Noth Korea, Christians, and Movie Hype

 Verse of the Week

With all that is happening in the world today, and in most folk’s personal lives, it may be difficult to find a spiritual issue to focus on. I hope the “Verse of the Week” section may help some folks find that easier and so do it more often. So the very first one will be a direct quote from YHWH, if you remember nothing else ever written, on this site or elsewhere, I hope it is this:

Only be strong and very brave, so that you may take heed to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may act wisely wherever you go.

(Joshua 1:7)

Thought For the Week

When North Korea hacks a movie company in the US and makes a threat it is headline news and we are told we all should be concerned; yet when NK not only threatens but arrests and persecutes US Christian missionaries it is rarely if ever mentioned in the main stream media. There are US citizens rotting away in NK prisons just for being Christians. What North Korea does to its own people if they are Christians is even worse.

This fiasco over the blackmailed movie company has liberals and conservatives alike complaining - because both are losing money. Interestingly Sony has been being threatened for a while concerning releasing the movie and only decided to announce pulling it this past week - the same week Congress passed legislation removing Federal backing to the Insurance industry for terrorism coverage. I guess Sony was willing to risk a bombed out movie theater as long as it was covered for any lawsuits!

Of course a Christian missionary is not making anyone a ton of money. You won’t hear Clooney and his loonies say a word to help them. Liberals claim they are big on respecting the rule of law and NK has the right to enforce its own beliefs - just as liberals in the US use the force of law to enslave others with their own beliefs.

And force is what they use. The murder of children is dictated by law - under the color of abortion. Supporting homosexuality is dictated by law. Support for the Theory of Evolution is dictated by law. Respect for Islam is dictated by law.

Under the law the US kills more humans than NK does. And, though the form is drastically less personal, the persecution of Christianity is, under color of law, becoming just as bad in the US as it is in NK. The law, once designed to protect the body, is now used to enslave the soul.

How would Obama and the US react if a prominent LGBT personality figure was arrested in NK for being a sexual pervert? Hollywood types (Rodman, et al) have been going to NK and have been showing support for the NK government; but, that was before it hit their pocket book.

QUOTE

“Good laws have their origins in bad morals.” Ambrosius Macrobius

Comment:  If man had not strayed from YHWH’s first command no law would ever have been needed. However, since man continued to stray, YHWH created a very short set of simple, concise, and explicit laws - His 10 Commandments. YHWH’s 10 Commandments are so perfect that most have been imitated by many cultures throughout history, in one form or another, knowing or not, for the simple reason that man’s weaknesses are universal.

Did You Know

The U.S. Constitution mentions three federal crimes by citizens: treason, piracy and counterfeiting. By the turn of the 20th century, the number of criminal statutes still only numbered in the dozens. Today, it is estimated there are over 4,500 crimes in federal statutes.

North Korea, with a population over 24 million and an estimated 300,000 Christians, remains the most dangerous country worldwide for Christians for the 12th consecutive year, followed by Somalia, Syria and Iraq. Being caught with a Bible is grounds for execution or a life-long political prison sentence. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live in concentration camps, prisons and prison-like circumstances under the regime of leader Kim Jong-Un.”

Persecution.Org, said the persecutions of Christians have been on the rise in places like Africa and the Middle East over the last decade. "Two-hundred million Christians currently live under persecution. It’s absolutely on the rise." Jeff King, President - Persecution.Org

There were 2,123 documented killings of Christians last year due to their faith, compared to 1,201 in 2012. More than half of those reported killings (1,213) occurred in Syria, followed by Nigeria (612) and Pakistan (88).

The Vatican estimates some 100,000 Christians are killed per year over faith.

A great book to read on the subject of persecution of Christians, and a book that proves you do not have to have a Bible to love YHWH, is “Tortured for Christ”. Go to - PDF, website, and download site to buy a copy and support the program.

 

Liberalism - America getting what it asked for?

Thought For the Week

Folks in the US seem to be upset and making a big deal about a comment a liberal Democrat recently made about their lack of intelligence. As usual they are showing just how ignorant most of them are about the agenda of these ungodly folks. Consider that Harry Hopkins told them exactly what the game plan was and why it would work when he said, "We shall Tax and Tax, Spend and Spend, Elect and Elect, because the people are too damn dumb to know the difference". So how have Americans responded to that comment made well over half a century ago? They have elected (and reelected) these same ungodly liberal Democrats the majority of the time.

          The results are obvious and impact the whole world. Homosexuality is being openly practiced now and is taught to our children as not only an acceptable practice but a commendable one; and, the US Government is blackmailing other countries into adopting the same philosophies or forfeit receiving US foreign aid.

          The number of children these liberal Democrats have murdered via abortion exceeds the murders laid at the feet of Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot combined. Again, the US ardently pushes the same practice on other countries.

          Liberal Democrats, with taxpayer dollars, force schools to teach our children the Koran while banning the Bible; and, to teach the Theory of Evolution while banning any alternate theories (e.g. the Theory of Intelligent Design). Liberal Democrats, with taxpayer dollars, have universities provide special accommodations (e.g. hand washing stations) for Muslim prayer while banning Christian prayer.

          Liberal Democrats, while ignoring the will of the majority, use the power of the US to try to forcefully export a form of democracy they do not believe in or practice - all while also ignoring the Constitution upon which their own country is founded.

          Just as they preach a democracy they do not practice they also preach a tolerance they do not practice. The First Amendment is no longer extended to those who follow YHWH - i.e. freedom of religion or freedom of speech. The States and the people continue to be denied their Tenth Amendment rights. And, if the Democrats got their way, no one would be allowed to exercise their Second Amendment rights either.

Ironically, while the Democrats strive to create a world with no boundaries to the evils of Governments or individuals they simultaneously try to blame all the ills of the world on corporations and seek to cripple or destroy them - as if corporations were not made up of individuals.

          The list could go on ad naseum; but, this is not an endorsement for the Republican Party - they have become so compromised and cowardly that they are just as evil. As I have discussed before Satan loves it when folks squabble over picking sides on an issue when both sides are evil. Satan loves it when people are satisfied with picking from “the lesser of two evils”. Both Parties are comprised of individuals; and the evil must exist at the individual level long before it can reach a collective level.

          Collective rights come with individual responsibilities. Collective freedoms come with individual accountability. If individuals are not held responsible and accountable for their actions how then can an organization be? So, apparently, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have to answer to the people anymore. However, contrary to the popular norm these days’ personal responsibility and accountability has not been abrogated - as individuals we will all answer to YHWH.

 

QUOTE

People are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting lawyers, instead of their conscience, be their guide. -- Will Rogers

Comment:  It has been awhile since Rodgers made this statement. It had a grain of humor in his time. It no longer does. Though it is popular today for folks to blame everything on Governments and organizations it is the lack of individual integrity and accountability that is socially the root cause for the failures and evils of societies.

Did You Know

Union membership in the U.S. stands at 11.3%, down from 20.1% in 1983. The public sphere, which is paid with taxpayer dollars, still has 35.3% of the workforce unionized. (Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Comment: That means very limited personal responsibility and accountability; and, that your tax dollars are going straight to the union bosses!

Martin Luther said that Catholic “Church” leaders should have the Brethren (protesting Christians) killed because they violated the false apostles Paul’s command to obey their earthly rulers (See Note). With Luther’s support over 100,000 Brethren were murdered between 1524 and 1525 - including women and children. Comment: And how many people follow him today instead of Jesus?

Though the “Desert Fathers” preference for the gospel according to Matthew has yet to be “officially” explained it is the most quoted book of the New Testament among early monastic literature, followed by the Psalms from the Original Testament. Comment: The Gospel according to Matthew is also closely linked to another document widely used by the early church - the Didache - both of which were originally written in Hebrew/Aramaic and predate all of the other writings in the New Testament. Visit jesuswordsonly.com for more on the Original Gospel of Matthew (OGM). PS - We hope to have an Abridged New Testament Study Bible available soon that contains none of the writings of the false apostle Paul but does contain the Didache and many other study tools (e.g. Jesus’ references to the Original Testament, His commands, parables, teachings, etc.)

Here are a few more excerpts from the “Desert Fathers” (and a Desert Mother”) from the Apophthegmata Partum:

Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgments of God, he asked, “Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?” He heard a voice answering him, “Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgment of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.”

Abba Anthony said, “I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?’ Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."

A brother said to Abba Anthony, “Pray for me.” The old man said to him, “I will have no mercy upon you, nor will God have any, if you yourself do not make an effort and if you do not pray to God.”

A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, "You are mad, you are not like us." -- Abba Anthony

I no longer fear God, but I love Him. “For love casts out fear.” (John 4:18) -- Abba Anthony

If a man's deeds are not in harmony with his prayer, he labors in vain. -- Abba Moses

The old man was asked, “What should a man do in all the temptations and evil thoughts that come upon him?” The old man said to him, “He should weep and implore the goodness of God to come to his aid, and he will obtain peace if he prays with discernment. For it is written, ‘With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?’”(Psalms 118:6) -- Abba Moses

A Brother asked, “How do the demons fight against me?” Abba Poemen replied, “The demons fight against you? They do not fight against us at all as long as we are doing our own will.”

Imitate the publican, and you will not be condemned with the Pharisee. -- Syncletica (a “Desert Mother”)

When he was dying, Abba Pambo said, “From the time that I came into this solitude and built my cell and dwelt in it, I cannot remember eating any food that I have not earned with my own hands, nor speaking any word that I have been sorry for until now. And so I go to the Lord, as one who has not yet begun to serve God.”

Unless a man can say, "I alone and God are here", he will not find the prayer of quiet.

Note: Paul never says to obey YHWH though! Is it any wonder that all of Asia rejected the false apostle Paul (by his own admission - 2 Timothy 1:15)? The Ephesians were the first to reject the false apostle Paul (Acts 19:8/9 and were complimented by Jesus for it in Revelation 2:2). For more info on this issue click HERE.

 

 

To Whose Benefit?

Thought For the Week

Most of us have heard the term “cui bono” or roughly “to whose benefit”. It is a common axiom applied in solving many mysteries - criminal or otherwise. Another saying along the same lines is “follow the money”. All these terms, and those like them, reflect the influence of money on the law. The U.S. claims to have been established as a “nation of laws, not of men”; but, just as unsupported law has little lasting influence on people (think Prohibition) so too even supported law often has little lasting influence on the power of money. The negative influence money has on people concerning manmade laws is obvious to most - the extent is perhaps not so clear. This is also true for the extent the evil influence of money has on people when it concerns YHWH’s Law.

To begin we address manmade law. Many folks readily acknowledge the influence money has on not sealing the US southern border against the illegal drug trade (north and south of the border). How many realize that is the tip of the iceberg. Many terrorist organizations fund their efforts thru profits made on illegal drugs - from the Marxists in South America to the Muslims in the Middle East. It gets worse too. Sealing the southern border of the US would not only hurt the drug trade and terrorists it would stem the flow of illegal aliens - this in turn would change the entire picture of political power in the US. The southern border not only influences who gets high but who sits on high in Washington DC. An open border means Obama types rule (liberal democrats) - which in turn means the LGBT, the ACLU, and the anti-YHWH and pro-abortion crowd rule. Often the law says one thing - money says another. Of course, if the Obama Administration gets its way the law and the money will get a lot closer. So “who benefits” when money trumps manmade law? - Satan and those who serve, knowingly or not, purposely or not, his evil purposes.

Now we address YHWH’s Law. Many folks also readily acknowledge the impact money has on people regarding commandments such as “do not covet”. That too is just the tip of the iceberg. Consider that folks forget that circumcision was only one sign used to identify YHWH’s people; and, it was not a sign that would be readily obvious to others - even less so today. The most obvious sign to others that a person is one of YHWH’s is that person keeps His Sabbath* (e.g. Ezekiel 20:12 & 20). Keeping the Sabbath though is even more than a sign that a person belongs to YHWH - it is a commandment, part of YHWH’s Law. How many folks are willing to lose a job that requires them to work on the Sabbath? Most folks are not willing to lose the money - they chose money over the Law. So “who benefits” when money trumps YHWH’s law? - Satan and those who serve, knowingly or not, purposely or not, his evil purposes.

* YHWH’s Sabbath was and is the seventh day - His words not mine. That means Saturday is the Sabbath! Sunday, called “Resurrection Day” or the “Lord’s Day”, is not the Sabbath of YHWH!

QUOTE

What power has law where only money rules. - Gaius Petronius (circa 66 AD)

Comment:  As Solomon said, “. . . there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Did You Know

In 2011, the U.S. Government announced it foiled an Iranian terrorist plot to work with Mexican drug cartel members to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. by bombing a Washington D.C. restaurant he frequented.

Comment: Yet today the U.S. Government refuses to acknowledge terrorists (or even Ebola) threaten the US via its southern border. There are laws on the books to protect the borders so why is the US Government refusing to do so? Cui bono!

Christians have three choices under Islam: pay the jizya, convert to Islam, or die.

Comment: Even Muslims place money above the law. Cui bono!

          The Obama Administration refuses to recognize the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization**.

Comment: And how much money has the Brotherhood funneled into the coffers of Obama and his supporters? Besides, the Obama administration has been too busy dumping money overseas into the Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) program fighting for the LGBT to dedicate enough to provide embassy security or intelligence resources to study our enemies - e.g. the Brotherhood. Cui bono!

There are an estimated 35.8 million people enslaved worldwide.

Comment: The majority are in Muslim dominated countries. This is especially prevalent in African countries where Arab Muslims enslave black non-Muslims. Islam forbids slavery - of another Muslim. Islam supports and encourages Muslims to enslave non-Muslims. Cui bono!

The generic Hebrew word for any kind of sin is “aveira” ("transgression"). Based on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) Judaism describes three levels of sin:

Pesha - an "intentional sin" - an act in deliberate defiance of YHWH

Avon - a "sin of uncontrollable emotion” (e.g. lust) - an act against a person's nature and not part of a person’s normal behavior or desires. It is a sin done knowingly, but not done to defy God.

Chet - an "unintentional sin".

          Comment: Obviously violating His Sabbath is Pesha! Cui bono!

**The legal criteria for “Foreign Terrorist Organization” designation includes the following:

1. It must be a foreign organization.

2. The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)), or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d)(2)), or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.

3. The organization’s terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.

Complete information regarding legal criteria for FTO designation can be obtained from the U.S. Department of State, Office of Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

 

Holy Days or Holidays

Thought

          Have you ever wondered why Jesus said he would tell many who claimed to be following him that he never knew them? (See Matthew 7:22/23 with reference to Psalms 6:8) Consider the following: Mark and Luke were not Apostles or even disciples of Jesus; yet, many assign them authority as if they were. They were however close associates of someone else.

Mark is believed to have been a close associate of Paul; yet, Mark never once calls Paul an Apostle. Mark never mentions Paul at all. In fact, though many scholars believe Mark’s gospel account reflects a Pauline influence, not even Paul’s thoughts on the gospel are directly mentioned. There is certainly no mention of Jesus giving Paul any additional or new “good news”. Mark also fails to demonstrate any knowledge of, or make any mention or reference to, any writings done by Paul.

Luke too is believed to have been a close associate of Paul; yet he does not, in his gospel account, call Paul an Apostle or even mention Paul at all. Luke himself states his gospel account is more of an historical account of what was generally believed to be true at the time so it is puzzling that Luke’s gospel account also fails to make any mention or reference to Jesus giving Paul any additional or new “good news”. Luke is also believed to have been the author of Acts. It is even more puzzling, that while he does talk expansively about Paul, Luke also fails to demonstrate any knowledge of, or make any mention or reference to, any writings done by Paul.

None of the Apostles refer to Paul as an authority in any manner. In fact most of the writings of James* are as a direct rebuttal to most of Paul’s false teachings. Not even Paul’s close associates refer to him as having any authority - though oddly enough Mark and Luke’s writing may have gained a more widespread dissemination because of their affiliation with Paul.

The so called “fathers” in the early growth of the church had quite a varied reaction to Paul. Some ignored Paul’s writings entirely or considered them convoluted and useless. Many others considered him an anti-Christ and an Apostle of Satan. Obviously some also considered him worth listening to.

Listen to the so called “christians” today and compare how many are actually following the teachings of Jesus versus how many are following the teachings of Paul.

* Though not an Apostle James was selected by the Apostles to act as the senior elder of their council - what today would be the called the titular head of the group.

QUOTE

How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few his precepts! O! ’tis easier to keep holidays than commandments. -- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1757

Comment: Things have not changed much since Franklin’s time in this regard. Few observe YHWH’s Holy Day - the Sabbath; but, man-made holy-days such as Christmas and Easter are fought for religiously by so called “christians”. Even fewer observe YHWH’s commandments - which is what the precepts Jesus taught are all based on.

Did You Know

The Puritans refused to celebrate any holidays besides the Lord's Day (Sunday).

Depending on what “church” you follow and where you live Easter is celebrated as early as May 10 and as late June 26.

Many “organized” religions follow the practice of “lex orandi, lex credendi” ("the rule of prayer is the rule of belief"). It is a religious version of Pavlovian conditioning.

The study of the “Church Fathers” is known as "Patristics".

I have not heard of a special name for the study of the “Desert Fathers”; yet, collections of their old sayings are called apophthegmata partum. These collections are often sorted in different manners and abbreviated as APalph, Apanon, APsys, etc. Note though that apophthegmatic material has been found to have a tendency toward more copying variants. For now*, here are a couple of excerpts from the apophthegmata partum:

Do not let your hands be open to gather in; let them rather be open to give.

. . . expect temptation to the last breath.

*I will have more on the apophthegmata partum in the future - including downloadable PDF’s.