THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
STUDY: MORE THAN 25% OF CALIFORNIA KIDS ARE "GENDER NON-CONFORMING"~
ALEX NEWMAN & DR. DUKE PESTA REVIEW
For those wondering whether the gender insanity preached in government
schools across America was having an effect, we seem to have an answer —
and it's not pretty. According to a study by researchers at the
University of California, Los Angeles, more than 25 percent of children
aged 12 to 17 in that state are viewed as “gender nonconforming” at
school. And the numbers are likely to keep rising.
The findings, based on surveys of almost 1,600 youth in California,
divided students into three categories: gender conforming, highly gender
nonconforming, and “androgynous” for children who were neither
masculine nor feminine. Of those, just 1,200 were identified as “gender
conforming,” while the rest fell in the other two categories. |
Article: http://bit.ly/2mif51M
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
LANCASTER, Pa. —The largest conference of Mennonite Church USA has parted
ways with the denomination over concerns that include increasing acceptance of
practicing homosexuals in leadership positions.
The Lancaster Mennonite Conference, which consists of over 170 congregations, officially left the Mennonite Church USA on Jan. 1
following a vote two years ago to no longer affiliate with the group. “[D]ifferences over whether LMC can remain in this affiliation have
reached a breaking point,” Chairman Keith Weaver wrote to the
Constituency Leaders Council in 2014, according to the Mennonite World
Review. He told that outlet that, at that time, the Conference Board of
Bishops wanted to reevaluate its relationship with the denomination in
light of concerning developments, such as the licensure of a lesbian
woman by the Mountain States Conference, and the decision by Eastern
Mennonite University to review—and ultimately change—its policy
prohibiting practicing homosexuals from working at the institution. Read
reports here and here.
150 Mennonite leaders had also signed a letter supporting the allowance of members to be in same-sex relationships.
Listening meetings were consequently held about the matter, and over
700 attendees submitted responses surrounding the question of whether or
not to end the affiliation. Church polity, vision and governance were
also stated reasons for the proposed departure. In November 2015, it was announced that 82 percent of the leaders of the Conference had voted to leave Mennonite Church USA.
“[This] announcement will likely be received in very different ways
by leaders and congregations of Lancaster Mennonite Conference and
across the denomination. Leaders were encouraged to interact with others
in loving and respectful ways and to pray for the Lord’s leading in the
life of [the Lancaster Mennonite Conference] in the days ahead,”
Conference leadership said in a statement.
The separation did not take effect until Jan. 1, 2018.
“We are disappointed that Lancaster Mennonite Conference made the
decision to leave MC USA, because it is painful to separate from part of
our body in Christ. We will miss our mutual sharing of valuable gifts
and perspectives, and lament our diminished capacity for fellowship
across difference,” Ervin Stutzman, executive director of Mennonite
Church USA, said in a statement on Friday.
“The official separation does not mean that all of our relationships
with Lancaster Conference will end,” he added. “Members of the
conference will continue to participate in some MC USA program agencies
such as Everence and MHS Alliance. And there are many other ways that
members will cross paths in the coming years, particularly in
inter-Mennonite programs such as Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite
Disaster Service, and Mennonite Economic Development Associates.” As previously reported,
in 2014, Hartville Mennonite Church in Lake, Ohio likewise decided to
leave Mennonite Church USA over concerns about homosexuality.
“We felt that Mennonite Church USA and [our church] were going in
different directions concerning scriptural authority and holiness,” Ross
Miller, pastor of the church, told Mennonite World Review. According to the membership guidelines
of Mennonite Church USA, the denomination holds that homosexuality is a
sin and that marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman.
Pastors are also prohibited from officiating same-sex ceremonies. “We hold the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995) to
be the teaching position of Mennonite Church USA. ‘We believe that God
intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman
for life’ (Article 19),” the guidelines read. “We hold the Saskatoon
(1986) and Purdue (1987) statements describing homosexual, extramarital
and premarital sexual activity as sin to be the teaching position of
Mennonite Church USA.”
Citing the divide over same-sex
relationships, Stoltzfus said most people within MC USA still hold a
traditional view of marriage as between a man and a woman “but there’s
more room and space within MC USA in our polity for this diversity or
disagreement.”
He added there
is a strong belief among the 36 congregations in the Atlantic Coast
Conference that “we need to engage and invite this marginalized group of
people into an opportunity to worship with us and others are not
comfortable with that.”
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
A believer prays in the ruins of a church in Al-Hasakah destroyed by Daesh (ISIS) militants.
The
persecution and genocide of Christians is “worse than at any time in
history” according to several studies on the oppression and murder of
Christians worldwide. Although it has not dominated the headlines in
mass media, for tens of millions of Christians across the globe, each
day they live professing their faith in Christ is one that can end up in
violent attack, kidnapping, imprisonment or death.
“More Persecuted Than Any Other Faith Group”
Pakistani Christian women mourn their loved ones after an Easter Sunday suicide bombing killed over 70 Christians.
“Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10.
“More
than 200 million Christians in the 50 countries where it is most
difficult to be a Christian experience persecution because of their
faith.” (source).
So
concluded the report from Open Doors USA, an aid organization that
raises awareness about persecution of the Christian faith while at the
same time supplying Bible, training church leaders and providing aid to
those believers suffering for their faith.
A
2-year study by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic persecution
watchdog group, arrived at the same conclusion – the atrocities
committed against Christians is by far at its worst:
“In
terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes
committed and their impact, it is clear that the persecution of
Christians is today worse than at any time in history. Not only are
Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but
ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of
persecution. It is in this context that this report concludes that in 12
of the 13 countries reviewed, the situation for Christians was worse in
overall terms in the period 2015–17 than within the preceding two
years. An especially notable example of this was China where intolerance
was on the rise, as evidenced by a renewed clampdown on dissident
clergy and destruction of churches as well as crosses and other
Christian symbols.” (source).
Saints Are Suffering in Many Nations
The World Watchlist map identifies the countries with the most extreme forms of Christian persecution.
“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.” – Luke 21:12.
According to Open Doors’ annual World Watch List,
where they track and rank the “restricted nations”, countries where
persecution takes place on a regular basis, there are 30 countries where
believers experience high, very high or extreme persecution, here are
some of the stories from the many who have suffered:
Nigeria – Rise of Islam Leads To Attacks on Christians
Rescuers carry a body amidst the carnage from a twin car bombing attack by Muslim militants in Jos, Nigeria.
Nigeria
ranks 12 on the World Watch List and has seen a dramatic increase in
the oppression of Christianity all due to the rise of Boko Haram, the
Islamic terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic terror
group ISIS. Among the atrocities:
In
December 2017, Islamic herdsmen slaughtered 100 Christians in the
northeastern state of Adamawa. The herdsmen, who are aligned with Boko
Haram, razed villages – destroying homes and stores during their
rampage. Additionally, the group may have had assistance from the
government as a military jet bombed and destroyed a Lutheran church
during the attack. The government claimed the bombing was accidental. (source).
This massacre comes on the heels of an October terror attack in which
48 Christians were killed when Muslim gunmen attacked predominately
Christian villages for nine days straight. (source).
In Jos Nigeria, where Beginning and End previously reported of mass graves of murdered Christians,
a mother and her two children were kidnapped and executed by Muslim
herdsmen. The Islamic attackers ambushed and shot to death Rebecca
Daniel Choji, her 16-year-old daughter Suzanna Daniel Choji, and her
29-year-old son Joel Choji, in Jos village, Riyom Local Government Area
(LGA) in Plateau state, as the family members were on their way to a
health facility in Vwak village.“We have been under attack constantly
from these Fulani herdsmen because we are Christians,” Gyang Dahoro, 55,
an area COCIN congregation elder, told Morning Star News by text
message. “Our villages have been ravaged, and our houses and churches
destroyed, and in most cases these herdsmen have taken over the villages
where Christians have been displaced.” (source).
Egypt – A Wife Loses Her Husband At Church
Michael and Sara Ragheb with their 3-year old baby. Michael was killed in a church bombing.
On
Palm Sunday, April 9, 49 people were killed in two ISIS attacks on
churches in Egypt. Michael Nabil Ragheb, the father of a 3-year-old and
deacon in Saint George Church in Tanta, was one of them. His widow,
Sara, shared her story of loss:
When Sara heard a loud blast and everything in the church went dark, she thought the end of the world had come.
“Michael,
my husband, had sensed something like this was going to happen. The day
before, on our daughter’s third birthday, he told us he thought he
would soon be among the martyrs in heaven.”
That morning, the
dreary premonition led Michael to ask his wife and daughter to sit in
the last bench, in the back of the church—instead of close to him, in
the front row.
“I was a bit surprised about that,” Sara says, “But
looking back, I know that it was God’s will.” After leaving his family
on the last bench of the church, Michael put on his deacon rope and went
to the front of the church, where he was in charge of the singing that
day.
“He asked me to wait for him after the service. But he never
came back.” Sara will never be able to wipe the horrible images of what
happened next from her memory. It was about ten minutes past nine. All
of the sudden, I heard the sound of a big explosion, the church shook
like there was an earthquake. The smoke filled the church, and it became
dark. I heard people screaming. I was screaming, too. I was screaming
the name of my husband and rushed to the place of the deacon choir,
where I hoped to find him alive.”
It’s difficult for Sara to
continue her story. “What I saw on my way to him was horrible, like a
massacre had just taken place. The bodies of dead church members and
pools of blood. Then I saw my husband. I was in shock. He was just lying
there, like the others. Gone to heaven like he had sensed would
happen.”
Sara and Michael had been married for four years. Sara
and daughter Priscilla will have to continue their lives without their
beloved husband and father. “I loved him so much,” Sara says. She sees
it as a sacrifice for Christ, but not one she has to deal with alone.
“Despite everything, God has put comfort, peace and great grace in my
heart.” (source).
Pakistan – Armed Guards at Church Services
Armed guards protect Bethel Memorial Church in Quetta Pakistan, the site of a recent suicide bombing.
Pakistan,
which ranks #4 on the World Watch List, is so prone to violence against
the Christian faith that many churches keep armed guards on patrol
during Sunday services. Christmas season is a time of extreme danger as
Muslim terrorists increase their violent attacks.
On December
17, 2017, 2 Muslim militants with ties to ISIS attempted to enter
Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, but guards stopped the men
at the door. One of the attackers set off his explosives, killing nine
people. The other assailant fled.“It’s very hard. This is my mother’s
childhood home,” a Pakistani Christian who works with the Alive aid
network said. “The members of the church are people whom we know and
love. Our phones are ringing endlessly. Some of our Bible College
students have lost family members too. Just now, a woman wept on my
shoulder. She just kept repeating ‘Lord, have mercy, have mercy, have
mercy’, and then, ‘Lord enable us to lift our voices and cry out ‘Jesus
is Lord!’ so that we may stand and not be stopped from being in church.
They cannot stop us!’” (source).
Pakistan’s
blasphemy laws are used disproportionately to punish Christian
believers for not following Islam. “There are hundreds of Pakistanis
imprisoned falsely under blasphemy laws. In even more recent days, there
was a Pakistani Christian who at the end of December, right before New
Year’s, was arrested because people said they found ripped up pages of
the Quran in front of his home, and his name was on those pages,” said
Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International. (source).
Somalia – “This is the Somali 9/11”
The aftermath of a bombing by Muslim terror group Al-Shabab in Mogadishu, Somalia.
In October 2017, al Shabab, a Somali Islamic terror group known for hunting and murdering Christians, launched the worst terror attack in the country’s history.
Militants set of several thousand ponds of military grade explosives in
the capital city of Mogadishu, killing 300 and wounding 500. The attack
was in direct response to President Trump’s increased military attacks
on the terror group. In response, the President doubled the U.S. military presence in the nation.
North
Korea is the perennial No. 1 offender in terms of extreme Christian
persecution. Officially an atheist state (although its leader Kim Jung
Un is viewed as a god), Christians are “hostiles” and are subject to all
manner of atrocities by the government:
“Most Christians worship
secretly. If discovered, they are “taken to political camps (kwanliso);
crimes against them in these camps include extra-judicial killing,
extermination, enslavement/forced labor, forcible transfer of
population, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced
disappearance, rape and sexual violence and other inhuman acts.” CSW
reports documented cases of believers being “hung on a cross over a
fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges, and trampled
underfoot.”” (source).
Choi Hangkyuk, a Christian, escaped a North Korean prison camp and now shares his story on the streets of Los Angeles.
Choi
Hangkyuk, a Christian who escaped a prison camp and defected from North
Korea gave insight into the life of a Christian:“We couldn’t raise our
voice during a service, we couldn’t sing out loud during a worship …
that was hard,” Choi told Fox News through a translator. “Also, we had
to hide so that other people could not see us. There were about nine
people,” he said. “I couldn’t do mission work because we had to keep it
secret that we had a church. If that information had leaked, we could
have faced the death penalty.” (source).Arrested
for his faith, Choi found himself sentenced to Camp 22, a notorious
concentration camp that is part of an 87-mile prison colony. Inmates
there are often tortured as beatings, gouged eyes and scarred faces are a
regular occurrence:
“Prisoners are forced to
stand on their toes in tanks filled with water up to their noses for 24
hours, stripped and hanged upside-down while being beaten or given the
infamous “pigeon torture” — where both hands are chained to a wall at a
height of 2 feet, forcing them to crouch for hours at a time.Tiny
rations of watery corn porridge leave inmates on the brink of
starvation, and many hunt rats, snakes and frogs for protein. Some even
take the drastic measure of searching through animal dung for undigested
seeds to eat. Beatings are handed out daily for offenses as simple as
not bowing down in respect to the guards fast enough. Prisoners are used
as practice targets during martial arts training. Guards routinely rape
female inmates.” (source).
Hope in The Midst of Tribulation
Sunday service at one of the thousands of thriving underground churches in China.
“Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12.
The
Lord Jesus Christ prophesied that the church would face persecution
that would only increase with time. By God’s grace, rather than shrink
in the face of violence and oppression, the Christian faith is
flourishing in many restricted nations:
A baptism at an underground church service in Iran. More Muslims are converting to Christianity than ever before.
The
Church in Iran is one of the fastest growing in the world. More
Iranians have come to Christ in the last 20 years than in centuries
prior. In 1979 there were an estimated 500 Christians from Muslim
backgrounds. Today there are hundreds of thousands. (source).“Despite
severe persecution by the Iranian government against underground
churches, God’s Word is spreading like a wildfire all over Iran.” To the
extant that Iranian evangelical Pastor Reza Safa “believes that Iran
will be the first Islamic nation to convert to Christianity.” (source).
China,
which ranks 39 on the World Watch List of worst persecutors, has seen
an absolute explosion in the underground church movement. Although
Christianity is permitted in the country, churches are required to
register with the state who can dictate how sermons are done, install
24-hour video monitoring in church buildings and in one case even
ordered a church to replace an image of Jesus with a communist
leader. Violators can be arrested, beaten and have their church buildings razed.
Despite political pressure the protestant community has swelled from 1
million to an estimated 60 million believers today. And it is predicted
that in the coming decades china will have the largest Christian
population on Earth. (source).
Pray For Persecuted Brothers And Sisters Across The Globe
The Bible says: “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
If you are living in a nation where you have full freedom to worship,
thank God for your liberty and pray for your brothers and sisters
suffering all over the world. Continue to pray for their safety,
strength and faith despite the evil the world inflicts on them. And pray
for the thousands of underground churches all over the world that are
literally risking life and limb to share the light of the Gospel in the
darkest corners of the earth.
“We are troubled on
every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are
always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in
us, but life in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-12.
"FIRST FRUITS" TWISTED Paula White-It's January And Paula White Is Pushing Her First Fruits Scam Once Again! It should not surprise us one bit that just a few days removed from
peddling her year-end "Get Some Favor Offering Scam"
that predictable Paula White is at it again pushing her First Fruits
Offering Scam on New Year's Day. In this riveting program Wolf
Tracker explains why Paula White's signature teaching on the subject of
First Fruits is nothing but a con game.
APOSTASY ALERT: PAULA WHITE, TRUMP SPRITUAL ADVISER, PUSHES VIEWERS TO GIVE HER "ONE MONTH'S SALARY" TO KEEP THE BLESSINGS COMING
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Word of Faith Heresy “Pastor” Paula White is hustling her First Fruits financial false doctrine once again.
In
one of the most brazen pleas for money of the early year, Presidential
Spiritual Advisor and Prosperity Gospel promoter Paula White implored
her followers and fans to give her ministry a “first fruits offering” of
as much as one month’s salary – even though there is absolutely no
Biblical basis for such an offering whatsoever. This type of shameless
greed in the church, all based on heretical doctrines, are just one sign
of the growing apostasy in the church today as it moves from sound,
Biblical teaching, in favor of man and woman-made false doctrines and
New Age witchcraft.
The False Teaching of “First Fruits” – the Prosperity Gospel Strikes Again
According to reports:
Popular
televangelist Paula White is urging her followers to donate a “first
fruits” offering of up to their entire salary for the month of January
to enjoy “blessings” for the rest of the year or suffer the
“consequences” of failing to follow God’s command.
“Each January, I
put God first and honor Him with the first of our substance by sowing a
first fruits offering of one month’s pay. That is a big sacrifice, but
it is a seed for the harvest I am believing for in the coming year. And
God always provides!” White explains on her website.
She explained the difference between the tithe, usually 10 percent of earnings, and the first fruit donation.
“The
difference between tithe and first fruit, first fruit is all of it,”
she told congregants at the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka,
Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
“All of what? Well, if you want to bring God all of one day’s salary,
one week’s salary or one month’s salary, that’s between you and God. … I
try to bring a month’s salary, but at the very least every year I give
God a week’s salary.” (source).
Here is a video where White attempts to make a compelling case for “The Principle of First Fruits”:
This entire teaching is based on the false and unbiblical Prosperity Gospel heresy.
This idea teaches that by giving money to a pastor’s ministry, a person
can “unlock” and “release” amazing blessings from God in the form of
money, material items, career success, health and better appearance. In
other words, it makes the blessings of The Lord contingent on how much
money a person is willing to give to that particular pastor.
Beginning and End has given extensive coverage to this heretical teaching
as it emboldens false pastors to manipulate their congregations into
giving them their hard-earned money to support the luxurious,
extravagant lifestyles these millionaire pastors lead.
Paula White has made her First Fruits teaching an integral part of her sermons and numerous products.
Oftentimes,
the way this doctrine is established is by taking Old Testament verses
from the Mosaic law out of context. White does this in her video
marketing campaign and her website:
“There is a
specific principle that I am deeply convicted about and MUST share with
you after years of studying the Word of God. This principle is found
from early on, throughout the Bible, and it supernaturally unlocks
amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order for your life. It
is the basis or underlying support for your success in 2018. It is GOD’S
PRINCIPLE OF FIRST FRUITS. All Firsts belong to God. When you honor
this principle it provides the foundation and structure for God’s
blessings and promises in your life, it unlocks deep dimensions of
spiritual truths that literally transform your life! When you apply this
everything comes in divine alignment for His plan and promises for you.
When you don’t honor it, whether through ignorance or direct
disobedience there are consequences. “(source).
From
the onset, White sets up “The First Fruits Principle” as the key to
unlocking “amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order in your
life.” Giving money to her is the key to having any type of material
success or happiness for the year 2018. She also warns that if one does
not give their first fruits offerings (even through ignorance) “…there
are consequences.” (source).
According to White, those “consequences” are found in Joshua 7:
“The
principle of FIRSTFRUITS is all about honoring God by putting Him first
IN EVERYTHING. The reason is God lays claim to all firsts. So, when you
keep for yourself something that belongs to God you are desecrating
what is to be consecrated to God. It reminds me of Joshua chapter 7,
“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things,
for Achan took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord
burned against Israel.”
Devoted things and First things have the
exact same meaning; they are the irrevocable giving over to the Lord.
They are the things that belong to God and God alone. Again, honoring
God with the principle of FIRST FRUITS will open up something powerful I
have seen consistently in my own life and the lives of those around me
since I received revelation and was mandated by God to teach it. It
releases GENERATIONAL BLESSING, OPPORTUNITY, FAVOR, & SUPERNATURAL
BLESSINGS.” (source).
White has become a figure on the global stage as a key adviser to President Donald Trump.
This
is a very dangerous teaching. It is essentially telling the
viewer/congregant: “if you do not give your first paycheck or series of
paychecks to God you are desecrating your earnings and offending The
Lord.” This is essentially scaring people into giving. In Joshua 7, the
Israelites were entering the Promised Land by force, as God commanded
the mighty military leader Joshua to do. Having just conquered Jericho
(thanks to The Lord’s supernatural miracle of bringing the impregnable
walls of that city down), the Israelites found themselves defeated by
the people of Ai, the second city they attempted to conquer. Before the
battle of Jericho, God gave Joshua a very specific battle plan and
forbade the Israelites from taking any of the material goods of the
people of Jericho because the city and its goods were to be “accursed”
or devoted to God (Joshua 6:17). However, they failed at this:
“But
the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for
Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord
was kindled against the children of Israel. And
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the
east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country.
And the men went up and viewed Ai.
And they returned to Joshua,
and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or
three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to
labour thither; for they are but few. So
there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they
fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty
and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto
Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water. And
Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the
ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put
dust upon their heads. And Joshua said,
Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over
Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?
would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
For
the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it,
and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and
what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel
hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I
commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have
also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their
own stuff.” – Joshua 7:1-11.
Understanding Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Passages
The Bible predicts the apostasy – the falling away from sound, Biblical teaching to doctrines of demons.
What
Paula White (and many other Prosperity Gospel false preachers) tend to
do is look at a passage like the one above and extract a universal
principle from it, such as: “Since Achan was clearly in disobedience
as he took an item from Jericho, we as Christians today should be sure
that never touch any “first” payment or item we receive because it
belongs to God.” However, this is not the proper way to interpret and teach the Bible. The account of the battles of Jericho and Ai are descriptive passages:
historical accounts in which we as believers are to learn from the
general principles in how they relate to the Lord Jesus Christ and
living one’s life as a believer.
In the case of the battle of AI
there are very powerful lessons to be learned. Before the battle of
Jericho, Joshua consulted with God on every detail of the plan for
battle. Before Ai, Joshua consulted only with his spies and military
advisors who assured him they did not even need their full forces
because it was a small city. The Christian life is one of continued
reliance on God through faith in Jesus Christ.
When the battle was
lost, rather than “re-strategizing” or marshaling the full might of the
Israelite army, Joshua “rent his clothes” and fell on his face for
hours in repentance (and the elders of Israel joined him in this
repentance). This is a foundational teaching. It is when one recognizes
their sin before God, that they can be saved: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
The
question in life is not if you will sin, but when. All people are
sinners (Romans 3:23). But what can bring salvation, God’s blessing and
Spirit is having a heart that feels sorrow over your sin. This is what
The Lord wants from all people – repentance. Understanding your guilt
before God and trusting in the sacrifice He sent – Jesus Christ, The Son
of God – for your forgiveness. And as soon as Joshua repented, God
responded and told him of his error and the sin of Achan.
This passage is NOT a prescription
for giving. It is not a universal command that every time a person
receives their first paycheck they should give it to their pastor. The
command to leave every item in Jericho for God was a specific
instruction for that event, not a command for all believers for all
time. These are descriptive passages. A prescriptive passage is one that
is intended for all people for all time, for example:
“All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:6. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” – Ephesians 5:25.
These
are passages that are intended to direct all believers at any time.
They have clear universal application and were not directed towards one
specific person in Scripture. And when we look to the Bible’s
prescriptive teaching on giving we find:
“Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7.
Christians
give based on how they feel in their heart to give. Offerings in church
should not be done reluctantly or because of “necessity.” There is no
required giving amount in church. But that has not stopped the apostate
preachers all over the world from fleecing their fans and viewers using
Scriptures ripped from context.
The Biblical Meaning of First Fruits
“And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you,
and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And
ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without
blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.” – Leviticus 23:9-12.
The
first fruits offering accompanied the feasts of the Mosaic law. It was a
command to reserve a part of the first reaping of the barley harvest
for God and the priesthood. While this was indeed practices, Christians are not under the Mosaic law
or the Old Covenant. Born again believers are under the New Covenant,
which was founded upon the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross (for a
detailed explanation see our article: “Are Christians Understanding The Law And Gospel”).
The Bible explains that the feasts and rituals of the Mosaic law were
all a foreshadow of the work and person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” – Colossians 2:16-17.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus for the first time He made a direct connection between Jesus and the Passover feast:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – John 1:29.
John
taught that the Passover – which commemorated the blood of a lamb being
put over the doors of the Israelites so that the avenging angel would
spare their lives during the Exodus – was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ.
Just as the blood of the lamb saved the lives of the Israelites at that
time, Jesus Christ is “The Lamb of God” whose blood provides eternal
life for everyone in the world who believes. This is foreshadowing or
commonly referred to as a type and shadow.
Similarly, Jesus Christ, in His resurrection from the dead is the first fruits of the true harvest – God’s Church:
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
Jesus
Christ is the true First Fruits (and just as His crucifixion took place
on the Feast of Passover, His resurrection took place on the day of the
feast of First Fruits). False teachers like Paula White are forced to
basically ignore these passages because they refute whatever type of
financial scheme they are trying to hustle on their unsuspecting fan
base.
The End Times Apostasy – False Teachers Invade The Church
Many churches are misusing the feast of first fruits for shameful gain.
“But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of
you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their
damnation slumbereth not.” – 2 Peter 2:1-3.
The
Bible prophesied that false prophets and teachers would infiltrate the
church as the end times approached. And they could be identified by
their lust for money and material wealth. Notice the scripture says that
these wolves in sheep clothing would use “feigned words” to “make
merchandise of you” – employing false teaching to pimp their followers
for millions of dollars. Beginning and End has detailed the excess of Word of Faith heretics like Creflo Dollar (who had congregants literally dropping cash at the pulpit which he then danced on top of, in addition to requesting $65 million in offerings to purchase a new jet), I.V. Hilliard who flaunts his numerous luxury cars, pressured his followers to buy him a new helicopter and charged $100 for a “ticket” to his wife’s birthday party, Joel Osteen and many others.
The Bible says:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But
they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For
the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-11.
Note
that the passage emphasizes that Christians “gain” by being content
with whatever they have in life – no matter how great or how little. And
it exposes the focus on money and material gain as evil. Word of Faith
false teachers repeatedly emphasize earthly wealth and “increase” with
“sowing seeds” of money and using “power words” – as the key to
unlocking God’s power and attaining blessings. This not Biblical
doctrine but are the basic foundation of New Age witchcraft – where
specific actions on our part initiate superantural results. In
Christianity, God blesses us on His own. The Lord does not need us to
“activate” or “unlock him.”
Many churches are promoting the “health and wealth” false teaching to compel payments from their followers. (source)
Jesus Christ said:
“Lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21.
Time
and time again, the Bible teaches Christians not to focus on money and
material gain. There is no “secret” to “unlocking” financial blessings
in the Bible. A Christian may be rich and well off, or they could be
poor and struggling all their lives. The true reward and riches are
heavenly ones – because their souls are saved, and they have eternal
life through faith in Jesus Christ. Do not be deceived.
Pray for Paula White
Pray
for Paula White and the many other Prosperity – Word of Faith false
preachers to repent. Rather than twisting God’s Word for shameful gain,
they should be on their knees, begging God for forgiveness for their
heretical teachings and leaving the pulpit.
And pray for their
congregations and the millions of tv/internet viewers who follow these
false teachings on the hope they will receive their “harvest” or
“breakthrough.” Many churches are in desperate need to understand the Biblical Gospel – that God has redeemed us freely.
No down payment, deposit or “seed money” is required to be blessed by
The Lord. Pray for discernment and God’s Spirit to fill the hearts and
minds of those caught up in the Prosperity Gospel. And that rather than
giving their hard-earned salaries to false teachers that they instead
put their faith, trust and hope in the true First Fruits of all who
believe – Jesus Christ.
_____________________________________________________ SEE ALSO: http://christiannews.net/2018/01/08/paula-white-urges-followers-to-give-first-fruits-offering-of-a-day-week-or-months-wages/ EXCERPTS:
“We are demanding life to your purpose,” she declared. “And with
obedience to this first fruits instruction, which is putting God first
now, your purpose, your year, your prosperity, and your power will have
life and be resurrected!”
“When you apply this, everything comes in divine alignment for His
plan and promises for you. When you don’t honor it, whether through
ignorance or direct disobedience, there are consequences,” White also
said.
However, as reported by Leonardo Blair with Christian Post, some believe
that the concept of first fruits is being abused and used as
manipulation to coerce the hearer or reader to give the person money in
the name of God.
To say that ‘laying down a seed’ so that God will make someone rich, or
that you can pay off God to bless future plans, is an abusive lie from
adherents of the prosperity gospel,” writes the site Compelling Truth.
“To give sacrificially is to follow in the example of the widow of Mark
12:41-44, and is commendable as long as it isn’t coerced.”
(Paula White) She has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Dean Knight,
who she married as a teenager. The two have a son together, named
Bradley. In 2007, White divorced her second husband, Randy White, and in
2015, she married Journey rocker Jonathan Cain, who has likewise been married three times.
______________________________________________________ SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT PAULA WHITE, INCLUDING: https://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2016/12/trump-inauguration-to-feature-prayer-of.html
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Some scientists are hoping they can create their own god.
A
former Google and Uber engineer and registered a new church with the
IRS whose stated goal is to “develop and promote the realization of a
Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence.” This new religion which
anticipates advanced machines ruling over humanity as gods, has more
support in the Silicon Valley community than many may think. And it
lines up with one of the most stunning prophecies of the book of
Revelation.
The Way of The Future Church – A Religion To Worship Artificial Intelligence
Anthony Levandowski, the founder of the Way of The Future Church wants to spread the “Gospel” of a coming computer god.
Anthony Levandowski, the founder of Way of The Future Church,
made a fortune developing self-driving automobile technology at a
startup which was eventually acquired by Uber (and that same technology
is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit). Wired magazine, in an exclusive
interview with Levandowski reported the following about the “church’s”
filing documents:
“The documents state that WOTF’s
activities will focus on “the realization, acceptance, and worship of a
Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed through computer
hardware and software.” That includes funding research to help create
the divine AI itself. The religion will seek to build working
relationships with AI industry leaders and create a membership through
community outreach, initially targeting AI professionals and “laypersons
who are interested in the worship of a Godhead based on AI.” The
filings also say that the church “plans to conduct workshops and
educational programs throughout the San Francisco/Bay Area beginning
this year.”
… “What is going to be created will effectively be a
god,” Levandowski tells me in his modest mid-century home on the
outskirts of Berkeley, California. “It’s not a god in the sense that it
makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a
billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going
to call it?” (source).
Levandowski’s
hope is that Way of The Future can start spreading the news and
discourse on the inevitable Artificial Intelligent supercomputer that
will so surpass human intellect, it will essentially be a deity. He even
calls this news “the Gospel” and is developing their own bible which he
calls “The Manual.” The Way of The Future will have a liturgy and even a
physical place of worship. All this preparation is necessary for what
the founder or “Dean” (his official title in the church) sees as
preparation for the most powerful being in creation:
“If
you had a child you knew was going to be gifted, how would you want to
raise it?” he asks. “We’re in the process of raising a god. So let’s
make sure we think through the right way to do that. It’s a tremendous
opportunity.” (source).
While the notion may seem farfetched, Beginning and End reported on this desire for tech futurists years ago in our article: The Singularity: Science’s Quest for Immortality and Satan’s Deception. In that article we reported on the Global Future 2045 Conference
which focused on the date when the human body will physically combine
with machine technology to enable a person to live outside of the
biological body and achieve “immortality” by downloading their
consciousness into a machine avatar.
This would all be possible
once humanity achieved the Singularity – the moment computer surpass
humanity in intelligence and become so powerful they can rule over us
all. The conference, held, in Russia, celebrated the inevitable takeover
of society by computers and how humans could leverage this
technological ascent to promote “life extension” – avoiding death via digital download or copy of one’s consciousness into computers.
Here was the promo video for Global Future: 2045:
All this lines up with Way of The Future’s philosophies. However, they prefer to call the Singularity “the Transition”:
“Humans
are in charge of the planet because we are smarter than other animals
and are able to build tools and apply rules,” he tells me. “In the
future, if something is much, much smarter, there’s going to be a
transition as to who is actually in charge. What we want is the
peaceful, serene transition of control of the planet from humans to
whatever. And to ensure that the ‘whatever’ knows who helped it get
along.” (source).
Denial of The God of the Bible
Many news stories point to the day artificial intelligence will “replace God.”
The
fervor for the Singularity or Transition includes a vehement denial of
the God of the Bible and the Christian faith. To little surprise,
Levandowski used a moment in his rare interview to knock Christianity:
“There
are many ways people think of God, and thousands of flavors of
Christianity, Judaism, Islam…but they’re always looking at something
that’s not measurable or you can’t really see or control. This time it’s
different. This time you will be able to talk to God, literally, and
know that it’s listening.” (source).
Note
that while the thousands of flavors of Christianity are seemingly
inferior because it’s looking at something “not measurable” –
Levandowski ignores his own hypocrisy as he creates a “church” to
worship technology that does not exist yet and may not for decades or
ever at all. Such is the danger of humanity combining its inherent
sinful nature with intellect and technology – abject denial of the God
who created us all. The book of Romans details this exact sinful
downward spiral:
“For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” – Romans 1:18-20.
What
this passage explains is that all people inherently know that God
exists. Nature, all on its own with its vast complexity, amazing
uniformity and inexplicable existence (the odds of a planet having the
conditions to permit carbon-based life and support it with water, proper
temperature, UV levels, gravity, etc. are incredibly minute in the
extreme) all prove to people that there is a God. So, no one of sound
mind living in this world has an excuse for denying that this world had a
Creator. The passage continues:
“Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
thing. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
Amen.” – Romans 12:18-23; 25.
Human
beings were made with a desire to worship. Even when a person denies
God outright, they will still find an outlet for the worship by giving
glory to created entities rather than The Lord who is Creator. Just as
the Bible states, Levandowski branded Christianity a lie and suggests
that this time – with Artificial Intelligence, a believer can speak to
God “literally” – mocking Christianity as a fictional belief system. All
this even though WOTF is creating a church, urging people to spread its
“gospel”, developing a Bible and mimicking Christianity in numerous
aspects as it awaits its “Godhead.”
The Image of The Beast – The Ultimate A.I. God
The Bible predicted this “new religion” of A.I. thousands of years ago in the Book of Revelation.
The
Book of Revelation chronicles the rise and fall of the Antichrist – the
satanically-empowered false messiah who will rule over the Earth in a
global government in the final years before the Second Coming of The
Lord Jesus Christ. There are some interesting parallels between its
details and the future A.I.-dominated world envisioned by the Silicon
Valley tech leaders. Revelation 13 describes a cashless future society
where all purchasing and selling is done via “mark” in the hand or
forehead of every person. Worship of the Antichrist will be mandatory
under punishment of death.
But rather than worship the leader
directly an “image” will be created which people can direct their praise
to. The False Prophet, the religious cohort of the Antichrist who will
oversee the worship of the false messianic figure, will, through
supernatural satanic means, be able to give “life” to this image:
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that
dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which
had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give
life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should
both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed.” – Revelation 13:13-15.
This
image – whether it be a statue or robot will have consciousness and be
“alive.” It will speak and be able to determine who should be executed
for violation of the Antichrist end times global religious system. Even
though Revelation was written around 96 AD, the Bible was able to
accurately predict the same technology futurists of today eagerly
anticipate. And note that the Bible prophesies that this ultimate
artificial intelligence will be worshiped – precisely what Way of The
Future is looking forward to.
Silicon Valley Tech Moguls and the Quest for Immortality
Major publications question if technology can lead us to immortality.
Levandowski
is not alone in seeking salvation via technology. In recent years, many
tech moguls in Silicon Valley have invested millions in “life extension
technologies” – studies and products that can not only extend life past
the normal average span of today but ultimately lead to immortality.
Billionaire Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, along with a
host of other celebrities and tech luminaries, recently launched the National Academy of Medicine’s Grand Challenge In Health Longevity – which will distribute $25 million towards projects with the goal to “end aging forever.”
Google has already invested over $1.5 billion dollars in their own life extension technology firm Calico
– short for California Life Company. Other Silicon Valley giants such
as Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, Peter Thiel (cofounder of PayPal
and one of the original investors in Facebook) and Bill Gates (who in an
online chat stated one of his main remaining goals was “don’t die”) are focused on developing solutions to aging and death itself.
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, has invested over $1Billion dollars in life-extension technologies.
All this desire for an artificial godhead and life extension goes back to the Garden of Eden and Satan’s original false promise:
“Now
the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which
the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,
Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But
of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1-5.
When
Satan tempted Eve, he promised that despite God’s clear warning “she
would not die” if she at the forbidden fruit but would instead “…be as
gods…” And since that time, the Devil has enticed humanity with that
same deceitful proposition – that through our own efforts, intelligence
and might we can become godlike and achieve eternal life. Of course,
that never happened. Silicon Valley has now turned its sights on
achieving this.
Hollywood has also promoted this concept to the masses with movies like Transcendence, a film starring Johnny Depp as the first scientist to merge his consciousness with computers and become godlike:
Trust in Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ
When we humble ourselves before God, we receive Divine wisdom and the gift of eternal life.
If
you are not a Christian and have put your faith in science to explain
the origin of the universe and humanity (e.g., the Big Bang, evolution,
etc.), ask yourself why are the most brilliant tech experts in society
forming a church? Why are they adopting the exact terminology and
structure of the Christian faith? Why are they preparing worship for an
entity that does not even exist at present? It is because there is a
spiritual battle taking place that even the most scientifically inclined
minds are drawn into. And 2,000 years ago, the Bible accurately
predicted the road Way of The Future and other Singularity believers are
considering. Do not be deceived.
There is a way to immortality. There is a way to have your soul transcend this world. And it is through eternal life in Jesus Christ.
The same Bible that prophesied there would be an all-powerful
artificial intelligence acting as a god, also prophesied that all people
– everyone of us, are destined for eternal punishment because of our
sin. But because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, where He
took the punishment for our sins – all who believe in Him receive free forgiveness and eternal life. This is the message Satan has tried to hide from humanity since the beginning:
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.
Do
not be blinded by the world’s advances. We have no reason to fear,
science, technology or looking to the future and what we can achieve.
But there is no replacement for the true God of the Bible. Hopefully one
day those in the “church of A.I.” will be wise enough to realize this.
