Quotes from and about the Pope in light of Scriptures

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Kate

The following are quotes from various popes of the catholic religion. I’ve used Scriptures to refute their words and pray that this will open the eyes of lost catholics everywhere.

Our Christian conviction is that Christ is also the messiah of Israel. Certainly it is in the hands of God how and when the unification of Jews and Christians into the people of God will take place.
Pope Benedict XVI

The unification of Jews and Christians took place when Christ died on the cross and redeemed them all.

~Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

~Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

~Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

~Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

“We must have great respect for these people who also suffer and who want to find their own way of correct living. On the other hand, to create a legal form of a kind of homosexual marriage, in reality, does not help these people.”
Pope Benedict XVI

Where are the Scriptures telling homosexuals that they are living in sin?

~Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

~Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

~Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

“It is theologically and anthropologically important for woman to be at the center of Christianity. Through Mary, and the other holy women, the feminine element stand at the heart of the Christian religion. And this is not in competition with Christ. To think of Christ and Mary as being in competition means ignoring the essential distinctions between these two figures. . . . That is not a competition, but a more profound kind of intimacy. The Mother and Virgin forms an essential part of the Christian picture of man.”
Pope Benedict XVI

Mary has nothing to do with the Christian picture of man. God does not share His throne. He does not share His worship and adoration. He alone is God.

~Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

~Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

~Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

~Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

~Deuteronomy 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

~Joshua 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

“We do at least need a new liturgical consciousness, to be rid of this spirit of arbitrary fabrication. Things have gone so far that Sunday litugy groups are cobbling together the liturgy for themselves. . . . The most important thing today is that we should regain respect for the liturgy and for the fact that it is not to be manipulated.”
Pope Benedict XVI

The Word of God is our final authority. Not the catholic church or its sacred traditions and magisterium.

~Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

~Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

“There is one thing we must not forget: it has always been the Mother who reached people in missionary situations and made Christ accessible to them. That is especially true of Latin America. Here, to some extent, Christianity arrived by way of Spanish swords, with deadly heralds. In Mexcio, at first, absolutely nothing could be done about missionary work – until the occurrence for the phenomenon at Guadalupe, and then the Son was suddenly near by way of his Mother.” Page 300

“Initially, it was possible for people to think, with respect to Lourdes, that this little girl had fantasized something. And then it turned out after all the she herself was really there, the Mother -Mary. It is certainly not by chance that people are nowadays turning again to Mary, in whom Christianity becomes loveable again and close to us, and we really do find the door again through the Mother.” Page 459
Pope Benedict XVI

~1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

~John 10:9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

“The Church does not invent sins but recognizes the will of God and has to declare it. Of course, the great thing . . . is that upon the Church, which has to declare the will of God in its full magnitude, in its unconditional rigor, so that man should know his true measure, is bestowed as a gift, at the same time, the task of forgiving.” Page 67
Pope Benedict XVI

~Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

~Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

“Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!
Pope Benedict XVI

~Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

~2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

“Give me an army praying the Rosary, and I will conquer the world.”
–Blessed Pius IX

~Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

“The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, “Cities Petrus Bertanous”.

“The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth…by divine right the Pope has supreme and full power in faith, in morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true vicar, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth.” Quoted in the New York Catechism.

These words appeared in the Roman Canon Law: “To believe that our Lord God the Pope has not the power to decree as he is decreed, is to be deemed heretical.-I?i the Gloss “Extravagantes” o.f Pope John XXII Cum inter, Tit. XIV, Cap. IV. Ad Callem Sexti Decretalium, Paris, 1685.

~Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

~Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

~Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Out of the very lips of the popes of the catholic church, one can find Scriptures that can prove their words to either be heresy, contradiction, and lies. The pope is not God, my friend. There is no one that can claim that he is God for there is only one God.

~Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

~Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

~Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

~Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

~Isaiah 45:14 Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

~Isaiah 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

~Hoseah 13:4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

~Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

~Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

~1 Corinthians 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

How can the catholic church contradict the Word of God and yet manage to say that they are scriptural? They cannot. However, they mislead their members by having them believe that the pope is Christ on earth and, therefore, he has the right to change God’s Word. Dear catholic, how can you be so fooled? Would God truly contradict Himself?

Jesus said,

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: ~Matthew 12:25

The catholic church cannot be of God because the Word says that the house that is divided against itself will not stand. The catholic church’s beliefs are contrary to God’s Word. God would not contradict Himself and, therefore, the catholic church cannot be of God.

No One Should be Elevated in Christianity

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Kate

~2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Paul was chosen to write most of the New Testament and was given an abundance of revelations from Christ. If anyone could have been elevated to a position of authority in the church, it would have been Paul. However, even Paul stated that he was given a thorn in the flesh to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above that he should!

Christ is the head of the Church, not a pope, not Peter, not anyone! This is stated three times in the New Testament:

~1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

~Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

~Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

There is no one that is “above another” in the Church other than Christ. There are Pastors (elders) who teach us from the Word.

~Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Yes, follow after those of the faith, but only if they speak unto you the Word of God! We need to be preached to about sin so that we will fall under conviction, repent and keep going down the straight and narrow road. But not to the point of elevating such a Pastor to a place where it is taught that he is the Vicar of Christ (which means Christ’s replacement here on earth), the pope. Paul did not want to be elevated. Peter did not want to be elevated (Acts 10:25-26). They were our examples and continue to be in God’s Word. Look at what Peter said:

~1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (1) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (2) Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (3)

Something went wrong in the catholic church. The leaders stopped obeying God’s Word and Peter and Paul’s example, and started being lords over God’s heritage. I don’t know how much Bible one needs to see and understand that the hierarchy of the catholic church is wrong! But their entire Gospel is no longer the simple salvation that Christ taught but their religion is filled with complicated rules, dogmas and unbiblical traditions of men.

Did Mary Remain a Virgin?

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Kate

The catholic church teaches that Mary continued to be a virgin, even after she gave birth to Jesus Christ. In fact, they claim that she remained a virgin throughout her life. The catechism states:

510 Mary “remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in carrying him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin” (St. Augustine, Serm. 186, 1: PL 38, 999): with her whole being she is “the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38).

Notice that there are no Scripture references made to the “always a virgin” part of this teaching. Instead, they reference words from St. Augustine. If this doctrine could be found in the Bible, you can be sure it would be listed here; thus, a man-made tradition. The reference to Luke 1:38 is to expound that Mary was the handmaid of the Lord. Yes, while that is true, it does not even remotely reference that she was a perpetual virgin! No where in Scriptures does it mention that Mary remained a virgin forever.

The catholic church teaches that Mary did not have other children.

499 The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary’s real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man.[154] In fact, Christ’s birth “did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it.”[155] And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the “Ever-virgin”.[156]

500 Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes raised that the Bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus.[157] The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, “brothers of Jesus”, are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls “the other Mary”.[158] They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.[159]

The catechism does not say that they believe this dogma according to the Bible, but rather the church says that “the Church was led to confess” and “The Church has always understood” this to be so. These statements prove that this belief is based on tradition, not the Word of God!

~John 2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

Using the catechism’s paragraph 500′s definition, John 2:12 would have to read, he (Christ), and his mother (Mary), and his brethren (Christ’s disciples), and his disciples. Why would John refer to Christ’s disciples twice? It does not make sense because this is not what is depicted in John 2:12. This verse clearly shows us that Jesus’ mother, His brothers and His disciples were with Him. The catholic church is wrestling with the Scriptures so they can maintain tradition.

To accommodate their beliefs, the catholic church teaches that these brethren were cousins or other relatives of Christ’s. However, the Greek word for kinsman is:

G4773
συγγενής
suggenēs
soong-ghen-ace’
From G4862 and G1085; a relative (by blood); by extension a fellow countryman: – cousin, kin (-sfolk, -sman).

The Greek word for brethren in John 7:5 is:

G80
ἀδελφός
adelphos
ad-el-fos’
From G1 (as a connective particle) and δελφύς delphus (the womb); a brother.

If John were referring to Jesus’ cousins or kinsmen, the Greek word suggenēs would have been used.

Christ’s brothers did not believe that He was the Messiah at first. It is evident in:

~John 7:3-5 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. (3) For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. (5) For neither did his brethren believe in him.

There are more verses to support that Mary had children thus proving she could not be a perpetual virgin.

~Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Note: Verse 13 lists the names of the 11 Apostles, therefore, this could not be the “brethren” the catholic church states it is. The Greek word here, again, is adelphos.

Another verse: ~Galatians 1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

Note: Again, the Greek word for brother here is adelphos!

The catholic church cannot justify their teaching by using the Holy Bible so through the years they have invented dogma after dogma to support their beliefs thus laying a foundation made of sand. The dogma of papal infallibility means that when a pope says something, NOTHING can contradict it – EVER. Therefore, the pope says that Mary was a perpetual virgin:

Pope St. Martin I (Lateran Synod in 649 A.D.) declared iit an article of faith – “The blessed ever-virginal and immaculate Mary conceived, without seed, by the Holy Spirit, and without loss of integrity brought Him forth, and after His birth preserved her virginity inviolate.”

For the catholic church to finally give in and say the Scriptures validate that Mary bore other children would mean that the pope would be infallible. That will never happen because that would destroy popedom and the very foundation of the catholic church as it believes that their first pope, Peter, is the rock. The catholic church’s traditions and dogmas will come to ruin just as the house built on sand will come to ruin.

~Luke 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Are you blindly following what you have been taught? Or are you noble like the Bereans who studied the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught matched the Scriptures.

~Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The catholic receives the words from their priest and church fathers without studying the Word of God to make sure that what they are being taught is scriptural.

~Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

There’s no mystery here – the truth is not stashed away in library treasures or hiding in a basement of lost documents. Nor is the truth to be read and understood and interpreted by only priests, bishops and catholic leaders. It is clearly written in God’s Word that those who participated in the upper room were the Apostles (verse 13), women, Jesus’ mother Mary, and Jesus’ brethren (Greek word adelphos).

I pray that you are one of the few catholics who will not follow blindly but will desire to read the Bible to find out whether these things be so.

Another Gospel?

Posted on July 25, 2008 by Kate

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not difficult. God allowed the Gospel to be understood by a child, let alone an adult. However, man and man-made religion have managed to complicate the beautiful simplicity of salvation!

~2 Corinthians 11:3-4 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (3) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (4)

Peter warned of false religion and of the devil disguising himself as a lion roaring wishing to devour.

~1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Would one be devoured by Satan if one were alert and watching? Would one be deceived by the devil’s subtlety if one was in the Word? A banker knows how to recognize counterfeit money because he knows the real thing! So should a Christian be able to recognize false religion by being in the Bible!

Peter warned us of those who preach another Jesus. Just who preaches another Jesus? The catholic church preaches that Jesus’ atoning blood was not enough for complete salvation. The catholic church teaches that salvation is an ongoing process as long as one does the sacraments – go to mass, do penance and indulgence, pray the rosary, go to confession, remain in the catholic church, etc. But that is not what Jesus taught. Jesus’ salvation is not complicated. Jesus’ teachings are not complicated.

~Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ( 8 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (9)

~John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

~Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

That is the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. The catholic church has managed to chain its members into a life of works-based salvation and penance – all of which only create a religious person who, like the Pharisees, is not saved. Peter said to beware of those who corrupt from the simplicity that is in Christ!

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Do you claim to be a saved Roman Catholic?

Posted on July 24, 2008 by Kate

QUESTIONS TO ASK A PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO BE A SAVED ROMAN CATHOLIC
By Alex O. Dunlap

Occasionally, some well-meaning Christian thinks he knows a “saved Roman Catholic.” We invite such a person to introduce us to his friend so that we may, in his presence, ask the Roman Catholic these questions. His answers will easily determine that he is not saved in the true, biblical sense. The new “accommodation” approach of the Roman Church in these ecumenical days of apostasy is to use the same expressions as Fundamental Christians. Christian love is not shown by permitting these people to believe they are saved, when they are not. Christian love is shown by making the true Gospel plain and clear so that the “religious but lost” person will realize his unsaved condition and his need of a Saviour. He must receive the true Christ of the Bible, not a counterfeit, as in the Roman, Greek and many other churches. The Apostle Paul said that he was free from the blood of all men because he did not withhold from them all truth. May the same be true of every genuine witness for Jesus Christ! Here are the questions:

1. When were you converted?
2. How were you converted?
3. To what, or to whom, were you converted?
4. What do you believe now that you did not believe before your conversion?
5. What does it mean to be saved?
6. On what scriptural promises do you base your salvation?
7. What does it mean to be born again?
8. Are you sure today that if you die tomorrow, or at any time in the future, you will be in heaven immediately after death?
9. What do you believe about Purgatory?
10. What do you believe about the Mass?
11. Do you still participate in the Mass?
12. Do you believe that any sinner can be saved who dies without trusting in Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of his soul and forgiveness of his sins?
13. Do you believe that Mary and Roman Catholic saints can answer your prayers or help you get to heaven?
14. How do you believe that the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ is applied to your soul?
15. Have you told your priest you have been saved?
16. Do you believe you will still go to heaven if you leave the Roman Catholic Church, receive believer’s baptism and join a fundamentalist Bible believing, non-Catholic church?
17. When and where do you plan to do this?

As questions such as these are discussed in detail, it will become evident that the person is trusting in his works, merits, baptism, confirmation, sacraments, or something BESIDES, OR PLUS, Jesus Christ; and not in Christ and Christ ALONE. He can then be shown the difference between his unbiblical form of salvation and the saving faith of the Bible.

The Steps to Salvation

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Kate

The catholic church teaches that there are several steps to salvation. For the catholic, the first step is baptism as an infant. At this point, the infant is said to be born-again. It is then that he is a member of the church.

“By the sacrament of Baptism, whenever it is properly conferred in the way the Lord determined and received with the proper dispositions of soul, man becomes truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ and is reborn to a sharing of the divine life” (Vatican II, Decree on Ecumenism, chap. 3, II, 22, p. 427).

After baptism, the new convert is taught that he must continue to be nurtured spiritually through confirmation, mass, penance and the sacraments.

“Just as Christ was sent by the Father so also he sent the apostles … that they might preach the Gospel to every creature and proclaim that the Son of God by his death and resurrection had freed us from the power of Satan and from death, and brought us into the Kingdom of his Father. But he also willed that the work of salvation which they preached should be set in train through the sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Chap. 1, I, 5,6, pp. 23-24).

“The seven Sacraments are the necessary means established by Christ through which His redeeming, life-giving, sanctifying grace is imparted to individuals’ souls. You must centre your life upon the sacraments established by Christ if you want to save your soul. means of salvation. … The sacraments are the source of your real life, the divine life that will unite you with God in this world and in eternity. Let nothing make you think that you can get along without the sacraments. Without them your soul must die. … If you don’t receive the Sacraments, you don’t receive grace. If you don’t receive them properly, that is, if you receive them seldom and with little devotion, you receive less grace” (L.G. Lovasik, The Eucharist in Catholic Life, pp. 14,15).

The catholic doctrine of different steps for salvation are not recorded in the early church according to the Book of Acts.

~Acts 16:30-34 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (30) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (31) And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. (32) And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. (33) And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (34)

The prison keeper was about to kill himself because the earthquake had shaken the foundations of the prison and the prisoners’ cell doors were open! Instead of escaping, Paul and Silas used the opportunity to lead him to Christ. There were no steps involved – there were no sacraments. In fact, the prison keeper was saved and then he was baptized.

My catholic friend, read the Bible instead of reading after your religion and the words of your catholic “fathers.” You will find that there is no where in the Bible that teaches sacraments must be kept to achieve salvation. A gift does not need to be earned – it is freely given.

~Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (8 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (9)

BARAK OBAMA & THE UN's DRIVE FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Posted on July 21, 2008 by Kate

BARAK OBAMA & THE UN’s DRIVE FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

By Tom DeWeese
July 20, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

Senator Barack Obama has introduced a dangerous bill and it’s on the fast track to Senate passage, probably because of his high profile position as the expected Democrat presidential nominee. Obama hasn’t done much legislatively in his freshman Senate term, but this one is very telling about what we can expect from a President Obama.

The bill is the “Global Poverty Act” (S.2433) and is not just a compassionate bit of fluff that Obama dreamed up to help the poor of the world. This bill is directly tied to the United Nations and serves as little more than a shakedown of American taxpayers in a massive wealth redistribution scheme. In fact, if passed, The Global Poverty Act will provide the United Nations with 0.7% of the United States gross national product. Estimates are that it will add up to at least $845 billion of taxpayer money for welfare to third world countries, in addition to the $300 billion Americans spent for the same thing in 2006.

The situation is urgent because the Global Poverty Act has already passed the House of Representatives by a unanimous voice vote on September 25, 2007. The senate version has been passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by unanimous consent and ready for a full Senate vote.

Of course the United States has had an ongoing program of supplying foreign aid and assistance to the poor for decades. And the U.S. pays most of the bills at the UN for its herd of programs. So what’s new about Obama’s bill, and why is it dangerous?

Some history that led up to the Global Poverty Act. In 1999 and 2000 non-governmental organizations, NGOs held numerous meetings around the world to write what became known as the Charter for Global Democracy. The document was prepared to be a blueprint for achieving global governance. In reality it was a charter for the abolition of individual freedom, national sovereignty and limited government.

The Charter for Global Democracy outlined its goals in 12 detailed “principles”:

Principle One called for the consolidation of all international agencies under the direct authority of the UN.

Principle Two called for UN regulation of all transnational corporations and financial institutions, requiring an “international code of conduct” concerning the environment and labor standards.

Principle Three explored various schemes to create independent revenue sources for the UN – meaning UN taxes including fees on all international monetary transactions, taxes on aircraft flights in the skies, and on shipping fuels, and licensing of what the UN called the “global commons,” meaning use of air, water and natural resources. The Law of the Sea Treaty fits this category.

Read the rest: http://www.newswithviews.com/DeWeese/tom114.htm

Names of Jesus – Day 16 – Prince of Peace

Posted on July 21, 2008 by Kate

~Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is coming soon. It may not be today – but it will be soon. Just look at the condition of our earth! Yet, the Word says that these things are merely the beginning of sorrows!

Jesus did not want us to be in the dark because we are children of light! He was quite clear in His Word as to what we should be on the look-out for.

~Mat 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (4) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (5)

Here are just a couple, but we read about them almost every day now.

Russia’s Messiah

Jesus of Suburbia — Has He Risen Again in Houston, Texas?

One need only do a Google search on news items and you will find a lot more!

~Matthew 24:6-7 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (7)

One need only have the news on for a few minutes or read the first page of any newspaper to hear about nation rising against nation. It is part of our everyday life any more. Just in the past seven days, there have been countless earthquakes, according to USGS. Pestilence is running rampid all over our planet. Famines are not restricted to third world countries any more.

(Mat 24:8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.

So what, may you ask, does all of this gloom and doom have to do with Jesus being called Wonderful? The born-again Christian need not worry about what is going on around him. He is secure in his salvation because it was purchased by God Himself. The born-again Christian looks forward to the Rapture and being taken away from this cursed earth until the day that Christ will come again to make the earth new again and will reign as King!

~Matthew 24:50-51 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, (50) And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (51)

For the one who does not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Saviour has much to fear. Go ahead and have your fun for your hour comes quickly. Not only will you have to suffer through the seven-year Tribulation, but you will have to spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire.

Are you ready? Can you truly call Jesus Wonderful today? It’s not too late! If you truly desire the truth, please visit my salvation page. Contact me if it was a blessing to you!

Women at Pakistan's Red Mosque vow babies for jihad

Posted on July 20, 2008 by Kate

Women at Pakistan’s Red Mosque vow babies for jihad

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – About 2,000 Islamist women gathered at the radical Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday and vowed to raise their children for holy war, days after a suicide bomber killed 18 people after a similar rally.

Chanting slogans of “jihad is our way”, burqa-clad women, some with babies, listened to fiery speeches from the daughter of the mosque’s jailed cleric on the eve of the anniversary of a commando raid on the complex in which more than 100 people died.

“Our mujahideen (fighters) laid down their lives for the enforcement of the Islamic system in Pakistan. We are left behind to carry forward their mission,” the daughter of cleric Abdul Aziz told the tightly guarded rally in the mosque compound.

Several thousand men attended a similar rally on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the July 10 commando raid that ended a week-long siege that began when gunmen from the mosque clashed with police.

Shortly after the Sunday rally ended, a suicide bomber attacked police who had been guarding the gathering killing 18 people, all but three of them policemen.

The attack highlighted the danger posed by militants in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where a new coalition government has been preoccupied with what to do with the unpopular President Pervez Musharraf, a staunch U.S. ally who has been isolated since his allies were defeated in a February election.

The blast in the centre of the capital also compounded gloom on Pakistan’s financial markets, where stocks have been sliding because of economic worries and the rupee has set new lows.

“AL JIHAD”

But there was no trouble on Wednesday as the cleric’s daughter, who did not identify herself, told the crowd to steel their families for holy war.

“We should prepare our children and men for jihad,” she said.

The crowd responded with shrill chants of “we are ready” and “al jihad”.

Aziz was caught during the siege last year trying to slip through a cordon dressed in a woman’s burqa. His brother, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was also a mosque cleric, was killed.

Ghazi’s widow, identified as Umm-e-Hassam, said President Pervez Musharraf should be punished for ordering the crackdown: “This man is the enemy … I want this man to be severely punished before I die,” she told the rally.

The Red Mosque and an adjoining women’s madrasa, or religious school, had for years been a bastion of militant support in Islamabad and the clerics and their followers had waged an increasingly defiant campaign to enforce Taliban rule.

They occupied a state library, kidnapped women they accused of prostitution and some policemen, and stormed music and video shops and beauty parlours, much to the dismay of the moderate majority in the capital.

They also accumulated weapons and battled security forces for days, rejecting calls to surrender, before Musharraf ordered the commandos in to end the standoff.

The assault unleashed a wave of suicide bomb attacks across the country in which hundreds of people were killed, including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Aziz’s wife, identified as Umm-e-Hassan, said they had nothing to do with the attacks.

“We are not terrorists. Islam does not teach terrorism … America and its stooges are terrorists,” she told reporters at the rally, referring to the Pakistani army.

“We are holding this rally to tell the world we are alive and in high spirits. Islam can never be wiped out. It grows more after martyrs shed their blood.”

Militant violence eased after a government made up of Musharraf’s opponents took power in March, promising to negotiate peace. But the lull seems to be over.

(Editing by Robert Birsel and Alex Richardson)

Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080709/tpl-uk-pakistan-mosque-81f3b62.html

The Certainty of Truth

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Kate

THE CERTAINTY OF TRUTH

~Luke 1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

As Luke begins this glorious Gospel, he states a clear objective, “That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” This presents for our consideration a simple, yet profound, principle. Truth is absolute and certain. God wants us to know THE CERTAINTY OF TRUTH.

This detail is of definite importance in our day, as truth is usually considered to be anything but certain. Many present truth as being relative; and thus, its meaning will depend on our circumstances or situations. Rather than being fixed and unchanging, truth is often seen to be in a state of flux or evolution. Others seem to genuinely believe that some truth is outdated or irrelevant because it clashes with contemporary thinking. Still others assume that cultures or traditions make truth irrelevant. Yet this is not the message of the Word of God. The Bible’s purpose is to help us know “the certainty” of truth. God’s Word, like God Himself, is forever unchanging. This is one of the foundational doctrines of Scripture. God is faithful, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word is likewise forever “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Our view of truth will greatly affect the way we receive it, believe it, and obey it. Knowing THE CERTAINTY OF TRUTH helps strengthen our confidence in the promises and principles of the Bible.

Because we know the “certainty of those things” wherein we have been taught, we can believe them without reservation. It is the work of Satan to cast doubt on the integrity of the Word of God. Unfortunately, the devil has many assistants in his cause to delude those who might waver from their steadfastness, including those who claim to be Bible scholars or teachers. Classrooms and pulpits today are occupied with false prophets who undermine “the certainty” of the Holy Scriptures. Rather than presenting the Bible as a Book of “certainty,” they take the position that it contains error or contradiction. According to these heretics, it then falls upon us to determine which parts are true, which are uninspired, and which are symbolic, even if they are presented as factual. This is nonsense. God’s Word is to be taught and received as truth that can be accepted and believed with “certainty.”

Source: Standing in the Gap: A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Maranatha!

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105

Monthly Archives: July 2008