What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24,25.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

The devils ´s plows


The Devil´s Plows
http://schoenelblog2.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/les-charrues-du-diable.html
translated from the French by this blog´s author.

Pour la version originale en français cliquer ici:  Les Charrues du Diable 

This week, audiences flocked to theaters around the world to discoverThe Hunger Games, adapted from the bestseller by American writer Suzanne Collins. Like Twilight or Harry Potter , the saga is fascinating and teenage  fans stomped their feet impatiently.
 

Matthew 13: 24 Jesus proposed another parable, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said to him: Sir, did you not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather them? 29 No, he says, lest in pulling the weeds, you root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together and until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the harvesters: First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn, but gather the wheat into my barn.

36 Then he dismissed the crowd and entered the house. His disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 He replied: He who sows the good seed is the Son of man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed are the son of the kingdom, the tares are the son of the evil 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angels. 40 However, as hard and that the tares cast into the fire, it will be the same at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity: 42 And shall cast them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear.

The time of spiritual plowing is back. Like Jesus who by the power of his Spirit plowed consciences to save humanity by his words of life and by offering himself as a propitiation for his enemies and so that those who believe in Him may have eternal life, behold, Satan also works the land of our consciousness by activating all the power of his diabolical spirit associated with the most modern techniques. The plow blades are in the ground and plow tirelessly increasingly infertile and dry soil, encroaching, then extending their path further and further, even into the field of the Lord, turning the good seed over and burying it deep underground, to make from it the manure for its weeds.

No sooner the days of mourning have ended after the massacre of three Jewish children in Toulouse, the same images are back with even more violence and cruelty. After having upset and moved an entire nation, these senseless killings are already forgotten to make way for yet more horror and atrocity, but pushing the vice and sadism to its height, because children will be massacred by other children.

The context is even more incredible when one compares it with the reality of the latest news. "Dignity prevailed" the press rendered its verdict Wednesday after the decision of the Qatari Al-Jazeera not to air the video of the Toulouse murders, although many editorialists worry that these images will be found on the internet. "In certain circumstances, the right to silence must take precedence over the right to information. The latter does not allow any and everything", says Yves Thréard in Le Figaro. "No need to think very long time indeed to understand that showing these images is equivalent to being an active accomplice of the terrorist and its ideology of death," added Jacques Guyon in La Charente libre (free). Yet it is with great promotional display that the massacre of children is going to invade the screens in France. Welcome to hell, the field of Satan.

The New York Times published an article last Sunday about the marketing strategy that Lionsgate which invested $ 45 million to promote the film which costs 80 million to make. The report demonstrates how to transform a film launch into an event: if you repeat endlessly that it is a cult film, chances are that it becomes one. The studio has totally flooded the youth: 80 000 posters available, cover pages of 50 magazines, 3,000 ads on billboards and bus shelters. And a virulent digital campaign: constant use of Facebook and Twitter, a YouTube channel, a blog on Tumbler, games for iPhone. The premiere was broadcast live stream on Yahoo. One of the members of the marketing team´s mission was to feed information to the fan´s blogs . The targeted public is clearly teenagers that are invited to watch a movie whose images pass through the lens of the eyes of the heroin, which makes it easy for children who look to identify with her.

The biggest challenge for the Lionsgate´s studio was to sell a film about the death of two dozen teens who compete in a game " A rule It was made ​​ never to say" 23 children end up being killed "but rather "only one will survive." In the scenario, each year twelve districts send, a boy and a girl by drawing lots. A terrible way to keep the population alive by killing only 23 innocent children. This game is built on the same principle as the roman arenas in Caesar's time. The gladiators are replaced by teenagers and there must remain only one. Their survival depends not on themselves, but largely on the intention that people have toward them. A reality TV Live, where nothing is protected, all blows are allowed.

The Hunger Games is the name of the film and is adapted from the bestseller by Suzanne Collins. Collins is the Meyer of Twilight. After Harry Potter and soon the end of the saga Twilight coming in November, we had to immediately retrieve  a franchise of literary success and project it onto the screen with still greater cruelty in the genre of blockbusters antichrists that transform wizards into saviors or vampires into nice teens. But do not be fooled, this is the inversion of the biblical values ​​that is sought by the adversary. While the Bible explicitly forbids involvement with magic or to abstain from eating blood, these films provide a means of enter the consciousness of a whole generation by inculcating the values ​​of the devil.e still greater cruelty in the genre of blockbusters antichrists that transform wizards into saviors or vampires into nice Somehow the mere fact of seeing the weeds grow and ripen is in itself a strong eschatological sign. Especially when the satanic marks are so obviously recognizable for those who are aware and awake as in the film Avatar:
http://schoenel.unblog.fr/2009/12/21/la-bataille-de-noel-avatar/

Again we find the great symbols that Satan seeks to impose on man, as the Liongate´s studio does, the lion being the symbol of Ishtar and the gate in English, which means the Ishtar Gate. An archer and a heroine warrior like the goddess, who must kill the children of the 12 other tribes, it's not even worth bothering to comment ... As the adversary knows that there is no more opposition against him, he can from now on appear in such an aggressive and visible manner, since the fire of the Spirit has all but died in the Western churches.


Clearly, this kind of movie or television series of the same ilk is saying much more about the spiritual state of a nation than any speech. We can put this in the same barrel as the victory at Eurovision Lordy, or to present the pope at prime time news as the leader of Christendom or the children preachers of Pentecostal churches in South America. But one day one more drop will fall into the barrel of perdition and it will be the final drop ....

Les charrues du Diable


Les charrues du Diable

http://schoenelblog2.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/les-charrues-du-diable.html



Cette semaine, les spectateurs se sont rués dans les cinémas du monde entier pour découvrir Hunger Game, adapté du best-seller de l'Américaine Suzanne Collins. A l'instar de Twilight ou Harry Potter, la saga passionne et les fans ados trépignaient d'impatience.


Matthieu 13 : 24 Jésus proposa une autre parabole, et il dit : Le royaume des cieux est semblable à un homme qui a semé une bonne semence dans son champ. 25 Mais, pendant que les gens dormaient, son ennemi vint, sema de l’ivraie parmi le blé, et s’en alla. 26 Lorsque l’herbe eut poussé et donné du fruit, l’ivraie parut aussi. 27 Les serviteurs du maître de la maison vinrent lui dire : Seigneur, n’as-tu pas semé une bonne semence dans ton champ ? D’où vient donc qu’il y a de l’ivraie ? 28 Il leur répondit : C’est un ennemi qui a fait cela. Et les serviteurs lui dirent : Veux-tu que nous allions l’arracher ? 29 Non, dit-il, de peur qu’en arrachant l’ivraie, vous ne déraciniez en même temps le blé. 30 Laissez croître ensemble l’un et l’autre jusqu’à la moisson, et, à l’époque de la moisson, je dirai aux moissonneurs: Arrachez d’abord l’ivraie, et liez-la en gerbes pour la brûler, mais amassez le blé dans mon grenier.
36 Alors il renvoya la foule, et entra dans la maison. Ses disciples s’approchèrent de lui, et dirent: Explique-nous la parabole de l’ivraie du champ. 37 Il répondit : Celui qui sème la bonne semence, c’est le Fils de l’homme ; 38 le champ, c’est le monde ; la bonne semence, ce sont les fils du royaume ; l’ivraie, ce sont les fils du malin ; 39 l’ennemi qui l’a semée, c’est le diable ; la moisson, c’est la fin du monde ; les moissonneurs, ce sont les anges. 40 Or, comme on arrache l’ivraie et qu’on la jette au feu, il en sera de même à la fin du monde. 41 Le Fils de l’homme enverra ses anges, qui arracheront de son royaume tous les scandales et ceux qui commettent l’iniquité: 42 et ils les jetteront dans la fournaise ardente, où il y aura des pleurs et des grincements de dents. 43 Alors les justes resplendiront comme le soleil dans le royaume de leur Père. Que celui qui a des oreilles pour entendre entende.
Le temps des charrues spirituelles est de retour. Comme Jésus par la puissance de son Esprit laboura les consciences afin de sauver l’humanité par ses paroles de vie et en s’offrant lui-même comme victime expiatoire pour ses ennemis et que ceux qui croient en lui est la vie éternelle, voilà que Satan travaille lui aussi la terre de notre conscience en y mettant toute la puissance de son esprit diabolique associée aux techniques les plus modernes. Les socs sont en terre et labourent inlassablement un sol toujours plus stérile et desséché, empiétant, puis prolongeant leurs sillons toujours plus loin, jusque dans le champ de l’Eternel. Retournant la bonne semence et l’enterrant profondément dans le sol, pour en faire le fumier de son ivraie.

A peine les jours de deuil se sont-ils achevés après le massacre de trois enfants juifs à Toulouse, que les mêmes images reviennent avec encore plus de violence et de cruauté. Après avoir bouleversé et ému toute une nation, ces meurtres gratuits sont déjà oubliés pour faire place à encore plus d’horreur et d’atrocité, mais en poussant le vice et le sadisme au paroxysme, car des enfants vont être massacrés par d’autres enfants.
Le contexte est encore plus incroyable quand on le confronte à la réalité de l’actualité du jour. "La dignité a prévalu" juge la presse mercredi après la décision de la chaîne qatarie Al-Jazeera de ne pas diffuser la vidéo des assassinats de Toulouse, même si beaucoup d'éditorialistes craignent que ces images se retrouvent sur internet. "En certaines circonstances, le droit au silence doit primer sur le droit à l'information. Ce dernier n'autorise pas tout", commente Yves Thréard dans Le Figaro. "Pas besoin de réfléchir bien longtemps en effet pour comprendre que montrer ces images équivaut à se faire le complice actif du terroriste et de son idéologie de mort", ajoute Jacques Guyon dans La Charente libre. Pourtant c’est avec formidable déploiement promotionnel, que le massacre d’enfants va envahir les écrans en France. Bienvenu en enfer, le champ de Satan.
Le New York Times publiait dimanche dernier un article sur la stratégie de vente de Lionsgate qui a mis 45 millions de dollars pour la promotion de ce film qui a coûté 80 millions à faire. Le reportage démontre comment faire d’un lancement de film un événement : si tu répètes sans arrêt que c’est un film-culte, il y a des chances que ça le devienne. Le studio a carrément inondé les jeunes : 80 000 affiches offertes, la couverture de 50  magazines, des annonces sur 3 000 panneaux et abri d’autobus. Et une campagne digitale virulente : utilisation constante de Facebook et Twitter, une chaîne YouTube, un blog sur Tumblr, des jeux pour iPhone. La première a été diffusée en live stream sur Yahoo. Une des membres de l’équipe de marketing avait même pour mission d’alimenter les blogs de fans. Le publique visé est clairement les adolescents, qu’ont invitent à voir un film dont les images passent par la vision de l’héroïne, ce qui permet aisément aux enfants qui le regardent de s’identifier à elle.
Le plus grand défi du studio Liongate était de vendre un film sur la mort de deux douzaines d’ados qui s’affrontent dans un jeu. « On s’est donné comme règle de ne jamais dire « 23 enfants se font tuer » mais plutôt « un seul survivra ». Dans le scénario, chaque année douze districts envoient en les tirants au sort, un garçon et une fille. Une manière atroce de laisser la population sauve en tuant seulement 23 enfants innocents. Ce jeu est construit sur le même principe des arènes aux temps de César. Les gladiateurs sont remplacés par des adolescents et il ne doit en rester qu’un. Leur survie dépend non pas d’eux-mêmes, mais en très grande partie à l’intention que porte les gens sur eux. Une télé réalité en direct, où rien n’est protégé, tous les coups sont permis.
Hunger Games est le nom du film et est adapté du best-seller de Suzanne Collins. Collins est la Meyer de Twilight. Après Harry Potter et bientôt la fin de la saga Twilight en novembre prochain, il fallait tout de suite récupérer une franchise littéraire à succès et la projeter sur les écrans avec toujours plus de cruauté. Dans la ligné des blockbusters antéchrists qui transforment les magiciens en sauveurs ou des vampires en aimables ados. Mais il ne faut pas s’y tromper, c’est bien l’inversion des valeurs bibliques qui est recherchées par l’adversaire. Alors que la Bible demande explicitement de ne pas avoir affaire à la magie ou de s’abstenir de manger du sang, par ces films on pénètre la conscience de toute une génération en lui inculquant les valeurs du diable.
D’une certaine manière le seul fait de voir pousser et murir l’ivraie est en soit un signe eschatologique fort. Surtout quand les marques sataniques sont tellement évidentes à voir pour qui sait les reconnaitre, comme dans le Film Avatar : http://schoenel.unblog.fr/2009/12/21/la-bataille-de-noel-avatar/
On retrouve les grands symboles que Satan cherche tant à imposer aux homme, comme le studio Liongate, le lion étant le symbole d’Ishtar et gate la porte en anglais, cela revient à dire la Porte d’Ishtar. Une héroïne guerrière et archère comme la déesse, qui doit tuer les enfants des 12 autres tribus, ce n’est même plus la peine de commenter… Comme l’adversaire sait qu’il n’y a plus d’opposition contre lui, il peut désormais s’afficher de cette manière grossière et tellement visible, puisque le feu de l’Esprit s’est éteint dans les églises occidentales.
Clairement, ce genre de film ou les séries télévisées du même acabit en disent bien plus long sur l’état spirituel d’une nation que n’importe quel discours. On peut mettre cela dans le même tonneau que la victoire de Lordy à l’Eurovision, que de présenter le pape au 20h comme le chef de la chrétienté ou les enfants prêcheurs des églises pentecôtistes sud-américaines. Mais un jour il tombera une goutte de plus dans le tonneau de la perdition et se sera la goutte de trop….

Christians In Name Only. Qs and As.

Christians In Name Only
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher

Q. Who are the people you refer to as “Christians in name only” that will not be able to be saved during the tribulation? Do they think they are saved? And if so, then they would not have rejected Christ, would they? And if they are just putting on an act (so to speak) why would anyone do that?

A. Christians in name only are those who belong to a church but aren’t born again and don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. They believe they’re saved because they’ve joined a particular church or denomination. They’ve never checked to see for themselves what it takes to be saved, but have blindly followed that their denomination has taught them.
I don’t think I said they would not be able to find salvation during the last 7 years. According to 2 Thes. 2:9-12 those who have firmly rejected the gospel message will not be able to accept the Lord later. But those who have been deceived into thinking they are already saved when they’re not will have another chance after the rapture.
As for those who are just putting on an act, there are some people who attend a church just to fit in, or because they think it’s the right thing to do, or to make social or business contacts. I imagine some of these have no idea of what it means to be saved, nor do they care, while others are cynical non-believers who are only interested in furthering their own interests.

Amazon chega ao Brasil em setembro. Como ela pode dar certo por aqui?

Amazon chega ao Brasil em setembro. Como ela pode dar certo por aqui?

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Should a woman be ordained pastor of a Christian congregation?


Written and published by Jean-Louis.1995

First, let me state that my views do not stem from misogynous feelings and bias.

My premise comes from the prayer of our Lord Jesus when He taught his disciples to pray at their request. Let’s examine Matthew 6:10 that declares: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

I. Kingdom authority

How is our Father’s will accomplished in heaven?

Partly through his servants, the holy angels or messengers. In any kingdom and any army there are different levels of authority and a chain of command. For instance, the Lord Jesus appeared to Joshua in a theophany and referred to himself as the Captain of the host. Joshua 5:14 or later on as Lord of Sabaoth or Lord of the armies of heaven in Romans 9:29. So, here we have the Father King, Jesus Christ, the son, Prince who is also the King. He has the function and title of Captain of the armies of angels. 

II. Roles of Christians under delegated authority

Now, how is the Father’s will accomplished on the earth?

Through men at different levels of authority going through a chain of command.
In Philippians 2:25, Paul referred to Epaphroditus as a fellow worker and a fellow soldier. Also, in 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul asks Timothy to suffer hardship with him as a good soldier of Christ. Of course, generally speaking we are all, men and women, soldiers of Christ in his spiritual army.

A. Function of the soldier

Throughout the ages, it has always been man’s role to fight in wars. It has only been since the feminist revolution that women have demanded to play a role as active combatants. Women have always participated in the military in different capacities where they could use their much-needed skills. They possess God-given abilities that sometimes are lacking in men. There are however, examples in the Bible and in history when women have risen to positions of power in a military situation. I can think of two instances, one is Deborah the Judge in the Old Testament and the other one is Joan of Arc of France who led the French army against British invaders during the first half of the 15th century AD.

I personally think that God raised Deborah to shame the men who were not valiant enough to defend Israel.

B. Function of the worker

In Philippians, Paul mentions the function of fellow worker. Here, let’s note the difference between function and identity. In Galatians 3:28, Paul says that: “there is neither male, nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. He is not talking here about function in the body of Christ, such as a pastor who has delegated authority over the congregation or a teacher who has delegated authority over his students, but rather about the believer’s identity in Christ regardless of gender.

All workers have an authority over them, whether a supervisor or a manager or a department head. Whatever our place of work happens to be, this is the way any organization functions, through transferred responsibility at different levels, each one having their respective authority.

III. Role of the woman

Now let’s see what Paul says about authority in the Church regarding the role of women. In I Timothy 2:12, Paul gives this injunction: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man”. If we apply this general principle and survey the New
Testament writings, we will find ample passages to show us that women played a very active role in the development of the New Testament church.

In Acts 2:17, Peter reiterating Joel prophecy said: “In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy”.

In Acts 21:9; we learn that Philip, the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. From the wording in I Corinthians 11:5, we can infer that women were allowed to prophesy, provided they wore a symbol of the man’s authority over their head.

In the New Testament, women were allowed to pray and to teach in the church.
Titus 2:3 reveals to us that he, Titus was commanded to “teach the older women to … teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children… and to be subject to their husbands, so no one will malign the Word of God”

In addition, they could exercise their gifts of mercy, helps and I suppose that of giving and administration. 

In all, the only function they couldn’t perform was that of an elder or that of a pastor. Why? I believe it is because these two callings involve exercising authority over not only a man (her husband) if she is married but also over the other men in the assembly who, if they wanted to apply the Word of God to their lives couldn’t and wouldn’t have subjected themselves to a woman’s authority, thus creating divisions in the church. 

Again, we see the protective hand of God in not having a woman ordained as pastor because usually a pastor is in a most difficult position since he is Satan’s prime target and carries a tremendous responsibility to his flock.

The Bible doesn’t mention anything about women’s natural abilities and skills that would make them suitable to lead a congregation. Rather, God uses willing and available men and women empowered by the Holy Spirit to raise up a people of His own choosing. It is very clear that He chooses us and not we, ourselves. 

Hebrews 5:4 states that: “No one (talking about priests) takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was”. You might argue that this refers back to Old Testament teaching. But I do not know of a passage in the Epistles of the New Testament where God called a woman to be the pastor of a congregation. If the instructions found in the New Testament are given to us as guidelines and patterns to be applied for the building, equipping and proper functioning of the Church, I don’t see how some women can claim to be called to serve in a function that obviously is not mentioned in the Epistles.

Are we to obey God in everything else, but not on this debatable point of conflict resulting in arguments that do not have any ground in the Scriptures to stand on? It sounds to me like the forbidden fruit that was offered to Eve by Satan in the Garden of Eden. 

It is interesting that in I Timothy 2:11, Paul links this command of woman not to have authority over man with the first temptation in the Garden of Eden. Those are his words:  
“ A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach (men) or to have authority over a man… for Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner”.

After all, Eve could have said to Satan: “I am sorry, but I never make a decision about trees or fruit without consulting my husband first. He has been delegated keeper of the garden by God himself; I am happy in my function of helpmate and I always wait until he tells me if a fruit is ripe enough to eat or if it is going to give me indigestion or may be premature death by poisoning.” Or she could have replied: “I am sorry, but I never eat dinner without my husband. It would be very impolite. After all, we live in the southern part of the Garden where people are well known for their genteel manners! There is a good reason for that. It is listed in the marriage manual under the heading: order of creation”.

In any case, she could have used her husband’s role as a protector to defeat the lies of the devil. Man is the main one to blame for Eve’s being deceived. So this idea that women and wife can act independently of man and husband, regardless of the order of God in creation is nothing new, it goes back to the fall of Mankind. 

IV. Paul’s Arguments

Now in case somebody might think that it was just in the Old Testament or that it is a chauvinistic attitude on the part of backward, women-hating men who wrote into the Bible what the customs of the times dictated regarding the treatment of women, Paul wrote in I Corinthians 11:3-12,16:

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 
Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 
Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God”.

So here Paul gives the proper recognition to women as being the glory of man. Are we not blessed in that? Why should women be put down when God says that she is our glory?

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Paul refers to hair as a symbol of covering for women to illustrate the more obvious point of his teaching which is that men have delegated authority and duty from God, as servants, to care, protect and provide for their wives and their Christians sisters in general. It certainly is nothing demeaning to the women. And to reinforce his point, he adds in verse 10: “and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head”.

You might point out that Paul while teaching women to wear long hair as a covering declares that it is a shame for a man to wear long hair; maybe because it was a Greek custom to have short hair. This passage really argues in favor of Paul being flexible and adapting to the cultural context of his time.

Here Paul is not opinionated or narrow in his assessment of the situation. As a church planter and an apostle, he had great concern for the welfare of his spiritual children.  He was referring at this point to the shaven head of the Corinthian prostitutes and wanted the testimony of Christian women to be blameless. We are to avoid the appearance of evil.

So it was not a matter of being legalistic.

In Revelation chapter 2:15 John mentions the Nicolaitans. They are mentioned twice, forming a marriage of the Church and the world, through the ordination of a supposedly superior clergy elite class ruling or lording over a supposedly inferior laity, the spiritually uneducated masses if you will. This in Greek is the meaning of Nico and Laitan. It begins with a compromise and ends in powerlessness and destruction when the Lord judges and removes the candlestick of such churches. 

Who were these Nicolaitans? It is supposed that this group whose name is derived from a man named Nicolas, compromised with pagan practices in order to allow Christians to associate with popular customs.

Does it remind you of another time in Israel´s history when the people wanted a King like the other nations around them and rejected God´s rule. God told them that their King would lord it over them. This is exactly what happened to the institution of the church through the ages, the clergy, a separate hierarchical class of trained ministers, taking the control of God´s people through different methods that are not from God and are not recorded in His Word.
 
We, born again believers are ALL members of a nation of priests according to Peter, none of us superior to the other. In the last half of the twentieth century more so pervasively and rapidly than before, the Church has been infiltrated by the world’s philosophy of Satan´s seed and has found a most welcome reception in the more liberal elements in its ranks.

As the tree keeps growing from its bad seed beginnings, its grafted branches has invaded almost all church denominations and parachurch and lay movements. One of these influences has been the feminist movement, allied with the lesbian agenda and witchcraft principles and practices  whose aberrant tenets turned to activism and militancy in all but the most conservative Bible believing churches in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

This is exactly what Paul, Peter and John were warning their flocks about. In Revelation chapter 2, the teaching of Balaam is mentioned in the same paragraph as the teaching of the Nicolaitans. To study more about this, see 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11.

Of course, this practice in the churches is not new. Since the absorption of pagan practices in the church under Roman Emperors Constantine’s and Theodosius’ reigns resulting in a syncretism which has permeated the church until now, we have witnessed this phenomenon in the modern church that will culminate in the unification of all the apostate ecumenical churches under the rule of Antichrist during the greatest deception ever perpetrated on mankind. This is why Paul in verse 16 of chapter 11 says: “If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God."

As far as I know, God has not rescinded His commands to the Church. He has not changed one iota of His perfect, pure, eternal, unchanging Word. He still keeps on building His Church on the perfect, indestructible “foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”. Ephesians 2:20.

Maybe our human hands build buildings imperfectly on faulty foundations that will crack and not support the weight. Not so with the Lord and his Word. Everything He creates and builds is perfect. We do not need to try and improve on it. 

Furthermore, there are warnings throughout the Bible for those who would try and change it. Deuteronomy 4:2 declares: “do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you”.

Several other passages give the same command, with consequences added in the case of Revelation 22:19: “And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Further in 2 Corinthians 10:8, Paul continues with this theme after explaining to us the good use of his authority when he declares: “For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it”. We can see from these words that Paul always had his disciples’ best interest at heart.

Then, in chapter 11:3 of the same letter, after talking about his motive for exhorting his fellow Christians, Paul introduces false teachers and their teachings by referring to the fact that Eve was the one to be deceived. 

Conclusion 
Brothers and sisters, let us beware of practices prohibited by God in His Word, first introduced by people outside and inside the Church who distort the Scriptures to back up these practices and later on formulate a false theology  once the practice has been entrenched in the lives of people. 

True Christian practices should always have as their basis pure, sound doctrine and should stem from biblical principles and the leading of the Holy Spirit who will never contradict His Word. Sound teaching should always precede good practices, not the other way around because the human heart is so deceitful. Let’s leave this type of behavior to the politicians who have perfected it to an art form. 



Jean-Louis.
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