Saturday, January 3, 2009

Christ's message to the First Church in Ephesus

Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;
These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his
right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks;

There are seven spirits before the throne of God,
and seven candlesticks. In the right hand of Alpha
and Omega, the Beginning and Ending, the First and
Last, there are seven stars, which are the angels of
the seven churches in Asia Minor. The seven
candlesticks are the seven churches.

Ephesus is where Mary, mother of Jesus went to
live. I find this divinely ironic. Ephesus was the
capital of Diana worship. In fact, the church posed
a threat to the prosperous idol trade. Mary usurped
the false goddess, not that Mary was a goddess,
even though the Roman system eventually morphed
Mary with Diana. This reality represents the
greatest threat to salvation, the combination of
paganism with Christianity. Almost all sins can
be forgiven but, as we learn with the admonitions
to the seven churches, the worst sin, is corrupting
the religion, the Jewish religion, with paganism,
yet, we see with the church of our age that it
is completely paganized with exactly these
remnants from the old customs.

John addresses the seven churches, that along with
the Apostles, he helped
found, in order of how they
ministered to them first
to last. He was an exile on
the isle of Patmos, and
it's the end of the Apostolic
First Century. The
seedling seven churches were
to be the template
of the Church.

He is supposed to have finally been able to go
back to Ephesus, and this is where he joined
Mary in death. I believe John was Mary's youngest
child, and Christ's half-brother. He was the last
of the original disciples and Apostles, and
was at least 100 when he passed away.
He wrote the Gospel and letters of John.
He sat on Christ's right hand side during the
last Passover supper. He calls himself, "the
one who Christ loved." He is known for his
message of "all you need is love."

Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and
thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them
which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

1. WORKS
2. LABOR
3. PATIENCE
4. VIRTUE and TRUTH


Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for
my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.


Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love.

This church has all the attributes endowed by Christ,
especially diligent to build up and establish the Word
of God. They do not suffer false Apostles or infiltrators.
They have brought forth many souls into the Kingdom
of God. This is a strong and fruitful church, but, this
isn't enough to buttress them from the ominous complaint
from Christ, that they've left their first love.

From experience, I know that I've gotten so involved
in studying the Bible and doing good works, that I've
lost touch with the simplicity of the message of hope
and love in Christ. I've gotten puffed up and proud
of my knowledge, and sacrifices, chastity and piety,
but, not for too long, because, I've always been thrown
back to the pit.

It's a fine line we walk, and in our zeal to be perfect,
to be Christlike and holy, we abandon the original
love we had when we were first saved.

Without humility, love, kindness and the passion
towards God which sanctifies us, our good works,
piety and studying are in vain.

Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou
art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else
I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds
of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

There are two schools of thought interpreting
Nicolaitans. The most likely meaning is by considering
verse 2:14 when addressing the 2nd Church, the
condemnation is leveled at Balaam, who put
stumbling blocks before the children of Israel.

In the context of the Church, the Greek word for
Nicolaitans is loosely interpreted to convey the
meaning of "destroyer." Baalam had a Hebrew
translation of "swallower." But, the context is
too similar not to embrace this interpretation.

The second interpretation is that the word
for Nicolaitan is a compilation of Greek words
that mean hierarchy, condemning the promotion
of brethren above each other, such as with
high offices of clergy, when all brethren are
endowed with equality.

Even though the hierarchical structure of both
the Catholic and Protestant churches have room
for criticism, I doubt this was blasphemous since
there was a foundation for elders, bishops and
Apostles, established by Christ.

The Nicolaitans seem to refer strictly to a
sect that combined pagan ritual, and were
deliberately corrupting the doctrines of the
church by introducing idolatry and traditions,
as were their customs in the former pagan
temples that the churches replaced.

They most likely found it acceptable to take
the Christian symbols of faith, and incorporate
them into the pagan religion they were
accustomed to. Indeed, this is why the
church became corrupt, in the first place.
This may not seem like a great deal, but,
it is.

This is the basis for the great judgment of
the church, and why the church is considered
the whore. A whore will sleep with lovers for
money, or pleasure, carelessly abandoning
her first love. This is what the Israelites did
in the Old Testament, and why they were
sent to Babylon. This is also what the churches
did, when they also incorporated the pagan
customs into their religion. It is spiritual
harlotry, and the greatest sin of all.

This mixing of cultures inevitably corrupted
the church, as we see with pagan festivals
like Christmas being completely established
in the church. Few Christians even care that
these things were anathema, and forbidden.
They were stumbling blocks to the first churches,
and have led to great heresies today.

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

This phrase, "he that hath an ear.." is repeated
throughout the admonitions to the seven churches.
How many Christians read Revelations, feeling
confident that these warning do not apply to
them, while decorating Christmas trees, painting
Easter eggs, or even unwittingly stumbling in
false beliefs inherent in even the seemingly most
established churches?

How many of us hear sounds, but, do not listen
to what the words are saying? IF Christ is
telling us that it is NOT okay to combine any
pagan custom into the Jewish religion, which
is what Christianity is, then, will many hear this?
Unfortunately, not many.

Like the Ephesians, even the best churches, full
of good works and zeal, may lose their first love.
The first love is Jesus, and Jesus' religion was
JUDAISM, not pagan customs.

When we read these final words of Christ to the
Church, they refer to ALL OF US, and it's our
duty to take these words to heart. If the first
churches were almost all corrupted by the end
of the First Century, when they had the Apostles
and their gifts, how much worse is it for the
predecessors of those churches, which shepherd
our souls today?

Unless we break free of the bondage of carelessly
participating in men's traditions, without heeding the
true Gospel message, we are all in danger of losing
our souls. We need to take it seriously.

The churches will preach against homosexuality
and sex, but, these are not fatal stumbling blocks
to salvation, and we are usually aware of these
sins of the flesh. We all have committed them.
Lusting after someone of the same sex is the
same sin as someone lusting after a member of
their own sex. It is not in our sexual behavior
which commends us to God. I'm not saying it's
okay to fornicate. All I'm conveying is that
not one of us is without sins of the flesh. If
they're not sexual in nature, they're pride,
or eating too much, etc.

Corrupting the doctrines of Christ,
mixing his theology with paganism, is what will
be held against us. Yet, the church, even good
churches, and good Christians are hopelessly
careless.

These carnal sins will not damn us, but, the seemingly
innocuous act of hanging ritual mistletoe is far greater
a sin, according to the way the Nicolaitans and how
they
introduced these very pagan rites into
Christianity, just like Baalam corrupted the
Israelites into temptation by offering them
food offered to idols. Christmas is far far far
more egregious than this error.

Ephesus (Ἔφεσος)
Ancient City of Anatolia
(Efes)
The Celsus Library EphesusEphesus (Efes)
The Celsus Library


According to the New Testament, Ephesus became an
important center for early Christianity from the 50s AD.
Paul used it as a base and spent there more than two years
on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:8, 19:10, 20:31).
He became embroiled in a dispute with artisans, whose
livelihood depended on selling the statuettes of Artemis
in the Temple of Artemis (Acts 19:23–41). He wrote between
53 and 57 A.D. the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (possibly
from the "Paul tower" close to the harbour, where he was
imprisoned for a short time). Later Paul wrote to the Christian
community at Ephesus, according to tradition, while he was
in prison in Rome (around 62 A.D.)


The Apostle John lived in Asia Minor (Anatolia) in the last
decades of the first century and from Ephesus had guided
the Churches of that province. After Domitian's death the
Apostle returned to Ephesus during the reign of Trajan,
and at Ephesus he died about 100 AD at a great age.
Ephesus was one of the seven cities addressed in
Revelation (2:1–7), indicating that the church at Ephesus
as still strong.


Two decades later, the church at Ephesus there was still
important enough to be addressed by a letter written by
Bishop Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians in the early
2nd century AD, that begins with, "Ignatius, who is also
called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in
Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness
and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the
beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring
and unchangeable glory" (Letter to the Ephesians). The
church at Ephesus had given their support for Ignatius,
who was taken to Rome for execution.


The house of the Virgin Mary (Turkish: Meryem Ana,
meaning "Mother Mary"), about 7 kilometers from Selçuk,
is believed to have been the last home of Mary, mother of Jesus.
It is a popular place of pilgrimage which has been visited by
three recent popes.

The Church of Mary close to the harbor of Ephesus was
the setting for the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which
resulted in the condemnation of Nestorius. A Second Council of Ephesus
was held in 449, but its controversial acts were never approved

by the Catholics. It came to be called the Robber Council of Ephesus
or Robber Synod of Latrocinium by its opponents


Ephesus (Turkey)
Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus (Efes)








Friday, January 2, 2009

Unorthodox orthodoxy

Pastor Melissa Scott



Dad has a HUGE CRUSH on Pastor Melissa Scott,
who has a show he watches regularly. It's cool when he
tells me about her programs. She's a brilliant linguist,
and while she's neat, I think she gets too wrapped
up in the mystical etiology of language, instead
of tying it up in a lucid message of clear salvation.

Pastor Melissa Scott by flickrphotos777.

She is awesomely brilliant, beautiful and graced, though.
I have to thank her, since, she is captivating enough to
engage a Jewish man's mind and keep him interested
to follow the layers of prophetic meaning in the
Bible concerning Jesus Christ,. even if he admits
he's hopelessly lost halfway through!

Yet, like Melissa, I get hung up on my own
little intellectual and quirky trips. Dad says
he's never heard anyone say the things about
Jesus I come out with, and asks me why no other
Christian preaches such things? I don't have
a modest answer for him. I'm not that brilliant,
for sure, but, I do have some spiritual gifts.

I may be completely deceived, of course,
but, i think my insights have more merit
than delusion.

For instance, one of my pet sermons is on the
Gospel writer, and The Revelator, Saint John, who
I believe is Christ's youngest brother. I'm not
just guessing. I think the Bible is pretty clear,
yet, I have to admit, I've never heard any other
preacher speak of this.

But, c'mon, it's so clear! He was a teenager, the
youngest disciple, yet, he was seated on the
RIGHT HAND of CHRIST during the Last Supper.
Think about this. THE RIGHT HAND!

The Bible has several versions of how the Apostles
fought amonst themselves who should sit on the
Lord's right hand. The Lord rebuked them. But,
on the final night he is amongst them, on the
holy Passover observance, he sits the young
John on his right hand. Of course, he also did it
to put them in their place, since John was the
least esteemed.

Every Jewish family knows that an important
role of the youngest child is to ask the questions,
"Why is this night different...?"

Like I said, I think John was sitting at Christ's
right hand, as his youngest brother, and he
asked the questions.

When Jesus tells them how he was going to be
betrayed, and crucified, John collapses on him,
laying his head on him, in despair, weeping.
The other Apostles, were dismayed, but not
rocked. I think the emotional bond was much
greater between the young John and Christ.


Much has been speculated about the famous
DaVinci painting, and not that this is proof of
anything, other than I think DaVinci agreed
with me, that John was his brother. Looking
at the painting, John looks exactly like Christ's
youngest brother. Same exact face.

The Last Supper.

But, the most significant clue in the Bible,
is that none of the Apostles are spoken of
attending the crucifixion. John is amongst the small
family group with Mary.

When Christ seeks to console them, he tells
John, "Behold thy mother" and tells Mary,
"Behold thy son (meaning John.)"

This event was hijacked by the Catholic Church,
in my opinion, to mean all kinds of nonsense, when,
to me, it is a poignant personal message to his
youngest brother, and his distraught mother,
reminding them to be strong for each other.

(Mother, you have a young son to live for,
and young brother, take care of our mom.)

Joseph is out of the picture, and as the oldest
brother, Christ was more like a father to his
youngest brother (in my opinion.) This is why
their relationship is more intense than even
the one between Peter and Christ.

John is the one who Jesus loved. He was his
oldest brother, like his father, and his world.
His Gospel is a human portrayal of Christ,
the man, filled with passion and sentimentality.

Indeed, after Christ was risen, and the church
was being formed, John took Mary with him
on his ministerial duties throughout Asia Minor,
settling in Ephesus. I always found it ironic
that this city, the center of Diana worship would
be home to Mary, who literally usurped and
destroyed Diana's legacy. Unfortunately, Rome
turned Mary into Diana, but, that is another
subject, and one that is spoken of in codes,
by John in the Book of Revelations.

There was a jealousy amongst the Apostles
towards John's special place in Christ's heart.
When asked what his fate would be, after they
learn that most of them would follow Christ to
the cross, Christ rebuked them saying, that
what is it to them if John remained until
the Second Coming? That's what spawned the
legend of John still being alive.

However, I think John was spared harm to
be Mary's protector, as well.

Why would Christ tell John to care for Mary,
when she had other children? Why wouldn't she stay
with James in Jerusalem? I think it was because it
was too dangerous there, and John took her
to Ephesus, where those who dwelt in darkness
turned from the silver statues of Diana to recognize
the real thing, the same way as when Paul and Barnabus
were in Rome, and the pilgrims there declared they were
gods. They had the presence of God, through the Holy
Spirit, and were able to show them their God.

Just because people believe in pagan gods
didn't condemn their souls. They didn't know
any better, and were seeking God. That's what
Paul and Barnabus gave the men and women of
Rome, and I believe the same events were similar
and played out in Asia Minor, and Ephesus with Mary
and John.

John wrote the Book of Revelations on Patmos
in Asia Minor, when he was in his 90s, at the
end of the First Century. For all we know, he
was translated like Elijah. But, I do believe there
is sufficient material written to believe he was
Christ's youngest brother.

OK, so that's one of my unorthodox pet subjects.

Another one, less controversial is that after Christ
was risen, and returned to the Apostles, they were
understandably in shock. But, he let them know
he was HUNGRY! I love this subtlety. They
finally made him a meal.

From this passage, I always think of meals I'd like
to serve Christ, or the angels. Remember when
the angel of the Lord came to Abraham? He
made haste to make him a great meal. The angel
didn't have to prompt him, like Christ did to the
Apostles.

So, whenever we think we're in the presence of
an angel, we should always remember they're
probably HUNGRY!

While the Apostles fed Christ a fish dinner, I
play around with other entrees, even desert.
I know it sounds silly, but, it brings Christ closer
to my heart.

Another pet subject and pet peeve of mine is
that the "whore of Babylon" is so dreadfully
misunderstood. Maybe I'll repeat a study on
it, but, the Jezebel of Revelations is the church.

Revelation isn't written about the world, per se,
but, about the church. It begins with the Spirit
judging the Seven Churches. The judgments
contained in it are written to those who actually
read the book, to handle their religion carefully.

The most profound revelation about the Book
of Revelations is that most of the church, even
by the end of the First Century, was apostate,
or paganized, when John saw the end.

Since it's five in the morning, and I just woke up,
I'll leave it for another entry to get into it. Actually,
I think i will do a new study. It's always a cool
subject.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

First Prayer of 2009

The new year has just begun. I spent the last moments
of the old year and the new moments with people
thousands of miles away and right in the same room,
thanks to the Internet.

Before I turn in, I will type out my first prayer
of the year.

Father, in Jesus' Name:

I pray for the people of this world without enough
to eat, and those who are living in desperate circumstances.
Please help the poor souls in Africa, where disease and
evil dictators crush the bodies and spirits of the living.
Help them to overcome, and send them angels of
mercy to help them survive, both physically and
spiritually.

I pray for the lost souls of the world, who live in
a haze of drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, trying
to fill the void in their souls, that can only be
quenched by the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

I ask that all who seek the face of God, Your
infinite mercy and truth, will find your Son, and
he will shine on them. I pray that those who are
lost will be found, even without asking to be
scooped up into our fold. I was rescued without
knowing I was lost, and now, nothing can replace
the riches and peace in my soul.

Thank you LORD God, for all your blessings,
and for never forsaking me, or deserting me in
my time of need. Thank you for always answering
my prayers, some instantly, and others in a timely
manner. I have never had any reason to doubt
the certainty of your promise to hear us and
save us from all trouble and anxiety.

We are in an ever increasing dark culture, where
right is wrong, and evildoers lead millions astray.
I pray that salvation finds the transgressors, so
they can lead millions to Christ. All of us are
undeserving of standing before your throne in
our own righteousness, and there is no one alive
who is not able to be redeemed by the blood
of Jesus Christ. I ask that those who have an
allegiance to the devil will repent and turn to
your loving grace. Let them live, and not suffer
eternal death and damnation in the pit.

I pray that 2009 brings an awakening in the
Jewish people. I thank you for saving 1/10th
of all the remaining 12 million Jews, give or
take... To recognize that I was chosen to be
a thread in that remnant is the greatest honor
I could ever know as a human being, far greater
than riches or fame. All of the riches of the
world pass away, and we cannot take gold
and diamonds away from the grave, but,
our treasure is hidden with you, LORD
our Savior.

Father, many of the Chabad are seeking
the Messiah. Allow their eyes to see our
Messiah, Y'shua HaMashiach, the scion
of David, the promised heir to the throne.
Let them recognize the Lion of Judah and
join our number. If they are to be the
tribulation saints, I pray that they are built
up and considered holy, even now in their
slumber.

Please save my relatives LORD GOD
ALMIGHTY! In the Name of Jesus,
I ask that the blood of Christ be applied
to their foreheads, and that you allow them
to see and accept the Holy Spirit's entry.
My brother is very sick, and may be dying.
He will not open his heart to you, and I
fear that soon he will be too far gone.

I love my brother, and it brings me tremendous
suffering to know that his soul will not be
redeemed unless he confesses the knowledge
and belief in our LORD and King. Please open
his heart, even in his delirium, to allow an
angel to minister to him, now, even now
as I ask this request. Please don't let him
die, only to suffer the second death when
all souls stand before your HOLY throne.

My cousin just died, and I feel such loss.
Beyond knowing this tragedy on a purely
human level, the understanding of her not
accepting our LORD, makes me feel sick.
Nothing can take away that sorrow.

My father is respectful and appreciative
of all Christ has done for me. He's witnessed
the miracles with his own eyes, and he's
seen Christ draw me through the years,
turning me from a drug-addled amoral
high priestess of darkness into a reputable
and redeemed princess of the Kingdom of
God. He's witnessed this, and repeated
his witness to others, critical of me for
being a "Jesus freak."

Bless my father, oh FATHER in Heaven.
In Jesus' Name, and by his blood, redeem
him, and never let me be separated from
my dad. I couldn't face eternal life without
knowing he was in your kingdom. I promised
him that Christ was coming, and he promised
not to die until he sees Christ return with
his own eyes. I know it is presumptuous of
me to give a date to this, and I do it, tongue
in cheek, or I did it tongue in cheek, until it
all started coming true... Now, he believes
he will see Christ's return. Please preserve
him, and increase his faith.

It's so hard for Jews to allow themselves to
let go, and let God take them into the arms
of Jesus Christ. Christ is our Messiah, FIRST,
but, it's like he's been hijacked, and now lost
to us.

You promised that in the end of times, you
would graft us back, and by the miracle of
Jews for Jesus, and over 100,000 Jewish
Christians today, even in the nation of Israel,
you are fulfilling this prophecy. But, we are
stubborn and proud, almost by nature, and
definitely by hard knocks and paranoia by
the way the world has treated us.

Let the eyes of the Jews be finally opened,
as prophesied in Zechariah. Let all pious Jews
who yearn for righteousness, finally have their
hearts circumcised, for them to receive the
Holy Spirit and become one with our Messiah
and Savior.

Let the Arab world also be saved as children
of Abraham, and our brothers and cousins.
There are souls in every culture who long for
righteousness, holiness, and light. Let them see
this light in the Creatorof light, and not another
god of bitterness and murder. Bring these people
out of the darkness, out of bloodletting and
vengeance, terror and evil, to embrace the
ultimate heir to Abraham, the promised Savior,
Jesus Christ.

I pray for Europe, ever more desolate under
the unity of the beast. I ask that this does not
hold captive individual spirits who seek God.
Let there be individuals whose brightness shine
like Elijah, ministering to the apostate and forsaken,
living in very scary days, because they are about to
be devoured by the final beast.

Lord, have mercy on the billions of souls down
here who are helpless and dependent on your
love. Provide hope to those left without any
consolation, and let the Name of Christ be
uttered tonight in the farthest reaches of
the planet, and to impart the seeds of hope
to all who need His strength, virtue, and
mercy.

Finally, please bless America, and our new
President. Provide him with faith and humility,
righteousness and virtue, to follow you, and
not man. Protect him, and keep him under
your gentle wings.

I ask for many hard things tonight, but, most
of all, I ask for those who are too lost to ask
for themselves. I pray that you will open their
hearts, souls, and minds to accept the free
gift of eternal salvation and grace in Christ.
This is the only way to peace in the world.
This is the only way to peace in our souls.
This is the only way to life.

In Jesus' Name, amen.