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Articles

Tools of the Occult (1)

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[It’s Thursday again, and that means it’s time for another article from our weekly guest-blogger]

In time of war, we know that it is very important to have a working knowledge of the tactics that can be employed by an enemy, whomever that might be. In the spiritual realm, it is even more important that we know what tactics the enemy is employing, in order that we can be ready and able to stand our ground and fight. In this article, it is my intent to describe a few of the tools that are being used to trap and enslave our race by Satan and by his forces as they operate among mankind on the earth.

The Lord’s church need not be in fear of these weapons and tactics because: you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4). We have been given the weaponry and the Spirit which enables us to be more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37) As long as we remain faithful, walk in the light and use the weaponry that has been provided for us, we will be triumphant because of Him who loved us. In that light, let us take a look at some of these Satanic tools.

Ouija Boards are seen as a cute, childish game and can be found in nearly every toy department in any larger department store. There is absolutely NOTHING toy-like about this demonic lure. We have all seen this in movies or television as something played with in children’s slumber parties. Despite the denial of some, it really does work and it is extremely dangerous as it “opens a door” to further demonic activity. Questions are asked and answers often received. The “planchette” (a small movable pointer) moves to a “yes” or “no” or spells out the answers given. These answers are meant to increase interest and deepen curiosity for these “hidden things.” This is often the “gateway” to deeper things which we know are NOT from God but the adversary who seeks to entrap and ensnare the seeker with “what some call the deep things of Satan”. Rev. 2:24 This writer once was taken with using this device and knows of what he speaks. It is an extremely dangerous device and has no place in the home of any person, much less one who names the name of the Lord.

The next device or method which is often used is called Automatic Writing. By this, it is possible to have further, deeper communication with “the other side.” In doing this, a person holds a writing implement in one’s hand and relaxes. The writing is produced without conscious thought. A “spirit guide” will use this method to communicate with one who is seeking an answer. Again, this writer tried and became very proficient in doing this. This was my second step down the “wide path” which leads to destruction. I thank God each and every day for His deliverance from my sad delusion.  When one becomes proficient in this technique, different handwriting styles are produced by different “spirit guides.” Personally, I experienced nothing but lies but that simply identified who the actual author was. Unfortunately, at that time I did not know Christ, nor what warnings the New Testament had for me. This is the case with nearly all who fall into this trap.

E.V.P.-electronic voice phenomena is a supposed “tool” where a seeker will place a recorder, whether old fashioned cassette player or newer digital type recorder and begin to ask questions. No answers are heard by the naked ear but when the recorder is re-wound and played, often, an answer can be heard. This can be as weak as whispered or as loud as a clear voice. This is a popular tool used on such popular television shows as The “Sci-fi Channel’s” Ghost Hunters. This is part of an ever-increasing hunger by society in general for anything mystical or outside of classical society.

Spirit Guides-As one gets deeper and deeper into the “soup” of the occult, one is often contacted by a “Spirit Guide.” This is in response to a plea for help by a seeker.  This answer is to help a seeker to find the answers for which one seeks and to guide them in their “spiritual journey.” This demonic pseudonym claims to be a human soul which exists between heaven and earth. They are referred to by those in the occult as a “guardian angels”, or even “invisible helpers”. I cannot even begin to properly warn the reader of the danger of these supposed “helpers.” There is no Bible teaching on the subject, but then, when you get this far into the occult, you are way outside of the Bible, anyway.  Scripture tells us that: just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,(Hebrews 9:27) and also from Jesus’ teaching on death in the story of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” there is no wandering around after death. Therefore, it cannot be a human soul. What else is there? How was one brought into contact? It certainly is not an angel-from God, but from another source. What good can come from that? None!

From my own experience, I implore you to throw out that “toy board game.” It is no toy. It is a trap waiting for the unprepared. All of these “methods” or devices are prepared to entrap, and destroy those who trifle with them. Remember, we are at war and our only salvation is to stay near to the Lord, who protects us from those who seek our destruction.

-Kyle Frank

Articles, Books

A Disciple with “Horse” in His Name (part 1)

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We hope you have been enjoying reading these sections of our upcoming book, “Who Were The Apostles?”  Today, we begin talking about a man named “Philip,” whose name in Greek literally means “Lover of Horses.”

Philip the Disciple

Like Andrew, Philip is known by a Greek name, which means “Lover of Horses.”1  Philip was a Jew,2 a native of the fishing village of Bethsaida like Andrew and Peter,3 which possibly means that these men were already acquainted with each other before they were called.  He was one of the earliest disciples of Jesus, joining the band of followers just one day after Andrew and Peter.4

That day, Jesus planned to go to Galilee, and He searched for Philip.  The Greek word used by John (from which we get our word eureka!) indicates that Jesus found him after searching for him.5  When He found Philip, He said, “follow me.”6  What kind of a man must Philip have been that Jesus would actively search him out to be one of His disciples! Since Philip was from the same city as Andrew and Peter, it’s quite possible that they were the ones who suggested that Jesus find him. 7  Given the quickness with which Philip followed Jesus, and the fact that he knew where He was from and who His earthly father was, it is possible that Philip already knew Jesus, or at least knew of Him.8

Philip’s immediate response was two-fold.  First, he accepted the call to be one of Jesus’ disciples.  Second, he searched out his friend Nathanael9 and told Him they had found “Him, of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write.”10  This shows that Philip had a very high regard for the inspired word of God, and that he was awaiting the advent of the Prophet like Moses.11  After Nathanael expressed doubt because of Jesus’ hometown (“can anything good come out of Nazareth?”), Philip encouraged him to “come and see” for himself, showing that Philip had confidence in who Jesus was.12  Philip then led Nathanael to Jesus, where the Lord convinced the doubter with His greeting.13

The day after he was called by Jesus, Philip accompanied Him to the wedding feast in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine, increasing his faith in Jesus as the Messiah.14  Afterwards, Philip accompanied Jesus into Jerusalem, where the Lord overturned the tables in the temple, sending animals and greedy money-exchangers running.15  Philip watched in awe as Jesus performed miracles on the Passover in Jerusalem.16  Some time afterwards, they went out of Jerusalem, and Philip began to baptize many people.17

After returning with Jesus to Galilee, Philip apparently resumed his regular occupation while the Lord traveled around the area, preaching.18  But after Jesus returned to Capernaum, calling Andrew, Peter, James, and John, Philip must have re-joined Him, for it is thereafter that Jesus and “His disciples” ate with a tax collector named Levi, causing consternation among the Pharisees and scribes.19  Some time later, Philip and the other disciples walked with Jesus through some fields, picked some wheat, and ate some of it—all on the Sabbath—again causing the Pharisees to be very upset.20

-Bradley S. Cobb

1 Philip was a common name both then and now.  The popularity of the name likely originated with Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.  As Alexander conquered cities and areas, new names were occasionally given, which led to the city called “Philippi” (in Macedonia), the city of Caesarea Philippi, etc.  There were three men mentioned in the Bible who had this name: (1) Herod’s brother, whose wife had been stolen from him by Herod (Matthew 14:3-4); (2) Philip the evangelist, “one of the seven” who was chosen to assist the widows in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6; 8:5-40; 21:8), and (3) Philip the apostle, one of “the twelve” chosen by Jesus (Luke 6:13-16).  As such, it is unlikely that we can gain any insight into the character of Philip or his family through the name he was given.

2 James Hastings, in his Dictionary of Christ in the Gospels, states that Bethsaida had a mixed Greek population, and suggests that this is possibly Andrew’s background.  While possible, such a background would almost certainly have been used as a reason by the Jews to reject the apostles, having a “half-breed” in their midst.  Since there is no hint of such an objection, this theory is highly unlikely.

3 John 1:44.  As seen in our chapter on Andrew, this verse does not necessarily mean that he still lived in Bethsaida, but that it is where he originally came from.  Andrew, according to Mark, lived in Capernaum with Peter, though John said they were from Bethsaida.

4 John 1:40-43, especially verse 43.  It seems probable that John, the son of Zebedee, was also called to follow Jesus the day before the Lord called Philip.  See John 1:35-40, and remember that John never mentions himself by name in his gospel account; the other unnamed disciple may well be the author himself.

5 ΕυρÎčσÎșΔÎč.  See Thayer’s definition.

6 John 1:43.  Vincent’s Word Studies points out that this word is often used when Jesus was calling disciples after Him.

7 A.T. Robertson, in his Word Pictures, makes this suggestion.  Herbert Lockyer, in his All the Apostles of the Bible, boldly jumps from suggestion to an all-out declaration, embellishing the gospel narrative by saying that Philip “owed his soul to Andrew
his father in the faith” (page 155).

8 It is not outside of the realm of possibility that these two religiously-minded men (Jesus and Philip), both growing up in Galilee, would have met each other.  If this is the case, then Philip would have known the impeccable character that Jesus had.  It is also possible that Philip’s quick acceptance of Jesus as the promised Messiah had to do with Jesus’ choice of words (saying “follow me” as a disciple) and the presence of Peter and Andrew, whom he apparently already knew well, saying they had already become His disciples.  If Philip was at all aware of the teachings of John the Baptizer, he would have been looking for the “greater” One that would come; and when Jesus called him to follow, he knew he’d found the One.

9 Lockyer, in All the Apostles of the Bible, states that “There are those expositors who suggest that Philip and Nathanael, or Bartholomew, were brothers” (page 156), though he does not state who.

10 John 1:45.  John uses the same word for Philip’s “finding” of Nathanael as he does for Jesus’ “finding” of Philip.

11 Deuteronomy 18:18.

12 John 1:45-46.

13 We will delve into this in more detail in the chapter on Nathanael/Bartholomew.

14 John 2:11.

15 John 2:13-17

16 John 2:23

17 John 3:22; 4:1-2.  There is no telling how many people were baptized at this point, and no names are given.  It has been suggested in the chapter on Andrew that it is perhaps at this time that Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and even Judas Iscariot were baptized and made disciples of Jesus.

18 There is no mention of the disciples in the travels of Jesus from John 4:43 through the end of chapter five.  It is after this preaching mission that He returned to Capernaum and called Peter, Andrew, James, and John—all of whom had resumed their fishing trade.  It is, therefore, logical to conclude that Philip would have resumed his trade as well during this time.

19 Luke 5:27-33.

20 Luke 6:1 (KJV) says that these events took place on the “second Sabbath after the first.”  The meaning of this phrase, and even its validity, is in question.  Some have suggested that it is a reference to the Sabbath after that which is described in Luke 4:31-41.  However, that ignores verse 44, which entails weeks, if not months of preaching after that event.  Others have suggested that this took place on the Sabbath of Pentecost, which was the second most important day on the Jewish calendar, thus literally in Greek, Luke would be calling it the “second-first” Sabbath.  Others relieve themselves of the difficulty by pointing to some of the ancient manuscripts which don’t contain the word at all, and simply record Luke saying “on a Sabbath.”  In short, there’s nothing from this passage which will give us a more exact idea of when Philip rejoined Jesus.

 

Articles, Books

Atheism and Arithmetic

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The apostle Paul informs us that we can know the invisible God exists by looking at the things which do exist, and there’s no excuse for ignoring it.  David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

With those thoughts in mind, we are happy to announce the latest addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary: Atheism and Arithmetic, by H.L. Hastings.

Originally written in 1884, this book is filled with evidences of mathematic design in nature, in plants, in the planets, in time, in chemicals, in science, and even in music itself.  There is also a valuable section which debunks some of the atheists’ arguments regarding God and pain and suffering.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll find in this book:

The appetite for religion is as universal as the appetite for bread, and as natural.

It is true that many men make a living out of religion, but so do many men make a living by baking bread; but no one proposes to go without bread because bakers get their own bread by furnishing bread to others. It is equally true that there is much poor religion in the world, but there is also much poor bread; and if Pharaoh’s baker baked no better bread than some men bake in these days, it is not strange that his master hung him. But people will have bread, though it be poor; and if the supply be scanty they still insist that “half a loaf is better than no bread.” And so people will have a religion, though it may be small in quantity and inferior in quality. And this inclination for religion is not an acquired and debasing appetite, like the appetite for opium and tobacco; it is the spontaneous and universal uplifting of the soul to adore something higher and greater than mortal man; and the higher the nations rise in virtue and excellence, the more firmly are they established in their religious convictions. And this appetite for religion is older than the priests, just as the appetite for bread is older than the bakers; the demand existed before the supply was provided. The instinct of worship is a natural instinct, indicating an actual need inwrought in the human constitution, for some wise purpose, by the Creative Hand.

As always, we have taken the time to proofread, update, and completely reformat this book to give you the best possible reading experience.

Just click the link below to read this book online or to download to your device for later enjoyment!

Atheism and Arithmetic (H.L. Hastings)

-Bradley Cobb

Articles, Books

The Further Adventures of Simon Peter’s Brother

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Otherwise known as: Andrew According to Tradition

Eusebius reports that Andrew’s area of work was Scythia,1 which is north of the Black Sea in part of modern-day Russia.  It is because of this tradition that the Roman Catholic Church lists him as the patron saint of Russia.  An early Christian writing titled “The Martyrdom of Andrew” records that he was stoned to death while working in this area. 2

The Acts of Andrew and Matthias in the City of Man-Eaters3

This ancient work describes Matthias as a prisoner in an Ethiopian4 city of cannibals, who is then rescued by Andrew, but then they are both captured until Andrew causes a statue to gush acidic water throughout the city, killing cattle and children, and causing the adults of the city to writhe in pain as their skin was being eaten into by the acid that was now up to their necks.  When the people finally began to pray to the “God of the stranger [Andrew],” Andrew told the statue to “Stop the water, for they have repented.”5

The Acts and Martyrdom of the Holy Apostle Andrew

Another ancient work entitled “Acts and Martyrdom of the Holy Apostle Andrew,”6 supposed to have been written by the “bishops and deacons of the churches of Achaia,”7 records a conversation between Aegates, the proconsul, and Andrew which came about because Aegeates’ wife would not follow the pagan gods after hearing Andrew’s preaching.  After proclaiming the “mystery of the cross,” and telling the proconsul that the only way he could learn the truth was to “take the form of a disciple,” Aegeates threw Andrew into prison.  This only served to make the Christians incredibly angry, for they came together from the whole province with the mission of killing Aegeates and freeing Andrew.  The apostle, however, calmed them down and they left.  The next day, Aegeates brought him back and commanded him to offer a “libation” offering to the gods, since it was Andrew’s fault that “not even one city has remained in which their temples have not been forsaken and deserted.”  After Andrew called him “O son of death, and chaff made ready for eternal burnings,” the proconsul, enraged, said “[I]f thou wilt not hearken to me, I shall cause thee to perish on the tree of the cross.”

According to this work, the command was given “that he should be bound hand and foot, as if he were stretched on the rack, and not pierced with nails, that he might not die soon, but be tormented with long-continuing torture.”8  But Andrew wasn’t tortured; instead smiling and happy, he preached to nearly 20,000 people who gathered around to hear from him for four days.  On the fourth day, many came to Aegeates and demanded that Andrew be released, and through fear of the mob, the proconsul went to free him.  However, Andrew prayed that he not be released, and the arms of those who tried to release him from the cross were numbed until finally, after a bright light shone on him from heaven for half an hour, Andrew gave up the ghost.

Other Traditions

Tradition holds that this cross was turned to resemble an “X,” and has for centuries been known as “St. Andrew’s Cross.”9

One final note of interest comes from the Muratorian Fragment.  This early writing (some date it as early as AD 170) is one of the primary sources for the study of which books belong in the New Testament.10  It says:

The fourth Gospel [was written by] John, one of the disciples. When his fellow-disciples and bishops urgently pressed him, he said, “Fast with me today, for three days, and let us tell one another any revelation which may be made to us, either for or against [the plan of writing].” On the same night it was revealed to Andrew, one of the Apostles, that John should relate all in his own name, and that all should review [his writing].11

-Bradley S. Cobb

1 Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 1, Paragraph 1.

2 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Andrew” (II. In Apocryphal Literature).

3 “The oldest MS. Has Matthias; the four or five others have Matthew” (footnote 1, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8, page 517).

4 See Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8, page 356.

5 Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8, pages 517-526.

6 Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 8, pages 511-516.

7 Achaia is the southern half of Greece, including the cities of Corinth and Athens.

8 The Bodleian Manuscript of this work includes the words quoted.  It appears as a footnote in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8, page 513.

9 Holman Bible Dictionary: “Andrew”

10 Practically all books dealing with the issue of canonicity will mention this document.  However, it must be noted that the only surviving copy of it is a 7th-century Latin translation.  The early date is suggested due to some historical references as being recent to the author.

11 This quotation was given in James Hastings’ Dictionary of Christ in the Gospels, “Andrew.”

Articles

Astrology and the Christian

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[Our weekly guest-blogger article by Kyle Frank]

In our society, there is a great deal of time and attention paid to astrology. One needs only to look for a moment or two in the newspaper before the horoscope is found. Usually, the horoscope is generic enough where nearly everyone can find agreement with whatever occurrences happen each and every day. Some people will not make a major decision without checking with the stars. It is my purpose to show that this pseudo-science is not approved of by God nor to be trifled with by his children.

First of all, it is not to be confused with astronomy. Astronomy is a legitimate field of scientific study. There is a vast difference between true astronomy and the mystic occult art of astrology.

To be brief, astrology is a religion of the stars. The name comes from two Greek words “astra” which means Star, and “Logos,” which is word, reason or logic. From this, it can be seen that the term refers to the  word, or logic of stars. If you look at this carefully while watching a true devotee to astrology, you will see that it has in fact become a revived religion among millions of people in our time. When viewing biographies, one often hears of “what sign” someone was born under. In fact, when asked, most can tell you what sign they were born under.

In virtually every newspaper you will find the “horoscope” for the day and that is often the first thing that some will look for when opening that newspaper for that day. Often, some will not even leave their home until they have consulted their horoscope. In the light of this, let us look  at what God’s word has say on the subject.

During Bible times, astrology was a frequent, dangerous threat to God’s people. Baal- worship, which was heavily condemned by God through his prophets is believed to be a form of sun-worship. Isaiah said in 47:12-14  Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!  He is pretty clear in his condemnation of their practices. Judgment was coming and his challenge to them was to protect the people, not to mention themselves. We will also look at what Jeremiah had to say on the subject. In 10:1-2 he said: “Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them.” From that reference, we can see that it was a prevalent practice among the nations surrounding Israel. His concern for his kinsmen was so that they did not follow the practices that were condemned by the Lord. In Amos 5:26 we read: You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god–your images that you made for yourselves. They were worshipping the host of heaven and judgment was coming. How much more so in these days when we have the Son of God to follow rather than these sham-dealers who pretend that they have all the answers.(?) The choice is ours-as Joshua once said, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve,” Joshua 24:15  We need to sit down and take a serious inventory of ourselves, life, and behavior. 2 Cor. 13:5 tells us to: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!  Who are we to follow? Is it the Lord who has been so kind and gracious-or the horoscope, which is open to nothing but speculation? It offers nothing because it can deliver nothing.

Another part of astrology were the so-called “prophecies” by Jeanne Dixon. She made a great number of prophecies each year. Of these, only a very few would be barely even close to coming true. Remember the great number of her prophecies that would be in such great luminaries as “The Star” or other such-like papers? Compare her success  rates with God’s prophets. If you look at Deuteronomy 18:20-22: But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’– when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. If you were to judge Ms. Dixon’s success rate according to God’s scale, you would see that she came up a total and complete failure. The world held her up as a great prophet but we know the truth of the matter. We do not “follow the stars” because we follow Him who made the stars! Let us focus on that!! He tells us to follow what His Son said-not what the stars are supposed to be saying. They don’t talk, they can’t tell us the future. Why try to learn the future when they can’t know nor can they tell us? Seriously-why?

-Kyle Frank

Articles, Books

Andrew, the Lesser-Known Son of Jonah (Part 4)

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Andrew the Apostle (Great Commission)

The first day of the week, seven days after the resurrection of Jesus, Andrew was gathered with the disciples with the doors shut because there were afraid of what the Jews might do to them.  During this meeting, Jesus appeared in the room, and Andrew looked with joy at the wounds in hands and side which proved that this was His Lord, risen from the dead.1

Andrew is last specifically named in the Bible in Acts 1:13, while he was with the rest of the apostles in Jerusalem awaiting the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised would happen just prior to His ascension.2  On the Day of Pentecost, Andrew heard a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak about the “wonderful works of God” in other languages as directed by the Spirit.3  Andrew spent much of that day standing in water, baptizing many of the 3,000 souls who were “pricked in the heart” and wanted their sins forgiven.4

Over the next several months, Andrew continued to preach and heal the sick, until finally the high priest and the Sadducees couldn’t take it anymore.  Andrew and the other eleven were arrested and thrown into the common prison.  But that night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and released them, with a command to go to the temple and preach “the words of life.”  That day, the captain of the officers asked them to come with him and brought them before the council.  When the high priest asked Andrew and the others, “Didn’t we command you not to teach in this name?” they all answered, “We ought to obey God rather than man.”  Instead of being put to death, however, the high priest commanded that Andrew and the other apostles were to be beaten—probably with 39 severe lashes—and then released with another stern warning not to preach about Jesus anymore.  They all rejoiced that there were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name, and went on teaching and preaching Jesus Christ.5

Biblically speaking, the only other things we know about Andrew is that he remained in Jerusalem during the persecution instituted by Saul of Tarsus, that he was again (or still) in Jerusalem when the former persecutor, now a Christian, came back with Barnabas, and that he was again (or still) in Jerusalem when those two men returned to settle a dispute over whether Gentile Christians were to keep the Law of Moses.6

Thanks be to God for this wonderful man who continually brought people to Jesus!

-Bradley S. Cobb

1 John 20:19-20

2 Acts 1:8-9.

3 See Acts 2:1-4, 11.

4 See Acts 2:37-38, 41.

5 These events are recorded in Acts 5.

6 These can be seen in Luke’s use of the phrase “the apostles” in Acts 8:1; 9:26-27; and chapter 15.

Books

An Alexander Campbell Lecture

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In 1847, Alexander Campbell was invited to speak on “The Amelioration of the Social State,” and the lecture went over so well that the group which requested him to speak sought his permission to publish it.

The lecture itself is about the importance and influence of a godly woman on all sections of society.

Going from an original copy of this lecture (which was in HORRIBLE shape, both in printing and in paper quality), we have completely re-formatted it, increasing the font size, clearing it up, and making it look a whole lot nicer.

And now, we present it to you as the latest addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary!  Just click the link below to read it or save it to your electronic device!

An Address on the Amerlioration of the Social State (Alexander Campbell)

Articles, Books

Andrew, the Lesser-Known Son of Jonah (Part 3)

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Andrew During the Passion Week

The twelve apostles came with Jesus to Jerusalem before the Passover, and stayed in the house of Mary and Martha.  The next day, Sunday, Andrew watched as Jesus mounted a young donkey and entered Jerusalem with the people crying out “Hosannah!  Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord!”1  Amidst the commotion of the day, some Gentiles who were there for the upcoming feast approached Philip, who brought them to Andrew.2  They said, “We want to see Jesus.”3  So Andrew, for the third time in the biblical record, brought people to the Lord.4  Andrew must have watched and listened as Jesus spoke to these Gentiles.

The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.  Verily, verily I say to you, “Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.  He that loves His life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?  Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name.”

Then came a voice from heaven, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

The people therefore who stood by and heard it said that it thundered: others said, “An angel spoke to Him” (John 12:23-39).

Andrew stood as the Father spoke from heaven, and heard Jesus say that God spoke for the benefit of those around Him (including Andrew).  Then, even though Andrew had heard it before, he couldn’t help but feel sadness when he heard Jesus announce once more that He was going to die.5

Andrew certainly accompanied Jesus (as did the other apostles) during His visits into Jerusalem on Monday, when Jesus again overturned the tables of the money-changers, and Tuesday, watching the Master teach in the temple, confronting Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests, scribes, elders, and Herodians as they tried to trip Him up in front of the people.6  It was on this Tuesday, the final Tuesday before Jesus’ cruel death, that Jesus and His disciples left the temple, and one of them pointed out the immense beauty of the temple complex.7  This building project began fifty years earlier, and included tearing down the temple build by Zerubabbel,8  completely removing the foundation, creating an entirely new foundation 30 feet higher than it had been, and carted in massive marble slabs that were white and strong, 37.5 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 12 feet tall to build the temple.9  The temple was raised up to such a height and prominence in Jesus’ day that Josephus says

[T]he middle [the temple itself] was much higher, till they were visible to those that dwelt in the country for a great many furlongs. 


The temple had doors also at the entrance, and lintels over them, of the same height as the temple itself.  They were adorned with embroidered veils, with their flowers of purple, and pillars interwoven: and over these, but under the crownwork, was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down from a great height, the largeness and fine workmanship of which was a surprising sight to the spectators, to see what vast materials there were, and with what great skill the workmanship was done.10

But as Andrew and the other apostles stood with Jesus, looking at the temple, the Master said, “You see these great buildings?  There shall not be left one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.”11  Given the immensity of these marble slabs (stones), such a statement shocked Jesus’ disciples.  It was such a shock that Andrew and Peter, James and John, came to Jesus privately as He sat on the Mount of Olives to ask Him “When shall these things be?  And what shall be the sign when all these things are fulfilled?”12  Andrew then listened intently as he heard Jesus detail for them the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in accordance with Old Testament prophecy, adding the words “This generation shall not pass until all these things are done.”13

Wednesday evening (which to the Jews would have been the beginning of Thursday),14 Jesus gathered with Andrew and the other apostles in an upper room to eat the Passover.  During the meal, Andrew watched as Jesus stood up and wrapped a towel around Himself, and then came and washed Andrew’s feet.15 and it was at this time that Jesus told them that He was going to be betrayed by one of them.  Shocked and worried, Andrew asks Jesus, “Is it I?”  But he isn’t given a direct answer.

Jesus, with the apostles (minus Judas, who had left),16 after singing a hymn, went to the Mount of Olives, where He told Andrew and the others, “All of you shall be offended because of me this night.”  Andrew watched his brother Peter argue with Jesus over this, saying “Although all [of them] shall be offended, yet I will not.”  Then after Jesus foretold that Peter would deny Him three times, Peter said, “If I should die with You, I will not deny You in any way,” and Andrew said the same thing.17

Of course, it was just a short time later that Judas arrived with soldiers, who took hold of Jesus, and scared Andrew and the others to the point that they “forsook Him and fled”18

-Bradley S. Cobb

1 John 12:12-14, Mark 11:1-10, Matthew 21:1-9, Luke 19:29-38

2 John’s record of these events appears to place them on the same day as the “Triumphal Entry,” on what has come to be known as “Palm Sunday” (though neither phrases appear in the inspired text).  However, J.W. McGarvey take the position that this incident with Andrew and the Greeks took place on the Tuesday following, though he does not give an explanation for his reasoning in his Fourfold Gospel.

3 John 12:20-22

4 Andrew brought his brother, Simon [Peter], to Jesus; he brought the lad with the loaves and fishes to Jesus; and he brought these Gentiles to Jesus.

5 John 12:30-32 records Jesus repeating His death announcement.  The listeners, according to the verses that follow, understood that Jesus was saying that He must die, and thought that meant He wasn’t the Christ, about whom they had heard “out of the Law” that He should “abide forever” (John 12:34).  Some may think that the death announcement was not understood when Jesus stated it, but the Gentiles that Andrew brought to Jesus understood Him pretty well.

6 These incidents are recorded in Mark 11:27-33; 13:13, 18-27, as well as in Matthew and Luke’s accounts.

7 None of the biblical writers disclose the name of the disciple in question.  Therefore, any guess would be nothing more than a supposition.  However, given how frequently certain disciples are mentioned by name, it seems logical to assume that it was not Peter, Andrew, James, or John (who are mentioned by name just two verses later in Mark’s account), nor Judas (for if it was him, it would seem worth noting to point out because of his materialistic mind).

8 Josephus places it during the 18th year of the reign of Herod the Great, which would be approximately 20 BC.

9 This information is recorded for us in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, book 15, chapter 11, paragraphs 1-3.

10 Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 15.11.3

11 Mark 13:2, Matthew 24:1-2.

12 Mark 13:3-4.  The questions, as recorded in Matthew 24, are worded differently: “When shall these things be?  And what shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?  We have chosen to use the questions as Mark records them, for he is the only one who identifies the specific questioners (Andrew in particular).

13 Mark 13:5-37, but especially verse 30.  Matthew 24:34 and Luke 21:32 also record this saying.

14 To the Jew, a new day began at 6pm.  Thus, this Passover meal, in Jewish reckoning, was eaten on Thursday, though to us, it would be Wednesday evening.  Space forbids an extended discussion of the day in which Jesus was crucified, but perhaps this will suffice: In order for Jesus to be the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb type, He would need to be killed on the same day prescribed by God in Exodus 12.  In the years 29-33 (where most estimates of Jesus’ death are placed), the day in question never happened on a Friday.  However, in AD 30, it fell on a Thursday.  It is the belief of this writer, after much study, that Jesus died on the 14th of Nisan, AD 30, which was a Thursday, and that He was buried on the 15th (remember that to the Jews, the day changed at 6 pm), and was raised on the following Sunday.

15 John 13:1-5

16 John 13:21-30

17 Mark 14:26-31.

18 Matthew 26:56

Announcements, Books

The Torch of Truth

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We here at the Cobb Six strive to bring you interesting reading.  Whether its one of our own articles, part of our book on the Apostles (still in process), or new additions to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary, we hope that you find what we send out to be worthwhile.

Before we tell you about today’s new freebies, can we make a request?  If you know of someone who you think would enjoy the material we are making available, please feel free to tell them about us, or send us their email address so that they can receive each new post via email (we don’t do anything else with the email addresses at all, and never will).  Our subscription form isn’t working for some reason (isn’t technology wonderful?), so we have to enter the email addresses in manually.

Thank you in advance.

Now, on to the new FREE stuff!

The Torch of Truth was a publication put out by brethren in the 1980s, and features articles by men such as G.K. Wallace, Richard E. Black, George W. DeHoff, Wayne Price, Billy Blakeney, Cled Wallace, Hugo McCord, and many others.

We don’t know how many years this was published, nor how many issues were produced, but we’re happy to present to you the issues that we were able to locate.  If you happen to have some copies of this publication (or other publications that are no longer being produced) and would be willing to donate them to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary so others can enjoy them too, please let us know!

Simply click the link on each title to read it online or to save to your favorite reading device for later edification!

Torch of Truth (Volume 3, Number 3)

  • Straight Paths and Crooked Ways (G.K. Wallace)
  • Life in the Spirit (Richard E. Black)
  • Receive Ye the Holy Spirit (Wayne Price)
  • How “They” Fight (George W. DeHoff)
  • Premillennialism: Modern Judaism (Richard E. Black)
  • Too Many Baptisms in Religion! (Richard E. Black)

Torch of Truth (Volume 3, Number 4)

  • Calvinism’s Five Theological Errors (Richard E. Black)
  • The First Amendment and the Church/State Relation (Richard E. Black)
  • Innovators Self-Condemned (Guy N. Woods)
  • Simplisticism (Richard E. Black)
  • The Application of Principles (P.W. Stonestreet)
  • The Battle of Armageddon (Ted W. McElroy)
  • Rules of Life (anonymous)
  • Honorable Hannah (Richard E. Black)
  • The Vacant Pulpit (G.K. Wallace)

Torch of Truth (Volume 3, Number 6)

  • Our Liberty in Christ & the Silence of the Scripture (Richard E. Black)
  • Let the Church be the Church (George W. DeHoff)
  • Crimes Under Cover (Hugo McCord)
  • Tribute to Foy E. Wallace, Jr. (Richard E. Black)
  • A Man’s Enemies (Cled E. Wallace)
  • Should and Shall (Graham Cain)
  • Humanism in the Public School System (Richard E. Black)
  • Trembling at God’s Word (P.W. Stonestreet)
  • Misunderstood (R.L. Whiteside)
  • Humanism’s Classroom Assault on the Church (Richard E. Black)
  • The Gospel (Richard E. Black)
  • Man Without God (Billy Blakeney)
  • The Cotton Patch Version and “Eggheads” (Glenn L. Wallace)
  • Implicit Faith (Alexander Campbell)

 

-Bradley Cobb

Articles

Doctrines of Demons

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(We now present to you another article by our weekly guest-blogger, Kyle Frank)

Those who are of the household of God are well acquainted-or rather-should be well acquainted with the fact that there are “doctrines of demons” as referred to by the word of God. The Lord went through the trouble of warning us of the fact that there will be things taught under the heading of “scripture” that are in fact nothing but the language of Satan-lies. Jesus told us that when Satan speaks, he lies because he is the father of lies. He is also a murderer-not that he has actually physically killed anyone-that we know of, but, by his lies to Eve, and then Adam, he caused their deaths, as well as introducing death to each and every one of their descendants, in that they all have sinned. Actually, let me correct the last sentence because it, left to itself, is a lie. There is one of the descendants of Adam & Eve who was not killed by a lie, and mercifully, that one was Jesus Christ; son of man and Son of God. (Let me return to my subject at hand. I just get so delighted by the thought of the blessed Savior of man-and deadly opponent of the “Doctrine of Demons.”) In 1Timothy 4:1-3, we read:  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings (doctrine-ASV) of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,  who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. There are teachings which come from the evil one. These are often foisted off among the saints because the evil one tries to look like the saints. This can be seen in 2 Corinthians 11:13:  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Having shown this, let us take a look at a couple of these insidious teachings.

The early church had to deal with the heresy of Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a perversion of the truth as taught by certain men who felt that they had “special” or “secret” knowledge that lifted them above the ranks of “ordinary” Christians. This poison has continued throughout history in different times and different places. Although this teaching was opposed by the apostles directly in the first century, it has resulted in various different false messiahs. An example of such in recent memory was Jim Jones in Guyana. David Koresh in Waco, Texas also had that “special knowledge” that only he felt he could dispense to willing and eager followers. Both, by the way, ended in death. Several hundred followers also were led into eternity in error. How much more demonic could one get?

Another form that developed was the doctrine that Jesus was “a” way, not the only way for man to be saved. This, of course, is in total opposition to what was taught by the Lord, where he said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Another doctrine which is from the very pits of  perdition and is a variant of  the above teaching says that another way to God can be found in such documents as the Koran, Hindu “scriptures” and what could be seen as any other writing which is, like above, “another way” to God. Apparently, according to these folks, we are all just one big happy family, all on the way to the same destination, just by a different route. We probably all have seen the giant billboard which declares: “Worship At The Church Of Your Choice!” That is another example of this particular distasteful teaching. Besides the different religions being a different way, a closer variant is that the various different denominations are all “branches of the same tree.” Apparently, the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” are just a slightly different way to the truth as the Lord’s church! Imagine that!! Is that distasteful to you as well? Now, apparently, we are bigoted if we have a problem with that! That is a doctrine of demons gone to seed. The land is full of such teachings. Now, can you imagine what would happen in the religious world if folks today saw things like they did in the time of the early Restoration Movement? The growth would be similar to as it was back in those days.

Again: “WORSHIP AT THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE!!” How many multitudes believe that one church is as good as another? We face this when doing any sort of evangelism. Jesus was so adamant that there is only one way to God. We need to have the courage to love others enough to tell them that one church is not as good as another. It can be done-if we love others as Jesus loved us. It takes courage, but it also takes tact when teaching the gospel to others. One way is NOT as good as another.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34. When we act as Jesus did, we will have the strength and love to overcome these evil teachings-which on the surface sound so good
but are so wicked in their fruits. Those fruits are death!!

-Kyle Frank