Tag: leadership

Christianity is Mostly Man-made

Christianity is true. Jesus is the Son of God, who entered into His own creation as a man, who took upon Himself the sins of the world, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, defeated death and sin, and now offers eternal life with God to all those willing to except it.

There are two main things God gave to us at the beginning of Christianity: 1) The Law of Jesus Christ, which includes: A) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; B) Love your neighbor; C) Baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; D) Do communion (which includes the bread and wine, but also the gathering together of believers); 2) The Scriptures, which are inspired by God and useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training.

Those two things, the law and the scriptures. Everything else is man-made.

How do I know the rest is man-made? Because of diversity. The Catholics believe the pope has authority over the whole Church. Non-Catholics don’t believe that. It’s a man-made idea. The Eastern Orthodox believe they are the one true Church. Non-EO don’t believe that. It’s man-made. Calvinists believe God predestined all people to either heaven or hell before they were born. Non-Calvinists don’t believe that. It too is man-made. Charismatics believe that speaking in tongues is essential for a full Christian life. Non-Charismatics disagree. Man-made. All of our doctrines, creeds, confessions, tenets, worship styles, church architecture, methods of baptism, methods of communion, calendars, church governments, theologies, etc. are man-made.

This is okay. In fact, it is necessary. Everyone needs to be able to obey the law of Jesus Christ. We all have the freedom and obligation of conscience. You think if you don’t speak in tongues you are quenching the Spirit? Then you better speak in tongues. You think disobeying the pope is the same as disobeying Jesus? Then you better obey the pope. You think praying through an icon of Jesus is necessary to reach the real Jesus? Then pray through that icon. You think drinking beer is evil? Then don’t drink it. Find the place in your world where you can worship God.

Christianity is really quite simple. Jesus (the true Israel) is our High Priest, and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness, brings us up to the Father, and fills us with His Spirit.

The rest is man-made.

The Book of Revelation was Fulfilled in the First Century

Many Christians believe the book of Revelation is a prophesy about the end of the world in our future. They say the events told of in the prophesy are too fantastic to refer to anything which has already happened in human history. The problem with this thinking is that these Christians are applying Revelation’s imagery to the physical realm when they should apply it to the spiritual realm.

The most scandalous thing ever to happen in human history was when humanity murdered the son of God on the cross. This is the most important event to ever happen, and it will always be so. Yet, while this event was happening, most of the world was completely unaware of it. No one in China, for example, had any idea that their own creator had become a man and was dying on a cross. Even those who were directly involved with the crucifixion were unaware of what they were truly doing. “Father, forgiven them; for they do not know what they’re doing.” In the spiritual realm, however, when our Lord was crucified, the whole world was being destroyed.

The book of Revelation revealed what happened in the spiritual realm in the first century. The symbols will only seem to be too fantastic if one applies them to the physical realm. The entire old world was crashing down and a new world was being created by the death and resurrection of Christ. The first century is the most important century of human history, and always will be.

We also know the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century because that’s what the book itself tells us…

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:1-3, NKJV (emphasis mine)

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.”

Revelation 22:6-10, NKJV (emphasis mine)

The symbology of Revelation best fits the events of the first century when the old world was replaced by the new — the most important century of all time.

Report: Russia, Ukraine Tentatively Agreed on Peace Deal in April

The following is an article by Dave DeCamp from AntiWar.com published August 31, 2022. Link to original article below.

Russian and Ukrainian officials tentatively agreed on a potential peace deal during negotiations back in April 2022, according to a Foreign Affairs article by Fiona Hill and Angela Stent that cited former US officials.

The article reads: “According to multiple former senior US officials we spoke with, in April 2022, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement.”

The terms of that settlement would have been for Russia to withdraw to the positions it held before launching the invasion on February 24. In exchange, Ukraine would “promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries.”

The tentative deal was the result of in-person peace talks Russian and Ukrainian officials held in Istanbul at the end of March. Virtual talks resumed after the meeting in Istanbul, but the two sides ultimately failed to reach a deal.

A major factor in the failed negotiated settlement was pressure from the West. According to a report from Ukrainska Pravda, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop negotiating with Russia when he visited Kyiv on April 9. 

According to the report, Johnson told Zelensky that even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, Kyiv’s Western backers are not. The report said that Russia was ready for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky on the potential peace deal, but it became less likely after Johnson’s visit.

Johnson appeared to confirm the Ukrainska Pravda report when he told French President Emmanuel Macron in May that he “urged” Ukraine not to negotiate during his visit to Kyiv. The British leader, who is due to step down in September, visited Kyiv one last time as prime minister in August and again told the Ukrainians not to negotiate with Russia.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the other factor that scuttled peace talks was the discovery of massacred civilians in Bucha and other areas near Kyiv that Russia withdrew from around the time negotiations were being held. 

Russia announced after the Istanbul talks at the end of March that it was “drastically” reducing military operations around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. When Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced kthe plan he said Russia expected “relevant key decisions will be taken in Kyiv and the conditions for further normal work will be created.”

The announcement was followed by a withdrawal from the north that was completed in early April. The US and its Western allies viewed the Russian withdrawal from the north as a retreat and saw it as an opportunity to increase support for Ukraine and hurt Russia. Toward the end of April, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv, and after the trip, he said that Washington’s goal in the war was to “weaken” Russia. In May, President Biden signed the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill into law.

Click here for original article.

Click here for archived link.

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