Category: Uncategorized

NOTE: Most of the following research was compiled by a fellow believer, who, for personal reasons, has chosen not to have his name affiliated with this site.

Walk up to almost any church of any denomination in any nation on earth, and it immediately distinguishes itself from all other kinds of buildings. First, you might notice near the highway or on the sidewalk, a marquee with a name such as, Church of the Nazarene, or First Baptist Church, or Our Lady Catholic Church. These unique buildings we call churches have many things in common, not the least of which is the designation of the word “church” itself. What does the word “church” mean, and from where did it come? The Scriptures? No. The word “church” is neither Hebrew nor Greek, so when these languages were translated into English Bibles, the word church was already in existence.

The word “church” found in most (not all) Bibles is translated from the Greek word “ekklesia,” and it means “called out ones.” The word “church” is defined in most dictionaries as: “A building for public worship, especially Christian worship; the company of all Christians as a spiritual body.” This, however, tells us nothing concerning the origin of this word and its original definition, meaning, and usage. Some theologians have erroneously stated that the word church comes from the Greek “kyrios” which means “lord,” and thus “church” is those who belong to the Lord, or references the “Lord’s house.” This is not, however, the origin or original meaning of the word “church.”

“Church” is a very early English word that means “circle” (the shape of a circle), while the Greek word translated “church” is “ekklesia” and means “called out ones,” and more properly answers to the English words: congregation, assembly or group.

In Acts 19:32 ekklesia refers to a riotous mob. And ekklesia is never applied to a building for worship. Furthermore, there can be only one “Lord’s House,” and that was the temple in Jerusalem, only. Local congregations and synagogues or assembly halls were never designated “The Lord’s House.”

“Bethel” is the word for “Lord’s House” in Hebrew. Yet, this “Lord’s House” became an abomination to the Lord, along with all other such “Lord’s houses.”

“For the saying that he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass… Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places… And this thing became SIN unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth” (I Kings 13:32-34).

And so, in rebelling to God’s commands, “Bethels” were built throughout the land. And just as Israel continually looked to the heathen for their religious practices (see Jeremiah 10:1-5, for example), so did the heathens borrow from Israel. These “Bethels” or “houses of the Lord” became popular among the heathens. Bethels were being built throughout Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. They usually used the Greek spelling “baetyls,” but they were the same high, religious places of worship, which God condemned. So even if a “Bethel” was a “house of the Lord,” it was still condemned by God. Here are the historical facts regarding the word “Bethel” [From the Dictionary of Proper Names and Places in the Bible, by O. Odelain and R. Seguineau, Doubleday & Company, 1981]:

The word literally means “House of God,” and was the name of a town about 17 km north of on the road to Shechem. was also the name of a Canaanite deity venerated at . In the ancient world is one of the camping places of Abraham and Jacob. From there Abraham sees the land God is giving him. It is also here where the dream of “Jacob’s ladder” occurs, and where God later appears to Jacob. Thus becomes a sanctuary of the patriarchs. Along with Ai, it is one of the first towns conquered by Joshua. Later, in the ninth century the town is the residence of a brotherhood of prophets centered around Elijah and Elisha. It also becomes for the the national center of worship, with its golden calf, “the sin of Jeroboam.” Amos pronounces God’s judgment upon this cult (Amos -15; 5:4-7), and is expelled from by the priest Amaziah. Hosea waxes ironical about , the “House of God,” that it has become Beth-aven (Hosea 5:8; 10:5), which means “the house of nothingness (or iniquity).” Josiah’s religious reform affects , where these altars and high places are destroyed (see II Kings -20).

Now concerning the word “church,” Professor Smith of Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible states that “church” comes from a word meaning “circle,” which is akin to our word “circus.” Professor Lipsius (German theologian during the Reformation) also shows that “church” came from “circle.” Professor A. F. Fausett of Home Bible Study Dictionary” agrees with Professor Lipsius. The exhaustive ten volume Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature under the word “church” states that:
“It was probably connected with the Latin circus, circulus, and with the Greek kuklos. Lipsius, who was the first to reject the received tradition, was probably right in his suggestion” (Vol. II, p. 322).

Robert Brown’s work The Myth of Kirke” also confirms that “kirke” (church) means “Circle” or “Circular” (p. 22).
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, under the entry “church” adds this:
“The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek, kurious oikos (house of God); but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of the Greek. No doubt the word means ‘a circle.’ The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular [witness circular , one of the most ancient stone megaliths on earth]. Compare Anglo-Saxon ‘circe,’ a small church, with ‘circol,’ a circle.”
In Scotland it is called “Kirk” and in Gemany it is “Kirche,” in England it is the word “Circe” (the “c” having a “k” sound).
But according to Brown’s book, “Kirke/Circe” was also the name of a Goddess.
Kirke or Circe was the daughter of the Sun god, who was famous for taming wild animals for her circus. But get ready for this: Circe is pictured holding a golden cup in her hand mixed with wine and drugs, by which she controlled the kings of the world. Now where have we heard that before?
“And the woman [always the symbol for a church/kirke] was arrayed in purple and scarlet color [these colors symbolize wealth and high position], and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:4).
What else are we told is in the golden cup of this church?
“…the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Verse 2).
But there is something else. Remember that Brown above also mentions drugs along with wine. Is our lady church of Revelation 17:4-5 “MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” also involved in DRUGS?
Notice what Revelation 18:23 lists among her many abominations:
“…for the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries were all nations deceived.”
Just what are these “sorceries?”
The Greek word translated “sorceries” in this verse is pharmakeia. Dr. Strong’s first definition of this word is “medicine.” Our words “pharmacy” and “pharmaceutical” (DRUGS) are derived from this word. This harlot church peddles spiritual DRUGS to the world! And so, clearly this pagan goddess Kirke not only stamps Christian religions of the world with her name: “Kirke, Kirche, Church,” but also she is the Mystery Babylonian Harlot Church of Revelation 17 and 18. This Church has committed spiritual fornication among the leaders of the world, and has caused the inhabitants of the world to be made drunk and drugged by the contents of her golden cup.
What about you? Are you yet so drugged and drunk on this Harlot Church that you cannot see to walk the straight and narrow way of Christ, which leads to life?
ADDENDUM
This brief synopsis of the word “church” is in no way meant to be an indictment toward the many wonderful people who attend churches. Lord only knows how much worse the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims would have been if it weren’t for the generosity of the area churches, who met many personal needs where government agencies such as FEMA and the Red Cross failed. I am confident that our Lord Jesus will remember good deeds such as these on Judgment Day. But good deeds alone will not qualify one for first-resurrection status (see Matthew 7:21-23).
First of all, those who worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. They must proclaim Christ as Savior of the world, and believe that He will indeed SAVE the world!
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe [that He is the Savior of ALL men, and that He will INDEED SAVE ALL MEN]. These things command and teach. (I Timothy 4:9-11)
These are the things that our Lord commands His laborers to teach concerning Him. Now how many church pastors do you know of that are doing this? Instead, most believe and teach that our heavenly Father will cast the majority of mankind away into a fiery furnace for all eternity. Because of this erroneous teaching, they lead their flocks astray (see Jeremiah 50:6). The way to life [via the first resurrection] is indeed a narrow one.
Secondly, those who take a stand for the Truth (Jesus) must be willing to do so even in the face of violent opposition. Remember these sobering words of our Lord:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘ A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:18-20)
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3:12)
For some, this may even mean being forsaken by the members of one’s own household:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth… For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39)
Christ will become top priority to those who wish to find the narrow way that leads to age-abiding life. Not everyone will be able to make that type of a commitment. This is why Christ tells us to “count the cost” of following Him (see Luke 14:26-33).
And finally, Christ makes it clear that it is the one who endures to the end who will be saved [or attain to age-abiding life] (see Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13). But those who have been appointed to walk the difficult to find narrow road can take heart:
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
You will notice that it is God who began the work, and it is God who completes it!
“Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38,39)
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Scott Dannemiller’s article “The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying” which appeared in the Huffington Post posits that Christians should not say that our material wealth is a blessing from God.

Mark 10:29-30 directly refutes Dannemiller’s argument.

And answering Jesus said, Amen I say to you, There is no one who left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, because of me and the good news, that should not receive a hundred fold now in this time — houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming eon life eternal. —Mark 10:30 ABP

Jesus explicitly states to the disciples that they would receive physical blessings in this life time. Of course, we know from the whole of Scripture and immediately within that verse that sometimes we won’t receive physical blessings because of persecution, judgment, or various other reasons.

Apparently Dannemiller is ignorant of the book of Job. He also incorrectly claims that because other Christians around the world are not as materially blessed as we are that therefore our material wealth is not a blessing. If our material wealth is not a blessing from God than who is it from? From our own might apart from God? If physical blessings are not from God that would mean they are from our own power which only gives more reasons for boasting. He fails to see his self-defeating statement that he has chosen to use of “I’m grateful.” Who is he to be grateful to but to God, and what are the things he is grateful for other than blessings?

His logic is flawed in that he thinks that since Jesus talked about the importance of spiritual blessings that therefore physical blessings aren’t from God anymore. That would be like saying since Jesus spoke of murdering someone in your heart because of hatred that He doesn’t care about physical murder anymore. That’s the sort of ridiculousness to which his logic leads.

(The rest of this critique was written by a friend):

Dannemiller, though trying to make a good point, is incorrect due to the fact that his theology is that of an individual mystic and not a covenantal approach to God, His Word, and the subject of wealth or material possessions. He does not know how to understand material possessions and wealth and what they are to be used for nor how they are to be used. Material wealth, obtained and used correctly, is a tremendous blessing from God.

Consider Deuteronomy 8:18: “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH HIS COVENANTS which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Consider one of the Scriptures our writer quotes which furthers this same covenantal understanding: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” God does give wealth and the power (authority) to obtain wealth — but it is His purpose which is important in terms of motivation: to establish His covenants.

We can also see that God gives wealth to some people for the purposes of destroying them: “. . . for the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” Proverbs 1:32. There are certain situations where God uses the wicked as “storage bins of wealth” for the righteous: ” . . . the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” Proverbs 13:22. This will ultimately be true of the entire earth.

The general principle of Scripture is that community faithfulness (and sometimes individual faithfulness in the midst of community rebellion) does beget material blessings (and is intended to do so) as is evident from reading Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Our historical capital of community (national) faithfulness, which we have seriously depleted, is what has given to this individual the wealth potential that does still exists. One of the things he missed in his understanding is that when faithful people were impoverished they were typically living under a rebellious community or a persecuting community. When a community leaves being and pursuing faithfulness, God promises to curse them (Deuteronomy 28:15-64) and that curse includes property destruction.

Consider also, faithfulness on an individual scale is generally grounds wherein God will give even greater responsibilities including the handling of wealth: “He that is faithful in little, will be faithful in much.” Consider the prayer of Jabez in I Chronicles 4:10: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, O that thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast [this means property], and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” Jabez’s prayer was not the approach of the “prosperity gospel” but the approach of a man of the covenant seeking to fulfill the dominion mandate. Motivation is important and Jabez did see property as a blessing from God to be used to God’s directed ends.

There is another point to consider: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18. We should be thankful for very specific material blessings and be motivated to use them for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

Many people of foreign non-Christian lands suffer greatly; why does God allow this? Hasn’t Christianity been the cause of many wars?

These two particular types of questions are used by many who flat refuse Christ as Savior also. They are also used to try and put Christianity in a bad historical light, as a slur against God and His Christ.
     But no problem, they’re easy to answer.
    
Eph 6:11   Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12    For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

     The whole reason why the flesh age exists which we live in today, is for battle. That’s right, “battle”, a spiritual battle. So where is that battle? Within the mind and heart. Ideas are much more powerful than all the weapons of the world friends. Those who live a ‘carnal’ life of the flesh can’t understand this. Their ‘mind’ is easily swayed by the ideas and thoughts of the flesh world. They haven’t the ‘mind of Christ’, so their faith is misplaced by ideas of men, traditions, old customs handed down by flesh ancestors and not from Yehovah.
     
2 Cor 4:3   But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4    In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5    For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

     There still may be some small areas of the world which have not yet heard The Gospel of Christ, but in my opinion, the majority have heard, or are now having the opportunity to hear. I believe the communication technology age is bringing the last stages of heralding The Gospel of Christ to those few which missed the chance. Yet in many cases of peoples of foreign lands who accepted Christ after hearing, they began to pollute Christian Doctrine by blending many of their old pagan practices in with Christianity. In one particular case in Africa, taken from a news source recently, blood sacrifice ritual was added with the Communion Table of Christ. The old customs and traditions of those tribal peoples were just too strong in their minds still. So Whom they once received, they polluted among themselves.
     No doubt, some deceiver, pushing ‘ideas’ of Satan is causing many peoples to stray away from Christ after once hearing with ‘faith’. That’s why ‘ideas’ are the most potent weapon, The Word of God being The most Powerful Spiritual Sword. Those who listen to the mind of the world, The Gospel is hidden to them.
     The Western Christian Nations were set up by God for His Gospel to be taught and heard abundantly, with no danger of censorship. That is what our Constitutional right for freedom of religion was purposed for; to keep The Word in the mind of God’s People. In other words, Christ has been a ‘tradition’ and ‘custom’ of the Western Christian nations, much as paganism has been a tradition in other lands. But those whose minds are blinded to Christ who live amongst us today, cannot, and will not be able to see that Truth. Since their minds are carnal, and follow flesh ways, the ideas of flesh are what they must heed. And those ideas today among us are especially against Christ.
     My Lost Tribes studies give reasons by our Father for their split and captivity out the lands He gave them, for the same reasons that non-Christian nations suffer, in that they turned away from our Father, and unto the various systems of false worship in the world. Much of The Old Testament past Moses was about how God’s chosen turned away from Him, even after He promised them good things by following Him only. Leviticus 26, and many other Scriptures, were given as a warning by our Father. His chosen suffered those curses and were scattered. They are still scattered today, the main purpose being, after punishment to return to Him through Christ, and to include the Gentile who accepts Christ as Savior also.
     And today, in the Western Christian nations, Christ is being turned against, even by some teachers in the public school system who throw student’s Bibles in the trash, calling It garbage. This outward war against Christianity, even by some of our own peoples of Christian heritage, is a sign that the ‘fulness of the Gentiles’ is almost complete and the ‘great apostasy’ is well on it’s way (Luke 21:24; Rom.11:25).
     So the reason why many peoples of non-Christian lands suffer, is because of their leaders preventing the learning of God’s Ways through His Word Jesus Christ. It might surprise one in the Western nations that many in foreign lands ruled by atheistic governments have accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior. Christians in America are coming under these atheistic supra-international leaders that want to destroy Christ here also. Even when the Western Christian nations went to war in the past, they were all religious wars if one looks deeply enough. And that is because the ‘real’ battle during this flesh age has been a spiritual battle between the Power of Yehovah and His Christ against the powers of darkness (Lucifer). But those whose minds are ‘blinded’, cannot understand this, thus they wrongly battle against The Word of God.
     This last battle during the flesh time is a spiritual war for control of your mind, through world ideas exercised by the ‘prince of this world’, Satan himself. Your weapon for this ‘last battle’ is not flesh armament, but the ‘whole armour of God’ which is The Gospel of Christ, Salvation, The Word of God (see Ephesians 6).

How does Jesus return for His second coming? Do we go up in the clouds, or does He come down to earth?

It’s sad that so many Christians today don’t understand from The Word about Christ’s actual coming and God’s future Kingdom. This is such an important matter, that I’m not going to go into depth here; but you’ll find a lengthy study with much Scripture support on this subject by clicking on the study How Does Christ Return?.
     In short, according to Acts 1:11, Micah 1, and Zech.14, Christ is coming back to earth. He may come engulfed in the clouds when returning, if that’s how you wish to interpret 1 Thess.4:17, but His final destination is upon the Mount of Olivet in Jerusalem. The proof that God through His Son is going to reign all nations upon a ‘renewed’ earth, is overwhelming from God’s Word.
     There is so much proof for a Heaven upon earth in God’s Word, that I can’t think of a befitting name which would be suitable for those false ones, who claim to be sent from God and teach otherwise. In other words, I can’t believe they teach otherwise out of ignorance only. I have even had poor deceived members of their congregations tell me that it’s nowhere written in God’s Word that Jesus returns to earth. I’m not only hurt by that level of deception, but I’m sure our Father is hurt by it also. Especially since He created this beautiful earth for His children, whom He loves so much (see Isaiah 45:18; Rev.4:11; Ps.115:16).

Does the word ‘meditation’ in The Bible, such as in Psalms 49:3 mean the same thing as the practice of eastern meditation?

Ps 1:1     Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2    But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.

     This word ‘meditate’ is ‘hagah’ in the Hebrew, and is a primitive root meaning ‘to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication, to ponder’ (Strong’s no.1897; see also 1901). The words for meditate and meditation in other verses, such as Gen.24:63 (suwach), Ps.119:15 (siyach), all have similar meanings. Some are used more in the ‘poetical’ sense, others as a complaining to God.
     But in each case in God’s Word, where the words meditate or meditation occur, thought is active in the mind of the meditator. That is very important, for the practice of so-called ‘eastern meditation’ is the exact opposite.
     Eastern meditation, such as intoning ‘vowel sounds’ and what not, teaches to clear the mind of ‘all thought’, allowing the universe, gods, or whatever, to communicate, receiving spiritual influences from only God knows where. It’s the practice of eastern mysticism to try to become ‘one’ with the cosmos. This false practice of trying to commune with the universe, which is really an aid for Satan’s negative spiritual influences to make contact, was wholly thrust upon the Western nations during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with various ‘spiritism’ movements, and again in the 1960’s with the ‘flower power’, or hippie generation (I was born in the latter part of that generation, and saw those things). Even the idea of being ‘hip’, or ‘cool’, was a powerful label in the ’60s to push those fads on an unsuspecting generation. It’s still alive today with the so-called ‘new age’ movement, which is just a new ‘pet name’ for modern occultism. Humanist and earth awareness philosophies are added with it to give it more weight. That ’60s generation is now in power in many governments today (gulp). It’s good to know who the spiritual battle is with, and eastern meditation is one effective means by which Satan controls his workers and influences on earth.
     So if you’re out in the field working, or walking among the woods, and ‘boom’, your tongue starts babeling and there is no mental ‘thought’ process going on, it’s time to boot that evil spirit away. Feeling ‘spiritual joy’ from our Father Jehovah through His Son Jesus Christ, is a mental thought process. Otherwise, how would you know of Whom that joy in The Lord is from?
     When those in Christ pray and ‘ponder’ on His Word, it always involves thought, an active mental process, with understanding, and that’s how The Holy Spirit gives Truth. Those teaching to ‘feel the faith’ without study and the knowledge of Christ, are false prophets. No, our faith in Christ is understood, with ‘confidence’ remember? After all, Truth is the goal isn’t It? Christ gave His Body of believers Power over those evil influences (Luke 10:19), so ‘boot em’ out in the Name of Jesus Christ. They’ll get tired of coming around you when you cast them away from you, back to the ‘pit’! And they must leave when you use Christ’s Name as one of His, claiming that Power He gave us through Him. They have no choice in the matter.

When someone finally starts to study The Word for themselves, and comes to God’s Truth, and It starts opening up to them, they have a hard time understanding why others can’t understand. How does one deal with this emotion?

The two previous questions gave some Scriptural answers to help ease this feeling of why others don’t or can’t ‘rightly divided’ The Word of Truth. Furthermore, none that do understand the deeper Word in Scripture know it all either. It’s continually unfolding. I’ve referred to the state of ‘flesh thinking’ as compared to ‘spiritual thinking’ many times on this Website to help those in Christ understand how a ‘world view’ can hinder The Holy Spirit’s workings in us. Holding to man’s view will cause ‘unbelief’.
     Begin studying at Psalms 78, down through to the end of Psalms 82. You have there beginning at Ps.78 a short history of Israel’s ‘unbelief’ in the One True God Jehovah and His proposed Salvation. And much there in those Psalms, especially towards the end of Ps.82, is not fulfilled yet, for God has not yet come down out of heaven to ‘inherit all nations’ (Ps.82:8). That verse is talking about Christ’s (Immanuel – ‘God with us’) return in our future, when all the kingdoms of this world, will become His (Rev.11:15).
     Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh are alluded to there in those Psalms also, which represent the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. That means the founders of the Western Christian Nations of today, i.e. those who passed over the Caucasus Mountains, becoming known as ‘Caucasians’, coming to the ‘isles’, and settling in Western Europe and the Americas.
     Most of true Israel (Europe and America) do not know who they are today, and many of the ‘crept in unawares’ of Jude 1, i.e. the Kenite, who sit in ‘Moses’ seat’ (Matt.23:2), will tell you it is not true. Those ‘false Jews’, who are not of true bloodline Judah, don’t want us to know that revelation within God’s Word. But when the Psalms I referenced are read in that light, that we are Israel today, according to God’s Birthright Promise to Joseph (1 Chron.5), and the election of ‘grace’ to the Gentile, then our ‘faith’ in God and His Salvation Jesus Christ, should take on new meaning. (see Lost Tribes studies for more).
     For those of the ethnic peoples who have accepted Christ as Savior, they are also included as Israel. As much as the Body of Christ is not a particular Church building or geographic spot, or just one race, today God’s Israel is scattered also. But those who came to the isles, forming the Western nations, are descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel, separated from the Promise Land by captivity to Assyria. Those in past times suffered punishment for their ‘disbelief’, and were cut off, and are for an example to us today who have accepted Christ.
     If we don’t understand how God’s Plan of Salvation is worked from times old down to today and yet future, how can our ‘belief’ in Him be sure? And when our ‘faith in Christ’ is sure, it is very blessed with our Father, because we haven’t seen today those miracles written of in times past during the forty years in the ‘wilderness’, having direct proof of God with us through flesh eyes. Having faith in Christ with confidence doesn’t require a show of miracles. Those who must see a miraculous ‘sign’ to believe, shun their Salvation through Jesus Christ. Those not confident in their faith, looking for miracles and wonders today, also set themselves up for deception, as God has given Satan and his fallen angels power to do miracles and wonders in these latter days (Rev.13:13).
     (Don’t get me wrong about the subject of ‘miracles’. God still works miracles through His Body of believers today. But one who ‘must’ see a miraculous sign from Heaven before they can believe on Christ, fits the Message our Savior gave us concerning ‘doubting’ Thomas in John 20:24-29.)
     Study The Scriptures for yourself and you’ll get that foundation of confidence in Christ, and you won’t be caught in unbelief when the false ones practice their deceptions ‘in the sight of men’.

Rom 11:20-23
20    Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21    For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.
22    Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23    And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

Are Christians today to worship God on Saturday, holding to the original Sabbath, as our Rest?

There’s been a lot of concern lately about the Christian day of worship, once observed on Saturday, but having been changed in previous centuries to Sunday. God commanded His People to observe the Sabbath as a Holy Day, which is our Saturday (Exod.20).

Col 2:14   Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;
15    And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16    Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17    Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
(KJV)

Bondage is being proposed by those who teach damnation because of not holding Church service on Saturday, instead of Sunday. Christ nailed portions of His Law on the cross, the Saturday sabbath day dogma was one of those ‘ordinances’. Being ‘nailed on the cross’ means those ordinances became part of Christ. That means ‘fulfillment’ in Christ, not done away with. That’s where many Christians are being misled, and trapped back into bondage of ordinances in The Law. This means Christ became our True Rest, for that’s what the word ‘Sabbath’ means, i.e. ‘rest’. Hebrews 3-4 tells us about That Rest, Who is now Jesus Christ.

Heb 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Confidence means believing on God’s Savior Jesus Christ, that our Father’s Promises of Salvation are true, and having ‘faith’ in those things unseen concerning that Promise.

Heb 3:15  While it is said, “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”

     Paul is quoting from Psalms 95 here. He’s talking about how Israel hardened their hearts coming out of Egypt by God’s deliverance. They had direct experience of God’s Holy Presence among them, with the Pillar of Fire, yet they hardened their hearts, and had little ‘faith’.

Heb 3:16  For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

     Not all made it out of the wilderness, because of their lack of faith, even within direct eyesight of God’s Presence.

Heb 3:17  But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18    And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?

     So who finally was led out of the wilderness through Moses? Was it not those who believed? That word ‘rest’ is referring to God’s Sabbath.

Heb 3:19  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

     If we don’t believe in our Salvation through Christ, having confidence, then we can’t enter into His Rest. If one thinks that by not holding Church service on a particular day will keep them from that Salvation, or ‘His Rest’, then that’s using The Law to be justified by, and not by ‘faith in Christ’.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2    For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

     If you accept Christ as Savior, as your Salvation, “today”… you have ‘entered into His Rest’.

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, “As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest:” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

     The words in bold above was Paul quoting from Psalms 95:11. That ‘rest’ is His abode, but It’s not for unbelievers, but for those who believe.

Heb 4:4  For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, “And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.”
5    And in this place again, “If they shall enter into My rest.”
6    Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

     Christ became that Sabbath, and means Rest from our ‘work’ today, and with Him in the future eternal peace. That Old Testament Sabbath was a shadow of this Rest which all believers on Christ have today, if you’ll have confidence in Him.
But for those who have not believed, and to whom Christ was first preached (the Jews), many of them have not entered in That Rest ‘because of unbelief’, and they are no better off than those whose ‘carcases fell in the wilderness.’

Heb 4:7  Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, “To day,” after so long a time; as it is said, “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

This word ‘limiteth’ means ‘declare, appoint, determined’ (Strong’s no.3724). There should be no doubt that Paul is talking about the Sabbath here, as all along in these verses. “Today” means we don’t need any other Mediator than Christ to pray to Jehovah, our Father, and follow Him. If you believe that you must hold Church service on Saturday to have Salvation, then you might as well hire you some Levites and start animal sacrifice again. And make sure you do it right…according to The Law, and don’t slip up and fail in it one iota!

Heb 4:8   For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.
9     There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

    This word ‘Jesus’ in Hebrew is the equivalent of the Hebrew word ‘Joshua’. This verse 8 goes with the previous verse 7 about David’s time. This refers to Joshua’s eventual leading of the Israelites into the ‘promise land’ (see Joshua 1-2). So this verse is not referring to Jesus Christ, but Joshua the prophet who entered into the promise land. If he led the Israelites out of the wilderness to the promise land, then wouldn’t he have told them about another day of Rest? Yet future?
The word ‘rest’ in verse 9 is ‘sabbatismos’ in the Greek, from the root ‘sabbaton’, a word of Hebrew origin (Strong’s nos.7676; 4520).

10    For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
11    Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

So Christ is our Sabbath today, for those who believe. That means if you’re not in His Rest everyday, especially during these endtimes, you have little ‘Rest’ in Him. Just as Christ also became our ‘Passover’ sacrificed for us on the cross, we are to worship God through Christ today (1 Cor.5:7). That is our ‘labour’ today, working for Christ Jesus. Believers hold to Him in faith everyday now, in hope of entering into His Rest Which is The Eternal Sabbath of His future Kingdom upon this ancient earth.

The Old Testament Hebrew Manuscripts foretold of the ‘first’ coming of Messiah Jesus Christ; His birth, His Mission, and how He would suffer on the cross. So why don’t the majority of Jews believe that Christ came and fulfilled that Mission as Savior, especially since those Jews are in possession of The Hebrew Manuscripts?

The reason many of the ‘house of Judah’ today, i.e. Jews, still haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah, believe it or not, was and is part of God’s Plan. Well why would God do that to His People? Consider what Peter says:

1 Pet 2:7-10
7    Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone Which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8    And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9    But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:
10    Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
(KJV)

     Peter is letting us know that the ‘nations’ who accepted Christ as Savior, at one time ‘were not a people’ of God. This has much to do with the ‘house of Israel’, i.e. the Ten Tribes (remember Loammi=not My People), being scattered among the Gentiles, and both accepting Christ Jesus as Savior when they heard Him preached by the Apostles of Christ.
     The ‘house of Judah’ stumbled at The Cornerstone (Christ) Which they rejected. In 1 Peter 2:7-8 he says the Jews were ‘appointed’ to this stumbling at Christ’s Word, but not the Jews only. Paul in Romans Chapters 9 through 11 tells us why – so that many of the Gentiles who believe, which “were not a people”, might be ‘grafted’ into the same ‘tree’ of God’s People. The Jews are blinded so that Salvation through Jesus Christ would be full and more complete. Paul also tells us in Romans 11 that any of the Jews who now accept Christ Jesus, are grafted in now; but the majority of Jews will not be joined with Christ until the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ is whole (Rom.11:23-28). That means there is still yet hope for them.
     God is causing that ‘slumber’ of not having ‘eyes to see and ears to hear’. We Gentiles should not get too cocky about having accepted Jesus as Savior over those of the ‘house of Judah’ which haven’t. You know why?

Isa 8:13-15
13    Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
14    And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15    And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
(KJV)

     The Cornerstone (Jesus Christ) is “…a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel…”. That’s talking about those of the ‘house of Israel’ today also, the Western Christian Nations, who have received Jesus Christ as Messiah. It applies to both Judah and Israel (Ten Tribes). “How could they ‘stumble’ if they’ve already accepted Christ,” one might ask? By worshipping the wrong messiah of our near future, that’s how! Satan is coming first as a ‘false Messiah’, claiming to be Christ (Immanuel–‘God with us’), sitting in the Temple of God (II Thess.2; Ezek.28;31; Isa.14). Our True Savior Jesus Christ will return on the ‘last trump’ to defeat Satan, all in our near future.
     Which is worse; to seek Salvation through following God’s Law without faith in Christ, still waiting for His first coming, as the majority of the Jews do; or to accept and believe on Jesus Christ, yet mess up later when Satan comes, and worship him as a fake Messiah, thinking he’s Christ? That’s what Isaiah 8:15 means with being ‘snared’ and ‘taken’! The first one ‘taken’ in the field is by Antichrist (compare Luke 17:36-37 with Matthew 24:28). So the deception is not only ‘appointed’ to many of Judah, no…but to many who once believed on Christ also, who will become ‘apostate’, falling away by worshipping a false Messiah.
     So why can’t both the Jew and Gentile who stumble, just wake up, out of their spiritual slumber? Because God is allowing the deception by the ‘workers of iniquity’, i.e. the sons of Cain or Kenites, who are so…strong today, that many don’t even have a chance. Satan and his children are God’s ‘rod’ of correction to His People. Once the Christian starts to understand God’s Message through His Old Testament prophets, about Satan being controlled by God, then our Father’s greater Plan begins to unfold, and an understanding that He is in charge is revealed. Until that Truth is grasped, the elect may find it difficult to deal with the sorrow we feel for our lost brethren who stumble (from both ‘houses’). Those who remain ignorant of that Plan fight against each other. 
     So why is God allowing all this ‘deception’, even towards ‘both’ houses of Israel? Our Father is going to show His Power and Supreme Authority to us, while revealing how silly, ignorant, and uncaring about Him, His children can be. No other Glory anywhere, will compare with this future event of Christ’s coming. The ‘shock value’ will be enormous! But not for those who are watching, as our Savior commanded.
     But God has preserved a ‘remnant’ who shall know His Truth, and will not be swayed from Christ by accepting the false Messiah. Even His preservation of His elect is by ‘appointment’! Our Father is in control, guiding the ‘helm’ with utmost sureness. I have total confidence in God and His Son, and as to the directions of His Plan He has given us, all according to His Word. Give thanks and praise to Him through Christ if you know what I’m talking about, for we are as ‘filthy rags’.
     So what do we do in the meantime? Teach, teach, teach God’s Word. Drop a ‘seed’ of our Father’s Truth to those who stumble. Be bold when given the chance. Learn The Word using common sense, and teach It using common sense in ‘plain’ language. Good honest folk exist everywhere in the world, and they live plainly by common sense.

I know there is a Scripture that says something like women can’t be preachers? what does that actually mean?

Do you mean a Scripture which is used to teach that women are not to preach The Gospel? What about this:

Luke 2:36    And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37    And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38    And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

When Anna “spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem”, isn’t that preaching The Gospel of Christ? Sure sounds like it to me.

And this:

Judg 4:4    And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
5    And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

Before one can properly be a ‘judge’ of God’s People, they must become familiar with God’s Judgments within His Law. So Deborah handing out ‘judgments’ shows she was on that foundation, knowing much of The Law, for our Lord had called her. It was His doing.

And this:

II Ki 22:14    So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
15    And she said unto them, “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
16    ‘Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:

And this:

Acts 2:17     And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18    And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

To ‘prophesy’ means to speak God’s Word as a prophet, prophetess, or to teach God’s Word (See also Acts 21:9-12). Some of those to be delivered up to synagogues and councils during the tribulation, to give a ‘testimony’ for Christ, will include women (Matt.24; Rev.2:9-10).

And our Lord Jesus’ Message to the Church at Thyatira:

Rev 2:20    Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21    And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22    Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

The fact of the matter of our Lord’s anger against that Church of Thyatira was not that they suffered a ‘woman’ to teach. But that they suffered a false one to teach them abominations and idol worship, a woman who only “calleth herself a prophetess, to teach…”. She was a false prophetess. And this Message by our Lord is to those specific Churches of today who also do these abominations such as Thyatira.
     If that one of Thyatira had been a true prophetess called of God, what should she have been teaching instead? Just like Anna of Luke 2, The Gospel Message of Salvation through Christ Jesus. John 1 says Christ is The Word, so that means all of It is to be taught still today; not only the four Gospel Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Paul’s Message of Rebuke:

The following verses are ‘mistaught’ by many against women teaching Christ’s Gospel Message.

1 Cor 14:33    For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Paul just laid out some of the ‘order’ to be kept in the Church in the previous verses. His Message here is about using common sense in the Church, according to the spiritual gifts God has given to each, God dividing His gifts to each as He sees fit. So the matter still is about how God does the choosing, not man.

1 Cor 14:34    Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35    And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Paul begins a new subject on the matter of keeping order in the Church. He’s recalling an old matter of women keeping silence in the synagogues. Verse 35 is where most stop, and then teach that women aren’t supposed to teach The Gospel of Christ. But Paul’s ‘punchline’ to all this is in the very next verse:

1 Cor.14:36    What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

Then Paul lays the rebuke on thickly. He’s saying to the men who held to that old tradition, “What? came the word of God out from you men only?” We know that God uses whomever He wishes, and has used women as prophetesses in the past also, as the examples I gave from the Old Testament and New Testament also reveal. The ‘college’ Huldah the prophetess dwelt at was probably none other than the school of the prophets in Jerusalem. Then Paul adds, “…or came it unto you only?”, meaning did God send His Word Jesus Christ to you men only? Of course not, God’s Word of Salvation, which includes both Old and New Testaments, is for all those who believe on Jesus as God’s Savior, regardless of gender, or race.

1 Cor.14:37    If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

One of the ‘traps’ of flesh thinking is how man likes to set himself up to be something he is most often not. A true teacher, preacher, prophet, or prophetess of God’s Word is called or chosen by our Heavenly Father, not by us, nor by any man, nor system of man. So God does call some women in His service also, to teach His Word. If one is truly called, then the ‘gift’ from God will soon be revealed. Likewise, with one who thinks “himself to be a prophet”, but is not specifically called by God, their false ‘fruit’ will reveal itself also. Success in a ‘calling’ always comes from our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ (see about Paul’s calling in Acts 9 and Galatians 1). The reason why so many heed false prophets today, is because they have little knowledge in The Word to begin with, and we are in a time with God placing a veil over the eyes of the understanding of many (see Romans 9 through 11; Isaiah 6).

And then what about these verses which Paul also wrote?:

1 Tim 2:9     In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10    But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
11    Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12    But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13    For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

The woman, or wife, is not to dominate over the husband, not in authority, not in teaching God’s Word. And that applies if her husband is ‘in Christ’. If the husband is ‘obviously’ not following The Lord, then don’t be foolish, use common sense in following The Word. Order is God’s way, not rebellion.
     Verse 13 is more specific that Paul is talking about the relationship between husband and wife, not woman prophesying vs. the Church elders. So this Message by Paul is about how God setup the flesh order of the wife being subject to her husband in Christ (Gen.3:16). So if God called a woman to teach His Gospel, then who are we to override what God has ordained?

In the Isaiah 19 study, how does the mentioned Capstone of the Great Pyramid represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? How does that Capstone, and other symbols on our U.S. One Dollar bill tie to all this? Some say the “eye” symbol on back of the U.S. One Dollar bill represents the eye of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian pagan god.

The in-depth Bible student should be able to understand the following, especially those who understand the role of ‘false messiah’:
     If you’ll remember, the word ‘Lucifer’ in Isaiah 14:12 means ‘morning star’. But Jesus Christ is The True Morning Star, per Rev.22. Lucifer is a ‘false rock’; GOD is our True ROCK; etc. I’ve covered many of the fake roles Lucifer tries to usurp Christ Jesus’ Authority with, which are given in The Word.
Now… take the idea of all those false titles Lucifer uses to make himself into a false Messiah, trying to be God, and then apply them to those One Dollar Bill symbols again. On the back of our U.S. One Dollar Bill, on the right, The Great Seal of The United States, notice all the Israel symbols, such as the Olive branches, the ‘arrows’ of Ephraim, the ‘Shield’, the 13 stars inside a billowy cloud border (Shekinah), and connect the dots with that star field and tell me what geometric shape it forms (Star of David).
You’ll notice the number 13 popping out in those symbols, including the number of steps on that Pyramid. But the ‘capstone’ symbolizes Jesus Christ The Cornerstone the builders rejected. And all this symbolic meaning has nothing to do with cults. Remember, Satan didn’t create anything, as he’s just a cherub which God created. Satan MUST operate and use GOD’s order of laws and such. Satan just ‘perverts’ everything, like the Midas ‘touch’.
Then in that Isaiah 19 study, I mentioned the ‘MYSTERY’, which is about the ancient ‘mystery school’ religions of pagandom, and of pagan systems today. That word ‘MYSTERY’, in the phrase ‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT…’, in the Greek, refers to Satan’s ‘mystery schools’ of occultism. And that means Satan’s false occult traditions steal the TRUE meaning of everything and anything of God, and then ‘pervert’ it. What I was allowed to reveal with this in that Isa.19 study is ‘very deep’, and the deeper student should be able to grasp it.
This MYSTERY applies to all the evil workings by Satan and his host during this flesh age. It even applies to the idea of ‘cloning’ humans, etc. If there was given us a ‘key’ for understanding ‘how’ Satan perverts God’s Perfect Order, stealing everything and anything of righteousness from our Father, and twisting it, then this ‘MYSTERY’ is the ‘key’. That’s why God put this in His Word in such a way, linking Babylon with it. So Osiris, Isis, etc. are Satan’s symbols to ‘mask’ God’s Order between The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Zorasterism with Aura Mazda, etc., has a trinity also. Many pagan religions do.
So no ‘mystery’ to us, that Satan has also tried to ‘usurp’ the TRUE meanings of those symbols, such as The Capstone of the Great Pyramid, which is a symbol for The Cornerstone Jesus Christ.