America--The Modern Romans

While I was in Maine I finished a large book-length "article" titled "America--The Modern Romans" (about 66 pages long, but each chapter averages a short 12 pages long, so a chapter a day makes it an easy read).  It details American history from 1941 to the present, showing who started the Cold War, and details why Vladimir Putin is doing what he is doing, which has deep Russian-historic origins we as Americans have not taken into consideration.  And due to this historic oversight on our part, Vladimir Putin out of sincere security concerns for Russia, is trying to destabilize and neutralize NATO as a military bloc.  Vladimir views America as Russia's number one enemy, and historically speaking, this is our, America's fault, not Vlad's.  But what Vladimir is doing to destabilize NATO will have a lot to do with the formation of the prophetic "Beast Empire" in the form of some kind of United States of Europe, a coming military superpower which will threaten world peace and ultimately bring on World War III.  This is a long article, and well documented, but for the stated reasons here, well worth the read.  For in the final analysis, it is we Americans, through out short-sighted foreign policy toward first the Soviet Union, and now the Russian Federation, which will ultimately be responsible for the formation of this coming military superpower in Europe which will end up threatening all life on the planet.  To read this "article" log onto:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/topical%20studies/America-ModernRomans1.htm

Considering how Vladimir and the Russian Federation are all over the Middle East right now, with both "boots on the ground" in the form of airbases, T-90 tanks, and powerful naval hardware off the coast of Syria, this article explaining Vlad's and Russia's motives is extremely timely.

New Section Just Went Up:  Psalms---Deepen Your Relationship With God

I have just created a new section for Psalms, and it's growing fast, I have already put up Psalms 1 through through Psalm 32.  Anything a believer could be going through, all the emotional ups and downs of life are powerfully expressed in the Psalms.  This new section will enhance your relationship and prayer-life with God.  I find myself praying these Psalms as they apply to my life, and it has deepened my relationship with God greatly.  To log onto the Psalms section, see:

     http://www.unityinchrist.com/Psalms/Psalm%201%201.html

Also I just updated the "Does God Exist?" section to include a scientific explanation for why we believe what we believe based on a March 2015 National Geographic article titled "War On Science."  My article explains why the human brain will hold onto religious beliefs, be they true of false, even of atheism and unproven theories like evolution, in the face of real hard-core scientific evidence to the contrary.  It's an interesting explanation, and it is scientific, going into the neuroscience of the human brain.  To see this one, go to:

     http://www.unityinchrist.com/Does/waronscience.htm

New Testament Section Finished: 

Epistle Section and Two New Sections to Check Out:

I finished up all the Epistles expository transcripts in mid October, and just got them up on the site.  This finishes up all the New Testament for this site.  Next I will go on to cover Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon next as my long-term goal.

See, http://www.unityinchrist.com/epistles.html

I finished a Faith section for the site.

See http://www.unityinchrist.com/faith/whatis.htm

I also created a new section titled "Does God Exist?"  Most people don't want to know God exists, so they're just fine with their beliefs in evolutionary theory.  But for those who truly have genuine and honest questions about God's existence, you will find in the accompanying articles, that evolutionary theory doesn't have a leg to stand on.  You can always prove God's existence, he doesn't want blind faith.  But do you want to know God exists?  That is the all-important question.  Do you want a loving God in your life, lovingly directing your steps through life, and offering you eternal life at the end of it all?  If the answer to those two questions is yes, then check out the articles linked below.

see http://www.unityinchrist.com/Does/Does%20God%20Exist.html

(to be added to this section shortly will be this article, at this link:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/dinosaurs/molecularmachines.htm  )

Pastoral Epistles Finished, Now Working On The General Epistles

The last of the pastoral Epistles have been uploaded going through Timothy, Titus and Philemon.  We are now working on the General Epistles and have gone as far as through all of 1st Peter   see,

http://www.unityinchrist.com/epistles.html

Hopefully, I will be done with the General Epistles by mid-Fall or a little sooner.  Working quietly offline in a nice house on the beach in southern Maine, no internet connection, peace and quiet, just me and my computer and the occasional mouse poking his head out from behind a book in the bookcase.

Article on Unity for the Sabbath-keeping Churches of God

Oh, for the Sabbath-keeping Church of God side of the Body of Christ I just put up an interesting article about achieving an attitude that promotes unity and spiritual maturity within this side of the Body of Christ.  To read it, log onto:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/unity.htm

Important Sermon by Victor Kubik along with Time Magazine quote show where Vladimir Putin is headed, and what this means in end-time prophecy

Also a really good sermon by Victor Kubic has just gone up, describing what's going on in the Ukraine and Middle East in that same section, and an incredible sermon by Gary Petty on the "fruits of the Spirit."  As reported in the 4th August 2014 issue of Time Magazine, on page 28, these two sentences say it all about the Ukraine and show you what motivating force is now acting to inspire Europe to unite and become a superpower militarily and economically, a powerful United States of Europe.  I quote, "So Putin presses ahead.  His increasingly overt goal is to splinter Europe, rip up the NATO umbrella and restore Russian influence around the world."  So click on that "unity" link above, and scroll to the right for the link going to Victor Kubik's sermon about what's going on in the Ukraine.  Coupled to that Time Magazine quote, you will see what is going to end up driving Europe to unify into a world superpower which will leave the world gasping in wonder, and ultimately bring on World War III.  (The link to his sermon is titled "Crisis in Ukraine")

The Pastoral Epistles: Paul's Instructions For Local Pastors

In 1st Timothy the apostle Paul instructs Timothy about the requirements for ordination of local teaching-pastors, deacons and deaconesses, how a pastor is to treat an "elder" (not another pastor, by context and grammar, but a man over 60), young men, older women, younger women, older widows, younger widows, slaves and masters (don't forget the Roman Empire was 50 percent slave in population).  Also in 1st Timothy the apostle Paul instructs Timothy (who is his emissary, representative to the local pastors at Ephesus) about what is important for a pastor to teach, the major doctrines of the faith, and reading through the Word of God, not to focus on twiggy issues.  And that is just a short summation of what's in the first Pastoral Epistle, 1st Timothy.  Transcripts of the three Pastoral Epistles will be coming along, about one Epistle a month up till June, so keep a lookout here for updates and links to these important instructions from Paul to local pastors.  It's important to remember, the Pastoral Epistles can be applied to everyone, but most importantly, they are the personal instructions from the apostle Paul which should govern how pastors are to behave and act toward those under them in the congregation, not like authotarian goose-stepping Nazi's, but treating everyone like you would members of your own family, and it is, the family of God you've been entrusted the care of, as loving elder brothers over the flock of God (see 1st Timothy 5:1-2 for that particular instruction in this series).  These are the Bible's instructions on how pastors should act, what they should and shouldn't teach and major in, the whole nine yards of instructions from the apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus, overseers of the pastors under them.  Lately, the question has been asked on Christianity Today's CT-Today online news letter, "how should a pastor be dealt with if he has a moral failing?"  "Should he remain in ministry?" they asked, and after several major recent moral failings of pastors, several articles on CT-Today got wide coverage and multiple comments after their articles.  All ask the question, "Can the pastor be restored, and return to office?"  As you will read in the transcripts below covering 1st and 2nd Timothy, yes, the person can be restored.  But can he be restored to the office of an elder, teaching-pastor?  Paul says a resounding "no way."  When we get to his instructions to Titus, the same message comes through loud and clear.  There are certain "qualifiers" given by the apostle Paul for pastors, elders, which must not be violated.  These Pastoral Epistles are also very nourishing spiritually for ordinary believers as well.  There is no reason a local member of a church can't be just as spiritually pure as a pastor, meet the same standards.  Thus these Epistles are beautiful for spiritual growth.  Enjoy.  Titus and Philemon are coming next, probably in early July.

For the connective expository series on 1st Timothy and the first half of 2nd Timothy,  see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/1stTim/1st%20Timothy%201%201-17.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/2ndTim/2ndTimothy1-1-12.htm

Book of Hebrews section expands through Hebrews chapter 8

My webhost has just put up the files going from Hebrews chapters 5-8, so we're a little over 2/3 the way through the Book of Hebrews.  Enjoy.  The new files are at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews5-1-14.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews6-1-20.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews%207%201-28.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews%208%201-13.htm

Also got a new article about how evangelism walks on two legs, can be found in the Worldwide Church of God section at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Questions.htm

And one more on Family Prayer-groups at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/FamilyPrayer-group%20guideline.htm


I finished through 2nd Thessalonians and am currently working on 1st Timothy.  My short-term goal is to have Paul's epistles finished by June 2014, 1st and  2nd Peter and Jude finished by the Fall Holy Days.

Pastor Joe gives some pretty sound arguments for a pre-Trib Rapture/1st Resurrection of the saints in the 1st Thessalonians 2:16-18 transcript.  The whole subject of differing interpretations for 2nd Coming prophecies is discussed as an addendum to the end of the Matthew 24:1-31 study, as well as on the title page of the Prophecy section, where I challenge theologians and denominational leaders to get their act together on the proper interpretation of 2nd Coming prophecies.  To read this challenge, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/Prophets_Prophecy.html

Fall Holy Days 2013 Are Upon Us

Each year those of us who observe God's Holy Days rehearse in the Fall Holy Days the end-time Plan of God, his Plan of Salvation for greater mankind.  It would appear by even a glance at the history of mankind, the vast majority of mankind has never been called into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For one, over two-thirds of man's written history, going back 6,000 years, was before Jesus Christ paid for the sins of mankind, and thus it would be pretty hard to ask Jesus Christ into your life before he was born.  Basically, the knowledge of God had only been given to the 12 tribes of Israel, and the Jews, Judah, before the time of Christ, from Moses until the birth of Christ.  The Spring Holy Days, Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, all point to individual salvation we have through Christ, and the birth of the Church, and the Church Age.  But at the return of Jesus Christ, a new age begins, the Kingdom Age, the age when the Kingdom of God will dwell on this earth, as Jesus Christ and the resurrected, immortal saints will rule over the whole world.  Current events do show us we're not far from these earth-shaking events.  It would be wise to read about these events before they come upon us unawares.    Several sections on this site rehearse these events.   For a quick run-down on the Fall Holy days, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/E-Mails/June%2014/FallHolyDays-short.htm

For a glimpse into this Kingdom Age, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkg1.htm

By the Hebrew calculated calendar which the Jews go by, the Feast of Trumpets falls on the 5th September, 2013, and the Day of Atonement falls on the 14th of September, and the Feast of Tabernacles runs from the 19th through the 26th of September.  For a look at the Hebrew Calendar the Jews use, and why it is accurate, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/calendar/HebrewCalendar.htm

Ministry of Reconciliation

One Of The Most Important Studies To Come Down the Pike: The Ministry of Reconciliation

Hi folks. This is a heads-up notification.  I just finished transcribing an incredible six-sermon set on the Ministry of Reconciliation.  I had thought my condensed series of Gary Petty's Agape series was the best thing to go up on the site, but this one is even better.  It's genuine grade A T-bone steak, real spiritual meat.  For the new section, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/reconciliation/MinistryOfReconciliation1.htm

PS, also working on an expository section for the Book of Hebrews, which is about to be expanded through Hebrews chapter 8.  Hebrews 4, 6 through 8 are a bit controversial, but then this whole book was just that when Paul sent it from Rome to the brethren living in Jerusalem and Judea.  Check it out at;

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews1-1-14.htm and for Hebrews 4, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews4-1-16.htm

Pentecost, the Church's Birthday

We all grew up celebrating birthdays (or at least most of us did), our own, those of our friends, then our children's, parents, grandparents, you name it.  Facebook even reminds us when someone we've "friended" has a birthday coming up.  The Body of Christ, also called in God's Word, "the Bride of Christ," which is the Church, composed of all believers from 31/32AD to the 2nd coming of Christ, has a birthday.  And most of us pay it little mind.  This birthday is probably the most important of birthdays, and it is recorded in the Bible, with its date and all.  Even God did not allow us to know the actual date of Jesus Christ's birthday (and if you think it was December 25th, you're sadly misinformed, that wasn't it).  Where Jesus never highlighted the actual date of his own birth, he certainly did highlight the birthday of his future Bride (cf. Acts 2:1-4; Revelation 19:7-9).  When is this birthday of the Bride of Christ, the Church, the Body of Christ?  It is on the day of Pentecost, and this year the birthday of the Church, the Body of Christ, is coming up on the 19th of May this year (2013).

For some related articles that delve into the symbolic and prophetic meaning behind this Holy Day God gave the Israelites as well as the Church to observe, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Feast%20of%20Weeks.htm

For two links detailing the birth of the early Church, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index4.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm

Finally, what is Jesus Christ's desire for his Body of Believers in these end-times we find ourselves living in?  See:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophets/Zephaniah/Zephaniah1.htm (and scroll to Zephaniah 2:1-2)

Meaning of the Boston Marathon Bombing

I know in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings by two Chechen terrorists, that people are looking for the ultimate meaning behind it all.  For one, Chechen rebels, terrorists, are some of the most deadly in the world, as the Russians have discovered.  And the Russians are no slouches when it comes to brutal responses, and payback.  For the Chechens to continue terror attacks against the Russians says something about them.  But amazingly enough, the whole incident, from bombing to the killing and/or capture of these two Chechen brothers was over with in five short days.  But let's back up a little bit, from this lone incident and try to get the Big picture, which will show us it is not a lone incident, but is being driven by a spiritual force.  Up until the early 1980s, all terrorism was basically politically motivated, not over religion or religiously driven.  Since the 1980s that has done an about-face, where over 85 percent of all terrorism is religiously motivated and driven.  And the driving force of modern terrorism (I know it's not politically correct to say so, but neither Jesus nor Bible prophecy are politically correct) comes from Islamic/Arabic sources, the Muslim world.  And all since the early 1980s.  For a good primer on this subject, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/terror.htm

But where is it all headed?  I realize Chechnya is not part of the Arabic world.  But Chechens are strongly Muslim, and they also send volunteers to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban against the Americans.  But again I ask, where is all this headed?  What is the driving "spirit" behind all of this? And it is a spiritual force driving this, make no mistake. The whole 11th chapter of Daniel is about the four divided kingdoms that sprang off of Alexander the Great's Greek Empire at the time of his untimely death.  As you get to the end of Daniel 11, two of those four kingdoms get swallowed up by the two that remain.  Daniel names these two kingdoms that remain "the king of the north" and "the king of the south."  The "king of the north" ended up being the Roman Empire, and at the end of Daniel 11, the "king of the north" represents an end-time resurrection of this deadly ferocious Roman Empire.  And this "king of the south" represents a federation of Arabic nations, whose headquarters is Egypt, and Cairo.  Daniel 11, verse 40 predicts that this "king of the south" pushes in some way at this "king of the north", which triggers World War III, leading eventually, three years down the road, to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.  What evidence do we have that an Arabic/Muslim caliphate is forming into what the Bible calls in Daniel 11, "the king of the south"?  Read these fine current events articles to see where this is all leading.  

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/winter-advisory-arab-spring-wasnt/

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/will-world-see-new-caliphate/

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/closer-look-muslim-brotherhood/

New York City had its taste of this spiritual force which is driving these Arabic nations into "the king of the south," an Arabic/Muslim caliphate.  Now Boston has just had its taste of this same spiritual force which is driving this religious movement forward.  Keep a weather-eye on Syria, for when Basher Assad's regime falls, this Muslim Brotherhood caliphate is ready to form.  Watch the Middle East.  And yes, some of that has spilled over onto US soil, because the US has been involved directly in suppressing Arabic/Muslim extremism (in response, understandably, to 9/11).  In the end, the United States of America will not have the resolve to end this conflict, but a empire rising out of Europe will possess that resolve. 

The Four Gospels---Four Clear Windows into Christ's Life

The Gospel section for UnityinChrist.com is now complete, check it out, and dive into some very clear studies on the Life of Christ as expounded through the four Gospel accounts.

See:  http://www.unityinchrist.com/gospels.html

Passover Season Special

I just finished up on the Gospel of Luke section.  I have just put up Luke chapters 22 through 24, containing some excellent "connective expository sermons" dealing with the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This will make an excellent Passover review for all you readers.  

Other related links are at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/lastsix.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.html 

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Leaven.htm

Luke 22 through 24 just went up in time for the Passover season.  Check out these links:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-1-20.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-21-34.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-35-53.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-54-71.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke23-13-43.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke23-43-56.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke24-1-35.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke24-36-53.htm

The incredible character of Jesus Christ comes out in this series.  I highly recommend it.

The Worldwide Church of God Section of this Website Expanding Now to 10 Articles and One Large Subsection on Agape

Six new articles have just gone up, one titled The Sabbath and Hospitality,  another titled Are You In A New Wineskin or An Old Brittle Wineskin? as well as new ones have also just gone up titled How Does Jesus Want Us To Observe His Sabbath Day?', 'We're the Salt & Light of the World, and the Fishers of Men,' 'How To Give A Connective Expository Sermon,'  and an article submitted by a guest-author, Arthur Suckling, a pastor in the United Church of God, who wrote the article 'The Great Divide.'  All can be viewed by logging onto the Worldwide Church of God section whose link is below.  All Sabbath/Holy Day observing Christians will want to read those new articles.  They take a real hard look at where we've been in the past, and where Jesus in Scripture indicates he wants us to go now.  All of them are a bit controversial for us Sabbath-keeping Church of God folks, but so is the Word of God, from which they are strongly based.  Check them out by logging onto the Worldwide Church of God link below: 

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/wwcofgod.html

These articles highlight areas we as Sabbath-keeping Christians really need to grow in spiritually.  All the articles in this expanded Worldwide Church of God section focus on where we've been and where we need to go, or in one instance, what we should avoid (i.e. Arianism).  Jesus' desire is to show us off to the world, but he can't do that if we continue to hide under the various rocks we've gotten used to hiding under, such rocks as Exclusivism, Pharisaism (legalism), Arianism, lack of God's agape-love, just to name a few. 

This post if filed under "church unity."  Be sure to click on that "label" at the bottom of this post and see how this post fits in with the rest under that label heading.  There is a very interesting pattern that is developing here.  A year ago, my whole intention was to continue building up the expository transcripts going through the Gospel of Luke.  The Lord sort of brought me on a year-long detour and inspired me to create the articles in the Worldwide Church of God section, one after the other.  So click on that label "church unity"  under this post, and see if you can see a pattern or theme the Lord has been influencing me to write on.

Pentecost 2012

Pentecost 2012 is here, 27th May 2012.   What does Pentecost, Shevuot mean, what is it's symbolic meaning?  See:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Feast%20of%20Weeks.htm

Also a new article about congregational or house-church prayer-groups has been added to the Worldwide Church of God section.  If you're part of a Sabbath-keeping Church of God, be sure to check it out.  I proto-typed one of these in a tiny Sabbath-keeping house-church, with astounding results.  It's based on Jesus' words in Matthew 18:19-20.

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Prayer-groupGuidelines.htm

Passover/Spring Holy Days

Passover/Spring Holy Days,

a time for some review,

a time for some new material

The Passover will be here really soon, Passover day falling on the 6th of April this year, starting at sundown on the evening of the 5th April. Some good old standby's for articles are the ones on the The Exodus From Egypt and The Last Six Days of Jesus Christ, and of course, the old faithful article about Leaven. You can access them by clicking on:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/lastsix.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Leaven.htm

For all the various (375 of them) Sabbath-keeping Churches of God whose parent church was the Worldwide Church of God, the Worldwide Church of God section has been expanding. And the articles now included in it are very Passover appropriate. One four-part series is on the vital subject of Agape, and how with God's Holy Spirit, we're supposed to develop this godly love within us, or else our Christianity is hollow, empty. The other one, hot off the keyboard, is an article which concerns each and every one of us Sabbath-observing Church of God Christians. It is an article proving the Sabbath Commandment has not been abrogated. That one should interest all of you. But be careful, like the Word of God it is based upon, it cuts both ways, like the double-edge sword God's Word is. As such, at least for now, it is not aimed at Sunday-observers, although you folk can feel free to read it too. Go to these two links at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/Agape/Agape%20I.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Has%20the%20Sabbath%20Been%20Abrogated.htm

The core of what it means to be a Christian is in the article to be found in the first link, the one about Agape. The Sabbath not being abrogated issue is covered in the second link. Both are kind of hot potatoes for us, as time grows shorter to the Lord's coming, and we need to be taking these things (i.e. our Christianity) seriously. Have a good Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread everybody.

New Minor Prophets commentary

New Minor Prophets Commentary now available--Jesus Christ calls for unity within the Body of Christ!

I have just uploaded a new commentary of the Minor Prophets (Hosea through Malachi) for this website. It is in the Prophecy section of the site. Be sure to check it out. Some very, very important nuggets of prophetic truth are contained in the Minor Prophets. I discovered one of those nuggets in Zephaniah 2:1-3. I discovered imbedded within Zephaniah a message from the pre-incarnate Christ to the Church, Body of Christ, for us believers in Jesus who would find ourselves living just before the Tribulation. Considering how the Body of Christ is composed of a bunch of bickering, squabbling denominations and individual churches, this is quite an amazing message for the Body of Christ. Since 1995, for example, the Sabbath-keeping Worldwide Church of God has divided into 375 separate, often times, bickering individual denominations. The amazing thing is that they all more or less believe the same as each other doctrinally. In many instances (but not always) it is their leadership who are responsible for the divisions within this part of the Body of Christ. Click on the title of this blog and scroll to Zephaniah 2:1-3 to read this amazing message from the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ to us right now. Now since Jesus gave this message, I would guess Jesus will help bring this unity to pass. Personally, I cannot see how it can occur without his bringing it to pass. But the leadership within the various denominations will have to be cooperative to Jesus' command here. And it is an emphatic command, repeated twice within the same verse. It can't be ecumenical unity either, the type unity the "liberal" dead and dying denominations so often attempt to unify by. Jesus may just use persecution to slam all of us together into one semi-cohesive unit. There are various forms of unity as well, such as unity of purpose, we may become all unified in supporting the proclamation of the Gospel, unified in our support of the non-denominational organizations that proclaim the Gospel to the world. Who knows, though? I don't know how Jesus is going to bring unity about, to help us fulfill his emphatic command for us. Knowing the opposition found within the various parts of the Body of Christ, I'm just as curious as to how Jesus is going to bring unity about as you are. It is kind of interesting I would discover the very verses that proclaim the theme of this website, "UNITYINCHRIST.COM", which continues to operate on an extreme shoestring. But isn't that the way God does things sometimes, starts out really, really small, like that tiny little cloud Elijah's servant saw forming out over the ocean, which turned into a giant flooding rainstorm? Be sure to read that Zephaniah 2:1-3 file, and mull over, meditate on Jesus' message for the Church, the Body of Christ.

Question for ex-Worldwide Church of God members

If you are an ex-Worldwide Church of God member, I have a very good article written about the Worldwide Church of God, which may help put our "Worldwide" experience into proper perspective, and it gives a few helpful suggestions as to where we need to be headed in our spiritual journey right now. The Worldwide Church of God section of this website also helps answer some vital questions about unity within this part of the Body of Christ raised by Jesus Christ in Zephaniah 2:1-3. To log onto the Worldwide Church of God section, click on:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/wwcofgod.html

For another interesting piece that covers some aspects of unity in the Body of Christ, log onto:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/corinthians/1st%20Corinthians.htm

Incredible Prophetic Events Occuring As I Write--A Question For Sunday-observers

Turmoil in the Middle East

The Fall Holy Day season has just gone by us, and world events really heated up just in time for them, as usual. This year looks like a humdinger, and as I write Qadaffi is out of power and has been killed. As of today the 24th of October, 2011, the transitional leader of Libya just called for Sharia Law as Libya celebrates liberation (foxnews.com). I quote, "Abdul-Jalil set out a vision for the post-Qaddafi future with an Islamist tint, saying that Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation in the country and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified." Next door to Libya foxnews.com reports "Signs of Strong Islamist Vote in Tunisian Elections" and "Egypt's parliamentary elections have been taking place this last week in November, with the Muslim Brotherhood scoring a whapping 36.6 percent, which when allied to any other conservative Islamic party will give them a clear majority in the Egyptian government." As of now, quoting from foxnews.com, "The High Election Commission [in Egypt] said the Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party garnered 36.6 percent of the 9.7 million valid ballots cast for party lists. The Nour Party, a more hardline Islamist group captured 24.4 percent...The Brotherhood has emerged as the most organized and cohesive political force in these elections...The party itself has positioned itself as a moderate Islamist party that wants to implement Islamic law without sacrificing personal freedoms, and has said it will not seek an alliance with the more radical Nour party. The ultraconservative Salafis who dominate the Nour party are newcomers to the political scene. They had previously frowned upon involvement in politics and shunned elections. They espouse a strict interpretation of Islam similar to that of Saudi Arabia, where the sexes are segregated and women must be veiled and are banned from driving. Its members say laws contradicting religion can't be passed." That last statement was also made by the new leader of Libya right after Qaddafi was killed. Now for sure there appears to be a solid string of Islamic nations across North Africa, soon to come under Sharia law, all loosely united under the Muslim Brotherhood, or worse, the organization that brought this Arab Spring about through their well-organized protests, which started in Tunisia and spread throughout the Arabic world. Syria is next on their list. Now Basher Assad's regime in Syria looks to be in very serious trouble, and in danger of toppling. Such a group of nations may form into a caliphate of nations, with little Israel sandwiched inbetween them, with the possibility these nations could possibly morph into what is known in Daniel 11 as the "king of the south" (cf. Daniel 11:40-45). The prospect of Israel in a "Muslim Brotherhood Sandwich" does not spell peace in the Middle East at all. It may create a "situation which demands outside intervention" (European brokered 7-year peace treaty anyone?). How close to the abyss do we have to get before waking up spiritually to the signs of the times folks?

How Important Are God's Holy Days?--Did the Early Church Observe Them?

As a few of you already know, the Fall Holy Days symbolize the time of the great tribulation and subsiquent 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ (Trumpets), the locking away of Satan and the demons and Jesus' Atonement being applied to the whole world now (Atonement), and the arrival of the Millennial Kingdom of God (Feast of Tabernacles). Recent world events show us these events depicted by the Fall Holy Days are getting much closer. As a matter of fact, all of God's Holy Days commanded for ancient Israel in Leviticus 23, and observed by the early Christian Church for the first 300 years of their existence, symbolize important steps in God's masterplan of salvation for the whole world (and everyone who has ever lived in the world as well). Gentile Christianity mainly focuses on the meaning of the Spring Holy Days (Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and the birth of the Church), although they don't celebrate the actual spring Holy Days per se, while ignoring the Fall Holy Days and their symbolic meaning altogether, not incorporating their rich meaning into their Gospel proclamation. What I suspect is that God wants the entire, complete picture of his plan of Salvation and His invitation to it to be given to the world. That is what makes the Holy Days so very important, because they picture that entire plan of salvation we should be making plain to the world. Why celebrate the Hebrew Holy Days of Leviticus 23? Simply because they rehearse God's master plan of salvation, step by step, as you observe them. They step beyond one's own salvation (Spring Holy Days), to how God is going to offer up salvation to the whole world. To see how the early Church looked, days of worship and all that, log onto:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm

The early Christian Church was nothing like what most imagine it as being like. The "ancient" Holy Days of God, and the Sabbath itself, convey far more spiritual meaning and knowledge than the Gentile Christian days of worship--Sunday, Christmas and Easter--which borrow heavily from pagan origins. And they knew that back then. What Sunday-observing believers really need to learn is the historic truth that Sabbath and Holy Days of Leviticus 23 were being actively observed as "days of worship" by the early Christian Church for the first 300 years of its existence, from 30AD to around 325AD, instead of believing the unhistoric fable that it went over to Sunday/Christmas/Easter as their "days of worship" almost immediately, from Acts 8 onward. That is a historic fallacy. But just because the Sabbath and Holy Days are shadows for what Jesus and the Holy Spirit have accomplished in us (Spring Holy Days), and will yet accomplish (Fall Holy Days), is that a reason to ditch their observance? Nahum said this to Judah, and by inference to all believers in Jesus, taken in context with part "a" of Nahum 1:15, "Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaim peace! [that's the Gospel, folks, those that bring the Gospel!] O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows." Yes, Sabbath and Holy Days are far better than Sunday/Christmas/Easter (which have pagan origins [see http:www.biblebelievers.com/babylon/00index.htm] ). The Holy Days of Leviticus 23 rehearse God's entire Plan of Salvation for mankind. As a matter of fact, Jesus at his return will make observance of the Holy Days mandatory for all of mankind (see Zechariah 14:16-19; Isaiah 66:22-23). You have a choice to make. Choose wisely, time is short.

A Sincere Question for Sunday-observers

Some of the Body of Christ on the Sunday observing side are literally on fire in their promotion of the Gospel, and that is a good thing--the Sabbath-observing believers could certainly learn a thing or two from you guys on this score. Also the Calvary Chapel denomination's method of preaching through the Word of God giving what I term "connective expository" sermons is also one of the most powerful methods of spiritually nurturing a congregation--something else the Sabbath-observing believers could learn from as well (I feature transcripts of some of these [by permission] on this site, Gospel of Matthew, Mark, John, and some of the Epistles so far). But here's a serious question for you Calvary Chapel people: One of your pastors of Jewish lineage, Dr. David Hocking, made the statement to some of your pastors (I think in a pastors meeting) that 'they [Calvary Chapel pastors] should start getting used to the idea of Sabbath/Holy Day observance, because in the Millennial Kingdom of God we're all going to be observing them.' That's what he said. And Dr. Hocking's message was favorably received, because a local Calvary Chapel pastor relayed what Dr. Hocking said to his congregation (I was sitting in the congregation and heard him repeat Dr. Hocking's words). My sincere question is: Seeing that Sunday/Christmas/Easter truly have repugnant pagan origins, Why wait till Jesus' return to start observing the days Jesus himself will re-institute for the Church? That's my question. To see where Dr. Hocking is getting that idea (which is totally Scriptural), log onto the link below and scroll to the part of the commentary on Zechariah 14:16-19 and read through that:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophets/Zechariah/Zechariah4.htm

The Plain Truth About The Worldwide Church of God

My Israeli webhost just posted my article (recently researched and written) about what brought about the demise of the Worldwide Church of God as a Sabbatarian Church of God. Although painful for some to read, it was written because many if not most ex-Worldwide Church of God members do not realize why God allowed the Worldwide Church of God to be destroyed. Obviously this is true because the major splinter denominations which split off of WCG in 1995 still continue to make the very same mistakes and treat people the same way WCG did. Why? Because no one has really taught them why God was so displeased with the WCG and why he destroyed the WCG. We all tend to think that a man (or two of them) destroyed the Worldwide Church of God (and they certainly had a good hand in it), but it was really God who allowed them to do it, because he didn't like what he saw or what leadership within the Worldwide Church of God had been doing to those under them. This article was written because there is a need to know for those poor exWCG members who had to go through all of this. There is a need to know because the mistakes that led to the demise of the Worldwide Church of God continue to be made. If that weren't true, there would be no need to write and publish this article, and doing so would be worse than gossip. But this article has redeeming value because it not only names the sins, but points a way out of them, for those who are willing to listen. Click on the title to this blog to take you to the article. By the way, I was a loyal member of the Worldwide Church of God from April of 1970 to around 1996-7, having contributed multiple tens of thousands of dollars in tithes and offerings to God through the WCG. Most longtime WCG members, like me, were truly financial investors in the WCG in that sense, and I would say because of our time and money "invested", we all have the right to know the plain truth about what really happened and why. In spite of the errors (which were in the nature of the hierarchal non-Biblical governmental structure of the Worldwide Church of God), Mr. Armstrong did lay a good foundation doctrinally for Sabbath-keeping Churches of God. But like all foundations, buildings must be built upon them. Right now that foundation sits there, with nothing built upon it. Have you ever seen people (usually ones in the country, out in the woods) who don't have sufficient funds to build their house right away, so they build their foundation, cover over the top of it and live in it until they have the funds to build the house? That is about what we have in the various Sabbath-keeping Churches of God right now. What is it God would have us build on that foundation we were given, and what would God have us avoid in building materials? Check out the upper nav bar buttons on the Worldwide Church of God section for some really good answers to those two timely questions.

What is the Gospel--the Gospel of Christ?

For years the Worldwide Church of God which I was a member of taught a message about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, thinking this was the Gospel which Jesus told us to preach and that it was this 'Gospel' which when preached brought people into a knowledge of Salvation. I have learned since that we were preaching the "Jewish" gospel which the evangelistic Diaspora Jews had been preaching from the time of the Maccabees to the time of Christ. But the simple Gospel the apostle Peter preached in his first sermon in Acts 2 was about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The result of Peter's sermon preaching this 'Gospel' brought 3,000 souls to repentance and baptism. So what really is the "Gospel of Salvation," called alternately "the Gospel of Christ"? Click on the title of this blog to log onto an article I just posted about what the Gospel of Salvation really is. The Jewish gospel drew many Gentiles into their synagogues, and caused those Gentiles to believe in the One true God of Israel, Yahweh, and many believers have come into the Sabbatarian Churches of God due to the preaching of a similar gospel about the coming Kingdom of God, but it is not the Gospel preached by Paul, John, Peter and the other apostles. All believers ought to be on the same page with this essential information, for it is this very Gospel which Jesus commanded us to be preaching to the entire world before he would come again (Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18). Be sure to click on the title of this blog to link to an article which clearly defines the Gospel of Salvation. A major Sabbatarian Church of God leader has read it and approves of it 100 percent, interestingly. We all need to be on the same page with this one, as Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15 and Matthew 24:14 put some pretty serious emphasis on it.

Was the Church really like that? Happy Birthday, Body of Christ!

Hi everyone, the Church's (Body of Christ's) birthday is on the day of Pentecost, May 23rd, 2010 this year. Few realize what the history of that early Church was really like. I have a full-length history research paper on the subject, showing what the early Body of Christ was like. I have just updated part III of that research paper, expanding it from a short piece about Constantine, to one that shows the birth and development of the Catholic Church, whose beginnings go as far back as 96AD with their first "Bishop of Rome", Pope Clement. It's an interesting piece, because this history, taken from Paul Johnson's "A History of Christianity" shows how the hierarchal structure of church government slowly but steadily took over that 'universal' church, much to it's own detriment. This hierarchal church government structure in the Church in Rome allowed an 'old boy' network to develop and exist which allowed a high level of corruption to exist in that developing church. The updated section of this early church history article can be found on this link:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch3.htm

To log on that link above, just click on the above main title of this blog ("Was the Church Really Like That?"). So be sure to check that link out. The next question that begs asking is: 'Was this the structure to be found within the early Church of God in Jerusalem, or the churches of God that the apostle's Paul and John planted in Corinth and Asia Minor?' The answer: 'No, it was not.' Their congregations, as best as can be determined by searching the Epistles, were semi-autonomous, all coming under the gentle guidance and oversight of the apostles (Paul and John in Asia Minor and Gentile areas, Peter in Judea). Jerusalem up until 70AD was the central HQ church, but church governmental ties to this 'Mother Church' were very loose. General funds and tithes, except for occasional poor offerings sent to Jerusalem, were kept within each congregation, and obviously assisted in local evangelism, which helped grow these congregations. Pastors were chosen by local church members within each congregation, because it was these very same local members who would best know if the one they were choosing to be their pastor met the guidelines laid out by Paul in 1st Timothy 3:1-7. The word "bishop" found in that passage really meant "overseer" or "pastor" at the time Paul penned 1st Timothy. Compare this with the information found on the above link. Sadly, not only the Catholic Church followed this damaging hierarchal structure for church governance, but the Church of England and many Reformation churches followed it as well. Of recent, even some Sabbatarian Church of God denominations have followed it, much to their own hurt. They should look back to how the early Sabbatarian Churches of God in Rhode Island and New Jersey chose their pastors. In the early 1700s the tiny congregation of a Church of God was forming up in Piscataway, New Jersey. The members of this tiny congregation chose one of their own members, an Edward Dunham. They then sent him north to Newport, Rhode Island to have hands laid on him (his formal ordination), and then he was sent back to pastor the congregation that had chosen him (I would strongly suspect they chose him based on Paul's instructions in 1st Timothy 3:1-7). To see what the early Church was like in the 1st through 4th centuries AD, log onto and read:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm

Does Jesus want to see the Body of Christ unified, as they were that first Pentecost?

For the answer to that, log onto and read the link below and scroll to the section on Zephaniah 2:1-3:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophets/Zephaniah/Zephaniah1.htm

Be sure to log onto and read those links, you will find them most enlightening, maybe disturbing for some, as it's a paradigm-breaker. Happy Birthday Body of Christ, or Happy Pentecost, (and Happy Shevuot to our Messianic Jewish brothers in Yeshua)!