Dawning of Apocalypse

Understanding Bible Prophecy - The Book of Revelation - False Teachings - "The Mark" and 666

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:34:00 +0000

“I write this freely, without doctrines of churches, organizations, or influences of this world. What you are about to read is not for the offense to any heart, but written for encouragement and knowledge to draw the heart of man closer to our Lord of Lords, King of Kings of heaven and earth and Savior Jesus Christ; who died on the cross for our sins, and rose on the third day, that we might be considered worthy of the acceptance of His love and the promises of his Holy Word. ” ~ Rick

Note: When considering prophecy God explains in the Old Testament
"One day for a year." Ezekiel 4:6
Or, one day = one year

About Revelation 13

"The rise of the Roman Catholic Church and its role in the English Reformation and its influence in the Church of England"

"Prophecies that unfolded during the English Reformation"

Revelation 13:2 explains the likeness of the first beast, which are animal symbols of European governmental powers:
Like unto a leopard (Greece)
Feet of a bear (Media Persia)
Mouth of a lion (Babylon)
The dragon (Rome)

Revelation 13:5 explains the duration of the beast until the deadly wound to be 42 months.

There are 30 days in a biblical month, so multiply 30 times 42.
The answer is 1260 days, or 1260 years. Ezekiel 4:6
Papal Rome came to power in 538 A. D. and continued in power without interruption until 1798, exactly 1260 years later- another prophecy fulfilled.

Revelation 13:1-10 explains the Papal Roman government.

Revelation 13:11-18 explains England and its role with the Roman Catholic Church.

The "Dragon" is Rome.
It is a known historical fact that the symbol for the Roman Byzantine government was a dragon, as the bald eagle is to the USA.
Symbols of the dragon are still found all around Italy and the Vatican (statues, public fountains, etc.) And this governmental power, the Roman Empire, turns over its power to "Papal Rome," thus "The Holy Roman Empire."
The Pagan belief of the Romans was Babylonian worship whose high priests carried the title of Pontifix Maximus, but in appreciation of Caesar's acceptance of their worship, they awarded him the title of "Pontifix Maximus," and this title was passed down to Papal Rome. Papal Rome and the Pope are referred to at times in the Bible as The great whore, The woman arrayed in purple and scarlet color, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH, The Dragon, man of sin, the head of the beast, the eighth king.

The beast with two horns "like a lamb" (the second beast)

The two horns represented "Church and State" until Henry VIII, when it became "Church and King" (Act of Supremacy) ~ "Like a lamb" means "youth" of this (nation) beast compared to the old Holy Roman empire (the first beast.)
considered heretics (traitors of the Roman Catholic) and were burned at the stake because they wouldn't conform and be water baptized into the Roman Catholic Church and/or for abandonment of its teachings. The rising up also stands for the English Reformation, or protestant rising up against the beast of the church and state during the time before Henry VIII, but"Lambeth Palace" rose up from the marshes (swamp land) to become the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and later became the seat of the Church of England. The first people to read the Bible translated by John Wycliffe were called "lollards." These people were the first Protestants and were imprisoned in the Lambeth Palace for reading its translation. The word "protestant" means "protest" or "in protest" of the Roman Catholic Church. These people (lollards) were later in years that followed Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I the Church of England conforms back to Catholicism.
Even when Henry VIII became king, the war between Protestants and Catholics continued for decades. The Roman Catholic Church lead these people (lollards, protestants) into captivity, but were later lead into captivity themselves by the protestants and lollards. Protestants were killed by the sword and Catholics were also killed by the sword. (Revelation 13:10.) This passage is not portraying the fall of Papal Rome of 1798, but rather the fall of Papal Rome in England during the reign of Henry VIII and in the time of Elizabeth I.
The Church of England or "The IMAGE," was created out of anger by Henry VIII, who couldn't get a marriage annulment from the Pope, so he went on to build his own image of The Roman Catholic Church, which he alone would rule as the supreme head. To help stop this ongoing battle, this church would be reformed to be comprised of half Catholic/half Protestant, and eventually revert back to mostly Catholicism, which most kings and queens were thereafter. They kept most of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and caused people to worship the first beast, "The Roman Catholic Church" through laws enacted by the crown and Parliament.
The "mark of the beast" (or mark of the Roman Catholic Church ) is the "mark of membership" (water baptism into the Church of England, Lutheran and/or the Roman Catholic Church with the "sign of the cross" marked on the forehead by a priest with holy water, and at prayer, performing the sign of the cross with the right hand from forehead to sternum and then from shoulder to shoulder drawing an imaginary cross on the upper body always using the right hand as prescribed by the Catholic teaching.
People who would not be water baptized and marked in the forehead with the "sign of the cross" into membership were killed. Penalty was death by fire. Jesus shall repay with the same, and avenge the blood of the saints: John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and etc.
For more information on this subject, please research the Spanish, Italian, English, & Irish Inquisitions (which were the investigations that lead to the trials and convictions of thousands for not practicing Roman Catholicism.) Also research for the mark of the beast, “Sign of the cross," also "RCIA" or "rite of Christian initiation of adults."
Henry VIII was king during the English reformation and built Henrican church (later the Church of England), the "IMAGE" (Westminster Abby) of the Roman Catholic Church, and gave it power to speak (legislate.) King Henry VIII's daughter,
Elizabeth I enforced its membership by law (legislation of parliament which includes the "Crown" and "House of Commons.") Though reformed, still mostly Roman Catholic practices.
Elizabeth I invited the pope to oversee the practices of the Church of England after the dust settled. (Governance of the Church of England) but the Roman Catholic Church viewed the Church of England as a pretend church (pretending to be Roman Catholic), hence "the Image."

The fire coming down from heaven is "alchemy" or "fireworks"

The first fireworks in England were for the wedding of Henry VII.
Elizabeth I declared herself "fire marshal of England." She was very impressed with the spectacular fireworks falling down from the sky (heaven) in the site of ordinary men and bishops. At that time only dignitaries and clerics were able to afford the displays. Fireworks are a Catholic practice involved in nearly every Catholic holiday. It's been a Catholic tradition since a Catholic monk in Italy first tried his hand at perfecting black powder. St. Valentine, St. Thomas, and others were alchemists, or pyrotechnics, and lured people into the Church with their miracles of fire.

"No man might buy or sell"

At the "Council of Orleans" 321 A.D. (after John wrote Revelation,) the Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath Day from the seventh day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday.) The Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath Day...not GOD.
"No man free or bond might buy or sell that keep the "original Sabbath" (the seventh day: Saturday) (Exodus 20) except those who change it and acknowledge it and believe the change. (the beast, ones with the mark of the beast, or the number of the name - the Roman Catholic Church, members of the Roman Catholic Church and/or the Church of England, and the Crown, his wives, and his members of Parliament)
The book of James 2 reads that if you fail at one point of the Ten Commandments you are guilty of all.
Genesis 1:5 states "and the evening and the morning were the first day." A new day begins at sunset every evening, not at midnight, or morning. This change of time was also administered by the Catholic Church.
TIME: When a day begins. When the Catholic Church changed when the time of day began, they changed TIMES.
THE LAW: The Ten Commandments. When the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath day, they changed THE LAW.
Daniel 7:25 states, "they shall think to change times and laws."
Another prophecy fulfilled.

Here is understanding (of the Bible not the World.)
Identify a time and place through its king:
for it's the number of a king who represents a place and time.
(Numbers 1:1-16 A Renown Prince of Pedigree, at least 20 years of age able to go to war, head of his fathers "House" who builds a replica of the Roman Catholic "Church and State".
The Roman Catholic Church has referred to the Church of England as the "pretended" church as they have in most part pretended to worship as the Roman Catholic. They have mimicked the Roman Catholic church structure by creating similar church government and church design without actually being under the full authority of the Pope since the time of it's beginning during the reign of Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I.
The Church of England may have a different name but Roman Catholic belief is their practice of worship and the sign of the cross also mark them as Catholic.

ID: Henry VIII is supreme over England (remember this: he builds the image)
"House of Commons" members total 659 (this number of members continues today)
1 king Henry VIII
6 wives
659 + 1 + 6 = England
Six hundred three score and six.
These events have already happened.
Prophecies fulfilled.

About Water Baptism (Roman Catholic teaching)

John the Baptist said one would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. Jesus did not baptize anyone in the Bible with water. He was baptized in water by John because Jesus had not yet died on the cross, therefore the water had not yet become blood. After the cross, water became blood, a familiar prophecy demonstrated by Jesus when he turned the water into wine. He did this to tell us that water baptism will become a baptism in the blood of Christ, hence the baptism John the Baptist referred to when he said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Acts 1:5. "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
After the cross is when the baptism of Jesus started - the baptism of the Holy Ghost. If water baptism is necessary for your salvation why didn't Jesus baptize people in water himself? There is no holy trinity to be baptized with. When Jesus gave His life on the cross for remission of sins, the purified flesh united the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost from that time on. The truth was given to the world through Jesus Christ, the New Testament, and of the new knowledge, having power over heaven and earth, that all in heaven and on earth will bow down in the presence of His holy name. And with knowing that all in heaven and on earth should bow down to Jesus, does this mean God and the Holy Ghost also bow down to Him? No. They are one, not "as one" as the trinity theory suggests. This theory of trinity is the imaginary works of iniquity of Tertullian, one of the early founders of the Roman Catholic Church, who lived around the time of 190 A.D. (Eph. 4:4-6) "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father and God of all, who is above all, and in you all. John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? John 3:31 "He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all."

Let's look back at the book of Genesis.
Gen. 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the ALMIGHTY God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
Gen 35:11 " And God said unto him, I am God ALMIGHTY: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Now let's look at the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8 says (in red letters, words of Jesus Christ), "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the ALMIGHTY."

According to these passages the trinity theory doesn't hold up to the truth because God's words state that he is the ALMIGHTY, and then Jesus Christ's words state that HE is the ALMIGHTY. This is not a contradiction in the Bible. It's a confirmation that God and Christ become one, in their very own words.

Here is one more example of the unification of the Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.

John 14:17 " Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot, receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you".
John 14:18 " I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Here Jesus tells how the Spirit of truth (also referred to here as "Holy Ghost" & "Comforter") dwells with you and will be in you. Then in the very next verse He says
"I will come to you."

True membership
Jesus died for your sins on the cross and by believing that Jesus died and rose again on the third day, you are His member. He was conceived of the Holy Ghost and you are baptized with it into the membership of Jesus Christ when you accept him into your life. When you accept him into your life He accepts you into life eternal and your name is then written in His membership book: "The Lamb's Book of Life."

About Revelation 17

The angel takes us to a time and place before the deadly wound was healed between the years of 1798 and 1929.
In 1798 Napoleon seized the governmental powers and territories of Papal Rome and imprisoned the Pope where he remained until his death.
This blow to the head of the Roman Catholic Church (beast) was the deadly wound.
The beast (Roman Catholic Church) that was (in power) and is not (in power) yet is (in existence) Rev. 17:8
There are seven kings of the beast (papal names since the wound of 1798)
five are fallen;
one is;
and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space (total years of reign.)
This short space name is: John Paul
Seven papal names have been elected since 1798, when Napoleon seized control of papal Rome (the deadly wound)
and the deadly wound was healed on Feb. 11, 1929 with the Lateran Pact Treaties, when power was returned to the church by Mussolini.
The seven kings (or names) of the beast:
Pius
Leo
Gregory
Benedict- (is of the seven, after the short space)
John
Paul
John Paul = Short space - 27 years total reign.
And the beast that was (in power), and is not (in power during the period of 1798-1929), even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (names) and goeth into perdition.
The 80 year old BENEDICT is the eighth king. Jesus will repay soon.

About 1Tim 4:1

Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (Catholic teachings - water baptism, trinity, changing the Sabbath Day, and so on) speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, (number one in "member" water baptisms in the world - Roman Catholic Church - Greeks and Romans believe in common worship practices) and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving, of those who believe and know the truth. There are some churches acquiring "membership" through water baptisms who believe trinity also -doctrines of devils- persuading their members to practice vegetarianism or at the very least to abstain from unclean meats such as pork, shrimp & catfish as the Jews did under the ordinances of Moses. Colossians 2:20-22 states "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, touch not; taste not; handle not; which are all to perish with the using: after the commandments of men?" Col 3:2 says, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Romans 14:2 states "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

There are good people are without full understanding of scripture
because pastors are taught to preach by other men and women,
not the Holy Ghost, and to preach the same message over and over which contains a lot of good history and good teachings of the Bible, but falls short of the truth and then substitutes the truth with theory and at times taking scripture out of context to support their theories.
1John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need NOT that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him."
Some churches take in part the teachings or doctrines of the Greek Orthodox Roman Catholic, or Jewish ordinances of Moses of Leviticus, which were nailed to the cross. Colossians 2:14 "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;"

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The governing structure of most top denominations is fashioned primarily after the Roman Catholic Church from the local level churches (like local dioceses) to the General Conference (like the Vatican.) They also have ongoing ecumenical talks with The Roman Catholic Church whether directly or indirectly, through Roman Catholic sub-groups (world alliance of reformed churches) and other denominations who are in formal direct communion with The Roman Catholic Church. The leaders of these denominations teach pastors to preach against Catholicism and then shake hands in agreement concerning some teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

"Speaking lies in Hypocrisy"

Most members of most churches do not even know how much interaction is between their church leaders and the Roman Catholic Church. These are the same kind of comparative talks most denominations have with the Roman Catholic Church. It's all a part of a larger deception to unite all denominations under the authority of the Pope as the one true leader of the Christian world. Satan, in his deception, uses the name of Jesus Christ in vain in his quest to overcome the souls of man going throughout the world devouring who he may for he knows he only has a short time. Most wouldn't even think twice that a church would deceive them with their church doctrines. This is why they are taken as a thief. There are some Catholic doctrines in most denominations.
Warning: Come out of the whore completely and totally - don't partake and give heed to her, or her doctrines of devils.

The ordinances of Moses to the Levites were nailed to the cross, but not the Ten Commandments.
Therefore the 7th day Sabbath, which is Saturday, kept by the Seventh Day Adventist Church is truth, but vegetarianism is of weak faith: Romans 14:2 states "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom 14:17)

There is not a world church or world organization that is of Christ.
Christ is NOT of the world. He overcame the world.
1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:16"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness and offered him the world if He would just bow Himself down and worship Satan. So many churches today offer the wantoness of the world in their lavish establishments trimmed in gold, with promises of better jobs, financial relief, college educations, political favor, health care, etc. These are deceptions of Satan and the full truth is not in them. (2 Peter 1:4) Some Bible truth is in all churches. Jesus is the WHOLE truth, and not of this world. He isn't interested in who you are in the world, but who you are in your heart. Your loyalty should be with Christ only:
Not the Pope, the Dhali Lama, Billy Graham, Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith, the church
you attend, your boss at work,

your pastor or anyone...with Jesus Christ only. John 3:33 "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true."
These are the remnant of the world - the ones who follow whithersoever He goeth, not defiled with the Roman Catholic Church whether it be ecumenical talks or in agreement in any way (trinity, water baptism, rebellious Sunday Sabbath, or any teaching.)

(Revelation 18:4) "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" of this murdering Roman Catholic Church, and all whom are associated with her, and keep her company. People even today take the membership (mark of the beast) just as they have for centuries. Following the traditions of men and not following Christ.
Col 2:8 "Beware least any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (laws) of the world, and not after Christ." It's Jesus who died for you, who has power over heaven and earth. No one else can save you and give you eternal life. Your love and loyalty should be with Him only. Don't be looking way out into the future for things that have already come and gone. But rather look to the past to understand the present, and the short time before Christ returns.
Understand where you are with Jesus. Understand what is truth (Jesus.) Seek and ye shall find. The Holy Ghost will guide you, not a man.

1 John 2:20 "But ye have an unction (discerning) from the Holy One, and ye know all things."
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."

Don't be taken as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:4 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."
The Coming of Christ is soon
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east, might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together, into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since, men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Water = People

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The sixth vile is now poured out on the river Euphrates and is at present drying up (Rev. 16:12.) People in Iraq are slowly dying like a river slowly evaporating, preparing a way for the kings of the east. With unclean spirits like frogs (with long tongues as in speeches & peace talks.) The pope will go to the kings of the earth with a peace plan to help draw the world unto him for saving the world from the great troubles of war and terrorism. This will be his final attempt to unite the Christian denominations under his umbrella, but the pope can't save you and he won't even get the chance. The great day (year) of God Almighty is when Jesus returns during this time and foils the plan of the Satan. The location of the talks - Rome (location: Sant'Egidio Community, Trastevere, Italy) in the Hebrew tongue Har= Mountain or Hill and, Ar = City and, the Letter M in hebrew = of or from - and, the name is Egidio "City = Community of Egidio or "Community of Sant'Egidio".
The Catholic St. Egidio was considered by the Roman Catholic church to be A miracle
worker and the Community of Sant'Egidio is considered the same.

(1 Thess 5:4)" But Ye, Brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Definition

AR = city or Community of :

the " M" = Hebrew word "OF"

Ageddion = hebrew - Agidion
= Italian - Egidio
=English - Giles
= Greek - Aigidion

"The Community Of Agidion" or

"The Community of Saint Giles" or

in Italian - "Sito della Comunità di Sant'Egidio"

World peace talks hosted by the Sant’Egidio Community

GILES

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: JIE-ulz [key]

From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which meant "young goat" from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion). Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker from

Greece

who regarded as the patron saint of cripples.

Learn more about
"THE Word Armageddion"
(Click here)

Erected in 1924 after the plan of the architect Gino Coppedè, the "Fountain of the frogs" is one of the most recent in the city of Trastevere near the Community of Sant'Egidio just outside of Rome. Each of the four couples of figures that rise over a low circular basin, supports a shell where a frog sprouts water into the shell self.
At the center of the basin, among the eight shells, there is another circular basin decorated with eight frogs, tidily placed along its side, ready to jump towards toward the central jet of water.

Luke 21:32 "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till, all be fulfilled."

Luke 21:28 " And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up,
and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh"
Matthew 22
Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one, to his farm, another, to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as, ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 and when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on, a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Ephesians 1:6-14

6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 3:2-19

2. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3. How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6. That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7. Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

I hope these words help you in your pursuit
for the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.
I praise the Name of Jesus Christ forever. Amen
Written by Rick

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noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0000

"Thou shalt not Kill"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:42:00 +0000

An Eyewitness Account of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre
by François Dubois
From the Musée Cantonal Des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne Switzerland

August 24, 1572, was the date of the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day
Massacre in France. On that day, over 400 years ago, began one of the most
horrifying holocausts in history. The glorious Reformation, begun in
Germany on October 31, 1517, had spread to France—and was joyfully
received. A great change had come over the people as industry and learning
began to flourish, and so rapidly did the Truth spread that over a third
of the population embraced the Reformed Christian Faith.
However, alarm bells began to ring at the Vatican! France was her eldest
daughter and main pillar—the chief source of money and power. . . . King
Pepin of the Franks (the father of Charlemagne) had given the Papal States
to the Pope almost 1000 years earlier. Almost half the real estate in the
country was owned by the clergy.
Meanwhile, back in Paris, the King of France and his Court spent their
time drinking, reveling and carousing. The Court spiritual adviser—a
Jesuit priest— urged them to massacre the Protestants—as penance for
their many sins! To catch the Christians off-guard every token of peace,
friendship, and ecumenical good will was offered.
Suddenly—and without warning—the devilish work commenced. Beginning at
Paris, the French soldiers and the Roman Catholic clergy fell upon the
unarmed people, and blood flowed like a river throughout the entire
country. Men, women, and children fell in heaps before the mobs and the
bloodthirsty troops. In one week, almost 100,100 Protestants perished. The
rivers of France were so filled with corpses that for many months no fish
were eaten. In the valley of the Loire, wolves came down from the hills to
feel upon the decaying bodies of Frenchmen. The list of massacres was as
endless as the list of the dead!
Many were imprisoned—many sent as slaves to row the King's ships—and some
were able to escape to other countries. . . . The massacres continued for
centuries. The best and brightest people fled to Germany, Switzerland,
England, Ireland and eventually America and brought their incomparable
manufacturing skills with them. . . . France was ruined. . . . Wars,
famine, disease and poverty finally led to the French Revolution—the
Guillotine—the Reign of Terror—the fall of the Roman Catholic
Monarchy—atheism—communism etc., etc.
When news of the Massacre reached the Vatican there was jubilation!
Cannons roared—bells rung—and a special commemorative medal was struck—to
honor the occasion! The Pope commissioned Italian artist Vasari to paint a
mural of the Massacre—which still hangs in the Vatican!
Medal struck by Emperor Gregory XIII (1572-85) to commemorate the
slaughter of over 100,000 French Christians!!

Emperor Gregory had the great red dragon of Satan as his heraldic
symbol! The Gregorian Calendar is named after him.

The Huguenots won a short period of relief from persecution with the
ascension of Henry IV to the throne. The Edict of Nantes gave full freedom
to his Protestants subjects. The signing of this Edict inaugurated an era
of peace and great prosperity for France. However, for granting his
subjects liberty of conscience, the king was stabbed to death by a Jesuit
named Ravaillac. This Edict of Toleration was revoked in 1685, and a new
storm of persecution ensued. The exodus began again with over a million
Huguenots fleeing France to avoid certain torture and death.
The descendants of the survivors that reached America were determined that
this tragedy should not occur here. Many of them were prominent in the
founding of the country. They knew that an armed citizenry in France would
have prevented this tragedy from ever happening—and as a result—they gave
us the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution. They knew that
freedom of religion and an armed citizenry go hand in hand:
Amendment 1
Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment 2
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed.

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That
to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed. . . .

The French Protestants were called Huguenots: President George Washington
had a Huguenot ancestor, as did at least 5 other Presidents: John Adams,
John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, James Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt. A
Huguenot refugee named Apollos de Revoire settled in Boston, and had a son
who signed his name Paul Revere! Remember his famous midnight ride? Three
members of the Continental Congress - Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and
Elias Boudinot were Huguenots. Other great names include Francis Marrion,
General George Patton, Clair Chennault, Admiral Dewey, Du Ponts, Henry
Thoreau, Longfellow etc., etc. A Huguenot colony was founded in Florida in
1562 (years before the English landed), but was later destroyed by Spanish
raiders.

According to the Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX, it is an ERROR to say
that the "church" has not the right to use force.
"24. The Church has not the power of using force, nor has she any
temporal power, direct or indirect. -- Apostolic Letter "Ad
Apostolicae," Aug. 22, 1851."

According to the Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX, it is an ERROR to say
that the "church" has not the right to use force.
"24. The Church has not the power of using force, nor has she any
temporal power, direct or indirect. -- Apostolic Letter "Ad
Apostolicae," Aug. 22, 1851."

The Oath of a Knight of Columbus

"I, ___ ___, now in the presence of Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles, St. Peter and
St. Paul, and all the Saints, Sacred Hosts of Heaven and to you, my
Ghostly Father, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus founded by
St. Ignatius Loyola, in the Pontification of Paul III, and continued to
the present, do by the Womb of the Virgin, the Matrix of God, and the Rod
of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that his Holiness, the Pope, is
Christ’s Viceregent and is the true and only Head of the Catholic of
Universal Church throughout the earth; and that by virtue of the keys of
binding and loosing given his Holiness by my Savior, Jesus Christ, he hath
power to depose heretical kings, princes, states, commonwealths and
governments and they may be safely destroyed. Therefore to the utmost of
my power I will defend this doctrine and his Holiness’ right and custom
against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever,
especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway and the now pretended authority of the Churches of England and
Scotland, of the Calvinists, of same now established in Ireland and on the
continent of America and elsewhere, and all adherents in regard that they
may be usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred Mother Church of Rome.
"I do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical
king, prince, or state, named Protestant, or Liberals, or obedient to any
of their laws, magistrates or officers.
"I do further declare that the doctrines of the Churches of England
and Scotland, of the Calvinists, Huegenots, and others of the name of
Protestants or Masons to be damnable, and they themselves to be damned who
will not forsake the same.
"I do further declare that I will help, assist and advise all or any
of his Holiness’ agents, in any place where I should be, in Switzerland,
Germany, Holland, Ireland, or America or in any other kingdom or territory
I shall come to and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant or
Masonic doctrines and to destroy all their pretended powers, legal or
otherwise.
"I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding I am
dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the propagation of the
Mother Church’s interests, to keep secret and private all her agent’s
counsels from time to time, as they entrust me, and not divulge, directly
or indirectly, by word, writing, or circumstances whatever, but to execute
all that should be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me by
you, my Ghostly Father, or any of the Sacred Order.
"I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion or will
of my own or any mental reservation whatsoever, even as a corpse or
cadaver (Perinde ac Cadaver), but will unhesitatingly obey each and every
command that I may receive from my Superiors in the Militia of the Pope
and of Jesus Christ.
"That I will go to any part of the world withersoever I may be sent,
to the frozen regions North, jungles of India, to the centers of
civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous savages of
America without murmuring or repining, and will be submissive in all
things whatsoever communicated to me.
"I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity
presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against all
heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do to extirpate them
from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex,
or condition, and that I will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle and
bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their
women and crush their infant’s heads against the walls in order to
annihilate their execrably race. That when the same cannot be done
openly, I will secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the
steel poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank,
dignity, or authority of the persons whatever may be their condition in
life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do
by any agent of the Pope or Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father
of the Society of Jesus.
"In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all
corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will subscribe
my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and should I prove false
or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the
Militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from ear to
ear, by belly opened and sulfur burned therein with all the punishment
that can be inflicted upon me on earth and my soul shall be tortured by
demons in eternal hell forever.
"That I will in voting always vote for a K. of C. in preference to a
Protestant, especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party to do so;
that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself which is the
better supporter of the Mother Church and vote accordingly.
"That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to
deal with and employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in
Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the heretics.
"That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in
readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the Church
either as an individual or with the Militia of the Pope.
"All of which I, ____ ____, do swear by the Blessed Trinity and
Blessed Sacrament which I am now to receive to perform and on my part to
keep my oath.
"In testimony hereof, I take this Most Holy and Blessed Sacrament of
the Eucharist and witness the same further with my name written with the
point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and seal in the face of this
Holy Sacrament."
Oath Taken by a Perspective Member of the Knights of
Columbus, as recorded in Congressional Record of the U.S.A., House Bill
1523, Contested election case of Eugene C. Bonniwell, against Thos. S.
Butler, Feb. 15, 1913.

Major international conference on Catholic peacemaking announced

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:29:00 +0000

11 Jan 2008

A major international conference on Catholic peacemaking is to take place later this year, bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and peacebuilding practitioners from countries around the world that have been torn by conflict, it was announced yesterday.

The Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN), along with 17 co-sponsors, will convene the conference on the future of Catholic peacebuilding in April, at the University of Notre Dame.

This event will bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and peacebuilding practitioners from countries torn by conflict to reflect on the theological, ethical and practical dimensions of the Church's work on conflict prevention, conflict mediation, and post-conflict reconciliation.

Topics will include: peacebuilding as vocation; peacebuilding in official Catholic social teaching; development, human rights, and peace; the Church and peace processes; ethics of political reconciliation; and inter-religious peacebuilding.

The conference is a capstone to CPN conferences in the Philippines, Burundi and Colombia over the past three years. It is the final part of a multi-year research project on the theology, ethics and praxis of Catholic peacebuilding, said Gerard F. Powers, CPN coordinator and director of policy studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

"Twenty-five years after the US Catholic bishops issued their seminal pastoral letter on war and peace seems a fitting time to reflect on the future of Catholic peacebuilding," Powers said. "This conference will deepen our understanding of the theoretical and practical dimensions of this mostly unheralded work of the Church around the world."

The CPN is a coalition of peacebuilding academics and practitioners, clergy and laity, which seeks to enhance the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding.

In addition to the CPN, conference co-sponsors include the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Graduate School, and Program on Catholic Social Traditions; Boston College's Department of Theology and Center for Human Rights and International Justice; Catholic Relief Services; Catholic Theological Union's Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry; The Catholic University of America's Office of the President and Life Cycle Institute; Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute; the University of San Diego's School of Peace Studies; Washington Theological Union; the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Pax Christi International; the Sant' Egidio Community in the United States, and Woodstock Theological Center.

1 Thessalonians 5

1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

The Latest Peace and Safety News (Click Here)

The Return of Jesus is Nigh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:35:00 +0000

The Last Days

1 Thessalonians 5

1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Revelation 16

12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

2 Timothy 3

1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

9. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

10. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 4

1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

4. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

5. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

7. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

8. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

9. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

1 John 2

3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

2 Peter 3

3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Daniel 12

1. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

4. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

5. Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

6. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

7. And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

8. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

9. And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

10. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

11. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

12. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

13. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

1 Thessalonians 4

13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15. 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 them which are asleep.

16. 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:

17. 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.

18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Luke 21

8. And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11. And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

12. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

13. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

14. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

16. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

18. But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19. In your patience possess ye your souls.

20. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

22. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

29. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

30. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

31. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

32. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

33. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

What day was it when Jesus was crucified?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:48:00 +0000

The Bible does not specifically state which day of the week Jesus was crucified. The two most widely held views are Friday and Wednesday. Some, however, using a synthesis of both the Friday and Wednesday arguments, accept Thursday as the day.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Those who argue for a Friday crucifixion say that there is still a valid way in which He could have been considered in the grave for three days. In the Jewish mind of the First Century, a part of day was considered as a full day. Since Jesus was in the grave for part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday—He could be considered to have been in the grave for three days. One of the principal arguments for Friday is found in Mark 15:42 that notes that Jesus was crucified "the day before the Sabbath." If that was the weekly Sabbath, i.e. Saturday, then that fact leads to a Friday crucifixion. Another argument for Friday says that verses such as Matthew 16:21 and Luke 9:22 teach that Jesus would rise on the third day; therefore, He wouldn't need to be in the grave a full three days and nights. But while some translations use "on the third day" for these verses, not all do and not everyone agrees that that is the best way to translate these verses. Furthermore, Mark 8:31 says that Jesus will be raised "after" three days.

The Thursday argument expands on the Friday view and argues mainly that there are too many events (some count as many as twenty) happening between Christ's burial and Sunday morning to occur from Friday evening to Sunday morning. They point out that this is especially a problem when the only full day between Friday and Sunday was Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. An extra day or two eliminates that problem. The Thursday advocates could reason: Suppose you haven't seen a friend since Monday evening. The next time you see him it is Thursday morning and you say, “I haven’t seen you in three days” even though it had technically only been 60 hours (2.5 days). If Jesus was crucified on Thursday, this example shows how it could be considered three days.

The Wednesday opinion states that there were two Sabbaths that week. After the first one (the one that occurred on the evening of the crucifixion, Mark 15:42; Luke 23:52-54), the women purchased spices--note that they made their purchase after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1). The Wednesday view holds that this "Sabbath" was the Passover (see Lev 16:29-31; 23:24-32, 39 where high holy days that are not necessarily the seventh day of the week are referred to as the Sabbath). The second Sabbath that week was the normal weekly Saturday. Note that in Luke 23:56, the women who had purchased spices after the first Sabbath, returned and prepared the spices then "rested on the Sabbath" (Luke 23:56). The argument states that they could not purchase the spices after the Sabbath, yet prepare those spices before the Sabbath—unless there were two Sabbaths. With the two-Sabbath view, if Christ was crucified on Thursday, then the high holy Sabbath (the Passover) would have begun Thursday at sundown and ended at Friday sundown—at the beginning of the weekly Sabbath or Saturday. Purchasing the spices after the first Sabbath (Passover) would have meant they purchased them on Saturday and were breaking the Sabbath.

Therefore, this view states, the only explanation that does not violate the biblical account of the women and the spices and holds to a literal understanding of Matthew 12:40, is that Christ was crucified on Wednesday. The Sabbath that was a high holy day (Passover) occurred on Thursday, the women purchased spices (after that) on Friday and returned and prepared the spices on the same day, they rested on Saturday which was the weekly Sabbath, then brought the spices to the tomb early Sunday. He was buried near sundown on Wednesday, which began Thursday in the Jewish calendar. Using a Jewish calendar, you have Thursday night (night one), Thursday day (day one), Friday night (night two), Friday day (day two), Saturday night (night three), Saturday day (day three). We don't know exactly when He rose, but we do know that it was before sunrise on Sunday (John 20:1, Mary Magdalene came "while it was still dark" and the stone was rolled away and she found Peter and told him that "they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb"), so He could have risen as early as just after sunset Saturday evening, which began the first day of the week to the Jews.

A possible problem with the Wednesday view is that the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus did so on "the same day" of His resurrection (Luke 24:13). The disciples, who do not recognize Jesus, tell Him of Jesus' crucifixion (24:21) and say that "today is the third day since these things happened" (24:22). Wednesday to Sunday is four days. A possible explanation is that they may have been counting since Wednesday evening at Christ's burial, which begins the Jewish Thursday, and Thursday to Sunday could be counted as three days.

In the grand scheme of things, it is not all that important to know what day of the week Christ was crucified. If it were very important, then God's Word would have clearly communicated the day. What is important is that He did die, and that He physically, bodily rose from the dead. What is equally important is the reason He died—to take the punishment that all sinners deserve. John 3:16 and 3:36 both proclaim that believing, or putting your trust, in Him results in eternal life!

Recommended Resource: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas.

Birds of a Feather Flock Togather

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:31:00 +0000

That Great City

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:23:00 +0000

And the great city was divided into three parts...

Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great.
Revelation 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earthare waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Revelation 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, Whatcity is like unto this great city!

Vatican City
outside Rome, Italy

Fault lines - Italy

Recent Earthquake Predictions

Southern Europe –

The most frequent and dangerous

seismic activity in the world

European Volcanoes

MT. Etna

The Un-Holi-Day Season

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:47:00 +0000

1John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

James 2:5 - Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

1John 3:1 - Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

John 15:19 - If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

“Santa” and “The Tammuz Tree”

Every year as the world honors the holidays (holy days), Christians continue to follow the ancient Babylonian ritual of placing an evergreen tree in their home and decorating it. Clearly, many believers are aware the Christmas tree is associated with Pagan religious idolatry, but they continue to rationalize their involvement because they claim that God has now "sanctified" the holiday and somehow redeemed it. This is, of course, apostasy of the worst kind for the practice of convincing oneself of the acceptability of anything they desire to do when the Bible clearly instructs them not to, places them in deadly spiritual peril.

The Lord says "my spirit will not always strive with a man," so we should be earnest in our efforts to submit everything to God lest we eventually cross some undesirable spiritual threshold. The Old Testament book of Jeremiah explicitly tells us "Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax; They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (Jeremiah 10:2-4)

In ancient Babylon, the goddess figure Semiramus was the mother of the Sumerian deity Tammuz. Other surrounding cultures have differing names for Tammuz. He is Attis to the Phoenicians, and Adonis to the Greeks, etc. In each legend, he dies young and his birth and death are honored on his birthday which coincided with the Winter Solstice. This was celebrated on December 25th. Part of the religious ritual involved cutting down a young green evergreen tree, which kills the tree, as a way of commemorating the premature death of Tammuz.

This tree is then decorated in the fashion Jeremiah described. A corollary to the "Tammuz tree," was the rite in which the women cried for the dead god. Shortly after Jeremiah's time, we find the idolatry has penetrated the Jewish temple where we see sun worship and "women weeping for Tammuz." (Ezekiel 16:14) The sun worship is closely related to the end of the Winter Solstice when the sun begins to stay in the sky longer.

The boughs of holly and related accouterments are descended from Celtic and Druidic rituals associated with the Wiccans or witchcraft.

Even the "yule" log that's placed on the fire is a Babylonian word. Obviously, the concept of a jolly immortal fellow dressed in red leaving gifts under the tree has a serious occultist flavor, but naming him a saint seems to make him acceptable with worldly Christians.

Christmas is but one of the pagan holy days that have infiltrated the Christian calendar and replaced the only holy day that God ordained, the seventh day.

Easter, which is derived from the name Ishtar, is actually closely related to the Tammuz tree. Indeed, the common Christian practice of a sunrise service originates with an early morning worship service in which the penitents face East at the dawn. Precisely what was seen during Ezekiel's time when the women wept for Ishtar's son, Tammuz.

"Christians" routinely defend the sunrise Easter service as honoring the discovery of the resurrection of JESUS that occurred 3 days after Passover. With many of them not realizing they are honoring the ancient pagan holy day of Easter that predated Christianity by many centuries. In fact, the New Testament clearly shows the Apostles honored Passover, while the evil king Herod honored the Easter celebration. (Acts 12:2)

The day of Resurrection

The Bible states that the first day of the crucifixion is the day before the High Jewish Sabbath of the Seventh day.

State churches and World Christians refuse to repent of this pagan practice even as they assign the label of cultist to the various groups that seek to tell them the truth. "Satan" Claus continues to cast his spell as churches across the country produce pageants & programs like The Singing Christmas Tree. These extravaganzas are commercially marketed through seemingly respectable Christian organizations. Some churches, such as the Wesleyan Church, produce a variation. In San Diego, the Skyline Wesleyan has a pageant called The Living Christmas Tree. Tickets are available by calling 619-462-TREE.

Even without a formal choir program, literally thousands of Christian churches actually place Christmas trees right in their sanctuary every year. In our area, we have the Festival of Trees wherein every charitable group in the county gets involved as a community effort. At the Festival of Trees, they follow the Druidic ceremonies and even name each tree.

Christmas Trees reign in so-called American "Christian" culture. Sacramentalist & scriptural renegade Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship sponsors the Angel Tree program. Top Christian musician & Prison Fellowship spokesman Steven Curtis Chapman represents the practice to Christian youth through his music. Even the Salvation Army has an Angel Tree program. Indeed, virtually every form of Christian media seems to get immersed in the Tammuz tree every year.

There are thousands of examples of Christian T-Shirts, greeting cards, and even sheet music of Gospel songs incorporating the evergreen paganism. Even examples of Christian musician's newsletters are decorated with boughs of holly. There have been expensive print ads running in national Christian magazines that feature Christmas trees behind the printed pitch. There are seasonal catalogs from Christian book publishers with holiday titles that show manger like scenes in groves of Christmas trees.

In a Christmas drama catalog put out by Lillenas (the Nazarene church media arm,) 3 of the 5 book covers shown features Christmas trees. Sandi Patty's Word book (released by Thomas Nelson, the largest Christian publisher) "Merry Christmas, With Love," features a boy dragging a tree into his house on the cover. "Let's Keep Christmas" published by NavPress & written by revered pastor Peter Marshall has the whole family dragging the abomination to their house.

Children's ministry figure Rob Evans has a Christmas tree on the cover of his video from Integrity Press. Praise Banners has a 40" banner of a Christmas tree that is marketed specifically to churches.

Top Christian music artist Brian Duncan is pictured in front of his tree on his new Christmas CD. Even the print ads for the farewell version of the Young Messiah tour featured the evergreen motif in the form of boughs of holly while a drama produced by the Lamb's Players has the same Babylonian artifacts. There are literally hundreds of other examples, but the question is, what’s wrong with this picture?

The refusal of Christians to recognize the importance of relinquishing such demonic associations is a powerful indicator the church has gone astray. Following a pagan practice is sin, but the more dangerous sin is the steadfast refusal to recognize that the Bible tells us to present our bodies as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is (our) reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

This conflict illustrates the very real problem of how we interpret works versus grace. Most "Christians" continue to buy the lie that they can routinely choose their own path & the Lord will honor these ungodly choices under grace. These have been mesmerized into believing that if they even try to keep any day holy they are somehow being legalistic. They continue to reject the leading of the Holy Spirit & accordingly they have quietly become "the children of disobedience" (Colossians 3:6). The Bible tells us for this cause God will send them a strong delusion because they love not the truth. That delusion has now inundated the "church" with the mystery of iniquity.

But the Word of God is pure and always true. God is not mocked, thus we would do well do take to heart the already cited passage concerning the Tammuz Tree and what will happen to those that refuse to hear His warning: "Learn not the way of the heathen...in the time of their visitation they shall perish." (Jeremiah 10:2, 15)

Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the
merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Satan's Clothes - Santa's Claus

Revelation 13

8.And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.

2 Thessalonians 2

3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

History

Pre-Christian origins of holiday

Christmas has its origins in several pagan holidays.

The Roman celebration known as Saturnalia included the making and giving of small presents (saturnalia et sigillaricia). This holiday was observed over a series of days beginning on December 17 (the birthday of Saturn) and ending on December 25 (the birthday of Sol Invictus, the "unconquered sun").

The combined festivals resulted in an extended winter holiday season. Business was postponed and even slaves feasted.

There was drinking, gambling, and singing, and nudity was relatively common.

It was the "best of days," according to the poet Catullus.

During the time in which Christianity was spreading throughout the Roman Empire,

another similar religion known as Mithraism was also gaining widespread acceptance.

The followers of Mithraism worshipped Mithras, a god of Persian origin, who was identified with Sol Invictus.

The followers of Mithraism, consequently, adopted the birthday of Sol Invictus as the birthday of

Mithras. In 274 AD, due to the popularity of Mithraism, Emperor Aurelian designated December 25 as the festival of Sol Invictus.

After the death of Emperor Constantine, three of his sons inherited the Roman Empire. One of them, Constantius, decreed that all non-Christian temples in the empire be immediately closed. He warned that anyone who still offered sacrifices of worship to the old gods and goddesses in these temples were to be put to death.

Those who were non-Christians or followers of Mithras were eventually forced to convert under these laws. In spite of their conversion they adapted many elements of their old religions into Christianity. Among these was the celebration of the birth of Mithras on December 25 which was now observed as the birthday of Jesus.

Christian origins of holiday

Around 220 AD, the theologian Tertullian declared that Jesus died on March 25, 29, but was resurrected three days later. Although this is not a plausible date for the crucifixion, it does suggest that March 25, nine months before December

25th, had significance for the church even before it was used as a basis to calculate Christmas. Modern scholars favor a crucifixion date of April 3, 33, which was also the date of a partial lunar eclipse (These are Julian calendar dates. Subtract two days for a Gregorian date.).

By 240 AD, a list of significant events was being assigned to March 25, partly because it was believed to be the date of the vernal equinox.

These events include creation, The Fall of Adam and Eve, and, most relevantly, the Incarnation.

The view that the Incarnation occurred on the same date as crucifixion is consistent with a Jewish belief that prophets died at an "integral age," either an anniversary of their birth or of their conception.

The idea that December 25 is Jesus' birthday was popularized by Sextus Julius Africanus in Chronographiai (221 AD), an early reference book for Christians.

This identification did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. In 245 AD, the theologian Origen denounced the idea of celebrating the birthday of Jesus "as if he were a king pharaoh." Only sinners, not saints, celebrate their birthdays, Origen contended.

As Constantine ended the Christian persecution and began the persecution of non-Christians, Christians began to debate the nature of Christ. The Alexandrian school argued that he was the divine word made flesh (see John 1:14), while the

Antioch school held that he was born human and infused with the Holy Spirit at the time of his baptism (see Mark 1:9-11). A feast celebrating Christ's birth

gave the church an opportunity to promote the intermediate view that Christ was divine from the time of his incarnation. Mary, a minor figure for early

Christians, gained prominence as the theotokos, or god-bearer.

There were Christmas celebrations in Rome as early as 336 AD. December 25 was added to the calendar as a feast day in 350 AD.

Medieval Christmas and related winter festivals

Christmas soon outgrew the Christological controversy that created it and came to dominate the medieval calendar.

The forty days before Christmas became the "forty days of St. Martin," now Advent.

Former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent. Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the "twelve days of Christmas"

(i.e. Christmas to Epiphany).

The fortieth day after Christmas was Candlemas.

The Egyptian Christmas celebration on January 6 was adopted as Epiphany, one of the most prominent holidays of the year during the Early Middle Ages. Christmas Day itself was a relatively minor holiday, although its prominence gradually increased after

Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas Day in 800 AD.

Northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, and its pagan celebrations had a major influence on Christmas.

Scandinavians still call Christmas Jul (Yule), originally the name of a twelve-day pre-Christian winter festival. Logs were lit to honor Thor, the god of thunder, hence the "Yule log." In Germany, the equivalent holiday is called Mitwinternacht (mid-winter night). There are also twelve Rauhnächte (harsh or wild nights).

By the High Middle Ages, Christmas had become so prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates "celebrated Christmas." King Richard II

of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were eaten. The "Yule boar" was a common feature of medieval

Christmas feasts. Caroling also became popular, and was originally a group of dancers who sang. The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned caroling as

lewd, largely due to overtones reminiscent of the traditions of Saturnalia and Yule). "Misrule” drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling — was also an important

aspect of the festival. In England, gifts were exchanged on New Year's Day, and there was special Christmas ale.

The Reformation and the 1800s

Santa Claus hands out gifts to Union soldiers during the US Civil War in Thomas Nast's first Santa Claus cartoon, Harper's Weekly, 1863.During the Reformation,

Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as "trappings of popery" and

the "rags of the Beast". The Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in

a more religiously oriented form.

When a Puritan parliament triumphed over the King, Charles I of England (1644), Christmas was officially banned (1647).

Pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities.

For several weeks, Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted Royalist slogans.

The Restoration (1660) ended the ban, but Christmas celebration was still disapproved of by the Anglican clergy.

By the 1820s, sectarian tension had eased and British writers began to worry that Christmas was dying out. They imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday.

The book A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens played a major role in reinventing Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion (as opposed to communal celebration and hedonistic excess).

Father Christmas persuades the jury of his innocence in The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas (1686) by Josiah King The Puritans of New England

disapproved of Christmas and celebration was outlawed in Boston (1659-81).

Meanwhile, Virginia and New York celebrated freely. Christmas fell out of favor in the U.S. after the American Revolution, when it was considered an”English custom".

Interest was revived by several short stories by Washington Irving in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819) and by "Old Christmas" (1850) which

depict harmonious warm-hearted holiday traditions Irving claimed to have observed

in England. Although some argue that Irving invented the traditions he

describes, they were imitated by his American readers.

German immigrants and the homecomings of the Civil War helped promote the holiday.

The Mark of the Beast is.....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:17:00 +0000

The sign of the cross - of the Roman Catholic Church

Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,or in their foreheads:

Below is Catholic teaching of the sign of the cross

The Sign of the Cross is made thus: First choose your style:

* Option A. With your right hand, touch the thumb and ring finger together, and hold your index finger and middle finger together to signify the two natures of Christ. This is the most typical Western Catholic practice.

* Option B. Hold your thumb and index finger of your right hand together to signify the two natures of Christ

* Option C. Hold your thumb, index finger, middle finger of your right hand together (signifying the Trinity) while tucking the ring finger and pinky finger (signifying the two natures of Christ) toward your palm. This is the typically Eastern Catholic practice.

* Option D: Hold your right hand open with all 5 fingers -- representing the 5 Wounds of Christ -- together and very slightly curved, and thumb slightly tucked into palm

Then:

* touch the forehead as you say (or pray mentally) "In nomine Patris" ("In the name of the Father")

* touch the breastbone or top of the belly as you say "et Filii" ("and of the Son")

*

touch the left shoulder, then right shoulder, as you say "et Spiritus Sancti" ("and of the Holy Ghost"). Note that some people end the Sign by crossing the thumb over the index finger to make a cross, and then kissing the thumb as a way of "kissing the Cross."

An optional prayer to pray after signing yourself in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is this one, said to be favored by St. Benedict:

By the Sign of the Cross, deliver me from my enemies, O Lord.

Note that Eastern Catholics (and Orthodox) go from right shoulder to left and end sometimes by touching their right side, above the hip, to symbolize Christ's being pierced by the sword. The Bridgettine nuns in their Myroure of our Ladye write of the mystical reasons for the Latin practice, and how it summarizes the Incarnation, the Passion, and the Ascension:

And then ye bless you with the sygne of the holy crosse, to chase away the fiend with all his deceytes. For, as Chrysostome sayth, wherever the fiends see the signe of the crosse, they flye away, dreading it as a staffe that they are beaten withall. And in thys blessinge ye beginne with youre hande at the hedde downwarde, and then to the lefte side and byleve that our Lord Jesu Christe came down from the head, that is from the Father into erthe by his holy Incarnation, and from the erthe into the left syde, that is hell, by his bitter Passion, and from thence into his Father's righte syde by his glorious Ascension. (Catholic Encyclopedia)

With the Sign, we send a visible sign to the world and follow the advice of St. Ephrem of Syria (died A.D. 373):

Mark all your actions with the sign of the lifegiving Cross. Do not go out from the door of your house till you have signed yourself with the Cross. Do not neglect that sign whether in eating or drinking or going to sleep, or in the home or going on a journey. There is no habit to be compared with it. Let it be a protecting wall round all your conduct, and teach it to your children that they may earnestly learn the custom.

When the Sign is Made

A partial indulgence is gained, under the usual conditions, when piously making the Sign of the Cross

Catholics should begin and end their prayers with the Sign of the Cross and should cross themselves when passing a church to honor Jesus in the Tabernacle, upon entering a church, and after receving Communion. The sign is made, too, in times of trouble or fear (e.g., when receiving bad news, in times of temptation, when hearing an ambulance or fire truck go by), when passing a cemetery or otherwise recalling the dead, when seeing a Crucifix -- any time one wishes to honor and invoke God, or ward away evil, fear, and temptation.

Just for information's sake, the "Distaff Gospels," a collection of old wives tales collected ca. 1470, relate the following in its fifteenth chapter.

If in the morning, when getting up, a person crosses themselves and washes their hands before leaving the house, the devil will not have the power of harming him or her. Otherwise, whatever the work is done on that day will not be profitable.

...About that, Geffrine Tost Preste said that the devil sits on the table of whoever does not say grace before eating, then eats and drinks there.

Other Signs of the Cross

There are other signs of the Cross that Catholics make, too. One is made by tracing a small Cross with the thumb of the right hand on people and things. This sign is especially used by parents when blessing children by tracing the sign on the children's foreheads..1 Sometimes the sign is traced by the thumb on a book of Sacred Scripture and then kissed before reading. The sign is also carved onto loaves of bread before cutting, etc.

Another sign is the large sign made in the air by bishops and priests when blessing persons or material objects.

Yet another is the series of three small Crosses traced by the thumb of the right hand -- one small Cross on the forehead, one small Cross on the lips, and one small Cross on the breast -- just before the Gospel reading at Mass. The sign on the forehead is to show that we believe the Gospel, the sign on the lips is to show that we respect the Gospel and desire to spread the Good News, and the sign on our breast is to show that we love the Gospel and want it kept in our hearts. 2

Make the Sign of the Cross and make it often! Teach it to your children -- even the tiniest of children. If they're infants, take their hands and make the movements for them! Making the Sign should feel as natural as breathing...

Footnotes:
1 The use of "bless" here refers to a parental blessing -- i.e., a prayer for God's grace for a child. Priests alone have the power to bless in the name of the Church and with the power of the Church, to bless liturgically, to bless objects rendering them sacramentals, etc.

2 When passing by or upon entering a church, many Mexicans make this form of the sign (with the thumb laid over the index finger to form a cross) -- on the forehead, lips, and mouth -- while praying the words, "Por la senal de la Santa Cruz, de nuestros enemigos libranos Señor Dios Nuestro" -- "By the sign of the Holy Cross deliver us, Lord, from our enemies." This is followed by the regular sign of the Cross outlined above (whose words in Spanish are, "En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo, amen") and the kissing of the Cross made by the thumb laid over the index finger. They refer to the first sign as "signing oneself" ("signarse") and the second action as "blessing oneself" ("santiguarse").

He (The Pope) is gathering the kings of the earth into a place (for talks for Peace and Safety) in the Hebrew Tounge "Community of Sant'egidio"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:01:00 +0000

Slovenian leader meets with Pope

Vatican, Nov. 29, 2007 - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) met Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa in a private audience on November 29.

Jansa invited the Holy Father to visit Slovenia in 2009, for the closing of the National Eucharist Congress. During his visit he discussed plans for Slovenia's term at the presidency of the European Union during the first 6 months of 2008. He also spoke about the government's plans for the restoration of church properties that were confiscated by the country's Communist regime.

After his meeting with the Pope, Prime Minister Jansa spoke separately with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone .

Christians must respond to challenges with 'united voice,' pope says

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI told Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople that Christians must "respond with a united voice and with conviction" to the challenges modern men and women are facing.

"Our work toward unity is according to the will of Christ Our Lord," the pope said in the letter, released at the Vatican Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew, the Constantinople patriarchate's patron.

The letter was delivered to the patriarch and read during the feast day celebration by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Pope Benedict said his visit to Turkey last year to participate in the feast day celebration and the tradition of the pope and patriarchate sending delegations to each other's celebrations "represent authentic signs of the commitment of our churches to an ever-deeper communion, strengthened through cordial personal relations, prayer and the dialogue of charity and truth."

The pope also thanked God for the work of the Catholic-Orthodox theological commission, which met in Ravenna, Italy, in October and published a document on the exercise of authority in the church.

"The meeting in Ravenna was not without its difficulties," Pope Benedict said, and "I pray earnestly that these may soon be clarified and resolved, so that there may be full participation" in future meetings and initiatives "aimed at continuing the theological dialogue in mutual charity and understanding."

The Russian Orthodox delegation walked out of the Ravenna meeting to protest the presence of a delegation from the Estonian Orthodox Church, recognized as autonomous by the ecumenical patriarchate but not by the Russian church.

Marking the Orthodox feast and the anniversary of Pope Benedict's visit to the patriarchate in Turkey, the Vatican newspaper published an interview with Patriarch Bartholomew in its Nov. 30 edition.

The patriarch said Pope Benedict's visit was "a gift of God for all Christians; an extraordinary day, an event of hope, a historic sign."

"With much sadness we confess that we still cannot celebrate the sacred mysteries together and we pray that the day will come in which sacramental unity can be fully accomplished," he told the newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

The patriarch said the search for unity is a responsibility of all believers.

"Without hesitation we will continue our common journey in the spirit of love and fidelity toward the truth of the Gospel and of the common tradition of the holy fathers in order to restore the full communion of our churches," he said.

The patriarch, who like the pope praised the work of the international Catholic-Orthodox theological commission, said it is obvious that Catholics and Orthodox are still divided by serious differences.

While the commission members recognized the fact that the bishop of Rome, the pope, held a position of primacy in the early church, they also said it was not clear that his primacy included concrete authority over other patriarchs and bishops. The next phase of the dialogue is to focus on the authority of the pope in the first millennium, when Christians of the East and West were still in communion with each other.

Patriarch Bartholomew told the Vatican newspaper that each church must preserve its own traditions and, at the same time, find ways to draw closer to the other.

"I do not know what the future holds for us. There must be good will, sincerity and courage on the part of all to go forward," he said.

Personal encounters between popes and patriarchs, he said, are opportunities "to cultivate our relationship more in depth and to draw closer to (sharing) a common chalice. And this desire can be transformed into reality through our efforts, our prayers and our insistence."

Patriarch Bartholomew, who said the pope's 2006 visit to Turkey also marked an important step forward in relations with Muslims, said the key idea behind dialogue is that differences should not prevent people from talking to each other.

"The deepest meaning of dialogue lies in the fact that the other is not a stranger, but God's creation, so he is not a threat to me, but a joy, because in him we see the image of God," the patriarch said.

Also in the News -

Vatican delegation joins Annapolis peace talks

Annapolis, Nov. 27, 2007 - Msgr. Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's undersecretary of state, heads a delegation from the Holy See participating in the Middle East peace conference that opens today in Annapolis, Maryland.

Msgr. Parolin-- who is deputy to Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States-- will be accompanied by Msgr. Francesco Coppola to the peace conference. During his Angelus audience on Sunday, November 25, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) endorsed a plea from the US bishops for a day of prayer for the success of the Annapolis conference. The Pope noted that "Israelis and Palestinians, with the help of the international community, aim to relaunch the negotiating process in order to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which, for the last 60 years, has bloodied the Holy Land and brought so many tears and so much suffering to the two peoples."

International News

Mon 26 Nov 2007

Hopes high as Abbas arrives in US

BEN LYNFIELD IN JERUSALEM

THE Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in the US yesterday for a Middle East peace conference with high hopes of making progress towards an independent Palestinian state.

Israeli leaders also arrived in Washington yesterday ahead of tomorrow's peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which the Palestinian president termed a "launching pad" for talks on a final Palestinian peace deal with Israel.

"I am going to Annapolis in an effort to realise the dream of the Palestinian people for an independent state," Mr Abbas said.

But in the West Bank and Gaza Strip there is widespread scepticism about Mr Abbas's ability to achieve any gains for Palestinians.

Israel's rejection of a freeze on its settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is seen as an indication that there is no real pressure from the White House on the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

And the Palestinians' bargaining position has been weakened by division of the self-rule areas between Mr Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.

"Abbas is kidding himself when he says Annapolis will fulfil the dream of a state, but to maintain his role he believes he has no choice but to proceed," said Hani Masri, a columnist for al-Ayyam newspaper, describing the peace conference a "charade".

Israeli officials said yesterday it was still possible the two sides would reach agreement on a declaration aimed at "launching" negotiations, but added that such a declaration would not resolve the key issues in dispute including settlements, Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.

Mr Abbas, 70, a co-founder of Fatah along with the late Yasser Arafat, pioneered PLO contacts with Israeli doves during the 1980s and oversaw the secret negotiations with Israel that led to the failed 1993 Oslo Agreement on self-rule.

He criticized the second intifada uprising on the grounds that its bombing campaigns harmed the Palestinian cause.

"Abbas believes there is no other choice besides negotiations. He believes that if negotiations fail, you should engage in more negotiations," Mr Masri said.

"Israel will be the beneficiary of Annapolis. To the world it will appear that it wants peace and is searching for peace. For Abbas, however, Annapolis will gradually bring about his end politically."

• Pope Benedict XVI yesterday urged in prayers that the participants at the summit find the "wisdom and courage" necessary to bring peace. He said the meeting, to which the Vatican is sending a delegation, hoped to relaunch negotiations "to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which for 60 years has bloodied the Holy Land".

• SYRIA will attend the Annapolis conference, it said yesterday, boosting US efforts to enlist widespread Arab support for a new Middle East peace drive.

Ending weeks of uncertainty, the official Syrian news agency said the official delegation would be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Fayssal Mekdad, left. Syria had insisted the meeting also deal with the future of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel and Syria last held peace negotiations in 2000, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, but could not reach a deal on the Golan Heights.

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The Word Armageddon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:53:00 +0000

The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon
Strong's Number: 717

Original Word Word Origin
Armagedwvn of Hebrew origin (02022) and (04023)

Transliterated Word
Armageddon
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
ar-mag-ed-dohn'

Definition 1
Armageddon = "the hill of Megiddo"
Notice: 1. In Rev. 16:16 The RSV translates the name as Har-Magedon, i.e. hill (as Ar is the city) of Megiddo or M-Egiddo.

Definition 2
Armageddon
For other uses, see Armageddon (disambiguation).
Armageddon (Greek αρμαγεδδων; also spelled Har-Magedon in some modern English translations) mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament, or more generally, an apocalyptic catastrophe.
The word Armageddon in Scripture is known only from a single verse in the Greek New Testament, where it is said to be Hebrew, but it is thought to represent the Hebrew words
Har Megido (הר מגידו), meaning "Hill of, Megiddo".

The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary
Number: 02022

Original Word Word Origin
rh a shortened form of (02042)

Transliterated Word

Har
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
har
Noun Masculine

Definition of Har
1. hill, mountain, hill country, mount
<>
King James Word Usage - Total: 546
mountain 261, mount 224, hill 59, hill country 1, promotion 1

The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's Number: 02042
Original Word Word Origin
rrh from an unused root meaning to loom up
Transliterated Word

Harar
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
haw-rawr'
Noun Masculine

Definition of haw-rawr'
1. mountain, hill, hill country, mount
<>
King James Word Usage - Total: 13
mountain 10, hill 2, mount 1

Ar- M- AGIDDION - AIGIDION - EGIDIO
Greek Letter μ = English Letter M= Hebrew letter מִ =Hebrew Word "From" or "of "

Hebrew word "Ar" ="City" or "Community"

Ar - Community
M - of

IN HEBREW
"M"
μμ -p.m.
"M"Also refers to:
π.μ.- a.m.

Hebrew(הר מגידו)
Book of Revelation Greek
αρμαγεδδων
English Transliterated from Greek Bible
Armageddon
Ar- M- = Community of

Ar-m- aigidion

Aigidio = 'Egidio

Written 'Egidio in Italian
Egidio-Spanish

World peace talks hosted by the Sant’Egidio Community

Sant’Egidio – Italian – English – Sant Giles

Egigio - Italian

GILES - English

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: JIE-ulz [key]

From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which meant "young goat" from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion). Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker from Greece who was regarded as the patron saint of cripples.

Ar-m-aigidion = "Community of 'Egidio" or "Community of Sant'Egidio"

'Egidio = Giles in English

is the Medieval English form of the Old French saints' name Gide, an altered form of Latin Aegidius.

Some explain this as from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion) meaning "kid, young goat".

Others believe that the Latin Aegidius was from aegis, a goatskin shield, and that the name refers to the youth who would carry the shield for a warrior.

Giles masc. French, Kiðlingur (Giles derives from the Late Latin name "Aegidius", which meant "young goat" from Greek "aigidion".)

Pronounced: JIE-ulz From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which meant "young goat" from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion). Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker from Greece who regarded as the patron saint of cripples.

SEE: PEACE AND SAFETY
Sant'Egidio = Trastevere, Italy -Part of - Rome, Italy
near Vatican City
That Great City that rules over the kings of the earth.
The Place - Community of Sant'Egidio
Read - The Book of Revelation
Chapter 16 - Chapter 17

1Thessolonians 5:3
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

The inter-religious International Meetings started in the mid-80’s, as an initiative of the Community of Sant’Egidio, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and dialogue among religions, in a horizon of peace.

The Community of Sant’Egidio has continued living the spirit of the Assisi World Day of Prayer, proposed by John Paul II in 1986, by accepting the Pope’s final invitation of that historical meeting: “Let’s keep spreading the message of Peace and living the spirit of Assisi”. Since that moment, through a network of friendship between representatives of different faiths and cultures from more than 60 countries, the Community has promoted a pilgrimage of peace, that has had several stages in various European and Mediterranean cities year after year.

The two first meetings in Rome in 1987 and 1988, were followed by Warsaw in September 1989 (“War never again”) - on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of WWII -, Bari in 1990, Malta in 1991, Brussels in 1992 (“Europe, Religions, Peace”, about the unity of Europe and its relation with the South of the world). In 1993 the pilgrimage stopped in Milan and in the following years, in Assisi and Florence.

The 1995 meeting was a special one: it took place in Jerusalem, in the heart of the Holy City. The title was “Together in Jerusalem: Jews, Christians and Muslims”. After the Rome and Padua-Venice meetings, came the extraordinary meeting in Bucharest in 1988, “Peace is the name of God: God, Mankind, Peoples”. For the first time, the meeting was organized by the Community and the Orthodox Church of Romania.
The presence of several Orthodox patriarchs and cardinals, and mainly the new atmosphere of dialogue opened the way for the first visit of the Pope to an Orthodox country, which took place some months later.
John Paul II, in the message he sent last year to the XIV Meeting for Peace, Community of Sant’Egidio in Lisbon, said: “I would like to thank especially the Community of Sant’Egidio for the enthusiasm and the spiritual courage shown in accepting the message of Assisi and bringing it to so many places in the world through the meeting of men of different religions.”

This year, the first year of the new century, the International Meeting for Peace takes place on the banks of the Mediterranean. Barcelona, deeply rooted in the history of co-existence among the great Abrahamic religions, but at the same time pointing to the new century, with its capacity of renewal, is for three days the capital of peace and the symbol of the new European reality.

Pope John Paul II writes in “Novo Millenio ineunte”: “... we face the challenge of inter-religious dialogue, to which we will be committed in the new century (...) Dialogue must go on”. To reaffirm in different languages and religious traditions the pacific power of dialogue, from 2nd to 4th of September in Barcelona, on the fifteenth anniversary of the first Meeting in Assisi, pilgrims of peace are going to live together “On the Frontiers of Dialogue: Religions and Civilization in the New Century”.

World religious leaders kick off peace summit

Posted: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:33:00 +0000

NAPLES, Italy (AFP) — Leaders of the world's main religions kicked off an annual inter-faith peace summit here Sunday with calls for a global organization uniting their faiths.

Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Israel's chief rabbi Yona Metzger and the imam of the United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Ezzedin, were among those attending the gathering.

"Civilizations don't dialogue directly, but through those who carry their traditions and cultural values. So we should not speak of a dialogue of civilizations, but a culture of dialogues," Bartholomew told the opening.

In a similar vein, Metzger proposed a "United Nations of Religions" that would "embrace the heads of religious communities that have a profound influence on their congregations."

"If we sit down together around one table... surely we could arrive at effective solutions," he said.

Ezzedin, too, advocated a formal structure linking world religions, saying: "This important grouping of God-fearing people cannot and should not limit itself to processions, conferences and seminars."

"We need to form a permanent and authorised executive machinery for ... executing any decisions we may make," he added.

The Muslim leader however spoke harshly of "unjustified provocations in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan and ... unfair dealings in Palestine" that have prompted "some Muslim individuals and groups (to go) astray and wrong themselves by violent actions."

He added: "We are dismayed by the behavior of some great powers who continue to act aggressively against other countries, by means of military occupation under fabricated pretexts... forced regime changes and blunt interference in other countries' affairs."

The Sant'Egidio summits are meant to carry on the "spirit of Assisi" and were launched 21 years ago by John Paul II in the birthplace of Saint Francis.

The first summit, dubbed a World Day of Prayer for Peace, was attended by the Dali Lama, Mother Teresa and other religious leaders.

The pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, stayed away, reportedly out of concern that it put all religions on an equal footing.

Thus the timing of his pastoral visit to Naples has been billed as a "happy coincidence" by Sant'Egidio, a lay Catholic organization that has mediated in several world conflicts.

The theme of this year's peace summit is "A World Without Violence”: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue," with topics to include AIDS, immigration, the plight of Africa and the quest for peace in the Middle East.

The Sant'Egidio community is the "bridge in this search for common points and continues to work for dialogue in all parts of the world to build peace," said the Reverend Gijun Sugitani, the supreme adviser of Tendai Buddhism in Japan.

Earlier Sunday, Benedict celebrated an open-air mass as rain fell on pilgrims huddled under umbrellas in Naples' main square.

Lamenting "the sad phenomenon of violence" in the impoverished city, the pontiff said: "It's not only a matter of the deplorable number of crimes of the Camorra (mafia), but also the fact that violence tends unfortunately to become a widespread mentality, insinuating itself into the fabric of society."

Peace Appeal From Encounter of Peoples and Religions

NAPLES, Italy, OCT. 24, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the message made public Tuesday by the Community of Sant'Egidio, after the 21st International Encounter of Peoples and Religions. The Sant'Egidio Community and the Archdiocese of Naples co-sponsored the event. The appeal was presented by a group of children to representatives of nations of the world at the concluding ceremony of the meeting.

* * *

Naples, Oct. 23, 2007

Men and women of different religions, from many parts of the world, we have gathered here in Naples to forge bonds of brotherhood, and call to God for the great gift of peace. The name of God is peace.

In the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and in this extraordinary city, which is well acquainted with poverty and greatness of heart, we stooped down upon the wounds of the world. There is an illness that pollutes every thing and its name is violence. Violence is the grim daily companion of too many men and women on our planet.

Violence becomes war, terrorism, poverty and despair, exploitation of our planet. It is fueled by contempt; it stuns people with hatred; it kills hope and sows fear; it strikes down the innocent, and debases humanity. Violence seduces the hearts of human beings and tells them, “nothing can change." This pessimism makes people believe that living together is impossible.

From Naples we can say, stronger than before, that anyone who uses the name of God to hate the other, to practice violence, or to wage war, is cursing the name of God.

As Benedict XVI told us, “Never can evil and violence be justified by invoking the name of God."

We focused on our diverse religious traditions, we heard the sorrow of the South of the world, and we felt the burden of pessimism rising from the 20th century with its weight of war and shattered illusions. We need the strength that comes from the spirit of love, which helps rebuild and mend the unity of humankind. The power of the spirit changes the hearts of men and women and transforms history.

In the depths of our religious traditions, we have discovered that a world without dialogue is a world without hope, where people are fated to fear each other. Dialogue does not cancel differences. Dialogue enriches life and dispels pessimism that makes one see the other as a threat. Dialogue is not the illusion of the weak, it is the wisdom of the strong, who rely on the power of prayer. And prayer changes the world and the destiny of humankind. Dialogue weakens no-one’s identity, and it encourages everyone to see the best in the other. Nothing is lost with dialogue; everything is possible through dialogue.

To those who still kill, to those who still sow terrorism and wage war in the name of God, we say: “Stop! Do not kill! Violence is always a defeat."

We commit ourselves to learn the art of living together and to offer it to our fellow believers. There is no alternative to the unity of the human family. We need brave builders, in all cultures, and in all religious traditions. We need the globalization of the spirit, which reveals to us what we no longer see: the beauty of life and of the other, in all circumstances, even the hardest.

Our religious traditions teach us that prayer is an active power in history, and it moves peoples and nations. Humbly, we offer this ancient wisdom to the service of all peoples, of every man and every woman, to open a new era of freedom from fear and contempt for the other. It is the spirit of Assisi, and here, from Naples, full of courage and strength, it challenges violence and any abuse of religion as a pretext for violence.

Following in this path, confident that peace can be a gift to the whole world, we commit ourselves to the Most High.

Religion Can Bring Peace, Says Cardinal

Encourages Hindus in Path of Dialogue With Christians

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 5, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Far from being a cause of conflict, religions can promise the peace for which the world longs, affirmed a Vatican official.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council of Interreligious Dialogue, said this in a message sent to Hindus for their Nov. 9 celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. The message is titled "Christians and Hindus: Determined to Walk the Path of Dialogue."

"Sensitive to your religious feelings and respectful of your ancient religious tradition," the cardinal wrote, "I sincerely hope that your search for the Divine, symbolized through the celebration of Diwali, will help you to overcome darkness with light, untruth with truth, and evil with goodness."

He continued: "The world around us is yearning for peace. Religions promise peace because they trace their origin to God who, according to Christian belief, is our peace. Can we, as believers of different religious traditions, not work together to receive God's gift of peace and to spread it around us so that the world becomes for all people a better place to live?

"Our respective communities must pay urgent attention to the education of believers, who can so easily be misled by deceitful and false propaganda.

"Belief and freedom always go together. There can be no coercion in religion: No one can be forced to believe; neither can anyone who wishes to believe be prevented from doing so."

Overcoming ignorance

Cardinal Tauran encouraged believers to educate themselves about their own faiths, and to learn about the beliefs of other religions.

"Let us not forget that ignorance is the first and, perhaps, the principal enemy in the life of believers," he said.

"Like all human relationships, those between people of different religions need to be nourished by regular meetings, patient listening, collaborative action, and above all, by an attitude of mutual respect," the cardinal continued. "Accordingly, we must work to build bonds of friendship.

"In situations of misunderstanding, people need to come together and communicate with one another, in order to clarify, in a fraternal and friendly spirit, their respective beliefs, aspirations and convictions.

"Only through dialogue, avoiding all forms of prejudice and stereotyped ideas about others and by faithful witness to our religious precepts and teaching, can we truly overcome conflicts. Dialogue between followers of different religions is the necessary path today, indeed it is the only appropriate path for us as believers."

Interreligious Dialogue Is Working, Says Scholar [2007-11-14]
Affirms It Needs to Continue in Daily Relationships

Religion Can Bring Peace, Says Cardinal [2007-11-05]
Encourages Hindus in Path of Dialogue With Christians

"New Attitude" Noted in Muslim-Christian Relations [2007-10-29]
Pontifical Institute for Islamic Studies Responds to Open Letter

Violence in God's Name a "Curse" [2007-10-24]
Naples Meeting Concludes With Commitment to Dialogue

Peace Appeal From Encounter of Peoples and Religions [2007-10-24]

Jewish Leaders Briefed on Youth Day Event [2007-10-24]

Cardinal Proposes Road Map for Peace [2007-10-23]
Calls Religiously-Motivated Violence a Profanation

Naples Event Seen as Aid in Warding Off Civilization Clash [2007-10-22]
Says Coexistence Is Only Solution for Globalized World

Pope's Address to Religious Leaders in Naples [2007-10-21]
"Religion Can Never Be a Vehicle of Hate"

Benedict XVI: Religion Is Not a Vehicle of Hate [2007-10-21]
Urges Promotion of the "Spirit of Assisi"

Foundation Advises Israel on Religious Etiquette [2007-06-15]

Vatican Message to Buddhists [2007-04-25]
"May We Continue to Contribute Toward Peace and Harmony"

Pope's Address to Interreligious Foundation [2007-02-11]
"A Vital Need for Our Time"

Interreligious Dialogue a Must, Pope Says [2007-02-01]
Receives Group of Muslim, Jewish, Christian Leaders

"Nostra Aetate" Initiated New Era, Says Foundation [2006-10-27]
Marks 41st Anniversary of Interreligious Document

Book Culls Interreligious Documents [2006-10-20]
Covers Papal and Vatican Texts of 1963-2005

Pope Notes Conditions for Interreligious Prayer Meetings [2006-09-04]
A Testimony of Fraternity, Which Must Avoid Syncretism, He Says

Holy See's Statement at Conference on Tolerance [2006-06-13]
"The Frequent Belittling of Religion and Culture"

Jews and Catholics on Respect for Human Life [2006-03-02]
Final Statement of the Bilateral Commission

Interreligious Dialogue Aids Religious Liberty, Says Pope [2006-02-20]

Europarliament Condemns Persecution of Christians [2007-11-21]
Vows to Make Aid Dependent on Respect for Freedom

Benedict XVI Urges Peace in Somalia [2007-11-21]

On the Teachings of Aphraates [2007-11-21]
"Prayer Is Strong When It Is Full of God’s Strength"

Letter from Caritas Somalia [2007-11-21]
"We Cannot Simply Dismiss Somalia as a Hopeless Case"

Putting Social Doctrine in the Limelight [2007-11-21]
Justice and Peace Council Consider Key Task

Holy See Urges U.N. to Coordinate Disaster Response [2007-11-20]
Says International Community Needs to Offer Long-Term Aid

Holy See on a Humanitarian Response to Disasters [2007-11-20]
"A Steady Commitment Is Necessary"

Cardinal: Paul VI Knew Terrorism Could Become Widespread [2007-11-20]
Vatican Council to Study "Populorum Progressio"

The Life-Sapping Human Virus [2007-11-19]
Losing Equilibrium in the Ecology Debate

Democracy in Danger in Venezuela [2007-11-19]
Interview With Archbishop Baltazar Porras

Papal Address to Missionaries [2007-11-16]
"The Baptized Are Called to the Spreading of the Gospel"

Pope Says Missionary Work Has Only Just Begun [2007-11-16]
Notes Cooperation of Laypeople Adds Needed Spark

Cardinal Hails U.N. Vote on Death Penalty [2007-11-16]
Recommendation for Moratorium a

Vatican: World Still Needs "Populorum Progressio" [2007-11-16]
Justice and Peace Council to Study 40-Year-Old Document

Holy Land Likened to a "Family Home" [2007-11-15]
Cardinal-Designate Laments Christians' Emigration From Region

Statement of Joint Catholic-Orthodox Commission [2007-11-15]
"Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority"

Pope Recalls Italians Who Died in Iraq [2007-11-14]

Papal Message on the Common Good [2007-11-14]
"Only Together Is It Possible to Attain It and Safeguard Its Effectiveness"

St. Jerome on the Bible [2007-11-14]
"Love Sacred Scripture and Wisdom Shall Love You"

Interreligious Dialogue Is Working, Says Scholar [2007-11-14]
Affirms It Needs to Continue in Daily Relationships

Vatican: World Still Needs "Populorum Progressio"

Justice and Peace Council to Study 40-Year-Old Document

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Populorum Progressio" turned 40 this year, and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace thinks it is as valid today as it was four decades ago.

Scholars and experts will gather Nov. 20-24 in Rome to consider the problems and prospects of human development 40 years after "Populorum Progressio," a dicastery communiqué reported. The theme will be considered at the pontifical council's plenary assembly Nov. 20-21 and at the second world congress of ecclesial organizations active in the sector of justice and peace from Nov. 22-24.

According to the communiqué, pontifical council members and consultors "will reflect on the current validity of the historic papal document, with particular emphasis on the moral aspects of development, on new forms of poverty and globalization, on conflicts and disarmament, and on safeguarding and protecting human rights."

Cardinal Renato Martino and Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will lead the plenary assembly.

More than 300 delegates from more than 80 countries are expected to participate in the second world congress of ecclesial organizations active in the sector of justice and peace. The specific theme of their meeting will be "The 40th Anniversary of 'Populorum Progressio': The Development of All of Man, the Development of All Mankind."

The congress "will study the new situations that have come into being in the world since the publication of the historic document, and the current challenges of development in the light of the Church's social doctrine, in particular the questions of human ecology, pluralism and intercultural dialogue, and new forms of government in the context of globalization," the communiqué reported. "Particular attention will also be given to the Church's pastoral commitment to integral and solidary development in the world today."

PEACE AND SAFETY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:51:00 +0000

Rome, 25 Oct. (AKI) - Five Christian clerics from Italy's top Islamic studies institute have praised the 29-page letter to the Pope issued earlier this month by 138 scholars from every sect of Islam that warned the "survival of the world" is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace.

"We are convinced of the good faith of those who produced it," wrote Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, rector of the Rome-based Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) in letter that was also signed by PISAI's dean of studies Etienne Renaud, and PISAI professors Michel Lagarde, Valentino Cottini and Felix Phiri.

"We were impressed by the broad scope of this text. Its breadth at the level of the signatories...Muslim personalities from numerous countries of every continent...there was breadth also at the level of the addressees."

The letter issued on 11 Oct. by the Muslim scholars from all over the world was addressed to 28 leaders of different Christian churches, including the head of the Catholic church, Pope Benedict XVI.

"The authors of the letter do not seek refuge in a convenient one-sided protest on behalf of the umma [community of Muslims], but on the contrary, place themselves as partners within humanity," commented the five Christian clerics in their letter.

"The broad sweep of its perspectives is also a noteworthy feature of the text," they said.

They also praised "evidence of deep respect and genuine attentiveness to others," and "a true scientific spirit."

"In this respect, also, we note the emergence of a new attitude," the clerics said.

Their letter is the first response by Christian clerics in Italy to the Muslim religious leaders' 11 Oct. letter. The Vatican has not so far issued an official response.

A letter to the Pope from 38 top Muslim clerics in various countries issued in October 2006 accepted the pontiff's expressions of regret for a controversial speech on Islam he gave the previous month in Regensburg, Germany.

But the October 2006 letter also points out "errors" and "mistakes" in the Pope's speech, which angered Muslims by linking Islam and violence and questioned the concept of holy war or 'Jihad'.

The Pope did not apologise for his Regensburg address, but said he regretted the offence it had caused among Muslims.

Love not the World

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 05:53:00 +0000

WCC and Pentecostals continue ecumenical dialogue in Switzerland
A second round of dialogue between World Council of Churches (WCC) members and Pentecostals was inaugurated last week in Baar, Switzerland.
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007, 8:08 (BST)
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A second round of dialogue between World Council of Churches (WCC) members and Pentecostals was inaugurated last week in Baar, Switzerland.

A group of seventeen Protestant, Orthodox and Pentecostal Christians met to re-launch the work begun by the first Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals from 2000 to 2005.

In reflecting on the importance of the meeting, Cecil M. Robeck Jr., professor of church history and ecumenics at Fuller Theological Seminary, who returns as the Pentecostal co-moderator of the group, said “this meeting has given us a very good start on the next five years of our work together”.

Jennifer S. Leath, African Methodist Episcopal Church (USA), who serves as the WCC co-moderator of the group, said she hopes that it will “continue to grow in mutual understanding and will not shy away from difficult questions or challenges for unity”.

After several years of dialogue with Pentecostals from around the world, the first Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals was established by the Harare Assembly in 1998.

The report of the first group was received in 2006 by the Porto Alegre Assembly, which recommended its continuation as an important platform for developing deeper understanding and opportunities for dialogue. Some of the members of the first group were re-confirmed by their churches to serve again, helping to ensure a measure of continuity in the conversation.

The group also took time to reconstruct the story of the dialogue that developed between 2000 and 2005. They also set an agenda for their work in the years to come.

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Finnish Pentecostal Mission, presented an overview of Pentecostal bilateral dialogues with the Roman Catholic Church, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and conversations with the Lutheran World Federation. He stressed how this work has “laid the foundation for continuing Pentecostal involvement in the struggle for the unity of the Church of Christ”.

Harold D. Hunter, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, led a conversation on the “ecclesial gift of charisms”.

Marina Kolovopoulou, Church of Greece, and Cephas Omenyo, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, led a conversation on the “ecclesial gift of sacraments”. Both topics had been recommended for further discussion by the first group.

The group set for its agenda continued theological dialogue on the nature of the church, beginning in 2008 with a study of the marks of the church – Oneness, Holiness, Catholicity and Apostolicity. As the conversation progresses, the group will continue in 2009 with discussion on the nature of mission.

In Baar, the group was hosted at the Focolare Centre and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and culture with the community there. Group members worshipped with local Reformed, Free Evangelical and Syrian Orthodox churches.

The group will meet again in October 2008.

More on Peace and Safety - Peace talks in Armageddon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 05:38:00 +0000

Top officials from the World Jewish Congress were meeting Monday with Pope Benedict XVI to stress their desire to continue Jewish-Catholic collaboration despite recent internal feuding at the group.

Billionaire and WJC president Ronald Lauder and the group's new secretary general, Michael Schneider, were meeting with Benedict and the Vatican's official in charge of relations with Jews, Cardinal Walter Kasper.

At a dinner Sunday attended by Kasper and several Vatican cardinals, Schneider acknowledged that relations with the Vatican had been "unfortunately put in abeyance" because of a management shakeup at the organization.

But he said the group wanted "to continue the long relationship between us and the Roman Catholic Church," now that a new leadership was in place.

Jesus is coming soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:33:00 +0000

The Bible and the mark of the beast in society

When do you think Jesus will return?
- 10,000 years from now?
- 1000 years from now?
- 100 years from now?
- 10 years from now?
- 5 years from now?
- 3 years from now?
- 1 year from now?
- next month?
- next week?
- tomorrow?
When?
The answer is:

When it is finish.
When all is fulfilled.
SOON!

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since, the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Most people today are convinced by a trendy theory that the return of Christ is way out in the future - its not. That no one not even the angels in heaven knows the "actual" day nor hour. The "actual" day and hour is not known by the angels but, God gives us a day for every year in Prophecy. This is an equivalent formula for understanding Prophecy (found in Ezekiel 4:6) "And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year."
The great day of God Almighty is " the great year of God Almighty". You and, the angels in heaven can know the year and still not the "actual" day and hour.
1Thessalonians 5:4 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Anti - Means Opposite
Anti - Christ means Opposite of Christ or anti-believers in Christ these are people in the world today who believe in other than Christ.
Who makes war with the Lamb but the Lamb overcomes them, for He is Lord of Lords King of Kings and the ones who follow Him are faithful and true.
These anti-Jesus believers destroy the beast that has the wound by the sword and did live because God puts it in there heart to agree with the beast for one hour (or in prophecy table - one day).
These shall burn her (that great city) with fire and, eat of her flesh (kill the people therein.)
The "mark" of the beast is not the number of his(the man identifying this place and time the events of Revelation 13 the names of his kingdom total(six hundred threescore and six.)
The "mark" is the mark of membership.
Water baptism into this membership "marks" its followers (the beast that ascended up from the bottomless pit.)
The mark is found on the right hand and, on the forehead.
The mark in the forehead is given at birth or as an adult.
The mark in the right hand is a proclamation of those following the beast whithsoeverth he goeth (an ID).
The Dragon gave the beast its power.
The dragon is "ROME".
The Beast is "The Roman Catholic Church"
The "Mark" is the sign of the cross given at birth on the forehead and Performed with the right hand from forehead to sternum - shoulder to shoulder making the sign of the cross that identifies the performer of what he/she believes and who he/ she follows.
Jesus tells those who are of the Catholic beast or that follow any of her teachings to come out of her before He pours out His wrath of judgment on the beast.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers, of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

So if you are Catholic or believe in part their self invented doctrines fear God not the Pope and just get out NOW.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints:here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The Beast, The Image, And The English Reformation -Time LIne 1517 - 1564

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:57:00 +0000

“I write this freely, without doctrines of churches, organizations, or influences of this world. What you are about to read is not for the offense to any heart, but written for encouragement and knowledge to draw the heart of man closer to our Lord of Lords, King of Kings of heaven and earth and Savior Jesus Christ; who died on the cross for our sins, and rose on the third day, that we might be considered worthy of the acceptance of His love and the promises of his Holy Word. ” ~ Rick

Note: When considering prophecy God explains in the Old Testament
"One day for a year." Ezekiel 4:6
Or, one day = one year

About Revelation 13

"The rise of the Roman Catholic Church and its role in the English Reformation and its influence in the Church of England"

"Prophecies that unfolded during the English Reformation"

Revelation 13:2 explains the likeness of the first beast, which are animal symbols of European governmental powers:
Like unto a leopard (Greece)
Feet of a bear (Media Persia)
Mouth of a lion (Babylon)
The dragon (Rome)

Revelation 13:5 explains the duration of the beast until the deadly wound to be 42 months.

There are 30 days in a biblical month, so multiply 30 times 42.
The answer is 1260 days, or 1260 years. Ezekiel 4:6
Papal Rome came to power in 538 A. D. and continued in power without interruption until 1798, exactly 1260 years later- another prophecy fulfilled.

Revelation 13:1-10 explains the Papal Roman government.

Revelation 13:11-18 explains England and its role with the Roman Catholic Church.

The "Dragon" is Rome.
It is a known historical fact that the symbol for the Roman Byzantine government was a dragon, as the bald eagle is to the USA.
Symbols of the dragon are still found all around Italy and the Vatican (statues, public fountains, etc.) And this governmental power, the Roman Empire, turns over its power to "Papal Rome," thus "The Holy Roman Empire."
The Pagan belief of the Romans was Babylonian worship whose high priests carried the title of Pontifix Maximus, but in appreciation of Caesar's acceptance of their worship, they awarded him the title of "Pontifix Maximus," and this title was passed down to Papal Rome. Papal Rome and the Pope are referred to at times in the Bible and Revelation as Satan, man of sin, the head of the beast, the eighth king.

The beast with two horns "like a lamb" (the second beast)

The two horns represented "Church and State" until Henry VIII, when it became "Church and King" (Act of Supremacy) ~ "Like a lamb" means "youth" of this (nation) beast compared to the old Holy Roman empire (the first beast.)
considered heretics (traitors of the Roman Catholic) and were burned at the stake because they wouldn't conform and be water baptized into the Roman Catholic Church and/or for abandonment of its teachings. The rising up also stands for the English Reformation, or protestant rising up against the beast of the church and state during the time before Henry VIII, but"Lambeth Palace" rose up from the marshes (swamp land) to become the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and later became the seat of the Church of England. The first people to read the Bible translated by John Wycliffe were called "lollards." These people were the first Protestants and were imprisoned in the Lambeth Palace for reading its translation. The word "protestant" means "protest" or "in protest" of the Roman Catholic Church. These people (lollards) were later in years that followed Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I the Church of England conforms back to Catholicism.
Even when Henry VIII became king, the war between Protestants and Catholics continued for decades. The Roman Catholic Church lead these people (lollards, protestants) into captivity, but were later lead into captivity themselves by the protestants and lollards. Protestants were killed by the sword and Catholics were also killed by the sword. (Revelation 13:10.) This passage is not portraying the fall of Papal Rome of 1798, but rather the fall of Papal Rome in England during the reign of Henry VIII and in the time of Elizabeth I.
The Church of England or "The IMAGE," was created out of anger by Henry VIII, who couldn't get a marriage annulment from the Pope, so he went on to build his own image of The Roman Catholic Church, which he alone would rule as the supreme head. To help stop this ongoing battle, this church would be reformed to be comprised of half Catholic/half Protestant, and eventually revert back to mostly Catholicism, which most kings and queens were thereafter. They kept most of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and caused people to worship the first beast, "The Roman Catholic Church" through laws enacted by the crown and Parliament.
The "mark of the beast" (or mark of the Roman Catholic Church ) is the "mark of membership" (water baptism into the Church of England, Lutheran and/or the Roman Catholic Church with the "sign of the cross" marked on the forehead by a priest with holy water, and at prayer, performing the sign of the cross with the right hand from forehead to sternum and then from shoulder to shoulder drawing an imaginary cross on the upper body always using the right hand as prescribed by the Catholic teaching.
People who would not be water baptized and marked in the forehead with the "sign of the cross" into membership were killed. Penalty was death by fire. Jesus shall repay with the same, and avenge the blood of the saints: John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and etc.
For more information on this subject, please research the Spanish, Italian, English, & Irish Inquisitions (which were the investigations that lead to the trials and convictions of thousands for not practicing Roman Catholicism.) Also research for the mark of the beast, “Sign of the cross," also "RCIA" or "rite of Christian initiation of adults."
Henry VIII was king during the English reformation and built Henrican church (later the Church of England), the "IMAGE" (Westminster Abby) of the Roman Catholic Church, and gave it power to speak (legislate.) King Henry VIII's daughter,
Elizabeth I enforced its membership by law (legislation of parliament which includes the "Crown" and "House of Commons.") Though reformed, still mostly Roman Catholic practices.
Elizabeth I invited the pope to oversee the practices of the Church of England after the dust settled. (Governance of the Church of England) but the Roman Catholic Church viewed the Church of England as a pretend church (pretending to be Roman Catholic), hence "the Image."

The fire coming down from heaven is "alchemy" or "fireworks"

The first fireworks in England were for the wedding of Henry VII.
Elizabeth I declared herself "fire marshal of England." She was very impressed with the spectacular fireworks falling down from the sky (heaven) in the site of ordinary men and bishops. At that time only dignitaries and clerics were able to afford the displays. Fireworks are a Catholic practice involved in nearly every Catholic holiday. It's been a Catholic tradition since a Catholic monk in Italy first tried his hand at perfecting black powder. St. Valentine, St. Thomas, and others were alchemists, or pyrotechnics, and lured people into the Church with their miracles of fire.

"No man might buy or sell"

At the "Council of Orleans" 321 A.D. (after John wrote Revelation,) the Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath Day from the seventh day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday.) The Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath Day...not GOD.
"No man free or bond might buy or sell that keep the "original Sabbath" (the seventh day: Saturday) (Exodus 20) except those who change it and acknowledge it and believe the change. (the beast, ones with the mark of the beast, or the number of the name - the Roman Catholic Church, members of the Roman Catholic Church and/or the Church of England, and the Crown, his wives, and his members of Parliament)
The book of James 2 reads that if you fail at one point of the Ten Commandments you are guilty of all.
Genesis 1:5 states "and the evening and the morning were the first day." A new day begins at sunset every evening, not at midnight, or morning. This change of time was also administered by the Catholic Church.
TIME: When a day begins. When the Catholic Church changed when the time of day began, they changed TIMES.
THE LAW: The Ten Commandments. When the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath day, they changed THE LAW.
Daniel 7:25 states, "they shall think to change times and laws."
Another prophecy fulfilled.

Here is understanding (of the Bible not the World.)
Identify a time and place through its king:
for it's the number of a king who represents a place and time.
(Numbers 1:1-16 A Renown Prince of Pedigree, at least 20 years of age able to go to war, head of his fathers "House" who builds a replica of the Roman Catholic "Church and State".
The Roman Catholic Church has referred to the Church of England as the "pretended" church as they have in most part pretended to worship as the Roman Catholic. They have mimicked the Roman Catholic church structure by creating similar church government and church design without actually being under the full authority of the Pope since the time of it's beginning during the reign of Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I.
The Church of England may have a different name but Roman Catholic belief is their practice of worship and the sign of the cross also mark them as Catholic.

ID: Henry VIII is supreme over England (remember this: he builds the image)
"House of Commons" members total 659 (this number of members continues today)
1 king Henry VIII
6 wives
659 + 1 + 6 = England
Six hundred three score and six.
These events have already happened.
Prophecies fulfilled.

About Water Baptism (Roman Catholic teaching)

John the Baptist said one would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. Jesus did not baptize anyone in the Bible with water. He was baptized in water by John because Jesus had not yet died on the cross, therefore the water had not yet become blood. After the cross, water became blood, a familiar prophecy demonstrated by Jesus when he turned the water into wine. He did this to tell us that water baptism will become a baptism in the blood of Christ, hence the baptism John the Baptist referred to when he said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Acts 1:5. "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
After the cross is when the baptism of Jesus started - the baptism of the Holy Ghost. If water baptism is necessary for your salvation why didn't Jesus baptize people in water himself? There is no holy trinity to be baptized with. When Jesus gave His life on the cross for remission of sins, the purified flesh united the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost from that time on. The truth was given to the world through Jesus Christ, the New Testament, and of the new knowledge, having power over heaven and earth, that all in heaven and on earth will bow down in the presence of His holy name. And with knowing that all in heaven and on earth should bow down to Jesus, does this mean God and the Holy Ghost also bow down to Him? No. They are one, not "as one" as the trinity theory suggests. This theory of trinity is the imaginary works of iniquity of Tertullian, one of the early founders of the Roman Catholic Church, who lived around the time of 190 A.D. (Eph. 4:4-6) "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father and God of all, who is above all, and in you all. John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? John 3:31 "He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all."

Let's look back at the book of Genesis.
Gen. 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the ALMIGHTY God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
Gen 35:11 " And God said unto him, I am God ALMIGHTY: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Now let's look at the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8 says (in red letters, words of Jesus Christ), "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the ALMIGHTY."

According to these passages the trinity theory doesn't hold up to the truth because God's words state that he is the ALMIGHTY, and then Jesus Christ's words state that HE is the ALMIGHTY. This is not a contradiction in the Bible. It's a confirmation that God and Christ become one, in their very own words.

Here is one more example of the unification of the Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.

John 14:17 " Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot, receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you".
John 14:18 " I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Here Jesus tells how the Spirit of truth (also referred to here as "Holy Ghost" & "Comforter") dwells with you and will be in you. Then in the very next verse He says
"I will come to you."

True membership
Jesus died for your sins on the cross and by believing that Jesus died and rose again on the third day, you are His member. He was conceived of the Holy Ghost and you are baptized with it into the membership of Jesus Christ when you accept him into your life. When you accept him into your life He accepts you into life eternal and your name is then written in His membership book: "The Lamb's Book of Life."

About Revelation 17

The angel takes us to a time and place before the deadly wound was healed between the years of 1798 and 1929.
In 1798 Napoleon seized the governmental powers and territories of Papal Rome and imprisoned the Pope where he remained until his death.
This blow to the head of the Roman Catholic Church (beast) was the deadly wound.
The beast (Roman Catholic Church) that was (in power) and is not (in power) yet is (in existence) Rev. 17:8
There are seven kings of the beast (papal names since the wound of 1798)
five are fallen;
one is;
and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space (total years of reign.)
This short space name is: John Paul
Seven papal names have been elected since 1798, when Napoleon seized control of papal Rome (the deadly wound)
and the deadly wound was healed on Feb. 11, 1929 with the Lateran Pact Treaties, when power was returned to the church by Mussolini.
The seven kings (or names) of the beast:
Pius
Leo
Gregory
Benedict- (is of the seven, after the short space)
John
Paul
John Paul = Short space - 27 years total reign.
And the beast that was (in power), and is not (in power during the period of 1798-1929), even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (names) and goeth into perdition.
The 80 year old BENEDICT is the eighth king. Jesus will repay soon.

About 1Tim 4:1

Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (Catholic teachings - water baptism, trinity, changing the Sabbath Day, and so on) speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, (number one in "member" water baptisms in the world - Roman Catholic Church - Greeks and Romans believe in common worship practices) and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving, of those who believe and know the truth. There are some churches acquiring "membership" through water baptisms who believe trinity also -doctrines of devils- persuading their members to practice vegetarianism or at the very least to abstain from unclean meats such as pork, shrimp & catfish as the Jews did under the ordinances of Moses. Colossians 2:20-22 states "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, touch not; taste not; handle not; which are all to perish with the using: after the commandments of men?" Col 3:2 says, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Romans 14:2 states "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

There are good people are without full understanding of scripture
because pastors are taught to preach by other men and women,
not the Holy Ghost, and to preach the same message over and over which contains a lot of good history and good teachings of the Bible, but falls short of the truth and then substitutes the truth with theory and at times taking scripture out of context to support their theories.
1John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need NOT that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him."
Some churches take in part the teachings or doctrines of the Greek Orthodox Roman Catholic, or Jewish ordinances of Moses of Leviticus, which were nailed to the cross. Colossians 2:14 "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;"

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The governing structure of most top denominations is fashioned primarily after the Roman Catholic Church from the local level churches (like local dioceses) to the General Conference (like the Vatican.) They also have ongoing ecumenical talks with The Roman Catholic Church whether directly or indirectly, through Roman Catholic sub-groups (world alliance of reformed churches) and other denominations who are in formal direct communion with The Roman Catholic Church. The leaders of these denominations teach pastors to preach against Catholicism and then shake hands in agreement concerning some teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

"Speaking lies in Hypocrisy"

Most members of most churches do not even know how much interaction is between their church leaders and the Roman Catholic Church. These are the same kind of comparative talks most denominations have with the Roman Catholic Church. It's all a part of a larger deception to unite all denominations under the authority of the Pope as the one true leader of the Christian world. Satan, in his deception, uses the name of Jesus Christ in vain in his quest to overcome the souls of man going throughout the world devouring who he may for he knows he only has a short time. Most wouldn't even think twice that a church would deceive them with their church doctrines. This is why they are taken as a thief. There are some Catholic doctrines in most denominations.
Warning: Come out of the whore completely and totally - don't partake and give heed to her, or her doctrines of devils.

The ordinances of Moses to the Levites were nailed to the cross, but not the Ten Commandments.
Therefore the 7th day Sabbath, which is Saturday, kept by the Seventh Day Adventist Church is truth, but vegetarianism is of weak faith: Romans 14:2 states "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom 14:17)

There is not a world church or world organization that is of Christ.
Christ is NOT of the world. He overcame the world.
1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:16"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness and offered him the world if He would just bow Himself down and worship Satan. So many churches today offer the wantoness of the world in their lavish establishments trimmed in gold, with promises of better jobs, financial relief, college educations, political favor, health care, etc. These are deceptions of Satan and the full truth is not in them. (2 Peter 1:4) Some Bible truth is in all churches. Jesus is the WHOLE truth, and not of this world. He isn't interested in who you are in the world, but who you are in your heart. Your loyalty should be with Christ only:
Not the Pope, the Dhali Lama, Billy Graham, Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith, the church
you attend, your boss at work,

your pastor or anyone...with Jesus Christ only. John 3:33 "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true."
These are the remnant of the world - the ones who follow whithersoever He goeth, not defiled with the Roman Catholic Church whether it be ecumenical talks or in agreement in any way (trinity, water baptism, rebellious Sunday Sabbath, or any teaching.)

(Revelation 18:4) "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" of this murdering Roman Catholic Church, and all whom are associated with her, and keep her company. People even today take the membership (mark of the beast) just as they have for centuries. Following the traditions of men and not following Christ.
Col 2:8 "Beware least any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (laws) of the world, and not after Christ." It's Jesus who died for you, who has power over heaven and earth. No one else can save you and give you eternal life. Your love and loyalty should be with Him only. Don't be looking way out into the future for things that have already come and gone. But rather look to the past to understand the present, and the short time before Christ returns.
Understand where you are with Jesus. Understand what is truth (Jesus.) Seek and ye shall find. The Holy Ghost will guide you, not a man.

1 John 2:20 "But ye have an unction (discerning) from the Holy One, and ye know all things."
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."

Don't be taken as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:4 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."
The Coming of Christ is soon
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east, might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together, into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since, men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Water = People

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The sixth vile is now poured out on the river Euphrates and is at present drying up (Rev. 16:12.) People in Iraq are slowly dying like a river slowly evaporating, preparing a way for the kings of the east. With unclean spirits like frogs (with long tongues as in speeches & peace talks.) The pope will go to the kings of the earth with a peace plan to help draw the world unto him for saving the world from the great troubles of war and terrorism. This will be his final attempt to unite the Christian denominations under his umbrella, but the pope can't save you and he won't even get the chance. The great day (year) of God Almighty is when Jesus returns during this time and foils the plan of the Satan. The location of the talks - Rome (location: Sant'Egidio Community, Trastevere, Italy) in the Hebrew tongue Har= Mountain or Hill and, Ar = City and, the Letter M in hebrew = of or from - and, the name is Egidio "City = Community of Egidio or "Community of Sant'Egidio".
The Catholic St. Egidio was considered by the Roman Catholic church to be A miracle
worker and the Community of Sant'Egidio is considered the same.

(1 Thess 5:4)" But Ye, Brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Definition

AR = city or Community of :

the " M" = Hebrew word "OF"

Ageddion = hebrew - Agidion
= Italian - Egidio
=English - Giles
= Greek - Aigidion

"The Community Of Agidion" or

"The Community of Saint Giles" or

in Italian - "Sito della Comunità di Sant'Egidio"

World peace talks hosted by the Sant’Egidio Community

GILES

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: JIE-ulz [key]

From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which meant "young goat" from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion). Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker from

Greece