Victory Christian Fellowship Podcast: Recent Episodes
Victory Christian Fellowship
Daniel 12:5-13*John 3:1-12 Galatians 1:11-2:1-9 Revelation 19:20 Revelation 20:1-6Joel 3:1-3*1 Corinthians 15:20-23
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “Note the question was not about whether these things would happen or when they would happen, but HOW LONG SHALL IT BE TILL THE END OF THESE WONDERS? That is, how long would the final period of horror for Daniel’s nation last? The answer is given in a dramatic and solemn fashion. The man above the river raises both hands to heaven and swears a solemn oath that it would be limited to ‘a time, times, and half a time.’ Daniel heard what was said but confessed that he didn’t understand. There remained much that Daniel did not understand, as there remains much that we do not understand. It is sealed until the time comes when it will be needed. In the meantime, Daniel went on his way until this life from him came to an end. But that would not be his ultimate destiny. He would rest in the sleep of death, but he will stand up again in resurrection. Daniel survived Babylon, the survived Medo-Persia, and he will eventually survive death itself.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum “The Footsteps of the Messiah” (1982)“The millennium will not begin the day immediately following the last day of the great tribulation, because there will be a 75 day interval. During this time between the great tribulation and the start of the Messianic Age, a number of events will occur. The existence of this interval is demonstrated in Daniel 12:11-12: And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.The event that will signal the beginning of the second half of the Great Tribulation will be the Antichrist’s takeover of the Jewish temple from which he will declare himself to be the almighty God. He will then have the False Prophet set up his image in the temple and thus commits the abomination of desolation. The antichrist will retain control for 1,260 days after which he will be killed. But the image which had been made alive will be allowed to continue another thirty days as Daniel 12:11 states.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum“All the Gentiles will be gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat for the judgment. The very place where the Campaign of Armageddon will end is the same place where the Gentiles will be judged. Each Gentile living at that time will be judged on the basis of his participation or his refusal to participate in those deeds Joel mentions. The Judge will be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who will sit on a throne encompassed by His glory in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. All the Gentiles who helped the Jews and the tribulation saints during the Great Tribulation will be allowed to enter the messianic kingdom. They will attain the 1,335th day and will be the ones who will populate Gentile nations in the messianic kingdom.” “After declaring that a resurrection of the righteous will occur, Paul states that the righteous will be resurrected each in his own order (verse 23). The word translated ORDER is a military term used for sequence of troops of soldiers marching in a procession or in battle. There is one troop division first followed by another troop division and so on. The point is that all the righteous will not be resurrected at the same time but rather in a definite sequential order. The first of these orders was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the firstfruits of the first resurrection. The second is the resurrection of the church saints at the Rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Then will come the Old Testament saints during the seventy-five day interval after the tribulation (Daniel 12:2), and the tribulation saints completes the first resurrection. These are the events of the seventy-five day interval leading up towards that long, special period of history the faithful look forward to – the millennium or the Messianic Age.
Daniel 12:1-4 1 Corinthians 15:20-24 Acts 2:22-23 John 10:7-18 Matthew 26:24 Daniel 12:3 John 3:16-18 John 3:19 Luke 10:17-20 Ephesians 2:8-10 Daniel 12:3
The word cemetery is translated from the GREEK word KOIMETERION, which is the word for ‘A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE SLEEP’.
Norman Geisler “Chosen But Free” (1999) “Sovereignty and free will. Is it one OR the other, or is it both one AND to other? The Bible says BOTH. God is sovereign over all things, including human events and free choices. Nothing catches God by surprise, and nothing is outside His control. On the other hand, human beings, even in their fallen state, have the God-given power of free choice. This applies to many earthly things here “below” as it does to heavenly things from “above”, namely, with regard to RECEIVING God’s gift of salvation. The mystery of the relationship between divine sovereignty and human free will has challenged the greatest Christian thinkers down through the centuries. Unfortunately, the extreme Calvinists have sacrificed human responsibility in order to preserve divine sovereignty. Likewise, extreme Arminians have sacrificed God’s sovereignty in order to hold on to man’s free will. Both of these alternatives are wrong and lead to inordinately extreme actions.”
Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “There is no biblical coherence to the idea that God factored all evil acts into his grand plan for the ages. This is a common, but flawed, softer perspective, adopted to avoid the notion that God directly predestines evil events. It unknowingly implies that God’s ‘perfect plan NEEDED to incorporate evil acts because – well, because we see them every day, and surely they can’t just happen, since God foreknows everything. Therefore (says his flawed perspective) they must just be part of how God decided best to direct history. God does not need the rape of a child to happen so that good may come. His foreknowledge didn’t require the holocaust as part of a plan that would give us the kingdom on earth. God does not need evil as a means to accomplish anything. Evil does not flow from a first domino that God himself toppled. Rather, evil is the perversion of God’s good gift of free will. It arises from the choices made by imperfect imagers, not from God’s prompting or predestination. God does not need evil, but he has the power to take the evil that flows from free-will decisions – human or otherwise – and use it to produce good and his glory through the obedience of his loyal imagers, who are his hands and feet on the ground NOW. All of this means that what we choose to do is an important part of how things will turn out. WHAT WE DO MATTERS. God has decreed the ends to which all things will come. As believers, we are prompted by His Spirit to be the good means to those decreed ends. But the Spirit is not the only influence. The experiences of our lives involve other imagers, both good and evil, including divine imagers we cannot see.”
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “At no stage in history should the grim elements in the prophecy be taken as a fatalistic argument to detract us from working for the good of our fellow-citizens, and sowing peace and truth where we can. Even in the worst of times it is possible for men and women to turn many to righteousness, and shine like the stars for ever and ever.”
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “Jesus saw the danger of them placing their confidence (rejoicing) in the abilities he had given them, so he told them that their confidence should not be in what they could do, but rather in the knowledge that their names were written in heaven. And how could they know that? Only by trusting in Jesus’ word. Here, once more, is the crucial issue. We humans have a tendency to put our trust in anything other than God; our deeds, our merits, or even our spiritual gifts, as in this case. Like Abraham, we have to learn to trust what God says. Everything will ultimately depend on it – including the quality of our life and works. God is deeply interested in our works, but the secret of being able to do them does not lie in those works themselves but in placing our trust in God. I repeat: salvation is from God – it is his gift apart from any merit we have. And God has given us the wonderful capacity and freedom to receive the gift of salvation by faith.”
Daniel 12:1-4Matthew 24:21-22 1 Corinthians 2:3-8 Ephesians 2:1-2 Ephesians 3:4-10 Ephesians 6:12 John 1:12
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “Michael has already been introduced to us. He is the mighty angelic prince who stands up to protect Israel in a realm beyond this world. Just as Michael was involved in bringing the vision to Daniel long ago, he will arise in the future to defend Israel in her final trial. It is described as a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. It is hard to get one’s mind around this grim statement. The time of Antiochus was horrendous, as was the period around the later fall of Jerusalem. The Holocaust beggar’s description. But Daniel indicates that there is even worse to come at the time of the end.”
Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “In the distant past, God disinherited the nations of earth as his co-ruling family, the original Edenic design, choosing instead to create a new family from Abraham (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). The disinherited nations were put under the authority of lesser ELOHIM, DIVINE SONS OF GOD. When they became corrupt, they were sentenced to mortality (Psalm 82:6-8). The Old Testament is basically a record of the long war between Yahweh and the gods, and between Yahweh’s children and the nations, to re-establish the original Edenic design. The victory at Armageddon of the returning incarnate Yahweh over the Best (antichrist) who directed the nations against Yahweh’s holy city is the event that topples the ELOHIM from their thrones. It is the day of Yahweh, the time when all that is wicked is judged and when those who believe and overcome replace the disloyal sons of God. The kingdom is ready for full, earthly realization under the reconstituted divine council whose members include glorified believers. The full mass of believing humanity will experience a new Edenic world in a resurrected, celestial state. What was ruined by the fall is restored – and made irreversible – by the incarnation of Yahweh, his atoning death, and his resurrection. But all that is relatively easy to talk about when compared to passages that deal with what comes last and remains forever. How do you describe the indescribable? Paul grasped the problem clearly. I still like the King James Version of his sentiments for their rhythmic, almost lyrical quality: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV).”
Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “The Hebrew word for “prince” used throughout Daniel 10 and 12 is SAR. In Daniel 10:13, where Michael is called “one of the chief princes”, the Septuagint refers to Michael as one of the chiefs “archonton”. In another Greek translation of Daniel, a text many scholars consider even older than the Septuagint currently in use, the prince of Persia and Israel’s prince Michael, are both described with the Greek word “archon”. These are the terms Paul uses when describing the “rulers of this age”, the rulers “in heavenly places”, and “the rulers of the authority of the air”.
Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “Paul often interchanged these terms with others that are familiar to most Bible students” • “principalities” (arche) • “powers” / “authorities” (exousia) • “powers” (dynamis) • “dominions” / “lords” (kyrios) • “thrones” (thronos) “These terms have something in common – they were used in both the New Testament and other Greek literature for GEOGRAPHICAL DOMAIN RULERSHIP. This is the divine dominion concept of Deuteronomy 32:8-9. At times these terms are used of humans, but several instances demonstrate that Paul had spiritual beings in mind. The first three terms are found in Ephesians 6:12.
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “Daniel was a man who, though he lived in this world, lived for another world that would outlast this one, a supernatural realm that from time to time had unmistakably manifested itself to him and his friends. God had intervened to protect their witness, save their lives, and reveal to them things to come, with such power and precision that even pagan kings could not fail to recognize the invasion of the supernatural. This passage on the resurrection near the end of Daniel’s account is consistent with that supernatural dimension. The God that spans history in his knowledge, and can reveal things to come, is the God who will raise the dead. Daniel did not, of course, know what we know; that the molecules in our bodies are in constant flux, so that they undergo total replacement every seven years or so, while each one of us remains the same person. There is a pattern somewhere that defines and holds each individual human in existence. And if we grant the reality of God and the supernatural, it is surely not hard to think that God himself holds those patterns in memory. He can reuse each pattern to fashion a resurrection body in the future.”
Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:20-21 that when God raised Jesus from the dead, “he seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (ESV). It was only after Christ had risen that God’s plan was “made known….to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10). These cosmic forces are “the rulers and the authorities” disarmed and put to shame by the cross (Colossians 2:15). The incident at Babel and God’s decision to disinherit the nations drew up the battle lines for a cosmic turf war for the planet. The corruption of the ELOHIM sons of God set over the nations meant that Yahweh’s vision for a global Eden would be met with divine force. Every inch outside Israel would be contested, and Israel itself was fair game for hostile conquest. The gods would not surrender their inheritance back to Yahweh; he would have to reclaim them. God would take the first step in that campaign immediately after Babel.”
“I am going to start with the truth. Deuteronomy 22:5 states: “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.” Now, this verse isn’t concerned about clothing styles but with people determining their own sexual identities. It is not clothing or personal style that offends God but, rather, the use of one’s appearance to act out or take on a sexual identity different from the one biologically assigned by God at birth. In this wisdom, God intentionally made each individual uniquely either male or female. When men or women claim to be able to choose their own sexual identity, they are making a statement that God did not know what he was doing when he created them”. Rep Greg Steube (R-FL) In response, Rep Nadler (D-NY) stated: “Mr. Steube, what any religious tradition ascribes as God’s will is no concern of this Congress.”
The Equality Act passed the house 224 -206 on February 25, 2021. The battle is still ongoing. In the spiritual realm though, victory is determined by God. Those Elohim will be taken from their position of power and so will those humans who are ruled by them. Those who are wise accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has the power to transform them from defeated enemies of God into sons and daughters of God Almighty.
Daniel 11:40-45 Micah 5:2 Micah 2:12 Revelation 16:12-16 Zechariah 5:5-11 Zechariah 12:1-3 Zechariah 14:1-2 Jeremiah 49:13-14 Revelation 11:3-13 Hosea 5:15 Hosea 6:1-3 Isaiah 53:1-9 Romans 11:25-27 Zechariah 12:10- 13:1 Joel 2:28-32 Acts 1:9-11 Joel 3:12-13 2 Thessalonians 2:8
Arnold Fruchtenbaum in his book “The Footsteps of the Messiah” published in 1982 writes that God has a CITY OF REFUGE prepared for the Jewish people. “No hiding place has been pinpointed, but three clues have been provided. Once clue was in Matthew 24:16 THEN LET THEM THAT ARE IN JUDEA FLEE UNTO THE MOUNTAINS. According to this text, the place of flight and refuge is to be the mountains. The second and third clues were given in verse 6 and 14 of Revelation 12: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 14 But the woman was given two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” “The second clue was that the place of refuge is not only in the mountains, it must also be in the wilderness. Third, it was prepared by God in advance and therefore indicates a very adequate preexisting place of refuge.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum “The two climactic events of the great tribulation are the Campaign of Armageddon and the second coming. A considerable amount of data is given about this period in the Scriptures. One of the greatest difficulties in the study of eschatology is placing the events in chronological sequence in order to see what exactly will happen in the Campaign of Armageddon. The Campaign of Armageddon can be divided into eight states, and this, in turn, will facilitate an understanding of the sequence of events.”
There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
The First Stage: The Assembling of the Allies of the Antichrist Revelation 16:12-16
The Second Stage: The Destruction of Babylon Zechariah 5:5-11
The Third Stage: The Fall of Jerusalem Zechariah 12:1-3 and Zechariah 14:1-2
The Fourth Stage: The Armies of the Antichrist in Bozrah Jeremiah 49:13-14
The Fifth State: The National Regeneration of Israel Revelation 11:3-13
The Sixth Stage: The Second Coming of the Messiah Acts 1:9-11
The Seventh Stage: The Battle from Bozrah to the Valley of Jehoshaphat Joel 3:12-13
2 Thessalonians 2:8 Arnold Fruchtenbaum “Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit, and here the nation of Israel will be regenerated because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on them, creating some dramatic manifestations in the midst. This will be accompanied by wonders in the heavens as well. The result is that the Jews of Jerusalem and the remnant of Bozrah will be delivered and escape.”
Daniel 11:36-41Revelation 9:1-11 Ephesians 2:1-2 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “Since we are now in the realm of things future, it would be well to remind ourselves that the fulfillment of biblical prophecy usually turns out to be much more complex than we might at first imagine. Think of the well-known prophecies regarding the Messiah. Daniel spoke of him coming on the clouds of heaven, whereas Zechariah said he would come riding on a donkey. The apparent contradiction is solved by the fact that the ‘coming’ of Messiah turned out not to be simply a point in time, but two distinct comings separated by a very lengthy period during which the Messiah would be absent. His first coming, during which he fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy (among many others), was not a point in time but lasted just over thirty years, and his second coming has not happened yet. If we were asked to set all this out in a time-line, based only on our knowledge of the Old Testament prophecies, would any of us even have realized that the ‘coming’ was to be in two stages, let alone place the details in their correct sequence? Scarcely.” John Lennox “Even though the end time is likely to be more complex than we could ever guess, some of its broad contours are discernible. According to Daniel it will be a future end-time leader, not Antiochus, who will invade Egypt and the land of Israel, resulting in great loss of life. He will sequester the wealth of Egypt and gain control of a wider region of North Africa. He will eventually leave that region in fury, alarmed by threats from the east and north. On his way to neutralize those threats he will meet his end, between the mountains and the sea.”
David E. Aune in his commentary on Revelation 9 writes: “The ‘star’ is obviously some kind of supernatural being, as this verse and the following make clear…..While the key to the abyss is mentioned again in 20:1, the notion of a shaft that could be locked and unlocked is implied rather than explicitly stated. In the other two references, in Rev 11:7 and 17:8, the abyss is the place from which THE BEAST IS SAID TO ASCEND… The abyss is sometimes synonymous with the underworld, which is the abode of the dead and the place where demons are imprisoned into the abyss until the day of judgement.”
Dr. Michael Heiser in his book Demons, What the Bible really says about The Powers of Darkness, has a chapter titled: The Devil – His Dominion and Destiny! “Matthew also considered Satan ‘the prince of demons’, allowing us to see clearly that Matthew considered the minions of Satan’s kingdom to be demons. This notion makes good sense. Beelzebul derives from the old Semitic title for Baal, lord of the underworld, and Baal was also called ‘ruler of the earth’ in Ugaritic texts nine times. This aspect of an association with Baal dovetails with the Deuteronomy 32 worldview that was part of Second Temple Jewish theology. Each nation was under the dominion of demons, so it is logical to consider a figure associated with Baal, the ‘ruler of the earth,’ also the be the ruler of demons. The Gospel writers understood the casting down of the original rebel as conceptually connected to the underworld home of Baal, lord of the dead.”
Senator Lindsey Graham took the microphone and said: “This is hell, the most unethical sham I have seen in my decades-long political career. To my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you’re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.”
Michael Heiser “Demons” “With the respect to the renegade sons of God, the Watchers of Second Temple Jewish tradition, it is clear that Second Temple texts have them imprisoned in the abyss for ‘seventy generations’ or ‘until the day of their judgment….until the eternal judgment is consummated’ (1 Enoch 10:11-13).Many scholars believe that the book of Revelation describes their release, a precursor to the return of Christ, the day of the Lord, and their ultimate punishment (with Satan) in the lake of fire. Specifically, the scene in Revelation 9:1-10 of the ‘unlocking’ of the abyss by a ‘star’ who is given the key is construed as the eschatological emancipation of the imprisoned Watchers.” “Consider the imagery of the temptation. Jesus was in the wilderness forty days – a deliberate mirroring of Israel’s forty years of wandering in the desert after their failure to believe Yahweh would give them victory over the giant Anakim (evil spawn in Old Testament and Second Temple theology) reported by the spies. The failure was especially shameful because it involved ignoring the earlier incredible deliverance at the Red Sea. This is consistent with the observation of many scholars that Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus’ early life and ministry cast him as the new SON OF GOD, the central figure of a new exodus. We must not overlook the fact that the exodus is viewed as a victory over the gods of Egypt – evil spirits in rebellion against Yahweh in the wake of Babel’s allotment of the gods over the nations. Jesus’ victory over Satan’s temptation in the wilderness is also a victory over the gods of the nations. In effect, Satan was offering Jesus rule over the nations abandoned by Yahweh at Babel (Deuteronomy 32:8). That judgment was never intended to be permanent. When Yahweh raised up his own ‘portion’ starting with the covenant with Abraham, he told the patriarch that it would be through his offspring that all the nations would ultimately be blessed. Jesus was the specific fulfillment of that promise. Had Jesus failed in the wilderness temptation, the plan to bring the nations back into the family of Yahweh also would have failed. The nature of this temptation and the implication of its outcome presume the Second Temple Jewish perception we discovered earlier; that the rebellious gods of the nations were affiliated with the original revel of Eden and, in some sense, under his authority. When the Gospel have Satan offering the kingdoms of the world to Jesus in exchange for worship, they presume this affiliation and authority.”
Daniel 11:36-45 Genesis 41:1-46 Genesis 41:56 Genesis 47:17 Daniel 11:36-39 Genesis 47:25 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 1 Thessalonians 5:11
John Lennox “Against the Flow” “At first (reading Daniel 11:36-39) it looks as if Daniel is still talking about Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was certainly a willful and proud king, as were many before him. Antiochus exalted himself and was the first of the Seleucid dynasty to assume divine honors for himself. Even his coinage bore the inscription “God manifest”. His most violent aggression was directed against the God’s of gods, the God of Israel. He was anti-God. He reminds us of a new breed of atheist, the so-called “New Atheists”, who are not content simply to disbelieve in the existence of God themselves but actively campaign against God and all manifestations of belief in him on the part of others. However, Antiochus IV did not go as far as to exalt himself above every god. For instance, he sought to get the Jews to worship the familiar gods of the Greek pantheon, rather than force them to worship him.” Later he asks the question: “The history is impressively accurate. Where does this leave us? It leaves us with the fact that the events of Daniel 11:40-45 cannot be identified in ancient history because THEY HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.” “Daniel uses the life and times of Antiochus IV as a thought model of the end time, when an altogether more sinister leader will appear, who will exalt himself as God.”
Wilfred Hahn published the Book “Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied” “God had enabled Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dream as well as recommend a public-works program. He was then put in charge of the entire kingdom. I then becomes a heart-rending story that reveals what humanity will do in order to quell the pangs of hunger, to be saved from a crisis – whatever its kind. In desperate times, having little choice, people will strike bad deals, ceding freedoms and increasing their vulnerability to rich despots and totalitarian regimes. Fourteen years later, the entire commercial and societal structure of the known world at that time, as well as almost all the land in Egypt, came under the control of one man – Pharaoh – due to Joseph’s management. The Pharaoh ended up becoming an all-powerful economic potentate. How did this happen? A more detailed examination of this account reveals many levels of prophetic foreshadowing; these provide end-time warnings for the world and for Christians living today.”
Sounds like Klaus Schwab (Davos Agenda) “You will own nothing, and you will be happy.” (The Great Reset) “The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world.”
Wilfred Hahn asks the question: “If Joseph’s action indeed saved millions of lives, then does anything else matter? Wasn’t the tradeoff worth it – putting entire populations into vassalage and widening even farther the imbalances of the wealth distribution? That may appear to be the same type of situation faced by those who are currently making policy decisions about the public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Should we save everyone from dying from the virus, but completely destroy the global economy and place massive debts upon the shoulders of citizens? How can it be ensured that the stimulus of massive new indebtedness will be distributed fairly? Is everyone being forced into economic bondage? Pharaoh came to this position of controlling the entire world by dispensing the means of providing bread and prosperity. The incentive of gaining “bread” was harnessed by one centralized system – even by one man. We may see that aspect of that process are again sweeping the entire world today under the guise of the promise of “more bread for the entire world.”
Matthew 16:21-28 Matthew 16:5-12
The French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville is best known for his two volume work DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, published in 1835 “I should have loved freedom, I believe, at all times, but in the time in which we live I am ready to worship it.”
In 1944 Friedrich A. von Hayek published the book “The Road to Serfdom” (back page of the book) “The Road to Serfdom was seen as heretical for its passionate warning against the dangers of state control over the means of production. For F.A. Hayek, the collectivist idea of empowering government with increasing economic control would lead not to a utopia but to the horrors of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.”
Erwin Lutzer in his book «Hitler’s Cross» Subtitle: HOW THE CROSS WAS USED TO PROMOTE THE NAZI AGENDA writes: “The story of Nazi Germany is one of conflict between two saviors and two crosses. “Dein Reich komme,” Hitler prayed publicly – “Thy Kingdom come.” But to whose kingdom was he referring? “Some people think that philosophers sit in ivory towers and spin theories that have little to do with the life of the ordinary, hardworking citizen. But in point of fact, philosophers have often ruled entire countries (Karl Marx is but one example). Germany has had its philosophers too, brilliant men who gained a wide audience through their teachings and writings. They prepared the soil and planted the seeds of nationalism and fanned hatred of the Jews. Whether they knew it or not, they were preparing the way for Hitler. Let’s meet just two of them. GEORG HEGEL (1770-1831) held the chair of philosophy at Berlin University. His dialectical philosophy, which inspired Marx, preached the glorification of the state, saying it was “God walking on earth”. Individual rights, he believed, simply got in the way of the state as supreme authority. The state, he said, is “the moral universe….and has the foremost right against the individual, whose supreme duty is to be a member of the state…for the right of the world spirit is above all special privileges.” War, Hegel taught, was the great purifier that was necessary for the ethical health of the people. As for private moral virtues such as humility and patience, these must never stand in the way of the state’s agenda; indeed the state must crush such “innocent flowers.” As might be expected, Hegel denied the uniqueness of Christianity and argued that the Old Testament had to be rejected because of its Jewish roots. A pure Christian faith could be had only by a pure race, namely the Germans.” Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), the son of a Lutheran pastor, wrote a bitter assault on Christianity accusing it of weakness and of being the cause of Germany’s ills. In his ANTICHRIST, he wrote, “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one enormous and innermost perversion, the one moral blemish of mankind…I regard Christianity as the most seductive lie that has yet existed.” Nietzsche wrote: ‘Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the grave diggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God’s decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead and we have killed him.’ Nietzsche faced the frightful implications of atheism without blinking. Listen to how he describes what the death of God means for man: ‘How shall we, the murderers of all murderers comfort ourselves? Who will wipe the blood off us? What water is there to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must not we ourselves become gods simply to seem worthy of it? Nietzsche knew that with God’s death there was no answer for man’s guilt, no one to wipe the blood from our hands. Since God was dead, a successor would have to be found. Nietzsche knew that in an atheistic state the strong would rule the weak. A coming elite would rule from which this superman would spring. He and those around him would become ‘lords of the earth.’ With God out of the way, humans would be unrestrained; there would be no fear of judgment, nor belief in the virtues of morality. When humans realize that history was based on raw power, there would be universal madness. Nietzsche reinforced the prevailing philosophy in Germany that a genius was above the law, that he should not be bound by the morals of ordinary men.”
Viktor Frankl, the great psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust has this so say: “The gas chambers of Auschwitz were the ultimate consequence of the theory that man is nothing but the product of heredity and environment – or, as the Nazis like to say, “Of Blood and Soil.” I’m absolutely convinced that the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Maidanek were ultimately prepared not in some ministry or other in Berlin, but rather at the desk and in the lecture halls of nihilistic scientists and philosophers.”
On July 14, Hitler decreed that the Nazis would be the sole political party in Germany. How did Hitler justify his actions? “If anyone reproaches me and asks why I did not resort to the regular courts of justice, then all I can say is this; in this hour I was responsible for the fate of the German people. I became the Supreme Judge of the German people.” (From the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
Isaiah 9:1-7 Isaiah 8:19-22 Deuteronomy 18:9-15 Acts 3:17-22 John 1:1-9 Isaiah 9:6-7 Isaiah 9:1 Matthew 4:12-17 Matthew 1:17 Romans 8:19-24 Luke 2:8-14
Timothy Keller “Hidden Christmas” “What is going on (in Isaiah 8:22)? They are ‘looking toward the earth’ and to human resources to fix the world. They are looking to their experts, to the mystics, to the scholars, for solutions. Yes, they say, we are in darkness, but we can overcome it ourselves. People make the same claim today. Some look more to the state, some more to the market, and everyone looks to technology. Yet they share the identical assumption. Things are dark but we believe we can end that darkness with intellect and innovation. Can we? One of the most thoughtful world leaders of the late twentieth century was Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic. He had a unique vantage point from which to peer deeply into both socialism and capitalism, and he was not optimistic that either would, by itself, solve the greatest human problems. He knew that science unguided by moral principles had given us the Holocaust. He concluded that neither technology nor the state nor the market alone could save us from nuclear conflict, ethnic violence, or environmental degradation. ‘Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity save itself, nor is democracy alone enough,’ Havel said. ‘A turning to and seeking of God, is needed.’ The human race constantly forgets, he added, that ‘he is not God.’”
Matthew 1:18-25Matthew 1:18 Matthew 1:20-21 Genesis 3:15 Genesis 6:1-8 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Matthew 1:20b-23 Matthew 1:24-25 Romans 11:33-36
Daniel Darling in his book “The Characters of Christmas” “There is much to stop and commend, even in this seeming footnote to the Christmas story. Joseph didn’t make a decision out of immediate anger. He wasn’t irrational and unstable. For a young man who had just seen his life turn upside down, he demonstrated remarkable grace and poise. He took time and assessed the situation and, seeing the humanity of Mary, made the choice that would be best for her.”
Carl Gallup “Gods of the Final Kingdom” “By the time several generations of humanity had begun to fruitfully populate the newly created planet., the flesh of both humans and animals had grown increasingly corrupt. Satan, and his allies from the rebellious angelic realm had seen to it. Gruesome aberrations among all living things had begun to manifest. The indescribable beauty the planet had once enjoyed rapidly degenerated. Satan attempted to recreate as much of the planet as possible, but this time, the design was in his own twisted image. Violence now engulfed the debased animal kingdom, as well as the altered human realm. Terror and dread had become the defining characteristics of daily existence. Gigantic, vicious men with deepening allegiance to the evil one brought their unspeakable horrors to every human encampment. An unholy demonic realm, those fallen ones who were masquerading as messengers of light among the populace of earth. But Yahweh also had a plan, a strategy that was UNKNOWN TO THE EVIL ONE. The reset button would be pushed from heaven’s throne itself. However, this particular cosmic cleansing process had not been designed to immediately “correct” the situation. Rather, it would serve as a heavenly pattern of the ultimate judgment that was yet to come.”
Tom Horn in his book “Zeitgeist 2015” “Imagine yourself as a space traveler who visits earth in a fictional, post-apocalyptic world. Digging through the rubble of the once-thriving planet, you come across a copy of a U.S. one-dollar bill with the two-sided Great Seal of the United States joined in the middle by the phrase, “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Upon consideration, you ask yourself, “What god did this refer to?” With no preconceptions, you allow the symbolism on the seal to speak for itself, from which you quickly determine that this had been a great culture who worshipped Egyptian and Greek deities, especially a particular solar one whose all-seeing eye glared from atop an unfinished Egyptian pyramid. Upon further investigation into the specific beliefs of the strange group whose members had influenced the Great Seal, you discover from their highest masters, including one “illustrious” Albert Pike, that the sun god they venerated so highly had been known to them at various times in history by the names APOLLO, OSIRIS, and NIMROD. I made this argument because, unknown to most Americans and certainly to average Christians, the Great Seal’s mottoes and symbolism relate to both Osiris and Apollo specifically, yet as one. Osiris is the dominant theme of the Egyptian symbols, his resurrection and return, while the mottoes of the seal point directly to Apollo, and the eagle, a pagan emblem of Jupiter (Zeus), to Apollo’s father. The phrase NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM (a new order of the ages) was adapted in 1782 from inspiration Charles Thompson (the designer of the Great Seal’s final version) found in a prophetic line from the Cumaean Sibyl (a pagan prophetess of Apollo, identified in the Bible as a demonic deceiver) and involves the future birth of a divine son, spawned of “a new breed of men sent down from heaven” when he receives “the life of gods, and sees Heroes with gods commingling.” According to the prophecy, this is Apollo, son of Jupiter (Zeus), who returns to earth through mystical “life” given to him from the gods when the deity Jupiter returns to reign over the earth in a a new pagan Golden Age. This is when the “son” of promise arrives on earth – Apollo incarnate – a pagan savior born of a “new breed of men sent down from heaven” when “heroes and “gods” are blended together. This sound eerily similar to what the Watchers did during the creation of Genesis 6 giants, and why many believe Antichrist also represents the return of the Nephilim. But to understand why such a fanciful prophecy about Apollo, son of Jupiter, returning to earth should be important to you: In ancient literature, Jupiter was the Roman replacement of Yahweh as the greatest of the gods – a “counter Yahweh.” His son Apollo comes to rule the final New World Order, when “Justice returns, returns old Satan/Lucifer as the god of the air” reign. The ancient goddess Justice, who returns Satan’s reign, was known to the Egyptians as Ma’at and to the Greeks as Themis, while to the Romans she was Lustitia. Statues of her adorn thousands of government buildings and courts around the world, especially in Washington DC, as familiar Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding scales and a sword. She represents the enforcement of secular law and is the authority that is going to require global compliance to the zenith of Satan’s dominion concurrent with the coming of Apollo. What’s more, the Bible’s accuracy concerning this subject is alarming, including the idea that “pagan justice” will require surrender to a satanic system in a final world order under the rule of Jupiter’s son. In the New Testament, the identity of the god Apollo, repeat-coded in the Great Seal of the United States as the Masonic ‘messiah’ who returns to rule the earth, is the same spirit – verified by the same name – that will inhabit the political leader of the end-times New World Order. According to key Bible prophecies, the Antichrist will be the progeny or incarnation of the ancient spirit, APOLLO.”
Craig Keener (IVP Bible Background Commentary) “Joseph’s obedience to God cost him the right to value his own reputation. Many Christians today, probably much older than Joseph and claiming the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, have yet to learn his lesson. By saying yes to God, Joseph was saying no to everything he had worked for, his reputation in the community. It’s easy for us to glance over this and not give it another thought as we read this part of Matthew’s gospel this Christmas, but we should pause and consider how significant this decision was. Joseph would be a pariah among his people. He would bear the shame for sins he didn’t commit. And yet it only foreshadows the shame that this baby would one day bear on behalf of Joseph and Mary and all who know Jesus.”
Luke 1:26-38 1 Peter 1:10-12 Daniel 9:21-23 Luke 1:26-30 Isaiah 11:1-2 Isaiah 11:3-16 Luke 1:34 Luke 1:36-37 Romans 15:4-6
Biblical literacy produces biblical morality. Biblical illiteracy produces declining morals. With declining morals ULTIMATE HOPE IS FADING INTO DARKNESS.
Michael Heiser “The Unseen Realm” “He could not depend on humans, though he had pledged himself to humanity’s preservation. He would no more forgo the role of his human imagers than he would destroy them. Because his original creation of humanity as his image had meant free-will agency, his kingdom must of necessity include humanity in its recovery and in rulership, else the Edenic vision would be undermined. There could be only one solution, though it would have two strategic deployments. God understood that only HE could be trusted with perfectly accomplishing his own will. He would therefore have to BECOME MAN AND, in addition, HE WOULD HAVE TO INHABIT THE HEARTS OF HIS CHILDREN. Residing in a tabernacle or temple was not enough. HE HAD TO INDWELL THOSE WHO CHOSE TO FOLLOW HIM. Yahweh would send his Spirit to indwell his people. They could not be trusted with their freedom, but he would not eradicate it, nor would he leave them without enablement. God’s plan to redeem humanity, reclaim the nations, and revive Eden depended on the INCARNATION OF THE SECOND YAHWEH figure and his subsequent death and resurrection. The story of the cross is the biblical-theological catalyst to God’s plan for regaining all that was lost in Eden. It couldn’t be emblazoned across the Old Testament in transparent statements. It had to be expressed in sophisticated and cryptic ways to ensure that the powers of darkness would be misled. And it was. Even the angels did not know the plan.”
Mark Flynn “Forbidden Secrets of the Labyrinth” published 2014 “There is a religious institution wherein the members are the most devout and serious of any faith on Earth. Those who are a part of this institution unquestionably believe in a god that directs their activities and they look to this deity with the ultimate hope of gaining his favor. They, unlike many of the people ascribed to the popular religions of today, have no doubt that their god lives and interacts with them. They see the favor their god bestows upon them. The riches and power gained through their piety actively demonstrates the reality of their god’s existence. The precepts of their secretive religion are contradictory to that of the Judeo-Christian religion (that values, above all, love for their fellow man). They consider the people outside of their group inferior creatures, unworthy of their god, but necessary for manipulation toward the completion of their final objective. Through devotion, submission to the will of their god, and dedication to his secretive plan, they believe that they will achieve immortality and live in a coming golden age where their god will appear on Earth and rule them in a new paradise of his design.”
Chuck Swindoll Any serious study of Jesus’ birth merits an accurate understanding of the one who bore Him. Unfortunately, more confusion surrounds the mother of the Christ child than the baby Himself! Thanks to the artist’ brush, the sculptor’s chisel and mallet, the author’s pen, and the well-meaning imagination of preachers, we know more about the Mary of dogma and legend than the real Mary of Scripture. The Roman Catholic Church has not helped the situation by adding several unbiblical doctrines to its teaching on Mary. These include: “Immaculate Conception,” the notion that Mary was born without a fallen sin nature, free from original sin. “Perpetual Virginity,” which insists that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. “Bodily Assumption,” the belief that Mary never succumbed to death but was taken directly into heaven in bodily form. By adding one Mary-exalting dogma to another, the Roman Catholic Church now regards Mary as a co-mediator (or “mediatrix”) alongside her Son, Jesus Christ. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “In union with Christ and in submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all humanity.” Protestants during the Reformation and through the first several centuries afterward reacted sharply to Catholic errors, pushing the pendulum too far to the other side. Fearing excessive veneration for Mary, they virtually ignored her, leaving many of us today ignorant about this remarkable woman of God. Fortunately, Luke took great care to preserve her perspective regarding her role in the greatest event in history.”
Sunday PM Service, September 8, 2019 with guest speaker Chris Brooks
Join Chris Brooks Ministries Pray One initiative at Chrisbrooksministries.com/pray-one
Join us as Pastor Mark talks about how the prayer of Jabez is important to the Kingdom of God, not just us personally.
Join us as Pastor Mark speaks on walking in the Glory of the Lord by being unified in the Body of Christ.
Join us as Pastor Mark talks about going through the trials of life and how God is working through it all.
Join us as Pastor Mark preaches about Victory doesn't always look the way you want it to, but it is coming!
We are called to prepare the way for Jesus in the lives of others. Join us as Pastor Mark encourages us to use our lives to make a difference in others!
Pastor Mark speaks on the importance of beginning the Journey that God has called us to walk!
Have you ever wanted to do great things for God but feel like something always stops you? Maybe you are carrying more than you were meant to. Join us as Pastor Mark encourages to leave somethings at the cross!
Pastor Mark explains the perils of treating your marriage like a contract. Marriage was never mean to be 50/50. It was always meant to be 100/100 with both sides giving all of themselves until the two become one!
Pastor Mark preaches about the power of love in our marriages and how it was always meant to be more than simply a feeling!
Join us has Pastor Mark explains the difference that expecting God makes in our ability to live for Him!
What happens in your life when you begin to expect God? Pastor Mark speaks about the power expectation has in our relationship with God.
What do you expect from God? Is He good or bad? Join us as Pastor Mark shares with us the power of expectancy!
Our Purpose is to Intentional Love people and lead them to a fully committed relationship with Jesus
Join us as Pastor Mark reveals the Character that will drive ourselves and our church into the future
We believe that Victory Christian Fellowship is Going Places. Join us as Pastor Mark leads us to allow character to drive our lives and the life of our church.
Pastor Mark Preaches this week about the importance of knowing the Word of God and How to Study it!
Have you ever felt that fasting was only for "spiritual giants"? Tune in to see how and why you should fast!