Newsletter 57

Newsletter 57, September, 2000

No Time to Play Church | Hasten to Obey the Eternal | Faith Under Fire, From Within

Mystery Babylon the Great

In this issue, we feature important information relating to Babylonian religious practices. The lead article, “All Roads Lead to Babylon,” is a summary of the excellent book, Babylon Mystery Religion, by Ralph Woodrow. Additional articles, such as the following one, give more information on the effect of Babylonianism on the Church today.

No Time to Play Church

It is not only in the Church of God that a wholesale departure from Truth is occurring. The Seventh-day Adventists are getting real cozy with Catholic teaching. Richard Carlson’s The End Times Newsletter, PO Box 1102, Lady Lake, FL 32158, has been documenting lamentable trends in the SDA Church that parallel what we see happening in other Sabbatarian groups.

The SDA Church now promotes and participates in Easter sunrise services. SDA pastors mollify their congregations’ fears and justifiable concerns by telling them that keeping Easter shows “we are good Christians, too, making us more acceptable among the ‘community of faith’ by joining with them in their celebrations.” Since when do we need approval from Protestant and Catholic churches to feel better about ourselves? SDA Churches, colleges, and universities are holding “Easter Sunrise Services,” and “Easter Egg Hunts” in a mad rush to head back to Babylon. In 1984, for the first time ever, an Easter Sunday service was broadcast on CBS Television from a Seventh-day Adventist Church. Page 403 of the Adventist hymnal has a song with the words, “When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.” When I pray, I usually try to pray facing North, because the throne of God is on the sides of the north, Psalm 48:2; Isaiah 14:13. We know that sun-worshippers pray to the rising sun, Ezekiel 8:16.

Recently, a Florida SDA church held a Good Friday service. The pastor confidently announced to the congregation on the following Sabbath, that by the SDA church keeping Good Friday, “it proves to the other churches in the area that we are a ‘Christian’ church.”

SDA’s observe communion quarterly. Some SDA Churches have recently used a round white wafer similar to that used by Catholics. “White wafers” are becoming popular with several Protestant groups that can’t wait to get back to the Roman Catholic fold. That’s not surprising, considering the fact the SDA Church has long been a member of the National Council of Churches.

Carlson, in Newsletters of 1998 and 1999, goes on to relate the fact that many SDA Churches have implemented Saturday night Family Church services. The service is begun just before sundown Sabbath, and before it is over, the sun has set. Even more, the Boston SDA Church has for several years been holding Sunday services as well as Saturday services. In Sparks, Nevada, the SDA Church in 1988 announced, “On the first Sunday of each month, the Catholic Church will hold their mass at the Seventh-day Adventist Church at noon and this will be the first of each and every month starting [in] May.”

There are many conservative Seventh-day Adventists who are resisting the downward trend of their organization. However, the universal advance of false doctrine continues. It is happening where you are. Full well did our Savior say, “Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. Unless we stir up the Holy Spirit and resist this universal pull, we will end up in Rome before we know it.

Hasten to Obey the Eternal

Reinforced by the messages I’ve been hearing, one thought has been uppermost in my mind this Passover/Days of Unleavened Bread season: the thought of hastening to obey God.

“Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:11, NIV, end of verse). Everett Fox in The Five Books of Moses renders it: “you are to eat it in trepidation — it is a Passover-Meal to YHWH,” noting: “Others, ‘in haste,’ but the element of fear is also contained in the verb (Heb. hafoz).”

The reason given for the bread being unleavened on the Exodus has everything to do with haste, including the element of fear: “The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. ‘For otherwise,’ they said, ‘we will all die!’ So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing” (Exodus 12:33-34, NIV).

The reason Israelites are told to give to their children for observing the days of unleavened bread is: “I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came up out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13:8, NIV) — there is an element of haste there, mixed with fear, and isn’t that the very element we ought to celebrate?

Haste, with an element of fear reminds me of the character of the one we call Jesus Christ. Of Him it was foretold: “He will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:3). He was consumed with zeal for the house of the Lord (Psalm 69:9), seen when He cleared the temple of the money-changers, which was near to the time of Passover (John 2:13-17). He alone, of all men, actually followed Solomon’s wise advice: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 23:17, NIV)!

Speaking of the Passover, Moses, in his last sermon, instructed the Israelites: “Do not eat it with bread made of yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste — so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:3). Again, we see the element of haste mixed with fear and concern associated with observing the days of unleavened bread.

One verse above all others comes to mind as I consider the meaning of these days of unleavened bread. It is about the attitude of the Holy One whose life is an example for Christians: “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60, NIV). That, I suppose, is the attitude our Father would be pleased for all of us to emulate!

— written by Jeffrey Caldwell

Faith Under Fire, From Within

Our faith is often tested, from within the Church, as these quotations demonstrate:

William Barclay wrote in the Daily Study Bible, “It is not until a man finds his faith opposed and attacked that he really begins to think out the implications of that faith. It is not until the Church is confronted with some dangerous heresy that she begins to realize the riches and the wonder of orthodoxy.”

“The quickest way to prevent heresy is to teach all truths, and the most certain way of refuting it is to expose them all.” Blaise Pascal

“Even admitting, without hesitation or inquiry, all that history has recorded, or devotion has feigned, on the subject of martyrdoms, it must still be acknowledged that the Christians, in the course of their intestine [internal] dissensions, have inflicted far greater severities on each other than they had experienced from the zeal of infidels.” — from The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon.

The Importance of Garlic

Most people have read about the beneficial effects of garlic. It is a natural antibiotic, lowers blood pressure, may help fight cancer, and has many other beneficial effects.

Stephen Foster said, “If you understand the uses of garlic, you understand 50% of all herbal medicine.”

Garlic is good for you! Louis Pasteur was an early scientist to use garlic in scientific experiments. He found that putting a bit of garlic in a petri dish full of bacteria would quickly kill the bacteria.

Research has shown that certain compounds in garlic (allyl-cysteine, and ajoene) can be beneficial to our health. Garlic is an effective antibiotic, an anti-viral and anti-fungal agent, and probably an immune system enhancer. Some studies have found lower rates of certain types of cancer in people who consume large amounts of garlic. Other studies show garlic can reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Lots of garlic information is available on the Internet at www.garlic.com or www.garlicpage.com.

The saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, garlic every day keeps everybody away! Some people are allergic to garlic. To learn more about garlic and health, check out the book, The Healing Power of Garlic, by Paul Bergner. He discusses when NOT to use garlic, and when to use raw vs. cooked garlic. Order from the Giving & Sharing website, www.giveshare.org/amazon/health, or send $20 to me for your copy.

If I am sick with a flu, I try to “stoke up” with raw garlic placed between bread and butter. This is strong medicine! Germs do not like garlic!

When we moved into our current home in Wyoming, I was working up the garden spot in the back yard, when I noticed a strange smell coming from what looked like grass. It turned out to be a mild wild garlic. I have cultivated and grown it ever since. I like it much better than Egyptian “multiplier” garlic which is too strong for me. My garlic survives even Wyoming’s frigid winters. I enjoy the garlic pearl beads, the seeds which are produced on the tops of the plant, to garnish salads and to add to stir fry vegetables. Garlic, with olive oil, is a key element to savory cooking, plus it is healthy for you.

If you would like a small sample of some of these garlic beads, which can be the basis for a perennial garlic garden where you live, please write me, Richard Nickels, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718.

Romans 7:24 in a New Light

Here is an interesting thought that I heard on the radio about this verse: This explains how terrible Paul thought sin was in God’s sight. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This statement is believed to refer to the Roman custom of punishing murderers. When one was caught and convicted of a murder, the Romans took the dead person’s body and strapped it FACE TO FACE to the murderer’s body in such a way that he could not take it off. The felon was forced to live that way. Eventually the body began to rot and it would affect the living murderer by infecting his body. Death resulted from the infections. Can you imagine how this would stink and become unbearable? That analogy Paul used to show the rottenness of sin. As Ripley would say, Believe it or not! — contributed by William B. Scherer

Music for the Church of God

One of the best web sites we have seen is Mark Graham’s, www.cgmusic.com. Mark is the author of a hymnal, Songs for the Family of God, Mark Graham, P.O. Box 770261, Lakewood, OH 44107-0019 Phone (216) 529-1380, $6.00 for one hymnal, $10 overseas. The web site has much Bible-based music, written by Graham, as well as other classic psalters, including the famous Scottish Psalter of 1564/1635. Mark’s music will add spice to your Sabbath worship, and enlarge your musical knowledge.

Here is an example of a classic hymn on the Ten Commandments. Mark’s website has the words as well as the music.

That Man a Godly Life May Live

Words: Exodus 20:1-17 (The Ten Commandments), By Martin Luther, 1524, translated from German by Richard Massie, 1854

Music: German melody, c.1200

Guided By Ideals

“Learn to say no,” said Charles Spurgeon. “It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin.” One educator used to say that no society can last long unless it has a quorum of “unpurchasable people.” These are people of principle who cannot be bought; people who have learned to say no. I believe that these so-called unpurchasable people are the truly contented and fulfilled souls around us.

In Whitney Seymour’s book, Making A Difference (New York: William Morrow and Co., Inc., 1984), Arthur McArthur, General Douglas McArthur’s father, told his son of such an unpurchasable man. This man was a Union general in charge of the occupied territory surrounding New Orleans toward the end of the American Civil War. He was pressed by local plantation owners to permit them to haul their cotton to the wharves in order for it to be sold for shipment to England. The general controlled all the wagons and horses, and his orders from high command in Washington were clear. He was not to let the cotton crop get to market.

Then one day, when Colonel Arthur MacArthur was visiting the general, two Southern ladies were ushered into the general’s office, a “grande dame” and a beautiful young companion. The older lady came right to the point. She said that the land owners needed the temporary use of transport facilities to move their cotton. The North did not wish to force England into the war, she argued, and was allowing some merchant ships to slip through the blockade. Therefore, the Union would not be opposed to the sale of cotton for English textile mills. To show her gratitude she handed over $250,000 in gold certificates. “And if you need other inducements, this young lady will supply them,” she added. They departed, leaving behind a distressed general holding the beautiful young woman’s address.

The general immediately ordered MacArthur to dispatch this message to Washington: “TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have just been offered two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen to betray my trust. I am depositing the money with the Treasury of the United States, and request immediate relief from this command. They are getting close to my price.”

Many others might have fallen for the seductive offer. And though his decision was no doubt difficult to make, how much harder might his life have eventually become had he chosen wrong? Saying yes to contentment and peace often begins with saying no. For ultimately happy lives are guided by unwavering principles, such as honesty, trust, and love. Those who keep sight of their principles and use them as a guide in all their decision making, will eventually arrive at a place of lasting peace.

“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands,” says Carl Schurtz. “But like the seafarers on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.” — author unknown.

Review: Effective Jail & Prison Ministry

I have no immediate urge to enter a prison for any reason; so why should I read a book on how to do a prison ministry?

My plans did not include receiving mail from prisoners, but things sometimes happen to us; things are thrown in our way and suddenly there are new challenges, circumstances, and problems; yes, experiences, opportunities, and growth.

Coincidental with finding myself corresponding with several inmates and becoming engrossed with their stories, I picked up a book I had recently received and began to read.

Before we review the book let’s answer the question: “Why?” — why do I need to read this book?

#1. If you think you know anything about prisons or prisoners, the first few paragraphs will knock the wind out of your sails. #2. Consider the following scriptures: II Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Ephesians 4:11-12, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting [furnishing] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

We first learn scripture. This gives us knowledge to apply; but to what and how? It is necessary and helpful to know what a person’s problem is, before we can help. Most of our knowledge and ideas come from many sources, most of which are socially and politically correct, but fundamentally flawed. Someone once said “beware of the professional”; wise words, those.

My experience says, if you want to know, go not to the theoretician, professor, or pundit; go to the one doing the work and producing results. That’s what makes this book valuable. It’s written by many authors “in the trenches.” It dispels many of the misconceptions we hold; giving us fresh workable information on which to apply our knowledge and good works.

Now much of the “work” and effort we expend in this life will be fraught with failure, frustration, and error. But we learn from our mistakes. If, when we are “throughly furnished” and “edified,” we apply our great wisdom and works to a situation we don’t understand, it’s like applying a coat of paint to a sick dog. Stupid, yes, but either is at best useless and probably harmful.

The beauty of this book is that its principles and ideas are not limited to prison ministries, but tough addictions, family, fatherhood, power/control; it will humble you, enlighten you, and educate you. When you finish this book you are not done. You will have just begun. There are other books and materials you will want. They will be found throughout the book and in appendix “A” and “B.”

Please don’t misunderstand; Scripture is paramount, but misapplied scripture is a disaster waiting to happen. I hope this will lead us to consider history, circumstances, and experience before we go “where angels fear to tread.” If you would like a copy, please contact me. I have 40 available. Happy reading! For a free copy of Effective Jail And Prison Ministry For The 21^st Century, by Dr. W. Thomas Beckner and Jeff Park, 198 pages, contact: Steven J Kieler, 2193 Sheker Drive, Fort Dodge IA 50501, E-mail sskieler@juno.com, phone: 515-576-5743.

Values or Virtues?

“When we move beyond talk about good and evil, when the language of virtue and vice is ‘transcended,’ we are left with the thin gruel of values-talk. How very democratic values-talk is: Unlike virtues, everyone has lots of values, as many as they choose. Hitler had scads of values. George Washington had virtues. Who among those who knew him would have spoken of Washington’s ‘values’? Values-talk comes naturally to a nonjudgmental age — an age judgmental primarily about the cardinal sin of being judgmental. It is considered broad-minded to say, ‘One person’s values are as good as another’s.’ It is nonsense to say, ‘One person’s virtues are as good as another’s.’ Values are an equal-opportunity business: They are mere choices. Virtues are habits, difficult to develop and therefore not equally accessible to all. Speaking of virtues rather than values is elitist, offensive to democracy’s egalitarian, leveling ethos. Which is why talk of virtues should be revived. . . . democracy requires the cultivation of certain preventative virtues that counter certain tendencies of democracy.” — George Will

Long-Haired Men?

This is not written to ridicule or make fun of you, but that you may know the Bible teaching about long hair on men.

“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, IF A MAN HAVE LONG HAIR, IT IS A SHAME UNTO HIM?” I Corinthians 11:14.

Some say it is a shame, but it is not a sin. This is a false dichotomy, for shame is the emotion of sin and is its natural result. It follows therefore that the reason it is a shame for a man to have long hair, is because it is a sin. The question may well be asked, “a shame unto whom?” Is it a shame unto “him,” being the man himself who is wearing the non-Biblical hairstyle, or is it a shame unto “Him,” being the God in Whose image the man is made? Certainly the latter would be true, also, because Yahweh is dishonored any time His Word is disobeyed.

No believing parent should permit his teenage son to wear his hair long, as long as that son stays under his father’s roof and looks to him for his bread and meat. The “unisex” trend is a device of Satan to break down and blur the mark of distinction which Yahweh instituted between the sexes. Satan intends to make women ape men and men ape women. It is no wonder that sodomy and other forms of immorality are rampant in our society in this age.

The word “shame” is the Greek word “ATIMIA,” and is also translated “dishonor,” “reproach,” and “vile.” In I Corinthians 15:43, it is used in connection with a dead and putrefying, decaying body. In Romans 1:26, atimia is translated “vile.” Thus to wear the hair in locks, braids, or ponytails, is an offense to manhood, and is a token of effeminacy. For a believer to do so is to commit the sin of worldliness (I John 2:15, James 4:4). He thus becomes a stumbling block to his fellow believers and an offense to Yahweh. This is irrespective of however many “great” men may have done this in the past. He is no respecter of persons, and His Word does not change. Men cannot do it and fully retain favor with God.

Many try to justify their long hair by stating that Yahshua Messiah wore long hair. The time has come to set the record straight. There is not a shred of Biblical or historical evidence to suggest that Yahshua wore His hair long. All such statues or pictures are the products of people who never saw him and who lived hundreds of years later.

Yahshua was NOT a Nazarite! According to Numbers 6:5, 7, a Nazarite did wear long hair. However, Messiah was a NazarENE and not a NazarITE! While the two words look similar in English, they are entirely different in looks and meaning in the original language of the Bible. A Nazarene was one who lived in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). A Nazarite was one who took the Nazarite vow, and the vow of a Nazarite was for life. The most notable Nazarites were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.

A Nazarite could also not have used any product of the vine, and thus Yahshua could not have instituted the memorial supper, or communion, if He had been a Nazarite, for in this He used the fruit of the vine. If He had been a Nazarite, He could not have touched the funeral coffin of the dead man in Luke 7:11-18. If He had been a Nazarite, Judas would not have needed to identify Him in Gethsemane, for Yahshua would have been the only long-haired man there. Had He been a Nazarite, we would all be required to be one, since we are to follow Him.

Note also that in Isaiah 50:6 Scripture indicates that it was His beard that was plucked out rather than the hair of His head. Perhaps they pulled His hair out too, but Scripture does not say. It does seem to suggest to us that perhaps His hair was not of sufficient length for them to have been able to have done so.

The only case in the Bible where a man is spoken of as having long hair who was not a Nazarite was Absalom. This man is to be noted for his vanity, arrogance, rebellion, and self-will, characteristic of the “hippie” movement of the 1960s and early 1970s. This young man came to an inglorious, shameful, untimely end, and was hung by the thing of which he was most proud. Long hair does speak. Even today it is frequently used to signify drugs, rock music, and civil disobedience, whereas short hair speaks of authority and discipline. Our Saviour was not a proud rebel, nor was He effeminate, nor was He even a Nazarite.

Ezekiel 44:20, “Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.” “They shall keep their hair well-trimmed.” NKJV. It is interesting to note how this was interpreted and carried out. The Talmud required Jewish priests to cut their hair every 30 days. It specifies what came to be known as the “Julian” or “Caesar” cut as required for Jewish priests or rabbis.

I Corinthians 11:16, “If any man seem to be contentious [carnal, rebellious, stubborn, or argumentative], we and the churches of God have no such custom” of long-haired men or bobbed-haired women. Many Christians today are looking for loopholes in the Scripture. If the Holy Spirit is truly abiding in our hearts, brethren, these things ought not so to be. Those who ask the question, “How long is long?” are usually manifesting a compromising attitude toward obeying the plain command of Yahweh. Why split hairs with God? Yahweh drew the line, and let us not erase it. Preachers who compromise on this subject, hoping to reach more young people, are actually fighting against God Almighty.

Do you like the truth? Paul said, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables,” II Timothy 4:3, 4. Repent, forsake your sins, and keep the commandments of God, or suffer the eternal consequences.

Patronize your local barber shop regularly and keep a good, decent, man’s haircut that you may be pleasing to the Heavenly Father in this area of your life as well. Don’t worry about your ears sticking out! Clip off the locks which hang below your hairline. Never allow your hair to become shabby, shaggy, or bushy. If we are faithful in these little things, then Yahweh says He will entrust us with greater things (Luke 16:10, 19:17). You will surely find favor both with God and man.

I John 5:3, “THIS IS THE LOVE OF GOD, THAT WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: AND HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT GRIEVOUS.”

— Written by Les Rinehart, P.O. Box 67, Louisburg, MO, 65685-0073

The Pink Swastika: Preview of the Tribulation

Review: Pink Swastika, Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, by Scott Lively and Kevin E. Abrams, Founders Publishing Corporation, Keiser, Oregon, 1997, ISBN: 0964760932. Not everyone should read this book. Nevertheless, the information contained in this impressive documentary is important for us to consider. History tends to repeat itself. You need to know the common origins of the Nazi and homosexual “gay rights” movements, and how that affects Christians today.

About 1992, the traveling “Anne Frank Exhibit” came to Portland, Oregon. My daughter Barbara and I carefully studied the exhibit, and spoke to a Holocaust survivor. I noted at the time that the exhibit emphasized that the Nazis sent Jews and homosexuals to the concentration camps. The message was that both Jews and homosexals were victims of Nazism. I now realize that I had been partially brainwashed.

I did not need to be convinced of the reality of the death camps, and persecution of the Jews, for we were good friends of fellow Oregonian Hans Bieglizer. Hans grew up in an immigrant Polish Jewish family in Bonn, Germany, and suffered terribly through the Nazi Reich. His story is told in the January and February, 1968, issues of The Good News magazine, in articles he wrote, “Preview of the Tribulation,” and “Deutschland unter Gott!” As a fellow believer in the Church of God, we appreciated Hans’ humor and keen intelligence. He used to joke about the “Polish Jews” and the “Orange Jews (Juice).” He had to have humor to survive both the Auschwitz and Dachau death camps!

Back to the book, The Pink Swastika. American Gay militants portray all who oppose their objectives as “Nazis.” Perhaps you’ve seen a Gay Pride Parade where hundreds of pink triangles (symbols forced on accused homosexuals in Nazi camps) are worn or carried. Authors Lively and Abrams (an Orthodox Jew) expose the “Big Lie” that the Nazis were “Anti-Gay.” The Nazis were NOT “Anti-Gay”; they were Anti-Femme (anti-effeminate homosexual). “Pink Triangle” prisoners in concentration camps were often the sex-slaves of the SS-SA; the death-camp guards who were often former members of the Brownshirts (SA); a notoriously masculine homosexual organization founded by Ernst Roehm; the openly Butch Gay man who was the mentor and buddy of Adolf Hitler. Indeed, the party that later became known as the “Nazi” Party was founded in a Butch Gay Bar in Munich! Lively and Abrams prove that the roots of Naxism can be found in Homo-fascism and Homo-occultism, and that the roots of the gay rights movement in America can be traced directly to the Society for Human Rights, the butch “Gay Rights” organization in which Roehm and other early Nazi leaders were members and founders. This movement sought to legalize all forms of homosexual acts.

There is a spectrum among the homosexual community. On one side are the “feminine” male homosexuals. On the other side are the “butch” homosexuals, extremely masculine and contemptuous of feminine homosexuals. Understanding this internal antagonism explains how Nazi homosexual thugs would persecute effeminate homosexuals. We have been duped into believing that all male homosexuals are effeminate, when this is NOT the case!

Homosexuality of all kinds exploded in Germany in the late 1800s, and led naturally to the formation of the Nazi Party. Roehm, Hitler, Hess, Goering, Heydrich, and many, many, other leading Nazis were sexually perverted. The book provides evidence that, as a youth, Hitler was a male prostitute in Vienna and Munich. Throughout his life, Hitler surrounded himself with homosexuals, although he was not exclusively homosexual. He engaged in other, even more unspeakable, sexual vices. Hitler’s greatest hero was Frederick the Great (1712-1786), a well-known homosexual. Hitler’s buddy Roehm, who had to be purged in 1934 because his flagrant sexual excesses were offending the general public, was a homosexual and pederast (molester of young boys). The Nazis interned only 5,000-15,000 homosexuals out of 2-3 million German homosexuals. Many of the “pink triangle” prisoners in Nazi camps were falsely accused of being homosexual. The public pronouncement of Nazis such as Himmler against homosexuals was mere window dressing so as to not advertise the fact the Nazis were riddled with homosexuals. Hitler’s fascist dictator friend, Italy’s Benito Mussolini, referred to Hitler as “that horrible sexual degenerate.” Homosexuality has been termed “the German vice,” due to its prevalence in Germany.

The sexual perversion of homosexuality easily lends itself to authoritarian impulses. When a society accepts a moral relativistic philosophy (leading to acceptance of homosexuality) it could very well lead to the eventual destruction of our constitutional rights. The authors show that the reason why the Nazis were so anti-semitic had to do with historical reasons. The Jewish culture — with its Biblical ethical system — was implacably opposed to the macho-gay/warrior mentality that dominated so much of ancient Europe, especially ancient Rome and Greece. These ancient pagan cultures, which glorified sex between warriors, were worshiped by the Nazis who blamed the Jews for the introduction of Biblical morality, which, of course, condemned homosexuality and ended much of the pagan lifestyle in Europe. The basis of any “human” civilization is a moral and healthy sexual constitution. When sexual morality goes south, God’s people are naturally persecuted.

And so it is, that the wrath of the Nazis was against those who stood for Bible morality and the sanctity of the family. Nazism was merely a Twentieth-Century revival of ancient Greco-Roman paganism, which exalted homosexuality. In fact, the whole six thousand years of struggle between the forces of good and evil in human history has been one of sexual morality versus sexual immorality. Pagan religions of Egypt, Persia, Carthage, Babylon, and Assyria were all steeped in pederastic (man-boy sex) tradition. Male homosexual temple prostitutes existed in the worship of Ishtar and Astarte in Syria, Babylon, and Canaan, who were the neighbors of the Israelites, and in Crete and Ephesus in the Greek world. The ancient religion of Baal had male cult prostitutes, I Kings 14:24, which is condemned by God, Deuteronomy 23:17. The Roman Empire, which can be considered a type of the Christian holocaust, homosexual sadistic emperors of Rome, tortured and persecuted Christians, who stood for Biblical sexual morality. Fourteen of the first fifteen Roman emperors were homosexual. As the Romans persecuted Christians, so the Nazis persecuted the Jews.

The Pink Swastika hits home in explaining the hatred of homosexual occult pagans toward those who stand for Bible morality. We have the same thing developing today in our society. The homosexual movement is diametrically opposed to those who stand for Bible morality. They are dedicated to the destruction of the family and the closing of churches who oppose their agenda. In Germany, the Wandervoegel boys’ clubs were breeding grounds for homosexuality prior to the ascent of the Nazis. So today, the Boy Scouts of America are a target of homosexuals. From 1973 to 1993, over 1,416 scout leaders were expelled for abusing boys. There is a juggernaut toward pushing the gay and lesbian agenda.

Lively and Abrams note that Mani, for whom Manichaeism is named, was a Third-Century prince of Babylon who devised his own form of Gnosticism. Gnostics blended pagan sex rituals and Mother Goddess worship with elements of New Testament Christianity, rejecting the Old Testament God as an evil demon. Manichaeism imposed on Gnosticism a caste system of leaders (elect) and followers (hearers). The “heretical” sect of Bogomils arose in Bulgaria and spread across Europe. Later called Cathars, Bogomils were infiltrated heavily by Manichaeans. Homosexuality became so closely associated with Bulgarian Bogomils that the practice became known as “buggery.” The word for “Cathar” in most European languages came to be the word for homosexual, Ketzer in German, Gazarro in Italian, Herite in French. One writer says that “Heresy and homosexuality became so interchangeable that those accused of heresy attempted to prove their innocence by claiming heterosexuality.” Bogomils, as we know, were remnants of God’s Church during the Dark Ages. Even they were apparently infiltrated by homosexuals!

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be,” Matthew 24:21. Could it be that the coming great holocaust will pit sadistic homosexuals against Bible believers? The chilling facts given in the book, The Pink Swastika should make us realize that we cannot compromise with evil, no matter what the consequences.

John commended those in Thyatira who had not known the depths of Satan, Revelation 2:24. It is dangerous to read much about Nazis and homosexuals. Evil has a power to enmesh those who delve too deeply into it. Sexual perversion is at the core of Satanic belief. May God guide His people to remain pure in thoughts and deeds. This “Preview of the Tribulation” should be enough for us to follow the Eternal now, and escape all these things to come to pass, Revelation 3:10.

Daniel & Revelation

Many have set dogmatic (yet wrong) prophetic dates. We should nevertheless continue to study prophecy, watch world events, and learn. Andrew N. Dugger, Church of God (Seventh Day) leader of the Twentieth Century, wrote a very interesting commentary on Daniel and Revelation. We have retypeset his work. You may request this 53-page reprint for a donation of $3.00 from Giving & Sharing. Or, you may view it online at our web site, at www.giveshare.org/library/danielrevelation/.

Weapons of the Spirit

Let us consider the persecutions of believers in the past, or in the coming Great Tribulation. Usually, we ponder only the ones being persecuted. Faith, trusting God for deliverance from evil, is what we need to face our trials. But, one of the most inspiring lessons of faith comes from another aspect: those who protected the persecuted. It is the story of the villagers of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, who, during World War II, bravely sheltered 5,000 Jews, to keep these refugees from being deported to Nazi death camps. These Christian rescuers, nestled on a rural plateau in south-central France, were themselves descended from persecuted French Huguenots. They did not need to fear the Nazi occupation of France, nor the French Vichy government collaborators. As Jews fled into France from Germany and Eastern Europe, the citizens of Le Chambon did not have to take them in, and thus risk severe punishment from the Nazis. Throughout France, some 75,000 Jews were deported to face extermination in concentration camps. Many of these were turned over to the Germans by co-operating French police. In Le Chambon, it was different. Ordinary people, often poverty-stricken themselves, protected Jews, at their own peril. They took Jews into their homes and fed and protected them, right under the noses of the Gestapo. Defying the Nazis and the French government that was collaborating with the Nazis, the villagers of the area of Le Chambon provided a safe haven throughout the war for whoever knocked on their door.

Pierre Sauvage, a Jew who was born to his hiding parents in Le Chambon, has prepared an outstanding documentary VHS video, Weapons of the Spirit. It has many lessons for us all. “The responsibility of Christians,” their pastor, André Trocmé, had reminded them the day after France surrendered to Nazi Germany, “is to resist the violence that will be brought to bear on their consciences through the weapons of the spirit.” Did the villagers worry about the danger to them for harboring Jews? No, says Sauvage, “People who agonize don’t act. Le Chambon just did the right thing.” It was a natural result of their deeply-rooted religious faith. Le Chambon received strength from what they were. They connected with their spiritual heritage; they were like strong trees with deep roots. The people recounting their stories to Sauvage were not being modest in denying they were heroic. They truly believed they were normal folk. The memory of their past (horrendous persecutions of the Huguenots for hundreds of years), was the key to their survival. Ordinary people, empowered by the Spirit, can do great things, Daniel 11:32.

How could 5,000 people protect 5,000 Jews, in spite of Vichy collaborators and Nazis in their midst? Was it due to their pastor, who was a great leader? No, their society produced a great leader, not the other way around. Was it efficient organization? No. The widow of the assistant pastor says, “If we would have had an organization, we would have failed!” Taking in the hungry, poor, desperate, refugees was spontaneous. Nobody asked questions, such as, “Are you a Jew?” They all worked together, as if guided by an unseen hand. Weapons of the Spirit are far more powerful than carnal weapons, II Corinthians 10:3-5.

And so it is today, people of God are ordinary folk, like those of Le Chambon. God is moving them to do a great work of rescuing this world from sin and darkness. They naturally respond to His direction. They have, and use, “Weapons of the Spirit.”

You may wish to order a copy of the VHS NTSC video, Weapons of the Spirit, for $39.95, by contacting: Friends of Le Chambon, 8033 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046, 800-223-1945. Or, you may borrow the video by submitting $40 to Giving & Sharing. We will refund $35 when you return the video in good condition.

King James Bible Companion

The King James Bible is the best Bible for general use, but what do you do with old English words that you don’t understand? You learn what they mean. A 24-page booklet, King James Bible Companion, by David Daniels, defines over 500 classical English words used in the KJV.

So, if you re “astonied” (taken by surprise) by a word like “prognosticators,” you can be “careful” (full of worry) “not a whit” (not the least bit). Reach for the KJV Companion, and it will “bewray” (reveal) the meaning to be: “foretellers of the future.” If you “durst” (dare) to “eschew” (shun) corrupted modern Bible versions, and “countenance” (face) the “unseemly” (inappropriate) comments from your friends, this little book will help you “shew” (show) them how easy it is to “cleave unto” (stick to) the true word of God. Rather than settle for a corrupt, inferior Bible version, you can use this little book to “assuage” (relieve) the “clamour” (loud complaining) about the less familiar words in the KJV, and “let” (hinder) the spread of the modern per-versions (from the March/April 2000 issue of Battle Cry).

King James Bible Companion, 24 pages, is available free of charge from Giving & Sharing, Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.

Another Excellent Resource: Companion Bible (KJV)

The Companion Bible (King James Version) is a popular study Bible. Its valuable Appendix is a great Bible study tool by itself. EVERY (absolutely EVERY) single page of scripture verse has study notes. Many pages have more than half their space filled with study notes, both technical notes for hardcore readers, and helpful clarifications for the layman. And then there are the dates in the margin, the extensive structure outlines, and 198 comprehensive appendices in the back about everything from the Greek classification of figures of speech as used in the Bible, to weights and measures, to the day of Jesus’ burial [supports three days and three nights].

Order the leather edition for a suggested donation of $68, or the hardbound edition for $44 suggested donation, from Giving & Sharing, Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.

— written and compiled by Richard C. Nickels