Monday, April 30, 2007

Major Upheaval in Israel?

Beyond Babylon ^ | 05-01-07 | David Ben-Ariel


Will an EARTHQUAKE shake Israel to its foundations and rock the world? Would the destruction of the Western/Wailing Wall and the demolition of the "Dome of the Rock" and Al-Aksa mosques—by an ACT OF GOD—serve further notice that it's time to build the Temple? The Western Wall would have served its purpose and an earthquake could clear the way for major changes: May the Israelis have a new attitude and act upon it, saying, "Let's move on up to where we should be praying: in the Temple upon the Temple Mount!"

I believe a miracle—a supernatural disaster (a blessing in disguise)—will take care of the militant Muslim symbols of occupation. I’m not calling for any individual to blow up the mosques! However, if the Israeli government finally gets its act together and decides to exercise Israeli Sovereignty over the Temple Mount, I'd gladly encourage them to restore Judaism's holiest site to the Jews. After all, this June will mark the 40th anniversary of the initial liberation of the Temple Mount during the Six Day War - a missed opportunity to reclaim the holiest land in the Promised Land of Israel for the People of Israel.

Despite this public record, I've been deported from Israel (as reported on the front page of The Jerusalem Post, January 8, 1996) for alleged involvement in a plot to "damage the mosques." Before my deportation I was held in Jerusalem’s corrupt Russian Compound for three weeks as a politico-religious prisoner. I’m still fighting this injustice and, with God’s help, expect to return and receive Israeli citizenship.

Barry Chamish, in his book,Traitors and Carpetbaggers in the Promised Land, attributes my unjust deportation to an article published in The Traveller magazine in Jerusalem, where I expose a Vatican-German plot to take over the Temple Mount in the Old City for their nefarious purposes.

The Temple is to serve as a national reminder that God’s central to our existence and should be our focal point. It’s understood that the mere presence of a Temple doesn’t necessarily mean that God's Presence is with us. Twice God’s glory left the Temple and Judah was scattered. To avoid making the same mistake again, we must insure God finds a stable home in our loving hearts and minds—not only welcomed in, but invited to stay (Jer. 31:33).

Will the sacrifices start soon? The Cornerstone get put in place and the Temple rebuilt? And will Europe's new Antiochus Epiphanes force his way into the Temple and proclaim himself "God"? Supposedly the pope wants Jerusalem to become an "international city"—in reality he plans on making it his cultic headquarters based upon the accursed UN Resolution 181! Who would stand up and oppose this intrusion? Who would denounce this gross violation of Israeli sovereignty? Who would speak out against this folly? "Elijah…" - the chief spokesman between Two Witnesses who will testify from Jerusalem before a world court.

David Ben-Ariel, a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, shares a special focus on the Middle East, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

A House of Prayer for All Peoples?

A House of Prayer for All Peoples?

By David Ben-Ariel

On Simchat Torah (Festival of the Rejoicing of the Law/Last Great Day) I went up to the Temple Mount with my Bible to pray. Although I do not usually wear a kippa (skull cap), I took one with me.

My first challenge was to pass the guards near the Temple Mount entrance; if they saw me with my Bible they would not let me enter. I silently prayed all the way up to the site where God's Temple stood twice, and will be rebuilt for a third and final time, that I would be able to go in. I got past the guards.

You say Jewish guards prevent Christians and Jews from exercising their religious right to pray on the Temple Mount? That's right! Only Muslims have unlimited access to Judaism's most holy site. Only the Koran is permitted within. The Tanach (Jewish Scripture, known to much of the world as the "Old Testament") and Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) are forbidden. Yet Israel claims to respect the religious rights of all people.

Israel has no law against Christians and Jews praying or reading scriptures on the Temple Mount. However, it does have an unwritten agreement with the Wakf (Muslim religious authorities) prohibiting this. No sign is posted, stating: "Warning! Christian and Jewish prayers are forbidden! Bibles not allowed inside by Muslim religious authorities. Proceed with caution!"

I do not accept that Moslems have the authority to forbid me from reading appropriate Psalms or the New Testament account of Jesus celebrating the Water Libation Ceremony (Psalms 120-134, John 7:37). My question was, where should I read those passages? I ended up between the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa mosque, just to the right of the place where Moslems wash their hands and feet. I was on the other side of the raised platform there, if you face the Mosque of Omar.

First, I nervously sat and read. Then I put on my black kippa, stood up and started to read for a few minutes until I became distracted by fears of being attacked by the Moslem guards. I sat down, took off my kippa, and continued to read. Then one of the Wakf guards noticed me and asked what I was reading. I replied, "Yes, it's my book." He took it from me and saw that it was a Bible. He demanded to know if I was a Christian or a Jew. When I told him I was a Christian, he asked me why I was wearing a magen David (Star of David).

I did not feel obligated to explain that it was a gift from my mother and youngest sister, and told him, "Give back my Bible." He ordered, "You have to leave now!" Again I said, "Give back my Bible." When he refused, I demanded its return more loudly. He raised his fist as if to hit me and warned me not to raise my voice. This attracted the attention of some passing tourists, who gathered around us. I told them, "This thief has stolen my Bible!"

The Wakf guard told me to leave again and threatened to hit me. He said he would give me back my Bible outside. Since there was no reason for him to confiscate it in the first place, I told him to return it to me then and there and I would go. At this point he radioed an Israeli policeman, who came running. The Israeli handcuffed my right hand, which I raised and showed to the assembled tourists, saying, "This is Israeli democracy!" I asked the Israeli repeatedly, "What law have I broken?" knowing that I had not broken any law, yet was being treated like a common criminal.

I am shocked that Jewish police in the Jewish State help maintain Moslem domination of the Temple Mount by suppressing Christian and Jewish religious rights there. Is it the Temple Mount or the Mosque Mount?

An Israeli policeman led me away. I told the bewildered tourists, "This is what happens to a Christian or Jew who wants to read the Bible where the holy Temple stood. This is what happens to Christians and Jews who want to pray where our prophets and patriarchs prayed, and where Jesus and his disciples taught."

Why the exclusive religious rights for Moslems? And Israel wants to hand over control of Rachel's Tomb, Bethlehem and Joseph's Tomb to Moslem religious authorities?! Are they crazy or what?

In the police station at the Western Wall Plaza, the officers wanted to know who else was with me. They were relieved to find that I was alone. (They should have known I was performing a mitzva [religious commandment]). The police said they arrested me for my own protection. I told them they should have arrested the Wakf guard who threatened me! Why not remove, once and for all, the threat of Moslem violence? Why reward Moslem extremists?

The police laughed in disbelief when I told them I am a Christian and that my Bible includes the New Testament, which they returned to me. A Druze officer said, "But you must respect other religions." He remained silent when I asked, "Where was their respect for mine?" I explained that our Biblical goal is to enable everyone to come and pray on the mountain where God's Temple stood, and in the Temple when it will be rebuilt. It is prophesied to become a "House of Prayer" for all nations.

The police told me I could return to the Temple Mount as a tourist - without my Bible. I said that I do not want to go up there only as a "tourist;" I want to pray there. When they asked me how many times I had been up there, I said "a thousand." They wrote that down in their report. They said I could make a short statement for the record. I said something to this effect: "Is it too much to ask during this 3,000th anniversary of King David's Jerusalem to peacefully read his inspired words on the Temple Mount?"

When I left the police compound, one of the policemen told me I did a good thing. Once outside, I was met by some Jews who saw the incident and congratulated me.

I pray that this unfortunate encounter will raise awareness of Israel's religious discrimination against Christians and Jews. The situation must change. It will when enough people cry "Basta!" (Italian for "enough!").

May the day soon come when Christians, Jews and Moslems can say: "My House shall be called a house of prayer for all Peoples." (Isaiah 56:7). The Bible says

"Moreover, concerning the stranger, who (is) not of Your people Israel, but comes out of a far country for Your Name's sake. For they shall hear of Your great Name, and of your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm, and will come and pray toward this house. Hear you in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, that all peoples of the earth may know Your Name, to fear you, as (do) Your people Israel, that they may know that Your Name is called upon this house that I have built." (I Kings 8:41-43)

"And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who observes the Sabbath - I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." (Isaiah 56:6-7)

"And it shall come to pass at the end of days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established at the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow to it. And many nations shall go, and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths,' for out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Micah 4:1-2)

(This article was originally published in the Jerusalem-based, Root and Branch Association newsletter, January 1996.)

See Israel's 1967 Protection of Holy Places Law they have failed to enforce and refused to uphold.

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Visit the Third Temple on the Temple Mount blog.

Ariel Sharon: Return to the Temple Mount!

Ariel Sharon: Return to the Temple Mount!
By David Ben-Ariel

Dear PM Ariel Sharon:

As you are very much aware, Lubavitcher rabbis presented to the Court of High Heaven a petition against you, signed, sealed and delivered. You have incensed the Great G-d in the Highest Heaven and His servants with your stench of betrayal, despising your biblical birthright and inheritance and expressing a willingness to transfer Jews for a g-dless peace that will only invite bloody German-Jesuit EU intervention and disaster for British-Israelites and Jews worldwide!

The Master of the Universe empowered you to become prime minister of His Homeland and took you from your ranch in the Negev to help shepherd His People and your brethren and protect them from the many wolves within and without the Holy Land. Instead you have been branded as one who would dismember our Mother (Israel) and dismantle the Temple (Jerusalem and the Temple Mount) by following the blind leadership of President George W. Bush with his road map that seeks to throw away the biblical blueprint for a just and lasting solution for peace in the Middle East!

You were rewarded with your position as leader of Judah, sanctified from the day you set foot upon G-d's Holy Mountain and reminded the whole world of its supreme importance. You were to use your G-d given power and influence as a Chariot/Tank of G-d to roll over and crush the enemies of G-d and Israel fearlessly, like the Warrior-King David fought the battles of the L-RD! You were to strike terror into the wicked heart of Amalek and faithfully destroy every threat to the Land and People of Israel (Zech. 12:6) with G-d as your fiery shield! (Zech. 12:6).

Just because you're not religious doesn't mean the Great G-d of the Hebrews can't use you to help fulfill His plans and purpose for Jerusalem and Israel. You should have joined hands with your British-Israelite brethren, and encouraged them to utterly defeat our common terrorist foes! (Zech. 9:13). G-D WOULD HAVE BLESSED YOUR EFFORTS!

You can redeem yourself, save your skin and salvation! How? RETURN TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT THAT EMPOWERED YOU! Clearly stake Israeli sovereignty over it in no uncertain terms, throwing down the wicked Nazi Wakf from Judaism's holiest site, just as the Romans evicted the corrupt Sanhedrin from the noble enclosure!

Make aliyah to Har HaBayit with Gershon Salomon, Chaim Richman, Rav Ariel and other men of G-d and pray for Israel's deliverance and receive it! Only then would the aforementioned rabbis letter be returned to sender, marked null and void. This opportunity of a lifetime is yours for the asking. It's your responsibility. It's your choice!

Shema Ariel Sharon: Choose life and live and prosper!

For Zion's Sake,

David Ben-Ariel

This open letter to Ariel Sharon was originally published July 7, 2004 by THINK-ISRAEL BLOG-EDS

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out Beyond Babylon.

Associated Content: Shimon Peres Came to Power Over's Rabin's Dead Body

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
By David Ben-Ariel
What role did Shimon Peres play in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin? Read more »

Saturday, April 28, 2007

PBA Ruling is Not a Pro-Life Victory

PBA Ruling is Not a Pro-Life Victory

Pastor Bob Enyart / The Covenant News:
Shirley Dobson said it correctly to talk show host Hugh Hewitt the day after the ruling, that pro-life organizations have fought "for fifteen years" to achieve this partial-birth abortion ban. The tragedy, which she was unaware of, but which Hewitt as a lawyer should have known, is that not a single abortion, late-term or otherwise, has been or will be, canceled due to this ban.

Supreme Court Split 7-2 - Pro-Abortion Majority

Christian Gallery Editorial:
Why Court's Confusing Partial Birth Abortion Decision Can Kill Babies By the Millions - A brief added to the partial birth abortion decision by Justices Thomas and Scalia helps us see the true meaning of the Court's decision. If you will study the brief added by those two Justices, it will become obvious that instead of the recent decision showing a 5-4 Supreme Court split in favor of overturning legalized abortion, the recent ruling actually reveals that the Supreme Court as presently constituted is split 7-2, with the majority composed of Supreme Court Justices who have no intention whatsoever of overturning Roe v. Wade. Why is Justices Scalia and Thomas's brief so revealing, so significant? Listen to what Justice Thomas wrote, with Scalia agreeing, "I write separately to reiterate my view that the Court's abortion jurisprudence, including Casey and Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) has no basis in the Constitution."

On The Partial Birth Abortion Ruling

Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:
In responding to the euphoria of many pro-life groups' claiming that the PBA decision has begun the legal process of overturning Roe, the Mobile Press-Register said, "The court has done no such thing; and in the majority opinion, justices pointed out that the ban doesn't violate a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy." The Press-Register got it exactly right.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Jesus and the Jews

Beyond Babylon ^ | 04-28-07 | David Ben-Ariel

Renegade Jews, who became avowed atheists, apostates or professing Christians, projected their PERVERSION on others and captivated whole countries with wrong ideas. Those false Messiahs have held men hostage to their thoughts, and imprisoned others with poisonous ideologies!

Thanks to Torah-Jews— those who follow and believe the Bible (as they understand it) — God has preserved for us the knowledge and identity of the seventh day Sabbath and holy days and when to keep them (Rom. 3:2).

Is George W. Bush the Anti-Christ?

Chachacha wrote:
I thought it was generally accepted that George W. Bush was the Anti-Christ?


Only by those who don't know or reject the plain truth that the Bible prophesied so many revivals of Rome and that they've always taken place upon the continent of Europe, under the evil influence of the Roman Catholic Cult. The Babylonian Mystery religion has always misled the drunken politicians in this danse macabre; the Roman Catholic Church has always seduced leaders to engage in such an unholy union of Church and State to fulfill their fantasies.

The United States is Israelite in origin (specifically the Anglo-Saxon and Northwestern European Americans) - a part of the "Lost Ten Tribes" - and is foretold to be defeated and deported by that final revival of the Roman Empire forging ahead in Europe today as the "European Union." Such a new European superpower - the United States of Europe - will be led by the Beast, the so-called Anti-Christ.

Europe's Bitter Roots

Bible Prophecy States EU to Form Core Group

Jews-the Beast and False Prophet-and Rome's Destruction

Is Germany in Danger of Backsliding?

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
By David Ben-Ariel


I met Yitzhak Rabin in the Israeli Parliament in 1982 during Hanukkah. I was able to talk with him briefly and mention I was associated with Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.

That was a tactful way of saying I'm a Christian since I knew he personally knew Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God, including the Plain Truth magazine. Herbert Armstrong had formerly presented him with a gift of Steuben crystal.

I was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan at the time, in Northern Israel near Haifa. Just so happens Yitzhak Rabin had lived there for over a year in the late '50s.

I initially considered Prime Minister Rabin - born in Jerusalem - a traitor for surrendering too much to sworn Arab enemies who had not changed their goal of genocide, only their tactics; for going against clear security concerns he once expressed. (I was in a cafe in Jerusalem when he was shot in Tel Aviv). I refused to attend his funeral, although I had attended the funeral of Meir Kahane, former Israeli parliament member and rabbi, some years before.

Later I found out Yitzhak Rabin was apparently being pressured by the dark powers that be to continue to go against what he knew was wrong and that he resisted and was therefore MURDERED by them for coming to his senses. Shimon Peres came to power over the dead body of Yitzhak Rabin.

I do not believe Yigal Amir murdered Rabin. ( I've met Avishai Raviv several times at demonstrations - he's the government agent provocateur who goaded Yigal Amir to murder Rabin). Yigal Amir is a patsy, the fall-guy, as is thoroughly expounded upon in Who Killed Yitzhak Rabin by Barry Chamish, his first book that broached the subject and clearly indicts the traitor and murderer suspect Shimon Peres (whose Hebrew name appropriately means vulture).

I repeatedly condemn Shimon Peres as a kapo of compromise, a prostitute who serves his German-Jesuit EU masters, a traitor who has sold and is selling out Jews, Jerusalem and Israel and say as much in my book Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. I am on public record against his perfidy and continue to expose him. He was the Bolshevik in charge during my unjust deportation, who was very much aware of an article published in Jerusalem where I mention the EU plans for Jerusalem's occupation.

The Israeli Secret Police (six men interrogated me) had a computer disk with Beyond Babylon on it and said many would read it and examine it during their investigation of me during their wild goose chase. I told them to make sure then Prime Minister Shimon Peres read it.

New evidence further PROVES Yigal Amir did not kill Yitzhak Rabin. It's past time Israelis demand: REOPEN THE RABIN FILE. And now with the release of the Kempler video, many are doing just that!

David Ben-Ariel, a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Michael Freund engages in identity theft

Indian Jewish CONVERTS are not Menashe!

And the Ethiopian CONVERTS to Judaism are not the Tribe of Dan, as the Chief Rabbinate said they were, IN PART - not even acknowledging them from the Tribe of Judah. They are most likely descendants of Philistine converts from the biblical coastal territory of Dan most likely.

The REAL tribe of Dan is white and European. TRIBE OF DAN

Michael Freund engages in identify theft of Menashe (Manasseh) and perpetuates a fraud when he pretends Indian CONVERTS (at best) are part of the Tribe of Joseph.

Those who are honestly interested in this biblical subject should look NORTH and WEST as the Bible reveals for the "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel" - not to poor Gentiles in Third World countries who are eager to move to a better material world.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Hashkem Yisrael (a Jewish alternative for Israel)

Beyond Babylon ^ | 04-24-07 | Hashkem Yisrael

A new network of insightful professionals have devised a course of action that citizens can take to resuscitate the Jewish people and Israel. They propose alternatives to the sterile, deadlocked Oslo/roadmap approach and advocate approaches that take charge. Where the current fearful Israeli leaders peddle helplessness, Hashkem promote hopefulness and self-respect.

Monday, April 23, 2007

A Jewish Homeland

A Jewish Homeland

Did God condemn the Jews to wander until Messiah comes but blessed every other tribe of Israel with a national inheritance? Does that make sense? Is God fair? Is Israel so much holier than Judah? Or could it be, as Herbert W. Armstrong taught in The United States and Britain in Prophecy, that Israel's punishment was to last for 2,520 years (Lev. 26:21)?

After that time, around A.D. 1800, because of Abraham's obedience, God decreed that He would bestow His blessings. Did that 2,520 years of punishment apply only to the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Does God have a double standard? Once God removed the Kingdom of Judah wasn't it His responsibility to restore it at the appointed time?

Did the Anglo-Saxon and European peoples take these prophecies into their own hands? Were they able to create their countries with no divine mandate, signs and miracles, or prophetic leadership?

For those who have eyes to see, the biblical countries came into being by divine mandate since only God determines the rise and fall of nations. Many of our founding fathers were inspired of God, in spite of themselves, to accomplish our Manifest Destiny. God's overall plan is greater than any single man.

God stirred up Theodore Herzl to inspire the Jewish people with the biblical idea of having a Jewish State again. He wrote and spoke about it extensively, planting the seed of holy imagination in Judah's mind.

Later, during the British Mandate, the British began to "look favorably" upon the establishment of an independent Jewish Homeland, watering that holy seed. The Balfour Declaration was part of a divine mandate to restore Judah to "Palestine" (a satanic word the Romans used in an evil attempt to erase our father Israel's name off the map - Ps. 83:4).

God utilized political Zionism for His purposes, just as He utilized America's rebellion against the English throne. On the surface, neither were so special or righteous, but both were instrumental in fulfilling prophecy.

As for the treatment of the former inhabitants of the lands that God decreed for His people, whether Arabs or Indians, I'm sure the Canaanites would offer scathing condemnation but others would see God's purpose being worked out, however imperfectly to limited human vision. God addresses any injustices in His own way and time (2 Sam. 21:1-14), but dismisses those charges that exaggerate or exploit them to deny our basic biblical right to the lands He has chosen for us (Acts 17:26).

As the Greeks are representative of all Gentiles, so the Jews are representative of all Israel. It is to Israel, specifically to the Jews, that God has committed the "oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2). The oracles of God includes the DIVINE COVENANTS AND PROMISES (Rom. 9:4-5). The Jews hold, in trust, the biblical land deed/covenant to the Holy Land for all Twelve Tribes.

GOD MADE A LAND-COVENANT WITH ISRAEL (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 26:3; 28:13; 35:12). Not once did God promise the Holy Land to the "Palestinians" so Bible-believers must reject their illegitimate claims. Those who attempt to justify foreign occupation of our land or terrible treatment of our people because of our sins are condemning themselves before God (Isa. 47:6; Jer. 50:7; Zech. 1:15).

There are many Scriptures that speak of a REPRESENTATIVE AMOUNT OF JEWS living in Israel before the return of the King Messiah, Yeshua. Shamefully, God's ministers, and consequently the Church of God, have often been blind to what God is doing in Israel today. We've failed to see the wonders that God has wrought, the types that foretell of greater things to come.

We've been ignorant of the biblical principle of duality and have nit-picked the prophecies demanding all or nothing. With that limited vision we would've argued with Peter on Pentecost/Shavuot about Joel's prophecy being fulfilled. However, it certainly was - in part (Acts 2:16-21).

Consider the following:

God promised to "save Zion, and build the cities of Judah" (Ps. 69:35). (He doesn't refer to them as "Palestinian" cities) God has faithfully done that by rewarding Jewish efforts and respecting their blood, sweat and tears (Isa. 61:4; Ps. 102:13-14). God has used the Jews to make the desert blossom as the rose and protected them during this conversion process, just as Moses requested (Deut. 33:7).

I praise God for having blessed me, from Toledo to Jerusalem, to have lived in eight kibbutzim (collective-farms) throughout Israel that have helped to fulfill these pioneer prophecies, including during Operation Desert Storm.

God clearly prophesied through Zechariah chapters 12-14 that the Jews would again be living in their ancient capital of Jerusalem, with their own rulers, and that the "United Nations" would oppose them and ultimately be defeated.

Zechariah also shows the long-awaited recognition of Yeshua by the Jews as God's Son and Judah's Firstborn and the heartfelt repentance of the political (House of David) and religious (House of Levi) establishment. In fact, Yeshua said that the Jews in Jerusalem wouldn't see Him again until they had this necessary change of heart (Matt. 23:39).

Zechariah also reveals that the Jews would again be a formidable military power in the Middle East with God working in and through and for them. Many Israelis know that God has been their true General and performed many miracles on their behalf. I've heard Gershon Salomon, chairman of the Temple Mount Faithful, recount his miraculous experience of divine protection on the Golan Heights many times.

It's important to note that God has inspired the holy prophets to write about real flesh and blood Jews living in Israel - not Jewish imposters.

Why? Because those suffering from the sickness of anti-Semitism are out to spread doubt and confusion about Israel's Jewish identity. They publish slanderous hate literature attempting to poison minds against the Jews by promoting quack racial theories and Nazi propaganda.

It's nothing less than Satan's desperate efforts to deny that God has the power to fulfill prophecy. Bible-believers reject their bitter lies knowing God's Word is true.

Zechariah also agrees with the New Testament prophecies that reveal Jerusalem as a thriving Jewish city that will suffer under a harsh Gentile occupation just before the Messiah arrives in time (Rev. 11:2; Zech. 14:2).

Yeshua will liberate Jerusalem and secure it as His headquarters. Jerusalem, the site of David's Throne, will be the seat of God's government. Yeshua, like the prophet Daniel, foresaw that Jewish-Christians would be living and working in a Jewish State. They'll witness the historic restoration of animal sacrifices and their abrupt cessation by an evil European force, quickly followed by the "abomination of desolation" that triggers World War III (Matt. 24:15-16; Dan. 12:11).

Meanwhile, the Church of God (or select individuals if the Church continues to shirk its responsibility) must ANNOUNCE TO THE CITIES OF JUDAH (the prophecy doesn't refer to them as "Palestinian" cities or "Israeli-occupied") that Messiah's about to appear!

We're to boldly offer Judah the hope and comfort that a TRUE PEACE is coming and to get ready for it (Isa. 40:1-3). We're to help prepare Israel for the shock of a GLORIFIED YESHUA REVEALED AT LAST (vs. 5) and lead them to expect an audience with a DIVINE KING whose ROYAL RADIANCE will illuminate every nation.

We must identify Yeshua as the "Son of Man" from Heaven that Daniel previewed (Dan. 7:13-14), and stress that Zechariah gave an "eyewitness account" of this same DIVINE SAVIOR descending from Heaven to reign as LORD from Jerusalem over the whole earth (Zech. 14:3-4, 9, 16).

Remember this is no small task, and is quite controversial, since the Jews are still looking forward to a human leader to save them from all their troubles.

The Two Witnesses will be the most influential in reaching the cities of Judah from Jerusalem (Isa. 40:9; 52:7-8), effectively knowing their mindset and culture (unlike so many others), but the Church of God should still do what we can now.

These exciting Scriptures clearly prove (they're not assumptions) that with God nothing is impossible: the Jews would again be living in an independent Israel, resurrected from the dust of history just prior to Messiah's coming, with Jerusalem as their capital, complete with an effective fighting force, having been restored to their ancient cities and energetically transforming the land from barren desert to productive fields - all with God's blessing (Ezek. 37:1-14).

These Scriptures glorify God as faithful and we should praise Him that His Word is good and true. Amen.

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Activists Rally Against Illegal Immigration

Activists Rally Against Illegal Immigration
(CNSNews.com)
– Several hundred protesters gathered outside the White House on Sunday to complain about President Bush’s handling of the immigration issue, including his push for “comprehensive” reform. Sunday’s demonstration kicked off four days of action against illegal immigration...
********************
May 1: Illegal Immigration Day Defused!
Death to America: Major American Cities Targeted By Terrorists?

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Shema Bloody Knesset: Break Your Conspiracy of Silence about the Rabin Assassination!

Ezekiel 22
Sins of Jerusalem
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! 3 Then say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The city sheds blood in her own midst... 4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed...6 "Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you... 9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed... 12 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me," says the Lord GOD. 13 "Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. 16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD.""

New evidence further PROVES Yigal Amir did not kill Yitzhak Rabin. It's past time Israelis demand: REOPEN THE RABIN FILE. And now with the release of the Kempler video, many are doing just that!

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Announcing the Kingdom of God!

God - not mere mortals - will fill His divine administration with a few good men and women whom He has called and trained to help liberate mankind from lies and deliver them from deception, both political and religious, working with but under Christ - the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Now you know and have had the true gospel of the Kingdom of God announced to you. Blessed be God!

The Kingdom-Family of God will save mankind from Satan's system of Babylon, and will help all to move beyond Babylon and live according to God's Word and Will and be blessed and prosper.

Kingdom of God-Beings to Rule Earth from Jerusalem!

Born Again: The Kingdom of God!

Sneak Preview of the Kingdom of God!

A Higher Calling: Quest for the Kingdom of God

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body

I met Yitzhak Rabin in the Israeli Parliament in 1982 during Hanukkah. I was able to talk with him briefly and mention I was associated with Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.

That was a tactful way of saying I'm a Christian since I knew he personally knew Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God, including the Plain Truth magazine. Herbert Armstrong had formerly presented him with a gift of Steuben crystal.

I was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan at the time, in Northern Israel near Haifa. Just so happens Yitzhak Rabin had lived there for over a year in the late '50s.

I initially considered Prime Minister Rabin - born in Jerusalem - a traitor for surrendering too much to sworn Arab enemies who had not changed their goal of genocide, only their tactics; for going against clear security concerns he once expressed. (I was in a cafe in Jerusalem when he was shot in Tel Aviv). I refused to attend his funeral, although I had attended the funeral of Meir Kahane, former Israeli parliament member and rabbi, some years before.

Later I found out Yitzhak Rabin was apparently being pressured by the dark powers that be to continue to go against what he knew was wrong and that he resisted and was therefore MURDERED by them for coming to his senses. Shimon Peres came to power over the dead body of Yitzhak Rabin.

I do not believe Yigal Amir murdered Rabin. ( I've met Avishai Raviv several times at demonstrations - he's the government agent provocateur who goaded Yigal Amir to murder Rabin). Yigal Amir is a patsy, the fall-guy, as is thoroughly expounded upon in Who Killed Yitzhak Rabin? by Barry Chamish, his first book that broached the subject and clearly indicts the traitor and murderer suspect Shimon Peres (whose Hebrew name appropriately means vulture).

I repeatedly condemn Shimon Peres as a kapo of compromise, a prostitute who serves his German-Jesuit EU masters, a traitor who has sold and is selling out Jews, Jerusalem and Israel and say as much in my book Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. I am on public record against his perfidy and continue to expose him. He was the Bolshevik in charge during my unjust deportation, who was very much aware of an article published in Jerusalem where I mention the EU plans for Jerusalem's occupation.

The Israeli Secret Police (six men interrogated me) had a computer disk with Beyond Babylon on it and said many would read it and examine it during their investigation of me during their wild goose chase. I told them to make sure then Prime Minister Shimon Peres read it.

New evidence further PROVES Yigal Amir did not kill Yitzhak Rabin. It's past time Israelis demand: REOPEN THE RABIN FILE. And now with the release of the Kempler video, many are doing just that!

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Yitzhak Rabin was sacrificed by the Israeli oligarchy for their German-Jesuit masters intent on occupying Jerusalem.

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

Israel's Betrayal of the Jews
Shimon Peres Charged with the Murder of Yitzhak Rabin?
The Yitzhak Rabin Murder Video (the Kempler Video)
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
Will Yitzhak Rabin's "Bloody Shirt" Defeat Shimon Peres Again?
The Kempler Video of Yitzhak Rabin's Assassination

David Ben-Ariel, a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Ex-Shabak Chief Ayalon: Har-Shefi Unaware of Rabin Murder Plot

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) Former chief of intelligence (Shabak) Ami Ayalon, now a Knesset Member, revealed Thursday night that Margalit Har-Shefi did not realize that Yigal Amir intended to assassinate Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. She was convicted in 1998 of failing to prevent the murder. In 2001, she began a serving a nine-month prison term, which was terminated by President Moshe Katzav after six months...
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Yitzhak Rabin was sacrificed by the Israeli oligarchy for their German-Jesuit masters intent on occupying Jerusalem.

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

Israel's Betrayal of the Jews
Shimon Peres Charged with the Murder of Yitzhak Rabin?
The Yitzhak Rabin Murder Video (the Kempler Video)
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
Will Yitzhak Rabin's "Bloody Shirt" Defeat Shimon Peres Again?
The Kempler Video of Yitzhak Rabin's Assassination

Purification of Memory – a Vatican Euphemism for the Whitewashing of History

How can any honest self-professing "penitent" Pope have glossed over his predecessors' pogroms against the Jews? (It was the Vatican's own 'Monsignor' Tiso, Head of the Slovak State, who delivered the first trainload of Jews to Auschwitz.) How can he have failed to mention the Crusades against Islam; the hundreds of thousands of auto da fé victims in the Middle Ages burned as witches; the brutality and torture of the centuries-long Inquisitions; the slaughter of the Protestant martyrs; the Roman Catholic Ustashi who carried out the 'Quiet Holocaust' of Serbs and Jews in the Vatican's puppet Nazi State of Croatia; the disappearance of loved-ones in countries run by Roman Catholic bishops and generals; the countless political assassinations aimed at imposing the will of the Vatican upon the civil governments of the world; the genocide perpetrated by Roman Catholics in Rwanda; the mad monks led by Saint Cyril, the patron saint of arsonists, who burned the Great Library at Alexandria and destroyed 600,000 volumes of knowledge of the ancient world – surely the greatest crime of vandalism in the history of mankind; the Counter-Reformation which resulted in the death of half of Germany's population; the slave-trade of which the Roman Catholic Church was an instigator and promoter; the destruction, rape and pillage of the native peoples of the Americas, the eradication of their cultures and the imposition of Popery upon them; the almost successful attempt, commemorated by a medal, to murder every Protestant in France; the knowledge that the so-called Donation of Constantine was a forgery and that Pope Adrian IV did not own Ireland and had no right to give it to England; the deliberate forgery and falsification of documents for centuries, even during John Paul II's own incumbency when Nazis were enabled to obtain Vatican passports and flee from Europe to escape prosecution for their crimes; the castration of male children to make them into Papal singers; the paedophile priests; the hunger of the Third World, due, principally, to Papal decrees on birth control? Truly, "[…]her judgment reacheth unto heaven." (Jer. 51:9)

Purification of Memorya Vatican Euphemism for the Whitewashing of History
by Professor Arthur Noble

Jews-the Beast and False Prophet-and Rome's Destruction
Grand Master Turns Up The Heat On Jerusalem; Trouble Brewing In The North
Catholic Europe in Vogue?
Bavarian Pope Entrusts Germany To Lead Europe, Others Wary Of The Grand Inquisitor
Vatican Envoy Bares Teeth Against Christian Zionists
God Save Us From Islam and Europe!
Pope John Paul II Was No Saint
Germany's Fourth Reich Spreads Its Wings Over the World
Europe Misses the Mark - Will It Return as the Sign of the Cross?
Europe to Take Out Iran for Jerusalem
Bavarian Pope to Sweep Europe Off Its Feet?
Europe Swings Both Ways
Bavarian Pope to Pump Life into EU Body
Will the Atlantic Times Address the German threat?
EU to Conquer Anglo-Saxons and Jews
Germany Behind the Mask: Monster or Marshmallow?
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
Sorcerer-Pope to Bewitch Europe and Mislead the Masses!
Mt. Zion Under Siege: Who Will Be King of the Mountain
Europe's Bitter Roots
Herbert W. Armstrong Was Ahead of His Time!
The Secret Nazis Covet the Temple Mount
The Vatican Must Return the Temple Treasures!
UN Resolution 181: Blueprint of the Beast?
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Herbert W. Armstrong

The Sabbath-keeping Church of God is to teach the plain truth of the Bible - whether folks believe it or not.

I was a baptized member of the Worldwide Church of God when Herbert W. Armstrong was alive. Since his death there has been a monstrous betrayal of the brethren by Protestant wolves who were among us, resulting in those faithful to the truth of the Bible (over traditional error) fleeing that present corrupt organization of deceived and deceiving men to new congregations and organizations that reflect and teach our biblical views.

There has been, as with every group or organization that undergoes changes, strong disagreements on how best to continue with what we are convicted is the plain truth of the Bible, but we all basically agree on our foundational doctrines.

For those interested in the plain truth about Herbert W. Armstrong & the Worldwide Church of God and some differences between the branches of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God:

The Plain Truth about Herbert W. Armstrong & the Worldwide Church of God

The Work of God Must Go Forward!

Raymond McNair Rejects God's government

David Pack & the Restored Church of God

PCG: Carrying on "Business as Usual"

Philadelphia Church of God Leads Laodicean Era (Part 1)

Philadelphia Church of God Leads Laodicean Era (Conclusion)

Israel Work History (Worldwide Church of God)

The Church of God Must Warn the World!

Herbert W Armstrong and Worldwide Church of God Mentioned in Israeli Newspaper

The Great Mideast Commission: Reaching the Cities of Judah

Stephen Flurry and the Philadelphia Church of God

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Correspondence with Jonathan in Israel

I read your article on Sabbath keeping and the holy days. I only can say that you are not required to keep them, according to Jewish law
I realize according to traditional Jewish law they say it is not necessary, and some even say we should be put to death! However, the Word of God that such traditions woefully ignore reveal that God has given the holy days to Israel to share with the whole world as they represent God's plan of salvation for all mankind, even as the Third Temple will be a house of prayer for all peoples with no mention of division in Ezekiel between Gentiles and Israelites any longer.
As for the Sabbath, it has been in existence since Creation and Adam and Eve were not Jewish! Just like the dietary laws have been in existence since Creation with Noah taking into the Ark clean animals by seven and unclean animals by two. I prefer the Word of God over Jewish or "Christian" tradition. The prophecies also reveal that King Messiah will command ALL nations to keep the biblical festivals of the LORD or suffer the consequences. This truth is completely contrary to traditional Jewish law and "Christian" tradition.
but in ancient times even many gentile people came to celebrate some major Jewish holy days with us, until repressive laws made that impossible to continue. So you are rekindling an ancient and forgotten path
Actually, the Anglo-Saxons and white peoples of Northwestern Europe are not Gentile - we are Gentilized Israelites. By the grace of God, I am helping to restore our Israelite identity and return our "Lost Ten Tribes" to the biblical ways and holy days and encouraging all to move beyond Babylon.
The Jewish political and religious leaders ought to recognize Joseph and call out to us to join in biblical celebrations in Jerusalem before our Great Creator God like King Hezekiah nobly did.
Jude 1:3
I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints [in Jerusalem, not Rome].

Jeremiah 6:16
"Thus saith Yahweh, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk there in, and ye shall find rest to your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein."

Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things."

1 Corinthians 10:19-21
19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."

2 Chronicles 30:1-11

1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.

6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary [this includes the Land of Israel where Israelite representatives ought to be encouraged to move to], which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."

10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them [often this is the same response the servants of God receive today by our proud and stubborn Israelite peoples who prefer their Gentile traditions to biblical truth and by smug Jewish brethren who want to remain exclusivist]. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

I did not know that you had Jewish cousins, but I saw that a family named Israel Ort was in your vicinity on previous census records.
Israel Ort is my great Grandfather on my father's maternal side. I'm at a standstill on my father's paternal side - the Hoover's. My great great Grandfather Abraham Hoover took off with the maid (and left his wife Anne Creeger behind) and has never been found. Some relative contacted me and said he was born in Pennsylvania and such but it doesn't appear sure.
Your family farm sounds wonderful, and I hope that you will not leave this world without any offspring. Such a kind and devout person as yourself must be duplicated.
I trust God will give me a name in His Kingdom that will last forever. As for this mortal life, I am "gay" (against my religious beliefs) and have AIDS, so it's not likely I'll have any sons or daughters although I would consider such tremendous blessings - unlike so many "sperm donors" (they're not fit to be called fathers as they're not involved in their children's lives and have merely impregnated women).
I pray for you that you will be protected from harm and will prosper and grow in your spiritual path to Hashem.
Such a gracious letter that is most appreciated! May the Eternal bless us to worship Him in His House of Prayer for All Peoples.
David

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Church of God must recognize the Pharisees' God-given authority

Of course some wouldn't want to acknowledge the God-given authority of the Pharisees that Jesus publicly upheld (although taking them to task for their additions but not throwing the baby out with the bathwater) because they have trespassed and vainly taken it upon themselves to determine the holy dates for the festivals of the Lord.

The Church of God ministers and members would do well to read and believe Jesus' statements concerning the Pharisees and know Sivan 6 is the correct date for Pentecost/Shavuot. Any other date is a blind date -- just like the Sadducees followed and fell into the ditch of history.

Jesus and Paul were both Pharisees and acknowledged the God-given authority of the Pharisees on these matters of preserving the sacred calendar and proclaiming the proper holy dates for the Festivals of the LORD. It's past time folks humble themselves and do the same.

Jesus Upheld Jewish Dietary Laws!
The Pharisees
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
The Oracles of God
Raymond McNair Rejects God's government
Jewish Holidays are Biblical Festivals for God's Church!
The Passover Memorial

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Is Iran testing the waters?

It appears Iran was just testing the waters. If so, they're bound to push their luck and slip and get in over their head and find themselves overwhelmed by an EU tsunami. Daniel foretells a clash of civilizations when the King of the North butts heads with the King of the South and floods the Middle East with troops, all with an eye on Jerusalem.

Europe to Take Out Iran for Jerusalem
Germany to Take the EU Bull by the Horns
God Save Us From Islam and Europe!
Tony Blair's Speech Concedes Defeat
Ehud Olmert Playing with German Fire
The German-EU Grows Restless Over Mideast Crisis
Europe Misses the Mark - Will It Return as the Sign of the Cross?
Jerusalem's Fall, Division and Liberation
Europe Swings Both Ways

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Easter Ham is an Abomination!

An unholy trinity if there ever was one:
Easter Sunday ham!

Jesus Upheld Jewish Dietary Laws!
The Plain Truth about Easter
Yeshua is the Suffering Servant
The Suffering Servant
The Passover Memorial
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
Jewish Holidays are Biblical Festivals for God's Church!
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
The Plain Truth about Herbert W. Armstrong & the Worldwide Church of God

Immoral Easter activities

Apparently some have never prayerfully studied the Israelite origins of the West, our Hebrew roots. There's no time like the present, especially as our Gentilized Israelite peoples are engaged in the same immoral Easter activities as before (which led to their national destruction, defeat and deportation) but now it's whitewashed as "Christian." However, honest people don't fall for that religious lie but submit to the plain truth: Easter is spiritual adultery and God hates it!

The Plain Truth about Easter
Not All Twelve Tribes of Israel are Jewish?
Joseph Isn't Jewish!
German-American Israelites?
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to Know!
Israel and Judah Must Get House in Order Before King Messiah Arrives

The Resurrection was not on Sunday!

The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday

by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
1972

Was Jesus three days and three nights in the grave, as He said in Matthew 12:40? Can you figure three days and three nights between sunset "Good Friday" and sunrise Easter Sunday?


IT IS COMMONLY supposed today that Jesus was crucified on Friday, and that the resurrection occurred about sunrise on Easter Sunday morning.

Few professing Christians have ever thought to question or to prove this "Good-Friday-Easter" tradition. Yet the Bible tells us to prove (test) all things. And you will be literally astounded by this proof.

For proof there is but one dependable authority, a sole historical record—the Bible.

Tradition No Proof

There were no eye-witnesses to the resurrection. Even so-called "apostolic fathers" had no source of information save that record which is today available to us—the biblical revelation. Any tradition, then, which conflicts with God's revelation must be dismissed.

What are the recorded facts?

The doubting Pharisees were asking Jesus for a sign—supernatural evidence—in proof of His Messiahship.

Jesus answered: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:39-40).

Now consider, please, the tremendous import—the overwhelming significance—of Jesus' statement.

He expressly declared that the only sign He would give to prove He was the Messiah was that He should be just three days and three nights in the rock-hewn sepulcher in "the heart of the earth."

The Significance of the Sign

These Christ-rejecting Pharisees demanded proof. Jesus offered but one evidence. That evidence was not the fact of the resurrection itself. It was the length of time He would repose in His grave, before being resurrected.

Think what this means! Jesus staked His claim to being your Savior and mine upon remaining exactly three days and three nights in the tomb. If He remained just three days and three nights inside the earth, He would prove Himself the Savior—if He failed in this sign, He must be rejected as an impostor!

No wonder Satan has caused unbelievers to scoff at the story of Jonah and the "whale"! No wonder the devil has set up a tradition that denies Jesus is the Messiah!

The Dilemma of the Higher Critics

This one and only supernatural PROOF ever given by Jesus for His Messiahship has greatly bothered the commentators and the higher critics. Their attempts to explain away this sole proof for Christ's divinity (deity) are ludicrous in the extreme. For explain this away they must, or their "Good-Friday-Easter" tradition collapses.

One commentator says, "Of course we know that Jesus was actually in the tomb only half as long as He thought He would be!" Some expositors impose upon our credulity to the extent of asking us to believe that "in the Greek language, in which the New Testament was written, the expression 'three days and three nights' means three periods, either of day or of night."

Jesus, they say, was placed in the tomb shortly before sunset Friday, and rose at sunrise Sunday morning—two nights and one day.

The Bible Definition

But the Bible definition of the duration of "nights and days" is simple.

Even these same higher critics admit that in the Hebrew language, in which the book of Jonah was written, the expression "three days and three nights" means a period of 72 hours—three twelve-hour days and three twelve-hour nights.

Notice Jonah 1:17: "And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." This, they admit, was a period of 72 hours. And Jesus distinctly said that AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish's belly, so He would be the same length of time in His grave.

As Jonah was in the "grave" (see marginal reference, Jonah 2:2) 72 hours, after which he was supernaturally resurrected by God, by being vomited up, to become a savior to the people of Nineveh upon proclaiming the warning to them, so should Jesus be 72 hours in His grave, thereupon being resurrected by God to become the savior of the world.

Did Jesus know how much time was in a "day" and in a "night"? Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day . . . but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth" (John 11:9-10).

Notice the Bible definition of the expression, "the third day." Text after text tells us that Jesus rose the third day. Notice how the Bible defines the time required to fulfill "the third day."

In Genesis 1:4 God "divided the light from darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the first day. . . . And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the second day. . . . And the evening [now three periods of darkness called night—three nights] and the morning [now three periods of light called day—three days] were the third day" (Gen. 1:4-13).

Here we have the only Bible definition which explains and counts up the amount of time involved in the expression "the third day." It includes three dark periods called "night," and three light periods called "day"—three days and three nights, and Jesus said they contained twelve hours for each period—a total of 72 hours.

That ought to be conclusive! Any seven-year-old, near the end of the second grade, could figure it easily.

What Is Wrong?

What is wrong with these plain, simple words of Jesus? How do these wise and prudent theologians know Jesus was crucified "Good Friday" and rose "Easter Sunday"?

The simple answer is, they do not know it—for it is not true! It is merely tradition, a tradition we have been taught from childhood and carelessly assumed! Jesus warns against "making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:13).

We have examined two scriptural witnesses, in Matthew and in Jonah, both setting the duration of the body of Jesus in the tomb as three days and three nights, which the Scriptures plainly define as 72 hours of time. Now let us examine four other scriptural witnesses that prove the same thing.

Notice Mark 8:31. "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and AFTER three days rise again."

(Any young second grader can figure this.) If Jesus had been killed on Friday, and then after one day He had risen, the resurrection would have occurred on Saturday evening. If after two days, it would have occurred Sunday evening, and if after three days, it would have occurred Monday evening!

Examine this text carefully. You cannot, by any process of arithmetic, figure any less than a full 72 hours—three days and three nights—in a resurrection which occurred three days after the crucifixion. If Jesus was in the grave only from Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, then this text too, must be torn out of your Bible or else you must reject Jesus Christ as an impostor! If He rose after three days, it might have been more than 72 hours, but it could not have been a second less.

Notice now Mark 9:31. ". . . They shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day." The duration expressed here must be between 48 and 72 hours. It could not be one second past 72 hours, and Jesus still rise the third day. And it could not be Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, because that it only 36 hours, carrying us into the middle of the second day, after He was killed.

In Matthew 27:63 Jesus is quoted as saying, "After three days I will rise again." This cannot possibly be figured as less than 72 full hours.

And in John 2:19-21, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and IN three days I will raise it up. . . . But he spake of the temple of his body." To be raised up IN three days after being destroyed, or crucified and buried, could not be more than 72 hours.

If we are to accept all the testimony of the Bible, we must conclude that Jesus was exactly three days and three nights—three full 24-hour days—72 hours in the grave, or the only supernatural proof He gave must fail.

The Time of Day of Resurrection

Now notice carefully this fact: In order to be three days and three nights—72 hours—in the tomb, our Lord had to be resurrected at exactly the same time of day that His body was buried in the tomb.

Let us realize that very vital fact.

If we can find the time of day of the burial, then we have found the time of day of the resurrection. If the burial, for instance, were at sunrise, then for the body to be left an even three days and three nights in the tomb, the resurrection likewise had to occur at sunrise, three days later. If the burial were at noon, the resurrection was at noon. If the burial were at sunset, the resurrection was at sunset, three days later.

The crucifixion day was called "the preparation," or day before "the Sabbath" (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54). This day ended at sunset, according to Bible reckoning (Leviticus 23:32).

Jesus cried out soon after "the ninth hour" or three o'clock in the afternoon (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46).

Yet Jesus was buried before this same day ended—before sunset (Matthew 27:57; Luke 23:52-54; John 19:42). John adds, "There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day." According to the laws observed by the Jews all dead bodies must be buried before the beginning of a Sabbath or feast day. Hence Jesus was buried before sunset on the same day He died. He died shortly after 3 p.m.

Therefore—notice carefully—the burial of Christ's body was in the late afternoon! It was between 3 p.m. and sunset as these scriptures prove.

And since the resurrection had to occur at the same time of day, three days later, the resurrection of Christ occurred, not at sunrise, but in the late afternoon, near sunset. Startling as this fact may be, it is the plain Bible truth!

If Jesus rose at any other time of day, He could not have been three days and three nights in His grave. If He rose at any other time of day, He failed to prove, by the only sign He gave that He was the true Messiah, the Son of the living Creator. Either He rose near the END of a day near sunset, or else He is not the Christ! He staked His claim on that one and only sign.

So a time-honored tradition must be shattered.

What Sabbath Followed the Crucifixion?

Now we come to an objection some may raise, yet the very point which proves this truth. Perhaps you have noticed that the Scriptures say the day after the crucifixion was a Sabbath. Hence, for centuries, people have blindly assumed the crucifixion was on Friday.

Now we have shown by all four Gospels that the crucifixion day was called "the preparation." The preparation day for the Sabbath. But for what Sabbath?

John's Gospel gives the definite answer: "It was the preparation of the Passover."

"For that sabbath day was an high day" (John 19:14, 31).

Just what is a "high day"? Ask any Jew! He will tell you it is one of the annual holy days, or feast days. The Israelites observed seven of these every year—every one called a Sabbath! Annual Sabbaths fall on certain annual calendar dates, and on different days of the week in different years, just like the Roman holidays now observed. These Sabbaths might fall on Monday, on Thursday, or on Sunday.

If you will notice the following texts, you will see these annual holy days were all called Sabbath days: Leviticus 16:31; 23:24, 26-32, 39.

Notice Matthew 26:2: "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." And if you will follow through this chapter you will see that Jesus was crucified on the Passover!

And what was the Passover? In the twelfth chapter of Exodus you will find the story of the original Passover. The children of Israel killed the lambs, and struck the blood over the doorposts and on the side posts of their houses, and wherever the blood had thus been applied the death angel passed over that house, sparing it from death. Following the Passover was a holy convocation or annual Sabbath.

Observe the dates: "And in the fourteenth day of the first month is THE PASSOVER of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the FEAST" (Numbers 28:16-17).

The Passover lamb, killed every year on the 14th of the first month called "Abib," was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Christ is our Passover, sacrificed for us (I Corinthians 5:7).

Jesus was slain on the very same day the Passover had been slain every year. He was crucified on the 14th of Abib, the first Hebrew month of the year. And this day, the Passover, was the day before—and the preparation for—the Feast day, or annual high day Sabbath, which occurred on the 15th of Abib. This Sabbath might occur on any day of the week. Frequently it occurs, and is observed even today, on Thursday. For instance, this "high-day" Sabbath came on Thursday in 1972, 1975 and 1979, and will occur on Thursday in 1982, 1986 and 1989.

And the Hebrew calendar shows that in the year Jesus was crucified, the 14th of Abib, Passover day, the day Jesus was crucified, was Wednesday. And the annual Sabbath was Thursday. This was the Sabbath that drew on as Joseph of Arimathea hastened to bury the body of Jesus late that Wednesday afternoon. There were two separate Sabbaths that week!

What Day Was the Resurrection?

Now which day of the week was the resurrection day?

The first investigators, Mary Magdalene and her companions, came to the sepulcher on the first day of the week (Sunday) very early, while it was yet dark, as the sun was beginning to rise, at dawn (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).

Now here are the texts most people have supposed stated the resurrection was at sunrise Sunday morning. But they do not say that!

When the women arrived, the tomb was already open! At that time Sunday morning while it was yet dark, Jesus was not there! Notice how the angel says, "He is not here, but is risen" (see Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6; Matthew 28:5-6).

Jesus was already risen at sunset Sunday morning! Of course He was. He rose from the grave in the late afternoon, near sunset!

And since we know Christ was buried late Wednesday afternoon, and that the resurrection took place at the same time of day three days later, we now know the resurrection of Christ occurred late Saturday afternoon.

The Sabbath day ended at sunset. It was late on that day, before the beginning of the first day of the week. It was not, then, a Sunday resurrection at all. It was a Sabbath resurrection!

Did Christ Fulfill His Sign?

Now all this is based on the supposition that Jesus did fulfill His only sign of being three days and three nights in the grave. All our evidence is based on the claims of Jesus before His crucifixion. But some of the higher critics and doctors of divinity tell us that Jesus made a mistake—that He was only in the tomb half as long as He expected to be. Let us have proof as to whether He did spend the exact amount of time in the grave He said He would.

Notice that in Matthew 28:6, the angel of the Lord gives this testimony, which we now present as evidence. "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." And He certainly did not rise AS He said unless He rose at the precise TIME that He had said! So we have the proof of the angel of the Lord, recorded in the sacred Word of God that Jesus did fulfill His sign—He was three days and three nights in the earth—He did rise Sabbath afternoon, and not on Sunday morning.

Another proof that Christ was in the grave the full length of time He expected to be is found in I Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

His death and burial were according to the Scriptures—not contrary to them.

The third day following His Wednesday burial was the Sabbath; three full days spent in the grave ended Saturday afternoon just prior to sunset, not Sunday morning.

Which Day Was the Crucifixion?

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, the middle day of the week. He died shortly after 3 p.m. that afternoon; was buried before sunset Wednesday evening. Now count the three days and three nights. His body was Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights in the grave—three nights. It also was there through the daylight part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday—three days. He rose Saturday the Sabbath—late afternoon, shortly before sunset, at the same time of day that He was buried!

It is significant that in Daniel's prophecy of the "seventy weeks" (Daniel 9:24-27), Jesus was to be cut off "in the midst of the week." While this prophecy has the application of a day for a year, so that this 70th week became a literal seven years, Christ being "cut off" after three-and-a-half years' ministry, as He was, yet it is significant that He was also "cut off" on the middle day of a literal week.

Honest Objections Examined

Someone is sure to notice Mark 16:9, thinking this text says the resurrection was upon Sunday. But if you read the whole sentence, it does not say that at all. The expression "was risen" is in the perfect tense. What was Jesus' condition early the first day of the week? Does it say He "was rising" or that He "did rise" from the grave? No, early the first day of the week, at the time He appeared to Mary Magdalene, He was risen. Of course He was! He had risen the late afternoon before, so naturally He was risen Sunday morning. The text does not in any way refute the other texts we have given.

Another passage that might confuse is Luke 24:21: ". . . And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done." "These things" included all the events pertaining to the resurrection—the seizing of Jesus, delivering Him to be tried, the actual crucifixion, and, finally, the setting of the seal and the watch over the tomb the following day, or Thursday. Study verses 18-20, telling of "these things" and also Matthew 27:62-66. "These things" were not completed until the watch was set, Thursday. And the text says Sunday was the third day since these things were done. Sunday truly was the third day since Thursday. But it was not the third day since Friday, so this text could not prove a Friday crucifixion.

There is yet one final clinching proof of this truth.

A vital text proving that there were two Sabbaths in that week has been obscured by almost every translation into English. Only Ferrar Fenton's version has this point correct.

Turn to Matthew 28:1. In the common versions it says, "In the end of the Sabbath," or more correctly, "after the Sabbath." Notice that both of these renderings use the singular—Sabbath. But in the original Greek the word is in the plural. Fenton renders it correctly by saying, "After the SABBATHS," although the remaining part of the verse he has not translated quite correctly. In a footnote to this text, he says, "The Greek original is in the plural, 'Sabbaths.'"

According to Mark 16:1, Mary Magdalene and her companions did not buy their spices to anoint the body of Jesus until after the Sabbath was past. They could not prepare them until after this—yet after preparing the spices they rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment (Luke 23:56)!

Study these two texts carefully.

There is only one possible explanation: After the annual high-day Sabbath, the feast day of the days of Unleavened Bread—which was Thursday—these women purchased and prepared their spices on Friday, and then they rested on the weekly Sabbath, Saturday, according to the commandment (Exodus 20:8-11).

A comparison of these two texts proves there were TWO Sabbaths that week, with a day in between. Otherwise, these texts contradict themselves.

For proof of the pagan origin of such long-cherished days as Easter and Christmas, request our free booklets on those two subjects. The shocking truth is that nowhere can you find sanctions for those two holidays in the Bible. It is time we discovered the source of our religious beliefs and found out whether we ought to observe them.

© 1972 Worldwide Church of God

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