Earlier Protestant Reformed on God's plan for Israel

REFORMERS COMMENTS ON THE JEWISH PEOPLE:

John Calvin

"I extend the word Israel to all the people of God, according to this meaning, ­When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith; and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both; and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first born in God's family.

...as Jews are the firstborn, what the Prophet declares must be fulfilled, especially in them: for that scripture calls all the people of God Israelites, it is to be ascribed to the pre-eminence of that nation, who God had preferred to all other nations...God distinctly claims for himself a certain seed, so that his redemption may be effectual in his elect and peculiar nation...God was not unmindful of the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and by which he testified that according to his eternal purpose he loved that nation: and this he confirms by this remarkable declaration, ­that the grace of the divine calling cannot be made void."

(see Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XIX, Epistle to the Romans, Baker Book House, 1981, p. 434-440.)

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Jonathan Edwards

"Jewish infidelity shall be overthrown...the Jews in all their dispersions shall cast away their old infidelity, and shall have their hearts wonderfully changed, and abhor themselves for their past unbelief and obstinacy. They shall flow together to the blessed Jesus, penitently, humbly, and joyfully owning him as their glorious King and only Savior, and shall with all their hearts, as one heart and voice, declare his praises unto other nations...Nothing is more certainly foretold than this national conversion of the Jews in Rom. xi.

Besides the prophecies of the calling of the Jews, we have a remarkable providential seal of the fulfillment of this great event, by a kind of continual miracle, viz. their being preserved a distinct nation...the world affords nothing else like it. There is undoubtedly a remarkable hand of providence in it. When they shall be called, that ancient people, who alone were so long God's people for so long a time, shall be his people again, never to be rejected more. They shall be gathered together into one fold, together with the Gentiles...."

(The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1, Banner of Truth Trust, 1976, page 607.)

THE ORIGIN OF THE STAR OF DAVID: Not occultic after all

I did some posts some time ago on occultic symbols such as the symbol at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul that had some kind of strange effect on me from just seeing it, also the Triquetra which has a similarly strange effect, and also the Star of David, which interestingly does not have that kind of effect on me although I understood at the time that it has a similarly occultic origin. The lack of such an effect on me is interesting -- to my mind anyway -- since it turns out it may not have an occultic origin after all. (I'm sure others think my having any kind of identifiable feeling in response to a mere symbol is crazy or evidence of theological error, but oh well. I'm just reporting on my experience for whatever it's worth. I think it could be the supernatural gift of discerning of spirits, but I realize that such gifts are not supposed to be given to us these days and for the most part I've accepted that idea.)

Now today Chris Pinto on today's radio show has uncovered another way of understanding the Star of David that is far more satisfying (since I'd really rather not think of Israel as flying a flag with an occultic symbol on it).

This explanation goes back to Prague in the year 1648 when they came up with the symbol as a way of honoring the Jewish people for their service to the nation in fending off an attack by the Swedes. It was Jesuits whose research established the symbol and it's based on the Hebrew letter "D" for "David" which was in its archaic form a triangle. It's made up of two "D"s for the first and last letter of the name David. It was originally called the Shield of David, rather than the Star of David, and when and how it became the Star of David is apparently unknown. All this is according to the research of historian Israel Shahak.

This makes a lot of sense it seems to me and is simply a lot more satisfying explanation than the notion that it had an occultic origin.

Rise of Greek Neo-Nazi Party something to watch

I can't keep up with this stuff. I've had to let many of Chris Pinto's recent programs go by without comment because I'm focused elsewhere. But I have to make at least a brief mention of today's program. It's titled Fox News and the Vatican, but it also covers developments in Greece as their neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party has been gaining power there.

The story about a Fox News consultant's being hired by the Vatican to improve their public relations is certainly interesting too, but as Chris Pinto points out, the rise of the Greek Golden Dawn party is an echo of Nazi Germany that isn't getting the attention it deserves.

The depressed economic situation in Greece is unfortunately similar to Germany's position after the first World War, a pretty desperate situation in which people have been committing suicide. Such a situation in Germany laid the groundwork for Hitler's rise as their savior. The Golden Dawn party in Greece is violent, much like Hitler's thuggish brown shirts. Recent stories include the fact that 50% of the Greek police voted for the Golden Dawn, and that a Golden Dawn elected official physically attacked a woman who represents the Left -- on a TV program.

The Golden Dawn also has occultic/satanic roots, as did Hitler's government.

More specifically, the Golden Dawn uses a swastika symbol, promotes Hitler's Mein Kampf, and denies the Holocaust.

Something to be watching, wouldn't you say?

Rome past present and future

Thanks to Chris Pinto I'm now convinced of at least some elements of an end-times system called Historicism, as opposed to Premillennialism, Amillennialism, etc. etc. I haven't studied it yet and all I really know is that he and others -- ex-Catholic priest Richard Bennett for instance -- have shown that the Catholic Church was recognized by true Christians from very early on as the Harlot Church described in the Book of Revelation.

That means that at least some of the scripture verses that these days are often taken to refer to future events have already been fulfilled, most of them having to do with the Antichrist and the false church of Rome. That doesn't mean that there can't be yet a future fulfillment of all these things as well since the Catholic Church is hardly a thing of the past.

I haven't yet embraced Historicism as a system, all I know is that I've been learning a great deal about church history lately, things today's churches don't seem to know anything about, that don't fit into any of the other end times systems.

It still seems to me that the seventieth week of Daniel is awaiting future fulfillment. It may be that some events today's churches often think of as yet future and belonging to that future period of seven years have already been fulfilled, but that doesn't eliminate the possibility of their also having a future fulfillment as well. But there can only be one fulfillment of Daniel's 70th week, and that must be future.

In light of what I've been learning it's rather depressing to hear Christian ministries, even watchmen/discernment type ministries, talk about the Roman Church as if it were a Christian Church, such as Jan Markell's ministry Understanding the Times where today she was interviewing Ray Comfort about the Holocaust and neither of them seemed to have a clue to the dominating role of Rome in that event, and in fact the modeling of the Holocaust on the Inquisition. Such as the yellow star to identify the Jews, which goes back to the Inquisition.

And here the European Union is shaping up to be the Fourth Reich or Holy Roman Empire and few have any idea. Great Tribulation (insofar as there is yet to come a future expression of this) = revived Inquisition, new Holocaust?

Chris Pinto's revelations of Rome-based conspiracies

Chris Pinto just goes on talking in his calm matter-of-fact way knocking the wind out of me with his revelations.  This guy reads, that's why he knows so much.  He has the instincts of a real scholar, a real historian.  He can back up what he says with convincing evidence because he really does know what he's talking about. 

I've lost trust in some other Christian watchmen who rely only on a few current sources, have no sense of context, no sense of history, no "time" to read and therefore behave like a loose cannon shooting everything in sight without discrimination.  It's appalling, for instance, to hear the great men of Christian history and even today's church denounced as "devils" because this ignorant Christian teacher knows nothing about them other than a few quotes he's picked up from some source he doesn't question.   Calvin, Luther, "devils?"  I've read a great deal in both of them and it is clear from their writings that they were able to bring about the Reformation because they saw through the evils of Roman Catholicism and put Protestantism on the solid rock of the Bible.   You can make anybody out to be a devil if you know only a little about some mistakes they made. 

But it's also possible you are trusting in lying propaganda about them and not knowing it.  In this world things are NOT as they seem, and after listening to Chris Pinto for a while and seeing his films I'm more convinced of that than ever. 

On the subject of the Protestant Reformers, he did a series of radio shows in September of last year showing how they've been seriously and irresponsibly misrepresented by some writers today, including Dave Hunt who is otherwise often a good teacher.  [the link isn't exact, you have to find the September shows yourself].  Pinto, who does not identify himself as a Calvinist, nevertheless recognizes that what Calvin taught about predestination and free will that is so often vilified these days is in fact Biblical.  In fact some of us who do identify ourselves as Calvinist do so only because we also recognize that fact -- our real authority is not Calvin at all but the Bible.  I HIGHLY recommend this series of radio shows, some six or eight on this subject. 

And don't dismiss out of hand the possibility that some of this anti-Reformation propaganda is being engineered by Rome.  I've never been much into conspiracy interpretations of history -- usually encountered as wild assertions with little actual proof --  but the evidence Pinto musters for a complex network of interwoven conspiracies that all ultimately derive from Rome through the Jesuits is staggeringly convincing.   Although I view Rome as the seat of the Antichrist as did the Reformers, and working constantly to spread their influence in the world, I don't usually think of this as operating on so many levels and with such organized intent as Pinto shows is the case.   Influencing the minds of Bible-believing Christians is a constant objective for instance, of course under cover, without revealing the Jesuitical source.  They are master propagandists.  Undermining the Protestant Reformation was the original aim of the Jesuit order on its formation. 

Almost everything Pinto discusses comes back to Rome eventually.  All the wars, Hitler and Nazism, Vietnam, waterboarding.  Fox News.  Apostate movements in the Protestant churches.  The Masons the mule carriers for Rome?  The American Revolution a Roman conspiracy?  Along with carefully constructed lies to deny such involvements including recent denials of the Inquisition as ever having existed.  I can't even absorb all this.  I keep having to listen over and over just to get the basics into my head.

When the final Antichrist comes he'll have the Roman Church behind him just as Hitler did, of course with a lot of disinformation and decoys to keep this from being clearly recognized, and a huge huge network of interlocking conspiracies going back centuries and tunneling from the Vatican like a dizzying maze of gopher burrows. 

Don't take my word for it.  I can barely keep all this stuff straight.  Just go hear Chris Pinto.

What I really don't get about the Rapture

There's more than one thing about it I have a problem with, but the main thing is that I don't see how there can be two different saved bodies of people, two different churches, a church that is raptured before the unfolding of the end times scenarios that are obviously in the wings right now, but others who get saved during those events. It's not so much that I don't see certain scriptural evidences for such an interpretation, although of course the stronger those are the more I'm likely to be persuaded, but it's more that it makes no sense to me that the Church would be with the Lord celebrating the Blessed Hope, safe and secure with Him forever, His Elect, His Bride, His redeemed, while others will come to be saved through terrible sufferings during that same time period and not be part of that company. I really can't make sense of this.

Unfortunately I have no idea who to consult in the hope of answering this question. I've heard teaching from all the different camps and I'm still MOSTLY pre-trib in spite of my questions -- in fact I'm YEARNING for it to happen SOON -- except for worrying about unsaved friends and family. I COULD go back to being post-trib or pre-mill or Rapture = Second Coming except that the last teaching I heard on that was so cock-sure assertive about what I know is not all that clearcut I figured that teacher has WAY too much confidence in his own powers of understanding and not likely to be the one to resolve my doubts.

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Sat 4/7 Heard a radio show on the book of Revelation this morning in which the question above was raised, sort of, and the only answer that was given was that the speakers believe people will be saved after the Rapture, period, no scripture, no consideration of the concern about how there can be two completely separate bodies of believers in Christ, and how we are to understand whatever the distinctions are, etc. Just that the 144,000 Jews that are sealed are evangelists so people will be saved. Oh well.

Enter Stage Left, Right, Above, Beneath, Front, Rear and Center: Antichrist

Seems like just recently, a matter of mere months maybe, I've become aware of developments in the world and the church that are all moving toward the final stage setting for the Day of the Lord, the last act of the great drama of Planet Earth. The internet radio ministries I've linked on the right margin are my main sources of this information and anyone who wants to follow all this only needs to go and listen to as many recent broadcasts as you can. Also go to You Tube and watch Chris Pinto's films. [Actually, older broadcasts are as good as the recent ones].

I get the feeling that these events themselves have in fact been proliferating, and that may well be the case. It's like watching the stage hands rushing to get the props in place just before the curtain goes up on the final Act. But on the other hand it may only be that I've become aware of them. The movies by Chris Pinto, for instance, have been out for years and deal with historical events going back centuries, but I've only been learning about them recently.

The main movement is in the direction of the Catholic Church: "Protestants" who are really Catholics (the Archibishop of Canterbury), and Protestants who are leaning toward Rome. Emergent Church tending in that direction. Glenn Beck is a Mormon but there are Christians who say he is a Christian nevertheless, David Barton being one of them. Beck has been getting together with the Pope, and his wide audience gets a pretty heavy dose of ecumenical philosophy, the hope of bringing all the religions under one worldwide religion. Which will of course be headed by Rome.

I've been hearing a lot about the Jesuits recently, who are engaged in all kinds of intrigues on behalf of Rome, political as well as church-related, who apparently even pretend to be Protestants, or whatever seems to be required, all in the service of bringing as many as possible under the Pope.

I've believed for years that the papacy is the Antichrist system. I haven't been completely convinced that the final Antichrist will be the last Pope though that is still a very strong possibility* -- at the very least the Vatican is going to have some kind of dominating position in the finale of Planet Earth -- but lately I feel like I'm watching the machinery in operation to bring about a one world religion with the Pope at its head, whereas previously I just figured it would all come together somehow or other.

What we thought were solid trustworthy Protestant organizations have shown themselves to be soft on Rome. Billy Graham used to seem like one of the most solid evangelicals, but it became apparent years ago that he's been feeding people who convert in his crusades back into the Roman Church if they identify that as their church, directly consigning them to Hell. Then there's Pat Robertson. It's not that I'm a great fan of his but he's a prominent evangelical, and I recently heard a snippet of a program of his in which he claims that the Catholic Church is a Christian Church.

He's also a Mason, and that's another line of influence on the church and the world that I've been learning a lot about recently.

Maybe the most startling revelation for me recently was that George Washington was not only a high-degree Mason -- it's not that I didn't already know that but I've learned a lot more about implications of that fact -- but converted to Catholicism hours before he died.

Then there is this recent revelation that Wycliffe Bible Translators, which works all around the world bringing the gospel to unreached peoples by giving them a Bible in their own language, has been changing the wording of key theological tenets of the Bible in order to make it more acceptable to Muslims. Not "Son of God" for instance because Muslims always think in carnal terms about that. Well, of course, so does EVERYBODY who doesn't believe the word of God. The virgin birth was one of the main objections of the American founders, as it is for oh lots and lots of Bible rejectors today as well, figuring in most debates with the big name atheists for instance. The Mormons simply blasphemously embrace the carnal notion of God being a man who physically impregnated Mary. So there's no excuse for changing the wording, it only falsifies the gospel message and in doing that they deprive the Muslims of the true gospel, the gospel that people down the centuries have been willing to die for, the gospel that would actually save them. This way the Muslims can consider themselves to be "followers of Isa," their false version of Jesus, and continue in their Muslim rituals, and not put themselves in a compromised position within their Muslim community. By doing this, the once-venerable missionary organization is now making the sort of soft converts to a lifeless "Christianity" that would easily put themselves under Rome. That hasn't been suggested in anything I've heard so far, it simply hits me as a likely development as so many other political and religious streams are flowing in that direction these days.

Then there is our President Obama with his leftist and Muslim affiliations, and most of all his lack of a verifiable claim to be qualified for his office, the latest indication in that direction coming through a mailman from twenty years ago who recognized him as the "black foreign student" the Ayers family were putting through school, who also told him that he was one day going to be President of the United States. He also ran for office with a chorus of messianic type adoration behind him (which I blogged on at Faith's Corner). Doesn't scripture say the Antichrist will come to power by "intrigue?"

And then there are all the secret societies I couldn't take terribly seriously until Chris Pinto's films put enough historical fact to their existence and their nefarious plots to convince me. The Masons first of all, the Illuminati -- oh you can just name the usual suspects, they're all there and all working in cahoots to bring the world under a "benevolent" dictator or one world political system and a universal religion. The Jesuits are a secret society too.

Oh and check out the "Georgia Guidestones" if you want to see the plan spelled out in so many words. Number one suggests a lot of bloodshed.

And then there are the warnings of a possible imminent disaster in the US I also recently blogged on. And the Middle East situation COULD soon turn into World War III which is also on the agenda.

We're almost eleven years from 9/11 and I'm not up on God's timetable for His judgments against a nation or at least against America, but the only way we could escape would be with a massive movement of repentance by the churches and that isn't happening.

Come soon, Lord Jesus.

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* According to an ancient prophecy by "Malachy" the last Pope is to be the very next one, after the current Benedict, and he's to be called "Peter the Roman" (which I blogged on some time back at Faith's Corner). Such a prophecy doesn't have to be taken seriously, of course, but it's interesting to consider that there might be truth to it, and the timing is certainly right for the emergence of the Antichrist, which makes this Peter the Roman a fine candidate for the role. I understand that the Catholic Church has been trying to spin this prophecy to claim that this Peter the Roman may well be the Antichrist but that in that case he'd have become Pope through the machinations of anti-Catholic Masons. However, the prophecy itself makes Peter out to be a hero who will suffer great persecution, and Malachy was a good Catholic himself.