If we were to look at the Greek text of the first eleven verses of the New Testament (Matt. 1:1-11), we would find an elaborate scheme of sevens underlying the words, which could not have been put there by chance, or even arranged by any human cleverness on Matthew’s part. These verses contain 49 words (7×7). Of these 49 words, 28 (4×7) begin with a vowel, and 21 (3×7) begin with a consonant. These 49 words have 266 letters (7×2x19); this number is itself 38 sevens, and the sum of its factors is 28 (4×7). Of these 266 letters, 140 (20×7) are vowels, and 126 (18×7) are consonants. Of these 49 words 35 (5×7) occur more than once in the passage and 14 (2×7) occur only once. Seven occur in more than one form and 42 (6×7) occur only in one form. The 49 words are divided thus: 42 (7×6) are nouns (the name of something) and seven are not nouns.

Of these nouns, 35 (5×7) are names of people and seven are ordinary nouns. Of these names 28 (4×7) are male ancestors of Christ and seven are not. Thus, an elaborate system of sevens occurs in these few short verses of the Bible. If Matthew was not writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what a headache he must have had trying to figure out how to arrange all those sevens.

There is also a system of elevens in the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Scriptures and so wonderful is this that the chance of these figures occurring by accident rather than design (this is by the inspiration of God) is 1 in a number followed by 30 zeros, billion million taken a million times. No one in his right senses therefore could argue that all these happened by accident or by human cleverness. Mathematics says it could not do so. This marvelous system of numbers occurs right throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Attempts have been made to find the same thing in human authors, especially those who lived about the same time as the writers of the Bible but no such system has been discovered; it is only found in the Word of God.

If what I have written here sparks your mind to further investigate this wonderful part of the depth of God’s Word then there is a book for you which you can download free from Believer.com. The book is entitled Number in Scripture and is available for download as an eBook at http://www.believer.com/freebooks/NumScript.exe.

About the Author

Paul Griffitts has been a Bibical Researcher for over 30 years
Currently Paul is the Editor of The Good News Letter for Believer.com
Click here for a Free eBook The Two Natures in the Child of God

Christ gives the command in Acts 1:8 saying, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 exemplifies this idea as, right before Jesus Christ rises to Heaven, He directs the disciples on a story that would initiate right in their personal community. He begins with their local place of Jerusalem, and then enlarges the call to the outer parts of the globe.

As believers, we are not urged to privacy, but to be missional followers of Jesus who are passionately going out and connecting with others right where they are with the story of Christ. We have noticed this throughout history: God motivated Abraham on a mission to go out of his country and his people and go to the place that God would show him (Gen. 12:1), God sends Moses on a story to renew an enslaved people and lead them to freedom (Exodus 3:8-10), God motivated Jesus on a mission to globe to pull all things to Himself through the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:20). And now God is sending believers on a story to engage areas, cities, people groups, and even nations with the message of Jesus (Matt. 28:19 Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1 John 20:21 Acts 1:8). If we abandon this urge and continue to see the church buildings like a members only country club ” encouraging that people resolve their act, pay their deposit, and drive to our sanctuary God will continue His story without us.

Now, I have taken up this topic for three reasons. First, this teaching enjoys widespread popularity among, perhaps, hundreds of millions of Christians, and has formed the topic of bestsellers (i.e. Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth), of movies, and an untold number of questionable sermons. The second reason I have chosen it stems from the fact that the Bible — just about as clearly as anyone might do so — falsifies this doctrine. Third, I have seen firsthand how it can ruin the lives of people who, at any moment, expect all their work and livelihood to come to nothing. It completely stifles the impetus — and the biblical commandment — for men and women to “be frutiful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it,” which commandment God has never revoked.

The “cosmic slingshot” theory requires Christians to forego the idea that we must stay and build to advance the kingdom of Christ on earth. It fosters a do-nothingism that refuses to “polish brass on a sinking ship” — as many of its proponents have said. This effectively calls the whole earth “evil,” when the Scripture calls it “good.” But no one — okay, very few — could construe as a good thing the boarding of a ship destined to sink straight to the bottom with passengers aboard it. By this aquatic metaphor, Rapture fans actually propose to excuse themselves for abandoning their post, for shunning the dominion mandate and Great Commission, and for rejecting the commandment of God to glorify Him by working to build a Christian, cultural legacy as “profitable servants.”

But enough commentary for now, and onto the proof against this doctrine from the Bible itself. Keep in mind, we have put the five reasons offered against the imminent rapture doctrine in the form of five handy questions you can have at the ready for your pastor or other people espousing the view.

First, we should note that the Bible teaches that the Great Commission will succeed, and that the nations will convert to saving faith in Jesus Christ. This makes any idea of any premillenial “rapture” — a wanton escape pod — unnecessary, unbiblical and unfaithful.

Psalm 22:27-31 reads [just following a prominent passage of the Psalms recounting the suffering of Messiah]: All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Matthew 16:18 says: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [which foundational rock turns out to be all the apostles and prophets, and not merely Peter, see Eph. 2:20], I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

1 Chron. 29:11 teaches that God always has the victory in these words:

Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Daniel 4:35 declares: ‘All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He [The Lord] does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”‘

Matthew 28:18-20 reads:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Question 1. So our first question for pastors teaching the Rapture theology is this: Why do you want the saints to flee from their responsibility of pursuing the great commission and dominion mandate — which includes the building of hospitals, schools and businesses that last for generations — when the Bible says we will win? How is teaching them, “We all might go away tomorrow” consistent with the idea of building for generations? Fact: those who believe in the secret rapture myth do not build beautiful cathedrals; they do not build anything to last over generations. They often meet in “motel 6″ churches, buildings designed for little more than an overnight stay.

Second, the Bible presents the Word of the Lord as a powerful and effective tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says that God’s word cannot fail its intended purpose, and that it remains an instrument by which God will convert the nations.

Isaiah 55:11 reads: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Psalm 19:7 tells that “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul …” This indicates the purpose for which God has sent it (the “thing whereto” God sent it in the verse above) — the conversion of the nations to saving faith in Christ.

Heb. 4:12 tells us that “The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword…”

Question 2. If the word of the Lord works so powerfully as to accomplish all for which God sends it, and if God has sent it to convert souls — or the nations of the world (according to Matthew 28:18-20) — then how could it fail to do so?” And if it succeeds, what need have we of any “Rapture”? Shouldn’t we rather spend our time building up and improving our communities for the generations to come, and not squander our time staring up into the sky hoping for a quick exit?

Third, the Bible holds forth The Lord Christ as One who cannot fail. It is His nature to secure victory, and overcome all obstacles to his goals because as the Sovereign Lord, He both made and controls all things. Yet the rapture needs the great commission — given by Christ — to fail. Otherwise, why would Jesus have to return personally to intervene and rescue the saints? If you will recall, the early Christian church overtook the Roman Empire just BECAUSE God refused to rescue his martyrs from death. If He had “Raptured” them to keep them from harm’s way in a world gone mad, how would the gospel then have prevailed? Any theory that needs Jesus to fail in his plans for humanity has doomed itself to failure from the beginning.

The premillenial Rapture adherent has Christ returning bodily to keep his Church from extinction, as though the Lord’s original plan — convert the nations by the gospel — will have had failed altogether. And yet God does not have a “plan B.” He doesn’t need one.

Proverbs 21: 30, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel [which can prosper] against the LORD.”

Daniel 4:35 proclaims: All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He [The Lord] does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”‘

Question #3. If God authored the Great Commission, how can it fail to convert the nations — God’s stated goal in Matthew 28:18-20? Can God fail? This question lies at the heart of the matter. Don’t be surprised if your pastor launches into all manner of metaphor when you ask this question.

Fourth, the Bible plainly tells its readers that the very noisy and quite public “rapture” occurs at the parousia, the bodily return of Christ to earth from heaven, which itself will occur at the END, not the beginning, of the millenium. Paul makes this plain.

1 Corinthians 15 (vv. 22-54) says that:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he [Christ] must reign [from heaven], till he [God] hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

… But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: ….But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him … There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. …. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Likewise, 1 Thessalonians (4:14-18) discusses also the resurrection of Jesus and then mentions this same resurrection-rapture trumpet in these words:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Note that this Thessalonian passage teaches of the resurrection of Jesus (v. 14) as the basis for the resurrection of “them also which sleep in Jesus.” This primarily aims at the resurrection of the dead (“The dead in Christ shall rise first”) as the comfort and hope of the Christian — note the same trumpet as mentioned in 1 Cor. 15 — and only the translation (i.e. rapture) of those who remain alive until his coming at the resurrection of the dead, when Christ shall raise those who died in the Lord.

When does this happen? 1 Cor. 15 says only when Christ has subdued all his enemies (here Paul follows Psalm 110) under his feet, will he leave heaven’s throne from which he reigns. It says: “For he must reign [from heaven], till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” This means Jesus will not return, and the rapture-resurrection trumpet will not sound, until the end of the millenium. We know this, because at the end of the millenium, Christ still has enemies he has yet to subdue, who plot mischief on the earth:

Revelation 20: 7-9 says this plainly:

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death, when death is swallowed up in victory — at the post-millenial resurrection. Thus, no one living today has any right to expect God to deliver them from anything by removing him or her from the earth. God has never promised this. The premillenial secret rapture doctrine amounts to only so much theological spam from the spam factory.

Moreover, Psalm 110 says that the Messiah will remain seated [on a throne] at God’s right hand until ALL Christ’s enemies are made his footstool: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.”

Here, God promises that He will subdue Christ’s enemies — all of them — and that Christ will “sit at His right hand” until God subdues them all, the last of which names death. This means that Christ will not leave his throne — not for a rapture, not for some alleged “rescue” from the Great Commission, and not for any other reason — until the end of the millenium.

Hebrews 10 (vv. 11-13) says it even more plainly [alluding to Psalm 110], “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting [i.e. waiting] till his enemies be made his footstool.”

Christ sits on the throne waiting for God to subdue all His enemies. Until that happens, he will not leave His throne. Since none of us will live until the end of the millenium, we have no right to expect that any of us will ever see anyone raptured – or “left behind” for that matter. The only people I can see getting left behind are those who continue in false doctrine, contrary to the clear teachings of the holy Scripture.

Question 4. How can you say Christ will descend in the Rapture — thereby leaving his throne — before Scripture says He will? Were the Psalmist and Paul simply mistaken, or are the Premillenial Rapture proponents in error?

Finally, all the parables of the Bible relevant to the topic of how history will proceed until the Lord returns indicate that history will progress in a continuous (if bumpy) fashion, with no major interruptions (or “discontinuous events”) like the rapture.

Matthew 13:24-30 recounts the parable of the wheat and the tares, which Jesus afterward explained to his disciples in private. Here Matthew reads,

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 13:36-43 then explains this parable in these words:

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father ….

This last line clearly corresponds to revelation chapter 20 above — the final resurrection: unto damnation on the one hand, or else glory on the other. The angels in this parable even ask the Lord if he wants to separate out the good from the bad — as the rapture would accomplish — and the Lord flatly declines, suggesting that human history will continue its bumpy ride without any major discontinuous events, such as the Rapture. The separation transpires only at the very end.

Question 5. How can you say that history will encounter a global sifting event — which separates the wheat from the chaff IN HISTORY — which God Himself has stated He does not want?

We would do far better in the end to drop any foolish notions of some cosmic “Great Coffee Break” the Bible never promised — and which God does not want — and get on with the business of preaching the historically orthodox gospel, which calls Christians to build up their communities – to leave them better than we found them – for the glory of God, and for the benefit of men and women everywhere, both now and in the generations to come. For, Paul said, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works ….”

And good works begin with shunning bad doctrine, saying only what God has said. For it is written, “Do not add to the words of the Lord, lest he reprove thee and show thee a liar” (Proverbs 30).

Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays, with insightful, if alternative viewpoints. He studied the history of ideas in college, and well, learned a bunch of things he likes to share with others to help people. He remains at large despite the best efforts of the civil authorities.

To visit Carson’s blogsites: go to http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (The Omniblog) or http://extremeprofit.blogspot.com (Carson’s Day Trading Outpost)

Various accounts say they intended to have him killed and the truth may never be known because the rest of the Catholic world allowed these hundreds of good Catholics to nearly die on a boat going from port to port seeking refuge. This was (as you will see) a time when muggers and crooks were given ’sanctuary’ in the churches. Gregory of Tours in an earlier time notes how this ’sanctuary’ often led to the priests making money from charging the supposed crook or the parties wishing to kill them through secret agreements. The Jesuits so expelled lived a miserable existence on a meager pension but kept their mouths shut because if even one talked all would lose their pension. In short there really is no mystery here at all – but it does dovetail with the possibilities of why we are seldom allowed to hear what really went on in the annals of what we improperly call history.

“II. POPES, KINGS, AND JESUITS

The power of the Catholic Church rested on the natural super-naturalism of mankind, the recognition and sublimation of sensual impulses and pagan survivals, the encouragement of Catholic fertility {Read baby-factories and ‘barefoot in the kitchen’ .}, and the inculcation of a theology rich in poetry and hope, and useful to moral discipline and social order. In Italy the Church was also the main source of national income, and a valued check upon a people especially superstitious, pagan, and passionate. Superstitions abounded; as late as 1787 witches were burned at Palermo–and refreshments were served to fashionable ladies witnessing the scene. (2) Pagan beliefs, customs, and ceremonies survived with the genial sanction of the Church. ‘I have arrived at a vivid conviction,’ wrote Goethe, ‘that all traces of original Christianity are extinct here’ in Rome. (3) There were, however, many real Christians left in Christendom, even in Italy. Conte Caissotti di Chiusano, bishop of Asti, gave up his rich inheritance, lived in voluntary poverty, and traveled only on foot. Bishop Testa of Monreale slept on straw, ate only enough to subsist, kept only 3,000 lire of his revenues for his personal needs, and devoted the remainder to public works and the poor. (4)

{But the majority of prelates were not so inclined as they engaged in concubinage and fathering children of the parishioners wives as the church owned the majority of farms and land throughout Italy while collecting alms for the poor. The bulk of church wealth comes from guilt and estates where upon death promises of salvation are tied to a good deed by giving the wealth to the church rather than the justly deserving heirs.}

The Church responded in some measure to the Enlightenment. The works of Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Helvétius, d’Holbach, La Mettrie, and other freethinkers were of course placed on the Index Expurgatorius, but permission to read them might be obtained from the pope. {This is a perfect example of what we said about practicing one thing while excluding others access to what works. The pope also became promoted as a source of the right to learn. Is this like the situation we have in public education before reaching university?} Monsignor Ventimiglio, bishop (1757-73) of Catania, had in his library full editions of Voltaire, Helvetius, and Rousseau. The Inquisition was abolished in Tuscany and Parma in 1769, in Sicily in 1782, in Rome in 1809. {Witches were still outlawed no doubt. It took until 1951 to rescind the laws against being a witch in England. There are movements afoot to re-institute blasphemy laws.} In 1783 a Catholic priest, Tamburini, under the name of his friend Trauttmansdorff, published an essay On Ecclesiastical and Civil Toleration, in which he condemned the Inquisition, declared all coercion of conscience to be un-Christian, and advocated toleration of all theologies except atheism. (5)

It was the misfortune of the popes, in this second half of the eighteenth century, that they had to face the demand of Catholic monarchs for the total dissolution of the Society of Jesus. The movement against the Jesuits was part of a contest of power between the triumphant nationalism of the modern state and the internationalism of a papacy weakened by the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the rise of the business class. {Cardinal Biffi of Bologna thinks there is an anti-Christ among us today who is a philanthropist of great wealth. This ‘anti-Christ’ supports ecological, animal – and women’s right while destroying the tenets of Catholicism. Biffi was a leading contender to take John Paul II’s place from the conservative faction of this supranational elite. Apparently this anti-Christ is well versed in the Bible and maybe even a better Christian than Biffi, as I see it.} The Catholic enemies of the Society did not openly press their chief objection, that it had persistently upheld the authority of the popes as superior to that of kings, but they were keenly resentful that an organization acknowledging no superior except its general and the pope should in effect constitute, within each state, an agent of foreign power. They acknowledged the learning and piety of the Jesuits, {Were they jealous of their ‘brothers’ who actually knew more?} their contributions to science, literature, philosophy, and art, their sedulous and efficient education of Catholic youth, their heroism on foreign missions, their recapture of so much territory once lost to Protestantism. But they charged that the Society had repeatedly interfered in secular affairs, that it had engaged in commerce to reap material gains, that it had inculcated casuistic principles excusing immorality and crime, condoning even the murder of kings, that it had allowed heathen customs and beliefs to survive among its supposed converts in Asia, and that it had offended other religious orders, and many of the secular clergy, by its sharpness in controversy and its contemptuous tone. The ambassadors of the Kings of Portugal, Spain, Naples, and France insisted that the papal charter of the Society be revoked, and that the organization be officially and universally dissolved.

The expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal in 1759, from France in 1764-67, from Spain and Naples in 1767, had left the Society still operative in Central and North Italy, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in Catholic Germany, Silesia, and Poland. On February 7, 1768, they were expelled from the Bourbon duchy of Parma, and were added to the congestion of Jesuit refugees in the states of the Church. Pope Clement XIII protested that Parma was a papal fief; he threatened Duke Ferdinand VI and his ministers with excommunication of the edict of expulsion should be enforced {But Hitler, or should I say Schicklgruber/Rothschild, was never excommunicated and probably not even threatened. Why?!}; when they persisted he launched a bull declaring the rank and title of the Duke forfeited and annulled. The Catholic governments of Spain, Naples, and France opened war upon the papacy: {One of my ancestors was Miles Keogh who fought with the Vatican Army before his horse was the only survivor of Custer’s Last Stand at the Little Big Horn. Many people have a hard time thinking of a supranational theological armed superpower in so recent a time. I suspect he became a Martinist when he was engaged to a Martin of political importance.} Tanucci seized the papal cities of Benevento and Pontecorvo, and France occupied Avignon. On December 10 1768, the French ambassador at Rome, in the name of France, Naples, and Spain, presented to the Pope a demand for the retraction of the bull against Parma, and for the abolition of the Society of Jesus. The seventy-six-year-old pontiff collapsed under the strain of this ultimatum. He summoned for February 3, 1769, a consistory of prelates and envoys to consider the matter. On February 2 he fell dead through the bursting of a blood vessel in his brain.

The cardinals who were called to choose his successor were divided into two factions: ‘zelanti’ who proposed to defy the kings, and ‘regalisti’ who favored some pacific accommodations. As the Italian cardinals were almost all ‘zelanti’, and soon gathered in Rome, they tried to open the conclave before the regalist cardinals from France, Spain, and Portugal could arrive. {Does any of this seem the least bit divinely inspired?} The French ambassador protested, and the conclave was deferred. Meanwhile Lorenzo Ricci, general of the Jesuits, compromised their case by issuing a pamphlet questioning the authority of any pope to abolish the Society. (6) In March Cardinal de Bernis arrived from France, and began to canvass the cardinals with a view to ensure the election of a pope willing to satisfy their Catholic Majesties. Later rumors (7) that he or others bribed, or otherwise induced, Cardinal Giovanni Ganganelli to promise such action if chosen have been rejected by Catholic (8) and anti-Catholic historians (9) alike. {Many apparently ‘anti’ positions are actually managed or double agents.} Ganganelli, by common consent, was a man of great learning, devotion, and integrity; however, he belonged to the Franciscan order, which had often been at odds with the Jesuits, {Such as the treatment of North Americas who Franciscans brutalized in ways no devil would imagine.} both in missions and in theology. (10) On May 19, 1769, he was elected by the unanimous vote of the forty cardinals, and took the name of Clement XIV. He was sixty-three years old.

He found himself at the mercy of the Catholic powers. France and Naples held on to the papal territory they had seized; Spain and Parma were defiant; Portugal threatened to establish a patriarchate independent of Rome, even Maria Theresa, hitherto fervently loyal to the papacy and the Jesuits, but now losing authority to her freethinker son Joseph II, answered the Pope’s appeal that she could not resist the united will of so many potentates. Choiseul, dominating the government of France, instructed Bernis to tell the Pope that ‘if he does not come to terms he can consider all relations with France at an end.’ (11) Charles III of Spain had sent a similar ultimatum on April 22. Clement, playing for time, promised Charles soon to ’submit to the wisdom and intelligence of your Majesty a plan for the total extinction of the Society.’ (12) He ordered his aides to consult the archives and summarize the history, achievements, and alleged offenses of the Society of Jesus. He refused to surrender to Choiseul’s demand that he decide the issue within two months. He took three years, but finally yielded.

On July 21, 1773, he signed the historic brief ‘Dominus ac Redemptor Noster’. It began with a long list of religious congregations that had, in the course of time, been suppressed by the Holy See. It noted the many complaints made against the Jesuits, and the many efforts of divers popes to remedy the abuses so alleged. ‘We have observed with the bitterest grief that these remedies, and others applied afterward, had neither efficacy or strength to put an end to the troubles, the charges, and the complaints.’ (13)

The brief concluded:

‘Having recognized that the Society of Jesus could no longer produce the abundant fruit and the great good for which it was instituted and approved by so many popes, our predecessors, who adorned it with so many most admirable privileges, and seeing that it was almost–and indeed absolutely–impossible for the Church to enjoy a true and solid peace while this order existed,… we do hereby, after a mature examination, and of our certain knowledge, and by the plenitude of our Apostolic power, suppress and abolish the Society of Jesus. We nullify and abrogate all and each of its offices, functions, administrations, houses, schools, colleges, retreats, refuges, and other establishments which belong to it in any manner whatever, and in every province, kingdom, or state in which it may be found.’ (14)

The brief went on to offer pensions to those Jesuits who had not yet taken holy orders, and who wished to return to lay life; it permitted Jesuit priests to join the secular clergy or some religious congregation approved by the Holy See; it allowed professed Jesuits, who had taken final and absolute vows, to remain in their former houses provided they dressed like secular priests and submitted to the authority of the local bishop…

This is not generally the fashion here. A murderer killing himself, in Naples; the murderer usually makes for the nearest church; once there is quite safe. Every church gave the criminal ’sanctuary’-immunity from arrest so long as he remained under its roof.

The law attempted to deter crime rather by severity of punishment than by efficiency of police. Under the laws of the gentle Benedict XIV blasphemy was punished by flogging, and, for a third offence, five years in the galleys. Unlawful entry of a convent at night was a capital crime. The solicitation or public embrace of an honorable woman brought condemnation to the galleys for life. Defamation of character, even if it spoke nothing but the truth, was punishable with death and confiscation of goods.” (15)

One can easily imagine these people were well behaved and civilized… right?! Is my sense of disgust at the deprecation of the ’savages’ and ‘pagans’ unwarranted?

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest writer at World-Mysteries.com

The statement in 1Co 7:5, is not a commandment but a suggestion from God thru the Apostle Paul. We say this because of what is stated afterwards;
1Co 7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. “by permission” brns. This word means “indulgence,” or “permission,” and stands opposed to that which is expressly enjoined; compare 1Co_7:25. “I am ‘allowed’ to say this; I have no express command on the subject; I give it as my opinion; I do not speak it directly under the influence of divine inspiration;” see 1Co_7:10, 1Co_7:25, 1Co_7:40. Paul here does not claim to be under inspiration in these directions which he specifics. But this is no argument against his inspiration in general, but rather the contrary. 1Co 7:6 –
by: 1Co_7:12, 1Co_7:25; 2Co_8:8, 2Co_11:17

1Co 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. The Apostle Paul was not married, but his advice for the married and unmarried are words from the Father, by permission, and not of commandment.
1Co 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. “if they cannot contain” is speaking of a sexual relationship before marriage.
“for it is better to marry than to burn.” Speaking of the desire of the flesh and also of the penalty of sex before marriage, fornication.
1Co 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
1Co 7:29, is speaking of the end days, where it will be all a man and a woman can do, to remained saved, to remain solely concentrated on God. Sex at this point and time for Christians will be a low priority, but rather their priority will be on worship.
Mal 2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Mal 2:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

Mal 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
Dealing with sex is a matter of wisdom and knowledge, in Gods word. We cannot continue to have random sex between, the unmarried and the fornication of same sex couples. We cannot accept these types of lifestyles, we cannot say that these things will be ok, or that they were born this way, for these are the lies of Satan. These things or should I say relationships, bring about, pain, heart ache, disease, trouble and damnation, for after sin is conceived it brings forth death.
This world is coming to and end. God will accept you as you are, but He refuses to allow you to continue in the ways of sin. We deal with sex as a part of our very exsistance, ordained by God as a union between, a married, man and a woman. We can take the dirtiness of sex out, with instruction and education, we can remove the sexual sins by raising our children in the knowledge of Lord.
In my opinion, we have almost lost an entire generation to lack of teaching, knowledge and instruction. We are losing many thru the, shows, books and commercials that bombard our nation and our children that state that all sex is ok. Accepting these lies will lead to damnation. Ars.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries A.R.Smith Ministries http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Perhaps we should allow mankind to repeat its warring way and past periods. Happy Easter Indeed; Iran now is making nuclear weapons to Blow Israel Off the Map? Here we go again, round and round she goes like a bad Hollywood “B” movie re-run.

We must allow Iran to have nuclear weapons to give to the international terrorist groups they sponsor. This way these Muslim terrorists will have nuclear weapons for attacks? But since it might be a few years until Iran has them, we should give them some of the US stockpile, so they can have a nuclear deterrent, because they are such nice and wonderful people and Islam is a wonderful and peaceful way of life which all Muslims should be? Should be? Proud of? Yah that’s it, that’s the ticket.

Very proud of killing innocent people. Isn’t that special. Wake up World, we have a major culture clash and it is nothing close to peaceful and we need to stop pretending. We are watching a build up of weapons to WW III and if unless you are blind and cannot see, it is time to back track this rhetoric and back off this pace towards war. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

The Bible has many places that show that the Kingdom of God is to be set up on this earth. For example, Revelation 11:15 states as follows:

“15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (KJV)

Yes, Jesus Christ is going to take over all of the kingdoms and other governments of this world. He will rule over the entire earth. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed or overthrown.

In Acts 1:10-11, Luke records that angels said that Jesus Christ will return to the earth in the same way that he ascended to heaven after his resurrection:

“10And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel

“11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (KJV)

Jesus Christ will return to the earth to set up the Kingdom of God. The prophet Zechariah records in Zechariah 14:4 that the feet of the Lord will stand on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. He also states that the Lord will be king over all the earth in Zechariah 14:9:

“9And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” (KJV)

Isaiah 2:2-4 tells us that many nations will come up to Jerusalem to learn from the Lord:

“2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

“3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

“4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (KJV)

The Bible uses mountains as symbols of nations. The Kingdom of God will be over all nations. The capital city of the Kingdom of God will be the holy city of Jerusalem. Jesus Christ will teach all people his ways that bring peace and blessings. War colleges and military academies will no longer exist. War will be a thing of the past as all nations begin to apply God’s way of love in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ himself said in the sample prayer that he gave his disciples, which is often called The Lord’s Prayer, that his followers are to pray “Thy Kingdom Come” (Matthew 6:10) Yes, Christians are to pay that the Kingdom of God will come to the earth. Christians are not to pray that they will go to heaven.

The Kingdom of God is coming to this earth to rule all nations and restore the earth to a place of beauty and peace. That is indeed good news.

Alan D. Campbell lives in Brandon, Florida. For more good news, please see his blog The Good News of the Kingdom of God at http://goodnewsofthekingdomofgod.blogspot.com

A means to express our faith. A journey of faith. The ability to capture life’s lessons that God teaches us. An eternal legacy for our children. A witnessing tool. An incredible, permanent reminder of our God Moment and His hand in our lives. Scripture, thoughts, prayers, blessings, memories, letters, and stories combines with our photographs to always remember our personal and spiritual journey with the Lord.

Why should you start faithbooking? Because we are commanded to. Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to remember. Remember the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. Psalm 78:4 We are also told to teach. Teach them to your children…Dt. 4:9 Teach them the right way to live…1 Kings 8:36 There are many more scripture verses that tell us to remember and teach. What better way to remember and to teach then with faithbooking! Remember and teach through your journaling and scripture verses then enhance with photos and embellishments.

If you currently scrapbook, don’t wait to finish your current scrapbook album to start faithbooking. For me, they are onemin the same. I like to incorporate my faith throughout my scrapbooks as one. They are not two separate projects. Always start your faithbook in prayer. Then you can start simply by adding scripture and verses to capture the theme of the layout and then progress into journaling more thought provoking faith questions.

If scrapbooking is not your thing, then consider keeping a journal. Express your feelings on paper and then share the portions you want with others as you feel led. Remember there is not a right or wrong way to faithbook-just get started today!

Yom Kippur is also called The Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:30-31; Leviticus 23:27-28, 31-32; and Numbers 29:7 speak of it. Yom Kippur is also referred to by various themes and idioms: Face to Face, The Day (or the Great Day), The Fast, The Great Shofar, and Neilah (the closing of the gates). On the tenth of Tishrei the high priest shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the shrine and from the people. The heart of the ritual is that the high priest shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering.

First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the shrine from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household. Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed to purge the shrine of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people. Finally, the second goat is sent away not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness. Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, “The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…”

The Hebrew word for scapegoat is azazel. Azazel was seen as a type of satan in the intertestamental Book of Enoch (8:1). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon azazel, the scapegoat. He would bear the sins of the people and punishment of the people would be upon him. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

Messianic Understanding God gave the ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium (Matthew 25:31-46).

Jesus is our High Priest. In John 20:17, Yeshua said, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father…” These were the same words that the priest spoke before he ascended the altar. Yeshua can be seen as Priest by looking at some other Scriptures. In Numbers 19:11, if you touched a dead body, you were unclean for seven days. After being unclean, purification took place on the eighth day. This is the meaning behind what happened in John 20:24-27. Rather than wearing his usual robe and colorful garments, Aaron was commanded to wear special garments of linen. Yeshua was seen wearing the same thing in Revelation 1:13-15. Daniel also saw this and described it in Daniel 10:5-6. (Bonus scripture Numbers 15: 37-41 regarding fringes which were to remind the people of the Torah or God’s Word. Consider the woman with the issue of blood and relate her faith in God’s Word–Jesus–to heal her.)

Therefore, when the high priest stood before God on this day, he was said to be “face to face” with God. Because of this, Yom Kippur became known by the phrase “face to face.” “Face to face” terminology was used in First Corinthians 13:9-12. Both verse 11 and the phrase in verse 12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly” come from the Jewish Midrash.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, comes on the tenth day of the Jewish month of Tishrei (September/October). It is the last day of the Ten Days of Repentance, and it is the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar. It is believed that those who have not been good enough to be written in the Book of Life immediately on Rosh HaShanah are given ten days to repent, pray for forgiveness, and do good deeds until Yom Kippur, when their fate will be decided. The entire Day of Forgiveness is spent fasting and praying. Because this day is the most solemn day in the year, it is known as “The Day.”

Conclusion The Day of Atonement was the most solemn of all the feast days. It was the day of cleansing for the nation and for the sanctuary. On this day alone, once a year, the high priest entered into the holiest of all, the Holy of Holies in the temple, within the veil of the temple, with the blood of the Lord’s goat, the sin offering. Here he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. The blood of the sin offering on the great Day of Atonement brought about the cleansing of all sin for the priesthood, the sanctuary, and Israel as a nation.

The year of Jubilee was the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 25:9-11). This was a year and day of liberty. Yeshua came to preach this liberty at His first coming. From Adam, it has been almost 6,000 years and 120 Jubilees. The number 120 points to the end of the age of the flesh and the reign of the life of the spirit (Genesis 6:3). The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah. The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free–set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan, the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them. So, the year of Jubilee and the day of Atonement speak of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.

Pastor T.

Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is at the door.

Material for this lesson was taken from Edward Chumney’s book entitled, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah (Treasure House). I highly recommend this book.

Presently, the focus is on whether Jesus was a fictional, or non-fictional, character. Now, listen up: A court judge has been saddled with the responsibility to decide if the man who died about two hundred years ago ever existed, or set foot, on earth. Moreover, the scene of this drama is Italy, the home of Roman Catholic Church, the most populous religion in the world. And this church is headed by the pope, the veritable Vicar of Christ who never lived! (Play me Sitting on Edge.)

At his trial before High Priest Joseph Caiaphas and Governor Pontius Pilate when he was alive, Christ had no attorneys. But in this celebrated case, lawyers on both sides are busy marshalling arguments in court as to whether he lived or not, before bemused onlookers. (Trust the learned men in wigs and gowns.) But how did it all begin?

TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, CLICK ON “SPECIAL ESSAYS” IN THIS WEBSITE:

http://controversialwriter.tripod.com Maito: controversialwriter@yahoo.com

Arthur Zulu is an editor, book reviewer, and the author of A LETTER TO NOAH and HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER.