That Eastern Gate

EASTERN GATE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!

Around 575 B.C. Ezekiel prophesied of the Jewish temple gate in  Jerusalem being closed.  The Eastern Gate of the temple in Jerusalem was first sealed in 810 by Muslims.  It was reopened in 1102 for a short time by the Crusaders.  It was walled up again by Ottoman leader Saladin 1187 when  he captured the city.  Later Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls and the gate remains closed to the present day.

Thinking the Messiah would not walk through a cemetery because he would be defiled the Muslims have placed a grave yard in front of the gate to stop any such thing.  Jesus is the resurrection however and he is not likely much  concerned with such trivia.

Augustine spiritualized Ezekiel 44:2 and applied it to the perpetual virginity of Mary to support Catholic tradition.  Some reformers have endorsed this questionable theory as well.  Augustine also promoted the replacement idea that God had replaced Israel with the church.  That was a popular theory until it was debunked by God in 1948 when Israel became a nation again against all odds.

While the word Palestine does not appear in the New Testament it does appear four times in the Old Testament, but only in the King James.  It is actually a poor translation which is corrected in new versions.  The land of the Philistines, where the word originated, was always considered to be the enemy of the Jews.  In Isaiah 14:29-31 Philistia is judged by God.

Jerusalem...a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples
(Zechariah 12:2)

Using the Devil's Sword

I went out to meet the Philistines, and he cursed me by his idols.  But I drew his own sword; I beheaded him, and took away disgrace from the people of Israel.  (Psalm 151:6-7)

A common method of debate in Christian apologetics is to use a cultists own literature against them. It is akin to David taking Goliath's own sword and slaying him with it.  But the average Christian is limited to quoting the Bible because to learn the cultists material requires an extra step of study and discipline.

Apostle Paul, trained in the traditions of the Pharisees knew his tradition well, and when he became a follower of Christ his mind was illuminated beyond that tradition.  In Athens we see a further understanding revealed that would have taken study of a different kind, when he referred to some of the poets known to the locals, "For we also are His offspring" he was quoting Cleanthese, the "Hymn to Zeus" (Acts 17:28).  This would not have been literature read in Rabbic school or among Christians but Paul used his understanding of secular tradition to bridge a communication barrier.

England tour 1988

Dale Brown distributing gospel literature at the Regent Park

 Mosque in London.  Some Muslims tore up the literature and 

threw it at us.  Not a very pleasant bunch of folks.

Peggy Brown at the St. James the Great parish Church

 at Radley built 1290.  Notice how one must pass by the

graves of the saints on your way to church.  Today churches are

sanitized from the thought of death and cemeteries are found

somewhere else.

 Peggy at the Abbey in Bath.

UNESCO Claims Jewish Tomb for Islam

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided in October of 2015 that Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron is now a Muslim site.  Never mind that the Bible clearly records Abraham bought the Cave in Hebron hundreds of years before Christ.  Author Tzi Ben Gedalyahu records that the UNESCO committee voted 26-2 (25 countries without a spine abstained from voting at all).

While tourists from around the world travel to Jerusalem to visit the site of the ancient Jewish temple where the Muslims have built a mosque and the Dome of the Rock few pay much attention to the large edifice in Hebron that stands as a reminder of the father of Judaism and the Christian faith.  When Sarah died Abraham bought the burial cave in Hebron (Gen 23:19).  The cave of Machpelah, about 19 miles south of Jerusalem, is where Herod built this grand monument to the patriarchs shortly before the time of Christ.  Unlike the temple site in Jerusalem it was not molested in the same way the Romans did to other ancient sites.  The huge stones laid by Herod are still intact with additional Muslim minaret and other construction which was added later.

Inside are cenotaphs marking the burial places of Isaac and Rebekah with classic Muslim red stripes.  In the 7th century what was then a church was converted into a Mosque then some time later Crusaders turned it back into a church.  In 1250 the Mamelukes conquered Israel and it once again became a mosque.

The Muslim prayer niche (mahrib) and pulpit (minbar) are very ornate and surrounded in Islamic green.

Notice there are no Arab Muslims buried in Machpelah, nor was Ishmael, he was buried in Arabia  (Gen. 25:17, 18).  Muslim tradition claim Ishmael is buried in Mecca next to the Ka'aba.

God is Love!

Any Questions?

Not all love is the same.

Those darn Ten Commandments

The Devil was a rebel from the beginning
 and his followers inherit his nature.
"The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to
keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of  judgment,
and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires
and despise authority." (2 Peter 2:9-10)

"These men revile the things which they do not understand;
 like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed."
 (Jude 10)

But It's Like We're Married!

The institution of marriage is under attack like never before.  What was once commonly referred to as sin has put on a new face.  After living together for a few years and having a number of children out of wedlock a couple might remark, "Well, it's like we are married".  If things go sour however and the relationship flies apart they can easily walk away from any responsibility because "we were never officially married" on paper.  A one night stand might be considered a sin making the woman a whore, the man a whoremonger, but if they live together for a time then it becomes socially acceptable.  Its a bit like considering a thief who robs a bank once a criminal, but if he continues the practice every week then it becomes a normal tradition and the alarms quit sounding.  It's just the cost of doing business.  Besides everyone is doing it so why not, eh?  As the farmer would say, "If you can get the milk for free, why buy the cow?"

The traditional Jewish contract of marriage, or Ketuba, had been officially codified as civil law by Simeon ben Shetach about 80 B.C.  It spelled out legal obligations in case of death or divorce.  A divorce was called a "Get" from an Akkadian word meaning a "court writ".  Both the Ketuba and Get were hand written contracts based on centuries of Jewish Scripture, history and tradition (Deu 24:1).

Lack of trust or fear of commitment is often the root of why people are not willing to enter into a legal contract of marriage.  "Once burned, twice shy" they say.  People who have watched the marriage of parents or friends fail, or have had a relationship crash and burn themselves, are less likely to commit to traditional marriage.  They can dream up all kinds of excuses to get around it.  In some cases a woman will shun marriage because she likes the thrill of dating and the leverage of being able to walk out at any time as a means to blackmail the partner.  He will treat me better if he thinks I might leave, the woman might think.  So the man therefore finds himself a slave to a whore. Sooner or later the package will lose its shine however and the true inner person will be revealed.  "Or do you know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her?  For He says, 'The two shall will become one flesh'" (1 Cor. 6:16).

Based on Jewish tradition Apostle Paul dedicated a whole chapter in his first epistle to the Corinthians (chapter seven) on the marriage relationship and obligation.  The basic guidelines were because of immoralities he says.

At one time we could point to the Scripture where we are instructed to obey the laws of the land (Rom. 13,  Titus 3:1) but now that same sex marriage has become part of the norm in our society we have to re-examine the foundation of our principles.  Typical of the cults who redefine words and religious terms the LGBTQ movement has attacked our cultural standards to fit their lifestyle, therefore we must hold our ground against the tide of deception.  See 1 Peter 3:1-7 for more reference to the biblical model.

With pressure from fundamentalist Mormons and Muslims we are being challenged with the idea of polygamy.  They will quickly point to many biblical characters that had more than one wife.  However, the Old Testament or TENACH should always be interpreted in the light of the New Testament.  Based on the failure of those in the past such as Solomon who took many wives Paul gave some basic guidelines for the pillars of Christian society, they must be "above reproach ..the husband of wife..." (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus1:7)