God loves us. He wants us to follow the example of His Son, the only way we can save the world. In His name, Carol Wolman
John 3: 17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
posted by carol wolman @ 9:14 AM
0 comments
posted by carol wolman @ 5:38 PM
0 comments
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
"Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our characteras being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we have understood that our source is eternal, America has been different. We have no king but Jesus."--John Ashcroft, Commencement address given on May 8, 1999, upon receiving an honorary degree at ultra-right-wing and ultra-fundamentalist Bob Jones University, also known for its anti-African-American segregationist policies.
"The 'wall of separation between church and state' is a metaphor based onbad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned." -- William Rehnquist, Dissenting Opinion in Wallace v. Jaffree (1985)
Jesus explicitly rejected temporal kingship, as the work of Satan.
Luke 4 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
Jesus maintained a clear separation between church and state.
"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mk. 12:17, Mt. 22:21, Lk. 20:25)
John 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
posted by carol wolman @ 4:36 PM
4 comments
PIOUS RULERS
The rulers of the Jews in Jesus' day were Pharisees and Sadducees, men noted for their piety and religious observance. Like the Christian right, they combined religion and politics for their own gain, and persecuted those who disagreed with them. Eventually, they crucified Jesus.
Here are some of the things Jesus said concerning pious rulers.
Matthew 16:6 "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ... 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 23:13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 14 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will be punished more severely.
Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesBBmint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self nindulgence.
Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
Luke 11:43 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
Luke 16 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
posted by carol wolman @ 4:23 PM
0 comments
ARMAGEDDON- A SPIRITUAL BATTLE
The battle of Armageddon is described in Revelation Chapter 19. It is a spiritual battle. On one side:
Rev 19: 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
On the other side:
Rev 19: 19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.
The weapons of the King of Kings?
15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter.
This describes the spiritual battle which is raging now. The peacemakers are the armies of heaven, followers of that which is faithful and true, dedicated to exposing falsehood and treachery on the part of the warmongers. We marched in the streets, 20 million of us all over the world, against the kings of the earth and their armies, who are allied with the corporate beast.
Those who are faithful and true, the advocates of justice, fight with the sharp sword of the mouth- the tongue. The events of 2004 have shown how far words can go in discrediting the unholy trinity- the beast, the dragon and the false prophets.
The followers of the Prince of Peace use the "iron scepter", the necessity to control and eliminate nuclear weapons, to rule the nations. Even the beast does not dare to unleash all out nuclear war, although the Bush administration is straining to move in that direction.
We have been given a gift from heaven, the internet, which enables us to form one mind dedicated to truth and good faith for all peoples. And we will prevail.
20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
posted by carol wolman @ 4:21 PM
2 comments
THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS- BUSH
George W. Bush is known for breaking the law. He has several criminal charges, including a DUI, on his record. He was AWOL during Vietnam. He was cited by the SEC for insider trading when he owned Harken Oil. As president, he lied to Congress about Medicare, violated the Geneva Conventions, and has broken the law in many other ways.
Meanwhile, Bush exalts himself as a man of God. He has robbed the American people and deceived many into believing that he is helping them. Some see him as anointed by God, fulfilling prophecies about the end-time. This view is promoted by false prophets. Voters who love the truth will not be fooled.
The following passage from Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians gives an uncanny description of Bush, who he pretends to be, and how people are deceived by him. They allow themselves to be deceived because Bush promises to satisfy their addiction to oil. The only thing holding him back is truth, which will overthrow him soon.
2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[ is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delIghted in wickedness.
posted by carol wolman @ 4:15 PM
1 comments
THE RAPTURE CULT
The false prophets of our day, through popular books like The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey and the Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, preach that there will be a "rapture" (a term nowhere found in the Bible), during which the faithful will be beamed up to heaven. Those left behind will have to go through a seven year period of tribulation, culminating with an all-out nuclear war, which they call Armageddon. The Left Behind books have over 60 million readers. This doomsday doctrine is also preached by Jerry Falwell, who "anointed" George W. Bush to be president. Tim LaHaye is politically active, and the followers of these false prophets form Bush’s main political base.
They preach that all you has to do is believe fervently in Jesus, and you escape responsibility for dealing with the planetary mess. There is no need to sacrifice the American SUV for the good of the planet as a whole, or to work for peace. You don't have to care about the biosphere. It will be destroyed by all out nuclear war anyway, so just believe in Jesus and save your own skin.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Because, in the view of the unholy trinity, planet earth is doomed, they have no compunction about exploiting and raping it, and thus hastening eco-catastrophe. Faith in their delusions evidently excuses them from normal moral behavior. They welcome war, as a harbinger of the Second Coming. Meanwhile, they enrich themselves and their cronies.
1 Timothy 6: 3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
Of those who preach such things, the prophets say:
Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.
Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD ? That day will be darkness, not light.
Luke 6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
posted by carol wolman @ 4:13 PM
2 comments
FALSE PROPHETS
Not everyone who claims to speak for God actually does.
Matthew 7: 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
The Bible repeatedly warns against false prophets. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, Jeremiah wailed,
Lamentations 2:14 The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.
Ezekiel railed the spin masters of his day, who covered up for the politicians.
Ezekiel 22: 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'_when the LORD has not spoken.
Jesus was very concerned about false prophets:
Mt 7:15 Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,but underneath are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 24: 4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
How do we tell who is a false prophet? Jesus tells us to look at the fruit:
Matthew 7: 16-20 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them."
Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
posted by carol wolman @ 4:09 PM
8 comments
JUDGMENT DAY
The chickens are coming home to roost. After years of polluting, plundering, and devastating the earth, we have upset the balance of nature, and nature is sitting in judgment upon us.
Daniel 18: 25 "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing... 26 " 'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
We are destroying God’s good creation.
Genesis 1: 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
We were put in charge of the biosphere, and are responsible.
Genesis 1: 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
We refuse to listen to warnings of the ecological havoc we are wreaking.
Jeremiah 6:8 Take warning, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it."
We worship idols: money, power, glamor, prestige.
Ezekiel 23: 49 You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD ."
Money, SUV’s, nuclear weapons cannot save us from global warming.
Zephaniah 1 18 "Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
We must repent and change our wasteful ways.
Jeremiah 18:8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
posted by carol wolman @ 3:44 PM
0 comments
THE SECOND COMING
In August 1945, the prophecies about the Second Coming were fulfilled. When the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, the world was put on notice that destruction of the biosphere is possible, even likely, and that humanity had better learn quickly to restrain itself and cooperate to ensure survival.
Here are some of the prophecies concerning nuclear war:
2 Peter 3: 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Matthew 24: 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
29 " Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Rev 8: 7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Rev. 19: 15 He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
The "iron scepter" is the threat of all-out nuclear war. God is angry at humanity for our violence and destructiveness. Let us accept His rule, and learn to live in peace, working together to solve the global problems.
The Son of Man is gathering his elect, the peacemakers, those of us devoted to saving the planet and preventing another nuclear war.
The false prophets of doom claim that a more general nuclear holocaust awaits us. They would lead us to greater destruction. But the Bible prophecies which point to nuclear holocaust have already been fulfilled. Let us learn from what we have already experienced, and choose life.
posted by carol wolman @ 3:37 PM
0 comments
WE HAVE A CHOICE
Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/today.htm
This passage from Deuteronomy, written by Moses in 1600 BC, speaks directly to us today. Heaven and earth are witnessing against us. There is a big hole in the ozone layer. The planet is heating up. We are running out of fresh water; many species are becoming extinct; storms, floods and fires are more frequent. These threats to the biosphere are directly the result of our greed, carelessness and stupidity. They are curses resulting from bad choices by humanity.
God gives us a choice, and tells us to CHOOSE LIFE for ourselves AND OUR CHILDREN. The mandate to look out for future generations as well as for ourselves is clearly stated in this passage and many others. If we ignore it, we are choosing death, and will be cursed.
Like the people of Nineveh in Jonah's day, we can still repent.
Jonah 3: 8-10 Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
We are threatened with annihilation from nuclear war, eco-catastrophe, famine and disease. There are prophets of doom among us who interpret the Bible as condemning the biosphere to destruction.
The rapture cultists would have us believe that passages in First Thessalonians, Second Peter, Revelation, and the Gospel of Matthew predetermine us to extinction. They say that that true believers (Bush voters) will be "called away" by Jesus to some other realm, and the rest of us will be consigned to a fiery hell on earth, along with all the other living creatures.
2 Peter 3: 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
1 Thessalonians 4:17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Bush's anti-environmental and pro- nuclear war policies are leading us to that end. How convenient that this interpretation of prophecy enables him and his corporado cronies (the beast) to plunder and pillage with impunity, nay with the blessing of a large, misguided body of Christians!
We have a choice on how to interpret the Bible.
Mark 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
The same applies to the Bible. It is made for us, not the other way around.
My understanding of such passages is that they refer to spiritual events, not physical ones. Meeting Jesus in the clouds refers to a change of consciousness which will take place world wide, probably via the internet, when people, especially in the US, "get it" that if we accept Jesus' way of love, we can stop wars, reverse global warming, clean up pollution, and all get along.
The new Jerusalem will replace the Israeli government, which is the synagogue of Satan, and make Jerusalem truly the city of peace. This can't happen if there is a nuclear war in the Holy Land.
The people of the US have allowed Bush another four years in office, through a combination of stupidity, venality, trickery and greed. If we continue on this path, the biosphere is doomed. If we wake up, impeach Bush and start cooperating with other countries, if we start beating our swords into plowshares and stop studying war, we can save ourselves and all the other living creatures over which we have dominion.
Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/today.htm
In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman
posted by carol wolman @ 3:20 PM
0 comments
ABORTION
The word is not to be found, in either the Old or New Testament. Moses went into great detail about rules governing menstruation, rape, and incest, but never prohibited abortion. The Hebrew midwives were very skilled, and doubtless knew of herbs that could get rid of an embryo in the first trimester. If Moses (or God through Moses) was concerned about this practice, he surely would forbidden it.
Jesus was stricter than Moses on the subject of marriage.
Matthew 19: 8-9: Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
However, Jesus never mentioned abortion. Neither did Paul, although his comments on marriage were even more specific than those of Jesus.
How can the evangelicals, who claim to be fundamentalists and take the Bible literally as the word of God, be so vehement about abortion? They lean heavily on the commandment: "Thou shalt not kill". Yet they support killing in wars, of both military and civilians. They support capital punishment. They support the use of depleted uranium, which has produced tens of thousands of abortions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Surely this is hypocrisy.
The following verses are often quoted by abortion foes:
Exodus 21: 22 "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [5] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
This passage is not clear about whether the injury is to mother or baby, since fetuses don't have teeth. Assuming, however, it is about the baby, clearly the pregnant woman must at least be in the second trimester, or else the fetal features would not be so clearly defined. Also, there is no mention of what happens if it is her HUSBAND who hits the pregnant woman and causes a miscarriage, which is much more likely, since pregnant women tend to avoid men who are fighting.
Overall, this passage does not seem to condemn abortion in general. The whole abortion issue is a scam. It is not Bible based at all.
(This material is from my forthcoming book "A Peacemaker's Bible Study")
Carol Wolman, MD
posted by carol wolman @ 3:12 PM
5 comments
