WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?

Jesus warned us repeatedly that using His name is not the same as following Him.

Matthew 7 (KJV) 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The people running the US government, and the people who put them there, call themselves Christians. But Jesus said that He will reject those who work iniquity. Is it not iniquity to tamper with voter registration and voting machines, as the "Christian" Republicans have done so blatantly?

Is it not iniquity to invade another country under false pretenses, throw it into chaos and slaughter its inhabitants, and then steal its oil? Is it not iniquity to plot against internationally respected statesmen such as Kofi Annan and El-Baradi?

Is it not iniquity to alter the US tax structure so as to transfer wealth from the middle class to the ruling class? How about destroying Medicare and Social Security? How about saddling our children with unbearable debt and with the hatred of the rest of the world?

Will not Jesus reject people who plan and implement these policies, even if the self-styled Christians do hate abortionists, homosexuals, and towelheads?

The apostle John gives a further test. The great commandment of Jesus was to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are all neighbors on this small planet, and the only way to solve our common global problems is to follow this commandment. The Bush administration is built on fear and hatred, not on love.

It's time to call a spade a spade. These people are satanic, not Christian.

Beloved: The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandmentsis a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Whoever hates his brother is in darkness;he walks in darknessand does not know where he is goingbecause the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2: 3-4, 11
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122904.htm

In the name of the Prince of Peace, whose weapon is the Word,

Carol Wolman

THE DREAM OF PEACE

People always and everywhere dream of peace. Peace means a sense of security. It means butter, not guns. It means calmness so that disputes are settled rationally and fairly rather than by force. Peace leads to prosperity, and leisure time to cultivate the arts and sciences. The only people who benefit from war are the military and the munitions makers.

There are two kinds of peace. One is the peace imposed by empire, such as the Pax Romana of the Roman empire. Bush is seeking to impose a Pax Americana on the world, accompanied by an endless war against terror. Since his family owns companies that profit from war, this gives him the best of both worlds.

Bush's followers believe that Bush is a harbinger of the Second Coming, if not Jesus himself. In their minds, Bush is spreading a Christian theocracy, which is to be God's kingdom on earth.

In fact, the Biblical vision of peace is quite different.

He shall judge between the nations,and impose terms on many peoples.They shall beat their swords into plowsharesand their spears into pruning hooks;one nation shall not raise the sword against another,nor shall they train for war again.
Isaiah 2: 4
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/112804.htm

This vision is the basis for the United Nations, and is inscribed on its walls. The UN is designed to be an international forum dedicated to keeping peace.

One world government by force is a work of the antichrist.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman

Revelation- the two prophets

Dear Friends,

In order to understand the election results, fraudulent though they may be, one has to understand the hard core, millions of Christian Bush supporters, who they think Bush is, and why they worked so hard to get him elected.

These people are fanatics. They believe we are in the end-time described in the Bible, and that Bush is some sort of herald for Jesus.

Many are readers of the LEFT BEHIND series, a sci-fi narrative by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, based on prophecies scattered through the Bible. Many of the prophecies come from the Book of Revelation. This book was written by the beloved apostle, John, in his late years, while in lonely exile on the island of Patmos.

Revelation consists of a series of fantastic visions, many of which have become part of our own collective unconscious. Words and phrases like "Armageddon", "the four horseman", "the new Jerusalem" come out of the Book of Revelation.

Many Christians believe that John's visions were totally accurate foretelling of the future, and that we have now arrived at the time foretold. They perceive an orderly timetable in the book of Revelation. www.raptureready.com lays out one such calendar.

Bush scoffs at "reality-based thinking". He evidently believes that he is supposed to fulfill some mission of God and create a new reality.

Both the theology and Bush's actions lead to nuclear holocaust and extinction of life on planet earth, with the goody-goody Christians going to heaven with Jesus. I call it hell, and they are taking us all with them.

I have an alternate interpretation of Revelation, which will lead us to life, not death. As my readers know, I endeavor to relate the Bible to current events. So I'll take a stab at the passage for today, one of the most specific and strangest prophecies in the entire Book.

My commentary follows the passage.

Rev 11:4-12 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me: Here are my two witnesses: These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain. They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying. They also have power to turn water into blood and to afflict the earth with any plague as often as they wish.When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them. Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city, which has the symbolic names "Sodom" and "Egypt," where indeed their Lord was crucified. Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth. But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here." So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/112004.htm

The two prophets who have "tormented the inhabitants of the earth," these two men of whom John says-
If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouthsand devours their enemies. In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain.They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying. They also have power to turn water into bloodand to afflict the earth with any plague as often as they wish.

Who could these two men be? I nominate Bush and Bin Laden. Both are religious fanatics who are afflicting the earth with terrible plagues of hatred and fear, as often as they wish.

If they lay dead, I have no doubt that
Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days,
(via TV satellite feed, of course)
and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts.

It would be astounding to see those two false prophets resurrected, but I wouldn't care if they went to heaven, as long as they get the hell out of here.

In the name of the Prince of Peace,

Carol Wolman

ABORTION

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 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 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.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE

HOMOSEXUALITY

There is legitimate controversy about all of the passages in the Bible which refer to homosexuality. None of the references concern female-female sex. While a number of passages condemn aspects of male-male sex, none of them specifically prohibit the practice itself.

For instance: The sin of Sodom was rape and inhospitality, not homosexuality.

Genesis 9: 4- 8 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

In Leviticus, male-male sex is labelled "unclean", along with menstruation, childbirth, eating pork and shellfish, and a host of other natural but ritually taboo activities. These are not condemned for themselves, but for their violation of "the holiness code", which defined a Jew and distinguished him/her from the surrounding tribes.

Jesus wiped away these taboos with His new definition of purity:

"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles... what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles, for out of the heart comes evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander; these are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile." (Matthew 15:10, 18-20)

While we know nothing of Jesus' sexuality, we do know that He was very close to his disciple John, who in his gospel always referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved".

At the Last Supper,

John 13: 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

In some translations, John has his head on the breast of Jesus at this point. Physical intimacy and emotional warmth with another man are clearly acceptable to Jesus.

Does Paul, that stickler, condemn homosexuality? While calling homosexual acts "unclean" in Romans Chapter 1, he goes on to say:
"I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself." (Romans 14:14).

Paul is upholding the distinction made by Jesus between ritual uncleanliness and corruption of the heart, and saying that the former is NOT a sin.

What about the following?

Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders (OUTE MALAKOI OUTE ARSENOKOITAI) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:9-10
"the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators, sodomites (ARSENOKOITAI), slave traders, liars, perjurers and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching..."

These two passages are often quoted as proof of Paul's condemnation of homosexuals. But the references are to "homosexual offenders" and "sodomites", not homosexuals per se. The condemnation is for loose, exploitative, or otherwise immoral behavior, not for male-male sex itself. There is no passage that condemns loving sex acts between two men, or between two women, or homosexual marriage.

The Rapture took place in August 1945

Dear Friends,
It cannot be stressed too greatly that many Bush voters believe in the rapture. They believe that planet earth, or at least its fragile shell of life, is doomed to destruction. Their reading of passages such as the gospel for today (see below) is that nuclear war is prophesied, the elect will be taken directly to heaven, and the rest of us will be left behind to perish in the flames. They believe that this is God's plan, and that Bush, with all his destructiveness, has been chosen to further it.

As a psychiatrist, I recognize psychotic suicidality when I see it. When it strikes a voting majority of the citizens of the world's only superpower, I am alarmed and look for remedies. I know that a delusional system cannot be simply erased, it must be replaced by a more sensible and positive set of ideas.
Please read the gospel passage below, on which Tim LaHaye's LEFT BEHIND series is based, and then resume my commentary. We will never be able to save America and the world unless we understand and address the mass suicidal psychosis which has overtaken Bush voters.

Gospel Lk 17:26-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.

So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind.

Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it. I

tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left."

They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"
He said to them, "Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather."
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/111204.htm

This passage has been interpreted in various ways over the centuries. One common interpretation is that this prophecy of Jesus, made around 32 AD, refers to the razing of Jerusalem and the temple 38 years later.

Numerous sects have fixed a certain day for the "event" described in the above passage. They have thought of it as "the second coming", and prepared in various odd ways to meet Jesus, including giving away all their belongings, castrating and flagellating themselves, and voting for Bush. When the appointed date comes and goes without anything happening, the sect members are often bitterly disappointed.

These sects, or cults, clustered around the turn of the first millennium, and again around the turn of the second, which coincided with Bush's first run for president. They have sometimes ended in mass suicide, as did Jonestown and the Heaven's Gate group in recent memory. They are characterized by charismatic leaders who persuade the duped to give up all their possessions and submit to an authoritarian regime involving self-sacrifice. The Republican party is turning into such a cult.

I have been searching for a way to understand this scripture, and others like it, that will lead us to peace rather than to nuclear holocaust. The commonest response is to ignore it, and act as if such Bible passages are not worthy of a second glance. This is mass stupidity on the part of progressives. Around 70 million people have read at least part of the LEFT BEHIND series, and many of those believe that it is an accurate interpretation of Biblical prophecy, which they accept as the unerring word of God. It behooves us to understand and rebut this way of thinking.

I offer the following interpretation: the "Son of man revealed" is referring to a worldwide spiritual event which occurred in August 1945, when the atom bombs were dropped on Japan. World consciousness changed abruptly and drastically that month, as humanity grasped that it had the power to destroy life on earth.
Those "taken" are those of us who were awakened that month to the need for love and peace, personified by Jesus Christ, to rule on earth. Nuclear weapons have made hatred and war obsolete. Those "left behind" are the people stuck in the old ways of thinking, including Bush and Cheney and their ilk, no matter what their lips profess.

Jesus was saying that this realization, that only love and peace can save us, must impel us to drop our earthly pursuits and work with Him to bring about His kingdom on earth. His kingdom is not a powerful empire using shock and awe to cow its "enemies", but a shining city of hope, with its 12 gates open to everyone.

Those of us who were awakened in 1945 hold this vision in our hearts, while we fight off the vultures who are gathering over the spoils of war. Jesus says: Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. This would not be true in the case of nuclear holocaust, but it does apply to spiritual life.

If we cling to oil, and coal, and nuclear power, if we cling to a high standard of living and comfort based on these fuels, we will lose the biosphere and the hope of life for the future. Only by letting go of our attachments to the current corporation arrangement can we save our souls and our coporeal life.

The 19th chapter of the Book of Revelation describes the battle of Armageddon, with Jesus on a white horse confronting the kings of the earth and their armies, who are allied with the beast. 15Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter..

The sword of His mouth is the tongue, words spoken for the sake of truth without thought of personal gain. The iron scepter is the threat of all-out nuclear war, wielded in August 1945, which has forced us to see all humanity as our neighbors. The "night" is prolonged, as we struggle with the lesson that we learned that month. It's so simple, yet so difficult.

Matthew 5: 43 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" .

When we grasp this, then we are taken by Jesus. This is the true rapture.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman

For more applications of the Bible to current events, see
http://biblequotes.blogspot.com/

Jesus came to save the planet

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.

Fw: A message to Bush voters by Carol Wolman

 

----- Original Message -----

From: carol wolman

To: peacemakers

Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 10:26 PM

Subject: A message to Bush voters by Carol Wolman

And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then He will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'

Luke 13: 26

http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/102704.htm

 

A MESSAGE TO BUSH VOTERS by Carol Wolman

 

You, who call yourselves patriots, you are selling your country down the river.  The dream of liberty and equality which our founding fathers shed their blood for, that dream which was actualized in our Constitution, is being shredded by the man you are voting for.  He is sending your children in uniform to fight as mercenaries for his family corporations, Halliburton and Carlyle, and we, the taxpayers are paying their salaries.  Your man is impoverishing us and bankrupting our children.

 

You, who call yourselves Christians, you are betraying the One you call your master.  You sow hatred and fear, not love.  You worship money, you hate the truth, you consider yourselves better than those of us who will be "left behind".  You are in for a big surprise.

 

And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.

Luke 13: 26

http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/102704.htm

 

You think that be voting for Bush, you are securing yourselves a place in heaven when the elect are "raptured up".  You care nothing for God's good green creation.  Don't you know that God took a human body to show us that He loves the physical, living world?   He reminds us of His love for living creatures every time we feed ourselves with His body at communion.  Why do you think He chose this particular reminder?

 

 Because He wants to destroy the earth?

 

You fools, you poor lost sheep, you are led by wolves in sheeps' clothing, and taught by false prophets.  You think that because they are rich and powerful that God must favor them, and you.  It doesn't work that way.  The righteous may fired from their jobs, and their reputations smeared, but they are the ones who are close to God, not you.

 

For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

Luke 13: 30

http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/102704.htm

 

Repent, before it is too late!   Throw the evildoers out of office next Tuesday!

 

In the name of the Prince of Peace,  Carol Wolman

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

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."

PIOUS RULERS

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.

ARMAGEDDON- A SPIRITUAL BATTLE

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.

THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS

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.

THE RAPTURE CULT

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.

FALSE PROPHETS

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.

JUDGMENT DAY

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.

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.

We have a choice

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

Abortion in the Bible

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