once. God has a name, and that name is Jesus Christ. If she knew God, then she would have no problem naming the name of Jesus.

The second clue that she doesn’t know God is that she says He doesn’t answer her prayers. If this is true, and God hasn’t answered any of her prayers, then it may be because He hasn’t heard them. Jesus said that anything we ask in His name He will do (John 14:13-14). Again, she doesn’t mention the name of Jesus once in her email, so one has to wonder if when she prays, she does so in the name of Jesus.

It may also be possible that Gretchen is not saved. Note that she never said that she was saved, but that she has “renounced [her] sins and been born again.”  Not everyone who says they are born again means that they are saved.

Christianity is not the only religion in the world whose adherents claim to be born again. Freemasons, for example, are “reborn” during the ritual of the third degree, and some Freemasons, will tell you that that they have been born again.  Freemasons are not Christians.

It is not enough to simply claim to be born again. One must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord and Savior. The Bible says,

“If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou wilt be saved.

“For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

I don’t like to question anyone’s salvation, but, in these last days, when deception is at an all time high, one must, because there are many who have been deceived into believing they are saved, when, in fact, they are not. I was one such person. We must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died on the cross at Calvary and shed His blood for our sins, in order to be saved. Then, we must confess Jesus to the world.

When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are showing what we believe in our heart: that He is Lord of all. If you are not trusting in the shed blood of Jesus for your salvation, then you are not saved. And if you cannot say with certainty that you are going to Heaven, then you are not saved.

Renouncing our sins is also not enough.  We must confess our sins if we want forgiveness for them. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Renouncing our sins is a good start, but we must confess our sins if we want the Lord Jesus to forgive them. Sin in our lives is the number one reason God doesn’t hear our prayers. The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord shall not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

The Bible says that we all sin. But, as Christians, we must confess those sins right away to the Lord Jesus (not to any man) if we want forgiveness. Unconfessed sin creates a wall between God and us—a barrier—through which prayers cannot pass. If we want to get a prayer through to God, then we must make sure that we are in a right relationship with Him. And one way to make sure that we are in a right relationship with God is to make sure that when we sin, we confess those sins to the Lord Jesus as quickly as possible.

The Bible says that we must examine ourselves and determine whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). When we feel that God is not answering our prayers, we need to first ask ourselves if we are in a right standing with Him. And if we are living in sin, then we are not.

We also need to make sure that when we pray for anything, that we want for God’s will to be done first. The Bible says:

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us:

“And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

God’s will is perfect. And everything that He allows in our lives serves a purpose, even if we can’t see it. Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, ended His prayer with “But not my will, but thine, be done.” Gretchen said that she prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus that her daughter would not get sick and that everyone would have a great time. But, because she was so disappointed when things didn’t go the way she planned, I wonder if she prayed for Jesus’ will to be done. Scripture says that if we want God to hear our prayers, then we must pray according to His will.

The Bible also says that we receive that which we ask of the Lord if we “keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). God’s commandments can be found in both the Old and New Testaments, and it behooves us, as Christians, to find out what the Lord Jesus wants and expects from us and to do it. If we don’t know what God’s commandments are, then we can’t keep them. If we can’t keep God’s commandments, then we cannot do those things that are pleasing in His sight. We will, therefore, not receive the things we ask of Him.

The third clue that Gretchen doesn’t really know God is that she believes He doesn’t want her to be happy. God wants us all to be happy. The Word of God commands us to rejoice, and to rejoice again (Philippians 4:4).  The Bible says that God will not withhold any good thing from those of us who seek the Lord (Psalm 34:10). And happiness is a good thing. But it is important for us to understand that God’s version of happiness is a lot different from ours.

To us, happiness is getting everything we want. To God, happiness is getting everything He wants. And what God wants for us is not always exactly what we would want for ourselves. Just because something seems good to us, doesn’t mean that it’s good for us. And even something that is good for us may not be good for us all the time. The Bible says that there is a season for everything. What may not be right for us today may be right for us tomorrow. Only God know when the time is right.

I believe this is the root of Gretchen’s problem. She has unrealistic expectations of what happiness is—unrealistic, that is, in the Christian sense. The Apostle Paul said that we should be content with such things as we have, and that we should not grumble or complain about our lives. If God will not withhold any good thing from us, then, if we are in a right relationship with Him, we are exactly where He wants us. To be in a right relationship with God should be every Christian’s desire, and, ultimately, that is what should make us happy, even when everything else in our lives seems to be going wrong.

Knowing that you are in a right standing with the Lord Jesus can often be the only silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. When everything else seems to be going wrong: when you are forsaken by your friends and family, when your husband or wife has turned their back on you, when your children are misbehaving, when things are not right at work, when your money is acting funny, when you just keep on getting sick, and when it seems that no one cares whether you live or die, it is knowing that God Almighty is watching over you and allowing these things to happen to you, but will not put more on you than you can bear, that helps you to get through each and every day.

True happiness, then, is being dead center in the will of God, and knowing that regardless of how things are going, the Captain of our Salvation and the Author and Finisher of our faith is at the helm. And He will guide us into a safe haven.

The Bible says, “All things work together for good to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Note that the passage says all things work together for good. All means all. That means even the bad things that happen to us serve a purpose, working together with the good things to fulfill God’s purpose in us. And the Lord Jesus has promised us that ultimately things will work out for our good. That means we can’t lose!

Don’t let Satan steal your joy. Sanctify yourself and avoid sin and those who sin. Don’t give a witch power over you.  “Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

In closing, we shouldn’t have unrealistic expectations of the Christian life; for when we do, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The Christian life is not all fun and games. Job said it best when he said, “Shall we [only] receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). Jesus is God Almighty, yet the Bible says that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” Life was not all fun and games for our Lord either.

Truly, the servant is no greater than his Master.

The podcast of this teaching is available for download at the iTunes Store.  Subscribe to our podcast today!  For your convenience, it is also available below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame; and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Christian, Spiritual Warfare | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Reply From Jack (well, almost)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

As you may recall, back in February of this year, we wrote Christian publisher and cartoonist, Jack Chick, concerning occult images we discovered in his gospel tracts. 

We first wrote about this subject back in 2012, in the article, Man, You Don’t Know Jack! after discovering a Cult of Mary hand sign in the gospel tract, Why Is Mary Crying?  At that time, I considered writing Jack Chick about this, but thought better of it, for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that at that time, I had only found the hand sign in that one particular tract.

But when I later discovered that same hand sign in two other Chick tracts, namely The Choice and The Storyteller, I decided that it was time to write Jack Chick and find out what was going on.  So, I did, in a letter which you can read here.

Well, shortly thereafter, I received a letter from Jack’s secretary, which you can read below:

 

jackchick20150416

jackchick20150416_2

As you can see, Ms. Rockney denies that the occult images were placed in the tracts intentionally, and even attempts to explain them away by saying that “sometimes a picture is just a picture.”

Well, here is one of the images in question.  I’ll let you decide if it is “just a picture.”

chickchoice1_mc

I have responded to Ms. Rockney’s letter, answering some of her claims in turn.  You can read my response here.

Saints, pray for discernment.  Chick Publications is probably one of the largest, best known, and most trusted Christian publishers of gospel literature out there.  And if they are controlled by the forces of darkness, then it will manifest in some way.  So, I admonish you to take a good hard look at Chick Publications.  I already have.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

 

Share
Posted in Christian | 2 Comments

The Truth About President Abraham Lincoln

Posted on April 13, 2015 by The Still Man

Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863

Grace and peace, Saints.

How many of you know that tomorrow, April 14, 2015 is the anniversary of the assassination of the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln?  If you didn’t know, don’t feel bad: you had a lot of help not knowing.  The same people who killed him are the same people who own the media and the educational establishment.  So it’s no wonder many of us didn’t know.

Satan hates Abraham Lincoln because he opposed and successfully defeated his plans to take over the United States and destroy forever it’s Constitution and the hard-fought liberties Americans hold so dearly.  Lincoln also passed the Emancipation Proclamation and pushed through the legislation that led to the passing of the 13th Article and Amendment to the Constitution, forever breaking the chains and fetters of the slaves and making them free.  And it cost him his life.

Most blacks pay no tribute at all to President Lincoln.  His birthday and the anniversary of his assassination come and go without many of us even noticing.  This is a shame, especially in light of what he did for the Negro.  If anyone should remember Honest Abe Lincoln, it should be blacks.

It would enough of a tragedy if everyone had forgotten Lincoln.  But a greater tragedy–nay a crime, has been perpetrated by some who choose to remember him; for in remembering him they dishonor him, even making him look like a buffoon.

abelincolnquicken abelincolnquicken2 abelincolnquicken3

Is this right?  I submit that it is not.  Abraham Lincoln should be revered by all Americans as hero, and, at one time, he was.  He should be revered as the man who held the Union together, and the man who made it possible for blacks to share in many of the blessings of this great country.   Alas, this is not the case.  Lincoln as been maligned in the media, in the history books, and in a speech made by a man hailed as one of the greatest black Americans in the history of the Republic.  How could we stand by and let this happen?

All the blame shouldn’t be heaped upon Americans, however.  An alien government actually shares in the blame, the same alien government that was responsible for Lincoln’s death.  And you probably didn’t even know they were involved.

On the 130th anniversary of President Lincoln’s assassination, I pay tribute to him by narrating an excerpt from Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, a very important book that reveals who was behind President Lincoln’s assassination.  The book’s author, former Roman Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, shares some particulars about Lincoln and the circumstances of his death that you likely never learned in school or anywhere else.

The discussion is available at the iTunes store at our podcast The Gospel Light and Truth Crusade.  Subscribe to our podcast today!  It is also available for download below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

It is my hope that by the end of the podcast, you will have a renewed respect for the man, Abraham Lincoln, and that his noble sacrifice on behalf of the great country that was America and especially for the Negro, will not be forgotten.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Share
Posted in Roman Catholicism, The Jesuits | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment