When the Holy Spirit gives us more than one account of something in the Bible it's important and, just as you have four gospel accounts of the same story, in the Old Testament you have Kings and Chronicles, two aspects of the same thing, plus whatever prophet or prophets prophesied during that time. You will find three and four aspects of the same episodes in the Old Testament just as you have in the Gospels. When the Holy Spirit gives us more than one record of something, it's important. Turn with me please to 2 Chronicles 18. This is the parallel account to what we find in 1 Kings 22, but we're reading now from 2 Chronicles 18:1-19:3. Starting in verse 1…

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor and allied himself by marriage with Ahab.

The Danger of Nepotism

Look out for nepotism. Point 1: It is a point of vulnerability. Family loyalties get in the way of doctrinal loyalties. When you see people allied by marriage, or this pastor is that pastor's cousin, or his sister is married to the pastor -- when you see family connections, look out. Anything God intends for good the devil will use for evil. God created families, He created the family structure. But you know what? Jesus said He who loves family more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Math 10:37).

My wife's family are Holocaust survivors, Jews from Eastern Europe who survived the Holocaust. When my wife came to believe that Jesus, Yeshua, was the Jewish Messiah, she was told, "Now you're one of them. They killed us, now you've become one of them." Family loyalties. The devil will use something God intends for good for evil if he can.

Nepotism is the first thing that can predispose a good Christian to compromise with things that he knows are wrong. But let's continue reading this sorry episode about Jehoshaphat. His name in Hebrew is Yahowshaphat (yeh-ho-shaw-fawt) – “Jehovah shall be judge” or “shall judge”.

Jehoshaphat & Ahab

And in 2 Chronicles 18:2-7…

Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the Lord.” Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

I hate him, he never prophesies good. False prophets will always tell people what they want to hear. True prophets will only tell people what they need to hear.

2 Chronicles 18:8-19:3…

Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”

When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” So he said,
“I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”
Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.’ Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.”

So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded.” The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord? But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”

When Good Leaders Become Involved with Bad Ones

King Jehoshaphat was a good man, a righteous man. Every king of Israel was a backslider. Most of the kings of Judah were backslidden, but Jehoshaphat was a good king, in fact a very good king. What happens when good leaders become involved with bad ones? I do not believe in guilt by association. The Bible says nothing about guilt by association. But guilt by cooperation? Guilt by participation? Guilt by identification? When a good man will get on a platform or on a television program with somebody who is heretical, with someone who is apostate or immoral, you are implicitly endorsing that person's ministry and allowing yourself to be identified with him.

I was watching some TBN just yesterday. I couldn't believe how horrific some of it was. When an unsaved person watches that, they think that being born again is a con job. They've made "born again" a household joke all over the world, at least for people all over the developed world. It's getting more and more difficult to share Jesus, to preach the Gospel, to give the message of salvation to the lost because of what Satan has done with “Christian” TV, so-called. We'd be better off with no Christian TV than 99% of what we have today and I'm convinced of that fact. Anything that powerful Satan had to corrupt, and he's done it. Unsaved people see the idiot box and they think we're all idiots. They think we're all con artists. If good men go on there they become identified with the bad men. When Jehoshaphat rode in the chariot of Ahab, he became confused with Ahab.

But let's look at the passage from the beginning. Again the Holy Spirit has given us more than one account. In the I Kings version at the end of chapter 21 Ahab repented. (1King 21:27-29). Bad kings are great for repenting, but every time they repent they come back twice as notorious as they had been. If Benny Hinn repents again I'm going to duck for cover. Every time that man repents he comes back worse. What does this mean? Why? He is married to Jezebel. Jezebel is a biblical metaphor for the spirit of false religion. What does the Lord Jesus say of Jezebel? Revelation 2:20...

‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

It is a Satanic seduction by false religion of which the woman Jezebel is typologically the personification. In other words, she represents spiritual seduction; that's what Jesus said. You become like the people you're married to.

I'm married to a Jewish neurotic. I think it's the family history of escaping Pogroms. My wife checks the gas jets three times before we go to sleep, and she checks every window in the house at least twice. We live in England. Here it is, late at night, she put the lights out and she'll say to me in Hebrew "Yacov, did you check the window in the kitchen?" "Yes, Pavia I checked the window in the kitchen, good night." Did I check that window in the kitchen? Now, she's making me nuts. I take a flashlight down three flights of stairs, the kids sleep on the second floor – we sleep on the top and the kitchen is on the ground floor – so there I go late at night.

You become like the people you're married to. Well, Ahab is married to Jezebel, the seductress who beguiled Israel into pagan demonic belief. What happens next? Jehoshaphat is a good king but there's a family connection: Nepotism.

I know two Jewish mission boards that were undermined, basically destroyed by nepotism -- two mission boards to the Jews became family enterprises. I've known churches where family loyalties destroyed the fellowship. If somebody disagreed it was like going against the family. Dangerous thing. Anything God intends for good the devil will use for evil and nepotism predisposes us to certain things.

The Enemy Within

But going back to 2 Chronicles 18 here is the line you'll always get – this is what Ahab will say. "We have a common enemy. My people are as your people, my God is as your God, we're brothers. We have to have unity; we have to be united to overcome the opposition. Can't you see, the abortion rate is going through the roof? Can't you see homosexuality is influencing the schools and the media? Can't you see Eastern religion and the cults are growing? We can't afford to be divided. We have to stand together to save God's land. We have to be united. We can't go on bickering against each other. Oh, I know we've had our differences but we can't afford that anymore. There's a common enemy. My people are as your people; my God is as your God. After all we're all born again Christians." Sounds very convincing, sounds very logical. To a degree it even sounds initially biblical.

As I pointed out yesterday, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and He is the Spirit of Holiness. There cannot be a unity of the Spirit where there is heresy and immorality. Oh, we have a common enemy! An external enemy is easy to deal with; an internal enemy is something else. When Jesus warned about false prophets of the Last Days He was not primarily warning about the Moonies or the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons. I have no doubt that the proliferation of the cults is in itself of some prophetic significance, but those are not the false prophets He was mainly warning us about. He's warning about those who would come into evangelical churches and try to seduce us. It is the internal enemies that are the most dangerous. Until we deal with the enemy in here we are not going to be in a position to deal with the one out there.

But you'll always get the same story "Don't be negative. Don't be too critical. We have to unite. We have to stand together in face of the common threat." And then as the family element comes in, look out.

Look how the king ingratiates himself. Ahab puts on a big party, a big splurge. He slaughters all these animals and he throws a big, big banquet. That's what he does. These people know how to ingratiate themselves. People with an agenda know how to con and manipulate. They learn it from their wife, Jezebel.

Look at how many people have met John Paul II. The Vatican a few months ago issued a statement saying it was the one true Church. In Mexico in 1999 John Paul II told the Catholics to "rise up against the Protestants", quote unquote. He makes no secret of his agenda. A man who says Mary co-redeemed us? A man who prays to the dead? Makes no secret of his agenda. Yet one evangelical after another will call him the "holy father" despite the fact that Jesus said, "call no man your father." And they say, "Oh, the pope was so wonderful, so gracious. He's such a kind man. How can you speak against him? I met him, he was so this, he was so that ..." They know how to ingratiate themselves. What does Paul say about Lucifer? He comes as an angel of light. And so will his servants. They know how to ingratiate themselves, just like Merodach-Baladan came to seduce Hezekiah. (Isaiah 38:1-8)He brought him some presents. "I heard you were ill." Oh, what a caring person. He was the king of Babylon, he had an agenda, but he was a manipulating con artist.

Well, king Jehoshaphat gets sucked in. There's a family connection but then there are other connections, "Yeah, we have a common enemy. We can't be negative. We shouldn't be critical. We don't want to be divisive." The word "divisive" in Romans 16:17 is dichostasia (dee-khos-tas-ee) where you get the English word “dichotomy”. It says divisive people are the ones who leave the teaching of the New Testament, who depart from the doctrine of the Apostles.

I'm not divisive by warning about Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland. If the Benny Hinns and Kenneth Copelands have gone away from the teachings of the New Testament, they are the divisive ones by biblical definition. I haven't departed from New Testament doctrine. If I did, please show me where, I want to repent of it. But these days it's the one who upholds New Testament doctrine who becomes divisive. They make an idol out of this unity but it's not the unity of the Spirit. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 11:19 there must be factions among you to prove which is true. That word for factions in Greek is hairesis (hah'-ee-res-is) where we get the word “heresy”. Heresy is meant to bring division. And so much of what's being propagated in the Church today is purely heretical.

But let's go further. Jehoshaphat gets sucked in but he has his doubts. He's a good king and he is, to some degree, hearing from the Lord. Notice what they do at the banquet. One false prophet after another, 400 of them, come and put on a show and give positive words. False prophets will always tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. They'll always tickle your ears and be well paid for the privilege. They are con men. A true prophet was outnumbered 400 to 1.

Well, I'll tell you what, for everybody telling the truth today in the prophetic there are "400 false prophets" in the body of Christ. What Jesus said would happen in the Last Days is happening. Very few are telling the truth, many are compromising with what they know is false, but very, very, very many are giving you a lot of hype and false doctrine.

Only one man stood up, Micaiah, but at the end of the day it was only his prophesy that mattered. You see in the days of Jeremiah and Baruch there were thousands of false prophets – thousands – but nobody has ever heard of them. At the end of the day everybody heard of Jeremiah. It is only Jeremiah who really speaks God's word and who is going to matter. That's the bottom line, the one prophet who tells the truth. So Jehoshaphat says, "Let me hear him."

Now you have to understand the Hebrew language. There's a connection between the name “Micaiah” – "he who is like unto Yahweh", and “Jehoshaphat” – "Jehovah/Yahweh" In Hebrew there's a root that shows etymological similitude. If you don't know what that is, don't worry about it. It's one of those things they teach you in theological cemetery, I mean seminary. There's a kindred spirit of some sort here. Micaiah comes. Now notice what Micaiah says when they ask him. At first Micaiah says "Yeah, go ahead, God will give them into your hand." He says the same things the false prophets say. God's judgment comes in three phases on a backslidden people.

God First Stops Correcting

The first phase is "Yeah, go ahead." He stops correcting. It is the son whom He loves that he corrects. (Heb 12:6) Why is it that faithful Christians have the most of what we call in Yiddish "suris" problems, trials, and difficulties? It's because God has given the carnal Christian over to their own fleshly desires. He's only trying to correct the faithful ones. That's why faithful Christians have more problems than unfaithful ones. It's only the son He loves whom He corrects. The others are backslidden, if they were ever saved to begin with. God stops correcting! Watch out when God stops correcting, when He gives them over. In Romans He gives people over to unnatural depravity, (Rom 1:24-25) then that happens to those who claim to be His people. It's like the prophet Amos' son Loammi--"they're not my people anymore". (Hosea 1:9)God gives them over. "Go ahead, do it" says Micaiah.

Now King Ahab knows this is not what God is saying. You see these wicked men, wicked leaders, know they're crooked. It says in Timothy that they are both deceiving and being deceived. For they are deceived themselves but they also know their deceivers. (2 Titus 3:13) "Go ahead, do it". Ahab knows it and says "That can't be right". Ahab knew it. So tell me, says Ahab, and Micaiah says, "I'll tell you: I saw Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep which have no shepherd."

Next God Removes Leadership

Now you have to understand the role of the kings of Israel as a shepherd. King David is the Old Testament shadow of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd in John 10. In Psalm 23 Yehovah ra'ah – “The Lord is my shepherd”. David is the Old Testament type or shadow of Jesus as King. How good a pastor (the word for “pastor” and “shepherd” is the same word in Hebrew and Greek), how good a pastor/shepherd somebody is in the Church is how much like Jesus they are. Peter tells us that in his epistle. 1 Peter 5;1-4) How good a shepherd a pastor is depends on how much like Jesus he is. The Old Testament shadow of this is seen in how good a king was, and that was measured by how much like King David he was. That's why you see kings in the book of Proverbs or kings in Chronicles compared to David. "He went after Me like his father David" or "You have not sought Me as your father David did". David becomes the barometer of faithfulness because he's the shadow of Christ as Shepherd. Here Micaiah says "These people, they don't have any shepherd." He's telling the king, as far as God's concerned, you're not a real leader.

That is the second stage of God's judgment on a backslidden people. He removes leadership and replaces them with pulpit politicians. He removes leaders, He replaces them with hirelings. He removes leaders, He lets them have theocrats -- not shepherds. First phase of God's judgment, He stops correcting -- treats people just like the world, gives them over. Second stage of his judgment, he removes real leadership. People wind up with the leaders they deserve. That's true of nations in the book of Daniel. He establishes kings and removes kings (Dn 2;21). It's true in the political realm and it's true in the Church. He removes leadership.

Finally God Sends Deception

But then comes the third phase of God's judgment and that's the frightening one. He sends a deception. Remember in Kings and Chronicles and in Samuel, one time David numbered the people – the Lord motivated him to do it – and another time it was the devil. Was it the Lord or was it the devil that motivated David to number the people? Well, it was actually God using the devil.

Turn with me please to 2 Thessalonians 2 where it speaks of the antichrist, the man of perdition. It's speaking of the Last Days. It's speaking in verse 3 of the apostasia, in Greek, the “falling away” that will come with the manifestation of the antichrist. But look what it says in verse 11…

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

The Truth is the Word of God. Jesus is the Truth; He's the Word, the Logos. If somebody doesn't love the Truth of Scripture, they don't love Jesus Christ. They can say all they want, have all the hallelujahs they want -- if they don't love the Truth of the Word of God they don't love the Word of God Who is Jesus, the Incarnate Logos. If you don't love the Bible you don't love Jesus Christ as far as God's concerned, that's it. "If you love Me keep My commandments." 9John 14:15) You don't love Him if you don't love His Word. And if people don't love the Truth, they don't love Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6) And if they don't love Him it tells us why. It's because, in some way, they are taking pleasure in wickedness. When you find so called Christians who don't love the truth it's because they are taking pleasure in wickedness. Therefore the Lord will send upon them a deluding influence that they may believe what is false.

How will the antichrist con people? He's the ultimate judgment. God gives them over to his influence. If people can't see through an obvious false prophet and false teacher like Benny Hinn – if you can't see through Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland – what is going to happen when this stuff comes down? Therefore the Lord will send a deluding influence. In the book of Zechariah typologically the antichrist is called the "agent of God." It's a frightening prospect. It is a judgment.

Several years ago, in England where I live, I was frantically trying to stop the explosion of the things like the laughing and drunken revival from Toronto and Pensacola. I was trying to stop it but the Lord said "No, don't. You're not going to stop this." You can only warn the elect. You can rescue those who are honestly deceived but you can't stop it. Why? What you see today with the money preachers – the faith prosperity heretics, what you see with Toronto; what you see with the ecumenical movement – these things are not simply deceptions; they are judgments from God on a backslidden Church. It is God's judgment on Laodicea. (Rev 3:14-22) The Lord will send a delusion that they may believe what is false. Remember that Laodicea is blind and it's first problem is that it doesn't know it's Laodicea. The Lord will send a delusion. Judgment begins in the house of God. It will not begin on Freemasons it will not begin on false religions; it will not begin on corrupt businessmen on Wall Street or corrupt politicians – it begins in the house of God. Judgment will come on the Church before it comes on this nation, and it's coming on this nation. For abortion alone it must come, but it will come on the Church first.

The Working of God's Judgment

• Phase 1, God stops correcting. If you can't see through this, all the scandals with PTL and the rest of it--if you can't see through it God will give you over to it. He'll stop correcting.

• Phase 2, He'll remove real leadership. And he's already done that in Great Britain. America is going the same way.

• Phase 3, then He'll send a delusion.

Notice what God tells these lying spirits "Go and prevail." Go and succeed. Now when God sends a delusion look out. However He does nothing without revealing it to His servants, the prophets. (Amos 3:7) Micaiah knew it. Those who really love Jesus and read His Word will understand by the Spirit of God what is going on. When the Lord sends this kind of a judgment, those who are truly His will know it. Three stages of judgment and, my friends, my great fear – and in fact it's no longer a fear it is past that – we've come into that third phase. God is certainly, certainly not correcting these people anymore. He's given them over, treating them like the unsaved, and many of them are unsaved. He's removing leadership, and thirdly He's going to give them over.

Riding in Ahab's Chariot

So there they go to battle now. Look at Jehoshaphat, a righteous king who should have known better. He was suspicious to begin with, he had a true word from a true prophet, and yet there he goes riding in Ahab's chariot. Why did Ahab want him in the chariot? Why does TBN want to get people like Chuck Missler, Josh McDowell Greg Laurie on it? Why do they want to get good men, godly men on it? There are three reasons.

First, they're trying to give themselves a credibility they can't get otherwise. People then think, "Well, if so-and-so is on there and he's a man of God it must be all right." They're trying to get an endorsement. They're trying to give themselves a credibility that they couldn't get on their own. "I know I'm no good but if I align myself with somebody who is good God will bless me." That's how they think. "If he's in on it then God will have to bless us ‘cause he's a good guy."

Secondly, they're looking for a fall guy. They're looking for somebody to be left holding the bag when the ship sinks. "It’s his fault." Ahab always has an agenda. But there goes Jehoshaphat! Even though the Lord warned him, he gets in that chariot. And what happens when he gets in that chariot?

Three, he becomes confused with Ahab. They think its Ahab. When you ride in Ahab's chariot you become confused with Ahab, people confuse you with him. When people see good preachers on platforms at conferences and on television with heretics, you become confused with them.

I know very, very well that Chuck Missler, Greg Laurie, and Ray Comfort are men of God. I know that Josh McDowell s a man of God. I know what they believe. They believe largely what I believe. These are not bad men; these are good men like Jehoshaphat. But when they get on a platform or on the TV screen with bad men, people put them in the same category and my fear is they make themselves a target. Some people will tar them all with the same brush. Yet men like , , and will have no part in heresy and hype-artistry. It is a disgrace how apostate money preachers misuse the names of godly men to give themselves credibility, even though the honest preachers do not share the mammon worship which the Prosperity disguise with Christian jargon. "Oh, he's one of them." And a young believer will see this. It gives heretics credibility, even though the good men know personally it's wrong.

Now Jehoshaphat has made himself a target. He's allowed himself to be confused with Ahab and now he's a target and the arrows are flying. Ahab wants somebody to hold the bag, and I'm telling you that TBN and Hinnand that crowd – they are going to go the same way as the PTL club. And I tremble for the good brethren who have allowed themselves to be identified with that wickedness, but they're going to be caught in the crossfire when it happens.

But let's go further. Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord. God intervenes. The Lord steps in and saves his neck. God will stand by right men. Right men can make bad mistakes. Godly men can make serious errors. Some of the greatest men in the Bible did some of the most foolish things. In my own life as a Christian I have done things that have been so, not just wrong, but stupid, I don't know how I could have done it. I take no pleasure in admitting this, nonetheless it is true. But God is gracious. God saved Jehoshaphat's neck the first time.

The Chink in the Armor

Let's see what happens next. So they go after Ahab. Ahab is trying to be slick, trying to find the fall guy, but he didn't take account of something. There was a chink in his armor. In Ephesians 6:13 we see what that armor is. The chink here is where the breastplate met the shoulder. The breastplate of "righteousness". Sin finds people out – finds the chink in the armor.

I once saw a Roman legionnaire's armor on display in Rome. It's very big and the biggest is the breastplate. The breastplate of righteousness. When Paul spoke about the armor he used something that Jews would have understood because the armor is also in Isaiah, but it’s also something the Greeks and Romans would have understood well. The armor was there, the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:13 tells us we are to put it on so that you may stand firm. Ahab put on his armor but there was a chink in it and that arrow found it. He came into judgment and was destroyed. They didn't get the victory over the Arameans. They didn't get it. Look at what he says in 1 Kings 22:3…
Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”

"We've got to get the victory over these unbelievers, over these pagans, over the homosexual lobby, over the pro abortion lobby, over the Moslems, over the Freemasons, over the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses. We've got to get the victory. We have to claim the land back for Christ. We've got to stand together." That's what they say. They will never get the victory over the enemy. Never! A false brother is not your ally. He is your liability. He'll never win. God won't use people like that. There's a chink in their armor.

So what happens next? They lose the battle but a gracious and merciful God intervenes on Jehoshaphat's behalf. Then in 2 Chronicles 19:2…

Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord?

Should you help the wicked? They hate the Lord. These money preachers hate the real Jesus Christ. They worship mammon. They may call their god "Jesus", but their god is mammon. They call the sin of covetousness "faith". They have a different god, a different "Jesus". They hate the real Jesus. They don't want a Jesus who says, "Pick up your cross and follow me" they want a "Jesus" who is going to give you another Mercedes. And they admit it. They're false brethren. And when you ride in his chariot – you ride in his Mercedes, you get on his TV show – you're going to get confused with him and make yourself a target, and nothing other than the intervention of the merciful God will save your neck. Why do you get involved with those who hate the Lord? Why are you on that idiot TV show? Why are you on that platform with these heretics? Can't you see you'll be confused with them? Can't you see that you're going to give the impression, to the unbelievers that you agree with them?

The Danger of Not Listening

I only wish that Jehoshaphat, a good king, had listened. But we find out 2 Chronicles 20 that he didn't. Verse 35…

After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel.

He does it again…

He acted wickedly in so doing. So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.

The second time, God's judgment comes. The first time God rescues him and rebukes him. The second time, "Are you going to do it again?" And they do it again. They lose all they've built.

You see men of God, who built what God has blessed and used, put those things at risk for the folly of riding in Ahab's chariot, for going on idiot TV. Why? is a man of God. is a man of God. a man of God. is a man of God. There are enough churches, enough people, and enough money in to make their own Christian TV channels. They don't need to get involved with those people, and I say that in love. But it's not just them. How can good men get involved with the Ecumenical Movement? How can you get involved with these people?

This is Hawaii – you see more of it on the mainland, but on the mainland in most Calvary Chapels nearly three out of four people are ex-Roman Catholics. How many people here are ex-Roman Catholics? Put your hands up. See these people? The Roman Catholic Church says, "You are going to hell because you left the one true church; because you no longer believe that salivation is by sacraments; because you no longer believe that you have to atone for your own sin in purgatory." Yet major evangelical leaders – , , , one after another – are lining up with the very "church" who’s cursing them, that is sending their families to hell? I've got a Catholic mother who trusts in a statue of Mary for her salvation instead of Jesus Christ. How can good men get involved with that? But then again, once God corrects them, how can they be involved? But they're doing it.

The Overall Working of Judgment

Nepotism, family loyalty, friendship – "I've known him 20 years. My brother's married to his sister" – all this predisposes you to it. Then they give you the line, "We have to be united. We have to stand together. We have a common enemy. There's a common threat. We're all brothers. We're all born again, one Faith one Baptism. Let's stand together. We can't be negative, we can't be critical, and we have to accept each other." Why do you love those who hate the Lord? God warned Jehoshaphat. See, he knew those 400 false prophets were false. All these guys – the Kansas City Prophets and all these hype-artists – Rick Joyner, one after another – are proven false prophets by biblical definition. They are proven false prophets. They're as false as the false prophets of any other cult. Jehoshaphat knew it. They give a big banquet, a big show, a big celebration praise, a big Pensacola Pepsi Cola Seven-Up, whatever it is this week. One after another, prophesying victory, but there is no victory. Now God's judgment comes. He stops correcting, He removes real leadership, and He gives them over to it.

And they get angry with Micaiah they smack him. They say, "You're the false prophet." Bang. "Lock him up till I get back." And Micaiah says, "No you're not coming back, otherwise I'm a false prophet."

Notice only a true prophet will prophesy something in the name of the Lord and say "hold me to it." A Rick Joyner or a Gerald Coates will never do that. A Kim Clement will never do that. They hate the true prophet even though he's right.

Then Jehoshaphat goes right out and steps into Ahab's chariot. He becomes confused with Ahab and they begin shooting him. God is merciful, but then God rebukes. God corrects but he still doesn't listen, he does it again. Then his ships are broken up and he never makes it to Tarshish.

Conclusion

What a tragedy when God has blessed and raised people up and given them something to do, then all they've built crumbles. They never reach the goal. They never make their appointed destiny. They never get to where God meant for them to go and do what He has for them to do. They lose it. When you ride in Ahab's chariot, you become identified with Ahab. You're in bed with him; he's in bed with Jezebel. You're in bed with the pope, the pope's in bed with the Dali Lama. That's what it comes to.

That's the way it was, that's the way it is, that's the way it's going to be.

The prayer of my heart is that the Jehoshaphats of our day, the godly men, men I know are good men, will get out of that chariot before they get shot. Get off that idiot TV box, get off that platform, don't give Ahab a place in your church, don't distribute that literature, don't sell those books in your bookshop, do not love those who hate the Lord your God.

Jehoshaphat was a good man, a good man who made bad errors. And right before our eyes there are good men today making that same bad errors. May God in His mercy correct them and protect us. God bless you and thank you.

My purpose in writing such papers is not to slander, but simply to help people examine the limitations of Buddhism and to welcome people to make peace with God, our Creator.  In this paper, there are five topics I would like to take a look at:   1. Historical Inaccuracies in Buddhism; 2. Being One’s Own Refuge; 3. The Unfilled Void in the Human Heart; 4. Morality Without an Anchor; and 5. Going Astray from Jesus Christ.  In this paper I will also reveal which animal the Buddha is most commonly associated with in art.   

1. Historical Inaccuracies in Buddhism

The Dhamma (Buddhist Scriptures)

To begin with, the Buddhist scriptures of the Pali Canon were written down very late, and the scriptures of other schools of Buddhism were formed and written down even later.  The Pali Canon was written down about 70 BCE in Sri Lanka (Veidlinger, 23):

“Most scholars currently believe that the texts of the Pali Tipitaka were transmitted orally for about four hundred years, from the time of their genesis until the first century BCE.” (Veidlinger, 2)

There is also a huge time gap from the time of writing to the time of the earliest surviving manuscripts.  Veidlinger writes:

“…the bulk of traditional chirographic Pali texts in the Theravadin world exist in nineteenth-century manuscripts.  The oldest Pali manuscript yet found dates back to the sixth century….it consists of a selection of passages…The  earliest extant manuscript from Sri Lanka is of the Samuttanikaya from 1411 CE…” (14-15)

This is also confirmed by two website quotations:

“The earliest physical remnants that we have are Nepalese and date from the 8th or 9th century; the earliest complete manuscripts of any individual texts are from the 15th century; and we don’t have any copy of the complete canon dating from before the 18th century.”

http://dharmastudy.net/the-pali-canon

“…no manuscripts from anywhere in India except Nepal have survived. Almost all the manuscripts available to scholars since the PTS [Pali Text Society] began can be dated to the 18th or 19th centuries C.E.”

http://www.palitext.com/subpages/lan_lite.htm

Hinuber likewise confirms this situation in writing, “The continuous manuscript tradition with complete texts begins only during the late 15^th century.  Thus the sources immediately available for Theravada literature are separated from the Buddha by almost 2000 years.” (4).  The words “complete texts” here mean individual texts from the Pali Canon.  If we date the Buddha’s death to about 410 BC, according to modern scholarship, then the gap between the Buddha and a complete Pali Canon in manuscript form is over 2000 years.

We have then a four hundred year gap from the time of the Buddha to the writing down of the Pali Canon, almost two thousand years from the Buddha to the earliest complete individual manuscripts (though there are some fragments before then), and more than two thousand years from the time of the Buddha to the earliest complete Pali Canon manuscripts!

By contrast, we have individual New Testament books in manuscript form from about 150 years after Jesus was raised from the dead (though there are some fragments before then), and complete Bible manuscripts from about 300 years after Jesus’ resurrection.  We have individual books of the Old Testament from about 200 BC from the Dead Sea caves.  

In the 19^th century the Pali Canon was written in stone in Burma…

“Mindon introduced the first machine-struck coins to Burma, and in 1871 also held the Fifth Buddhist council in Mandalay. He had already created the world's largest book in 1868, the Tipitaka, 729 pages of the Buddhist Pali Canon inscribed in marble and each stone slab housed in a small stupa…”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindon_Min

Although “written in stone” is an idiom for something absolute and steadfast, Trevor Ling writes of King Mindon’s project, “Mistakes in the carving of the text had made necessary a revision…”  (124). This revision took place during the sixth Buddhist Council from 1954- 1956 in Burma.

In Sri Lanka’s history [the place where the Pali Canon was first written down (70 BC), and where its commentaries were composed (c. 500 AD)], the texts went through a purging in the 12^th century:

“When Parakkamabahu I. (1153- 1186) reformed Buddhism in Ceylon during the 12^th century, the monks of the Abhayagiri- and the Jetavana-vihara were reordained according to the Mahavihara tradition.  Consequently, their texts gradually disappeared, and the only Theravada texts surviving are those of one single monastery, the Mahavihara.” (Hinuber, 22)

The history of the Pali Canon is far from being something written in stone (even if that was attempted).  Even the so called words of the Buddha himself (in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pali Canon) point out that his teachings will not be preserved uncorrupted:

"If, Ananda, women had not obtained the going forth from home into homelessness in the dhamma and discipline proclaimed by the Truth-finder, the Brahma-faring, Ananda, would have lasted long, true dhamma would have endured for a thousand years. But since, Ananda, women have gone forth…in the dhamma and discipline proclaimed by the Truth-finder, now, Ananda, the Brahma-faring will not last long, true dhamma will endure only for five hundred years.” (356)

Since women did “go forth” and five hundred years have already passed, by his own statement, the dhamma has already expired.  If we say it is a false prophecy, then the authority of the Pali Canon is undermined and the Buddha is a false prophet.  If we say it is a true prophecy, then it is still false, since five hundred years have already passed, and thus “true dhamma” (including this prophecy if it were true) would no longer be around.

Shravasti Dhammika, although a committed Buddhist himself, has written a devastating critique of Theravada Buddhism.  He even confesses Christianity’s strengths several times in his book:

“Although Christians make up a tiny minority of Thailand’s population they do a significant percentage of its non-governmental social work. The same is true in other Theravadin lands.”  “The funds for the little Theravadin social work that does exist often comes from beyond the community and such social work is usually done by either Western or Christian influences…is in imitation of Christian social work or is done to counter the social work Christians do.”  “What is it in Christianity that has made love so central to the life and practice of its followers? What is it in Theravada that has retarded this from happening?”

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/brokenbuddhanew.pdf

In spite of this though, he has not recognized that the Pali Tipitaka itself is defective.  He still asserts, “The tragedy is that the teachings of the Buddha in the Pali Tipitaka are probably better able to address contemporary problems and needs than any other ancient teachings.”

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/brokenbuddhanew.pdf

This is ironic, especially since only a few pages later he contradicts himself in undermining the authority of the Pali Tipitaka and using his own opinions rather than the Tipitaka to address a contemporary problem:

“Whatever the Buddha said or is supposed to have said, Buddhayanists would believe that it is wrong to exclude woman from the monastic life, that it is inappropriate in the 21st century to require them to always take second place to a male and that it is degrading to treat them as if they had some sort of contagious disease. They would take as their guide on this and several other issues the Kalama Sutta in which the Buddha says; ‘Do not go by

tradition…do not go by the sacred text … But when you yourself know that certain things are right, good, skillful and when followed or practiced results in happiness and benefit, then follow them’ (A.I,188).

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/brokenbuddhanew.pdf

First he exalts the teachings of the Buddha, and then he undermines its authority in saying, “Whatever the Buddha said or is supposed to have said…” and in relation to women’s roles does not follow the teachings of the Buddha (the “whatever” teachings).  In this case he does exactly what he criticized the 5^th century AD commentator Buddhaghosa, and modern Theravada Buddhists of doing:  “Most Theravadins will side with Buddhaghosa’s interpretation even where it contradicts the Buddha’s words.” (see website above).  Dhammika has done the same thing in coming up with a modern interpretation which contradicts the teachings of the Buddha.  Then Dhammika comes back to the Buddha’s teachings as an authority only to undermine its authority, “…do not go by the sacred text...” Why not go by the sacred text?  Because the sacred text says so.  This is self-defeating logic.   It really shows that he has no authority at all except his own opinions.  He can pick and choose anything that is right in his own eyes. 

The real problem here is not finding a suitable interpretation or even adhering strictly to the letter of the Pali Canon.  The problem is that the source itself is defective and incapable of giving answers to people’s deepest spiritual needs.  Looking beyond the unreliable history of the Pali Canon, the more important question to ask is, “Did the Buddha have authority to teach on spiritual subjects in the first place?”  Being only a man (with very limited knowledge), and currently a dead man, he is woefully underqualified to give advice on any ultimate topics (e.g. where will you spend eternity?  What is your purpose in life?  Where did you come from?). 

In fact the Buddha often took people’s attention off of these important topics only to focus their attention on temporal rather than eternal topics.  Of course modern monks who seek for reform have no greater claim to authority than did the Buddha.  Only God who knows everything, and who has power over death, and who created and owns the world, has the authority necessary to teach people spiritual truths.  Here are two stories which show some of the exaggeration used in the Pali Canon...

In the Vinaya of the Pali Canon, an incredible story is told to explain why candidates for the monkhood must be asked whether or not they are a human being.  According to this story a naga (a giant snake, like the one which supposedly shielded the Buddha from rain with its cobra-like hood), changed its form to look like a human and became a monk:

“Then one day, that other monk got up at night, toward dawn, and stepped outside to practice walking meditation.  The naga, feeling certain that his cellmate had gone off, fell asleep, and in his sleep he took on his natural form.  His snake’s body filled the whole room, and his coils came out through the windows.  Then, his roommate, thinking he would go back inside the cell, opened the door and saw the whole room filled with snake….Terrified at the sight, he screamed.”  (Strong, 1995; P. 62)   

Another incredible phenomenon in the Pali Canon, which is supposed to be in existence even now (more specifically- “as long as the world lasts”)- is a roofless house, which never takes in rain:

“…there is a story in the Majjhima-Nikaya (Middle Length Sayings) of some monks who ‘borrowed’ the roof of a potter’s house for the repair of their monastery.  But rather than being angry at this appropriation of their roof, the potter and his blind parents were suffused with ineffable joy for 7 days.  Then in accordance with the law of Cause and Effect a strange phenomenon come into being.  Drench the whole village or the whole country by immense rainfall, but not a single drop of rain fallls into this roofless house.  And it is ordained that this site of Gati Kara’s house be in such state as long as the world lasts.” (King, 121)

The author goes on to make a contemporary application of the above account:

“This place must be somewhere in the vicinity of the eternal town of Benares.  The Indian Government should find out, especially Mr. Nehru who seems to venerate Buddhism.  It is an easy task.  Within a radius say of a hundred miles around Benares each and every headman of the village tracts can enquire minutely and try to seek for this marvelous place.  Once it is found the impact of Buddhism upon humanity will be enormous and the tourist income of India will be magnificent.” (King, 121)

Another example of historical inaccuracy is the Milindapanha (the debate of king Milinda), which the Burmese consider to be canonical.  Hinuber writes, “Although Menandros is a historical personality, Mil [Milindapanha] is an ahistorical text:  Milinda talks to the six heretics, who were contemporaries of the Buddha (!)” (83).  Menandros was separated in history from the Buddha by over 250 years.  For more examples of historical inaccuracies, please see appendix 1, regarding King Asoka.

On the other hand, take someone like Luke, whose accounts in the Bible are verified even after intense historical and archeological examination by those hostile to the accounts.  A semi-technical book on this is Colin Hemer’s book… “Acts in a Setting of Hellenic History.”  The so called history of Buddhist Scriptures is filled with inaccuracies.  The Pali Canon contains large sections of legend.  Since these scriptures did not get it right when it comes to physical reports of “the way things are,” then why in the world would anyone want to trust them when it comes to their eternal soul?  An eternal soul is also denied in the Buddhist Scriptures, but it shouldn’t be too surprising to find spiritual inaccuracies present in a book that has historical inaccuracies.  Sadly and ironically, instead of this lack of authority in their scriptures, making Buddhists search for God, they tend to depend more on themselves- the very thing which according to their own teachings is non-enduring and ever changing.

2. Being One’s Own Refuge

The lack of historical correlation in the Pali Canon is recognized by some Buddhists and thus the Buddhist scriptures are de-emphasized.  With this lack of emphasis on the scriptures, more emphasis is placed on self instead.  Instead of solving the problem though, this only moves the problem from one unreliable foundation to an equally weak foundation, considering the concept of anatta (no soul). Walpola Rahula, in “What the Buddha Taught” writes, “…the Buddha denied categorically, in unequivocal terms, in more than one place, the existence of Atman, Soul, Self, or Ego within man or without, or anywhere else in the universe.” (Rahula, 56-57). 

The three traditional refuges in Buddhism are the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.  The whole idea of going to a refuge presupposes needing help outside of ourselves.  It presupposes a person is limited and finite and needs a refuge which is infinite and reliable.  All three of the traditional refuges are flawed, but to make matters worse, a fourth refuge is proposed, which is SELF.  A teaching in the Dhammapada of the Pali Canon (in the Jataka of Kumarakassapa’s mother), brings “self” to the foreground:  “Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, those who depend on others cannot attain any progress or development in life, therefore one is one’s own refuge or master, no one else can be our refuge.”

http://www.buddhapadipa.org/plinks/MHAR-6ELBY2

The three refuges are put into perspective with this Jataka exposition.  “Self” is highlighted as a supremely important refuge.  But, in the end, all four refuges are unreliable:

1. To take refuge in the Dhamma (the teachings) is really by and large to take refuge in one’s self, as this is the direction the teachings point to.  But, we’ve seen the teachings to be historically unreliable, and the teachings are contradictory in saying, “do not go by the sacred text” (A.I,188).  If one disregarded this admonition, and went by the sacred text, then in going by the sacred text one would have to again not go by it!  Many Buddhists today do not see the Buddhist texts as being transcendent and unalterably authoritative, but rather as something that can be modified according to modern opinions of people (reliance on self more than on scriptures).
2. To take refuge in the Buddha is to take refuge in a dead man no longer present to offer any help. Even his biography is not helpful, because it is filled with legends and unreliable history.
3. To take refuge in the Sangha (the community of monks), is to depend on impermanent and ever changing (anicca), non- enduring selves (anatta) who have their own suffering (dukkha) to deal with. Also, in the Jataka tale above, it was said, “those who depend on others cannot attain any progress or development in life,” which would include depending on the Sangha.
4. To take refuge in one’s self is just the finite taking refuge in the finite. It does not solve the problem of getting a person beyond their own limitations.  In one breath self is derided (anatta) and in the next it is made into a refuge.

Is any person truly independent?  Or, to put it another way, is any self truly dependable?  Can anyone say they have received nothing from other people, and nothing from God?  How could any person truly and consistently live out the slogan “one is one’s own refuge”? 

Let’s take for example a tailor who for some reason took this as his slogan.  He would have to make all of his own clothes to begin with.  He could not wear anything that another made or bought for him.  But, even then he could not use any threads or cloth which he did not himself harvest from the cotton fields or silkworm farm, etc.  And, he could not use any scissors or sewing machines, unless he himself had made these.  And, he could not make any sewing instruments unless he himself had mined and smelted the iron ore for that purpose.  But, how would he mine the iron ore without using equipment made by others?  Then, our hypothetical tailor could not eat anything, unless he himself had planted and cooked these.  And, with what could he cook except with instruments he himself had made.  And, where would he live, except in a house he himself had made. 

If this poor fellow was beginning to feel the extreme demands of his time and labors in separating himself from all human dependence, perhaps he would then wish to go and live in the forest.  But, even there he would have to come to the realization that he is not at all independent or sufficient to be his own refuge.  In the forest (as also in the city) he would need to depend on the many things God has created- the plants for food, and trees for shelter, the water to sustain his life, etc.  He could not even eat without using the mouth God gave him or make anything without using the hands and feet God gave him.  Likewise he could not think or make choices without using the brain and soul which God gave him.  No matter how much he wanted to be his own refuge, he would need to face the fact that his own limitations do not allow him to be his own refuge in any ultimate or even temporal sense. 

3. The Unfilled Void in the Human Heart

To find a Buddhist who is content with only Buddhism, is a rare thing, even in a Buddhist country.  Most people who consider themselves to be Buddhists in good standing, supplement their Buddhism with all kinds of non-canonical items. 

In Thailand, the mythological Garuda Bird is used on money and official documents as a type of national protector (the Garuda bird is derived from Hindu mythology, but is also used in Buddhist mythology).  The Naga snakes are a type of protector of the Buddha (such as the time when he supposedly sat on the coils of one, with its cobra-like hood sheltering him from the rain- and giant Naga snake sculptures can be seen ominously bedecking many Buddhist temples).  In this mythology, the Naga snakes are the enemy of the Garuda birds, which is also shown on the democracy monument in Bangkok, Thailand.  So, oddly enough, the protector of Thailand is the enemy of the protector of Buddhism.       

By telling people that they need not concern themselves about God, it is as though the Buddha had said thinking is not important.  It’s something that is innate to every human being, because God created us with this hunger to know and worship God.  But, in replacing this hunger with other things, the search goes on unsatisfied.  It’s like somebody telling a bird that flying is not important and then clipping the wings of these birds.  In the next generation of birds, the wings would grow to be normal wings, but in the environment of saying “flying is not important,” the birds would use their wings in the dirt, not for flying.  They would still “hunger” to fly though.  Just as birds were made to fly, people were made to love and worship God.  Buddhism does not fill the need in the human heart to know their Creator, and so the search goes on.  Unfortunately though it’s become a search for personal prosperity instead of a search for truth and righteousness, which would lead to God.

Richard S. Ehrlich in a 2007 article, wrote…

“Jatukam amulet sales may have reached 500 million U.S. dollars during the past two years, according to economists…More than 100 versions of the Jatukam amulet now appear in shops throughout Thailand, and competition among sellers is fierce. Some versions include tempting names, such as the expensive "Arch-Millionaire" and "Money Pouring In" series.

(http://www.globalpolitician.com/22711-thailand)

Some temples got so taken by covetousness that they made big investments in amulets on loan, and when the demand dropped off, they ended up in major debt.  That’s rather ironic.  One would think that having storehouses full of "Arch-Millionaire" and "Money Pouring In" mystical medallions would guarantee riches.  Not so.  Instead of seeking the God of truth, people sought any so called god or power which promised to fulfill their desires.  This attitude of seeking any god that “works” is at the heart of the problem.  Art Katz identified the problem of the human heart when he said that idolatry is “self- serving,” rather than “God- honoring.”     

The classic Buddhist analogy about the issue of our origin and the issue of what is important to focus on, is the man who was shot with an arrow.  That man does not worry about where the arrow came from, who shot it, what kind of bow it was shot from, etc., but instead focuses on getting the arrow out!  So it is said that humans need not worry about the beginning of the world or the destination of the Buddha and other “metaphysical questions.”  But, unfortunately, by relegating God to the sidelines, the true source of (everlasting) relief is also missed.  God is overlooked and rejected, like a wounded man telling the doctor to go away.  

Buddhist relics have become a major focus for many Buddhists.  In this day of DNA testing, it would be interesting to see if all of the relics even have the same DNA.  Why haven’t such tests been done or published?  And, why is it important to have relics at all?  The Buddha was just a human and attachment to material objects is considered a hindrance.  Obviously it is a non-Buddhist practice that is nonetheless being practiced by Buddhists.  The reason for this is clear.  The void in the human heart has not been filled, and the search for spirituality continues through various expressions.  Unfortunately the one true answer has been eliminated from consideration.

Many Buddhist communities claim to have bone fragments from the Buddha and several even claim to have a tooth of his.  They wanted the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth.  But, can they handle the tooth?  Please forgive the puns.  In relegating God to the sidelines, creation (in this case a tooth) is focused on instead of the Creator.  Instead of seeking out one of Buddha’s 40 teeth (according to the Pali Canon, the Buddha had 40 teeth as a baby), or even revering such a tooth, glory should be given to God.  Following after relics, and eliminating God from consideration will lead only to gnashing of teeth:  “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. “ (Luke 13: 28)

4. Morality Without an Anchor

There are a variety of philosophies have promote self.  Some basically say:  “Focus on self and do whatever you want,” or “Focus on self and obey the dictator.”  Buddhism is different in that it basically says “Focus on self- effort and do good.”  But, it is the same in that it has no transcendent authority which defines “good,” and no transcendent authority to decide that self should be the focus.  In other words, in all of these philosophies, any assertions that are made could be countered with the question, “Says Who?”  In a speech in Munich, Adolf Hitler put the emphasis squarely on self-effort:

"In ourselves alone lies the future of the German people. Only when we ourselves raise up our German people, through our own labor, our own industry, our own determination, our own daring and our own perseverance, only then shall we rise again." http://www.earthstation1.com/Hitler.html

We all know where his focus on self led- to the death of about 6 million Jews and more than 6 million casualties in the wars he started.

Buddhism has a similar, though different, emphasis on self, saying that “One is one’s own refuge.”  In 1950, the not yet prime minister of Ceylon, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, declared before the World Fellowship of Buddhists that man is free to decide for himself regarding what is right and wrong, without reference to God's will…

The Buddha preached that ultimate freedom of man when the human mind need not be subject even to the will of God, and man was free to decide for himself what was right or wrong… (Swearer, 117)

With a philosophy like this, he should not have been surprised that three years after being elected as prime minister, someone did decide for himself what was right by shooting and fatally wounding him (he was elected in 1956 and assassinated in 1959).  That someone was not a Hindu Tamil, whom his government had marginalized, but a fellow Buddhist, who was a monk.  He simply followed Bandaranaike’s advice and decided for himself.  And where did “ultimate freedom” lead to for Ceylon (called Sri Lanka since 1972)?  In the article, "No middle way for Sri Lanka's militant monks", written in 2007, it is plain that the Buddhist monks there are still not opposed to the use of violence:

As the war that has ravaged Sri Lanka for 25 years enters a new and terrible phase, Rathana and his fellow hardline monks are urging President Mahinda Rajapaksa to keep the promise on which he came to power in late 2005:  to crush the Tigers with military force.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/06/15/1181414556706.html?page=fullpage

The causes of this civil war began in the days of Bandaranaike's government when they marginalized the Hindu Tamils and other minorities:

His [Bandaranaike's] espousal of a Buddhist civic religion, however, contributed to a Sinhalese Buddhist chauvinism that exacerbated the communal conflict between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority populations on the island.  In 1983 the conflict erupted into a still unresolved fratricidal conflict.  (Swearer, 117-118)

Historically, the conflict goes back even further to the days of Dutthagamini, who sought the overthrow of the non-Buddhist Tamils from Ceylon in 101 BC.   "Dutthagamini placed a relic of the Buddha in his spear and claimed that his struggle was not for his own advantage but for the promotion of the religion." (see Dhammika’s book in website references).  Even the Buddhist monks who came with Dutthagamini were "...encouraged to put aside their robes and join the fighting and several who were on the verge of becoming arahats did just that." (see Dhammika’s book in website references).

Buddhism does not usually advocate violence or immorality per se, but it does create a vacuum in people, where the anchor is cast off, and “self” becomes the center.  In fact, the well known Thai Buddhist scholar P.A. Payutto has said, ”No matter where Buddhism spreads to, or how distorted the teaching becomes, this emphasis on human endeavor never varies. If this one principle is missing, we can confidently say that it is no longer Buddhism.” (38). 

In “The Basic Points Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna is an important Buddhist ecumenical statement created in 1967 during the First Congress of the World Buddhist Sangha Council (WBSC).”  Point number 3 makes it clear that Buddhist doctrine does not include a Creator God:  “We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God.”  In 1981 this was revised to say, “Whether Theravāda or Mahāyāna, we do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a god at his will.”  In the 1981 statement it was also said:

“…everything is relative, interdependent and interrelated and nothing is absolute, permanent and everlasting in this universe. We understand, according to the teaching of the Buddha, that all conditioned things (samkhara) are impermanent (anicca) and imperfect and unsatisfactory (dukkha), and all conditioned and unconditioned things (dhamma) are without self (anatta).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Points_Unifying_the_Therav%C4%81da_and_the_Mah%C4%81y%C4%81na

In saying that, “…nothing is absolute, permanent and everlasting in this universe,” it leaves a pretty weak foundation on which to build any system of morality.  The origin of the universe is one of the questions the Buddha left unanswered.  But, the Pali Canon mocks the idea of an absolute, permanent, everlasting, and personal Creator God.  Thus, we have an interesting predicament.  In our world we have personal beings, but no admission is made of a personal beginning of our universe.  Can something personal come from something impersonal?  Take a rock for example.  A rock is impersonal.  Can a personal being come from this impersonal rock?

Furthermore, morality is personal (rocks don’t have morality), and yet karma is said to be an impersonal force.  John Jones sums up the dilemma:

“The morality of karmic consequences seems to call in question the strictly impersonal nature of karmic processes since, if these are moral processes, the only type of morality for which we have empirical evidence is that associated with personality.  There is thus a tension between the impersonal and the moral attributes of karma” (Jones, 37). 

How can personal morality come from an impersonal beginning?  This is the same predicament atheists have.  Of course an atheist or a Buddhist can choose to be good.  But, just as easily, an atheist can choose to be a villain.  Without God, these are just opinions.  The question is not “CAN an atheist be ethical?”, but “SHOULD an atheist be ethical?”  Without God, an atheist is just a set of chemicals and any “SHOULDS” are just opinions.

In Thailand, there are 2-3 times as many prostitutes as there are Buddhist monks (about 800,000 to 1,000,000 prostitutes, and about 300,000- 400,000 monks), and yet this is a nation that is supposed to be 95% Buddhist- many of the prostitutes still considering themselves Buddhists.  Regarding the monks of Thailand, Dhammika wrote,”A study released in 2002 showed that the leading cause of death amongst Thai monks was smoking related illnesses.”  This is ironic for a religion which teaches in the Four Noble Truths, that desire must be eliminated.  Smoking is a prime example of something which operates on “desire.”  The point here is not that there are Buddhists who live inconsistently with Buddhism.  There are Christians and people of other religions which live inconsistently, to their teachings. 

The point I want to make is that Buddhist teachings themselves unintentionally lead to this kind of result.  Focusing on self in a supposed impersonal system of karma and with the outlook of many future rebirths, it’s not surprising that many people adopt a procrastinating attitude and a practical philosophy of just taking care of immediate needs or wants.  And, in the midst of the impersonal system people still hunger for personal contact with the spiritual world.  Unfortunately, this leads many times to idolatry.  Idolatry ironically though reinforces an impersonal way of dealing with things.  Idolatry is likened to prostitution in the Bible.  Prostitution is the taking of something very personal and turning it into just a business deal of two people using each other.  Idolatry also promotes just using rather than a personal relationship.  In the end it’s a lose-lose situation, because the personal God of the Bible was not sought out:  “My people seek advice from their wooden idols, and their rod declares to them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to go astray, and they have gone lusting away from under their God. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because its shade is good. So your daughters shall be harlots, and your brides shall commit adultery.”   (Hosea 4: 12- 13)

This does not mean that Buddhism must be reformed.  Dhammika in spite of his devastating critique of Theravada Buddhism, wants to bring reform to Buddhism.  He does not see that his efforts at reform are just as limited as were those of the Buddha.  Even if he could bring modern Buddhism up to the standard of the Buddha himself or even beyond that, the whole system would still be based in human opinions, and would lack any absolute authority.  He may succeed in bringing about a reform which he is pleased with, but disregarding God’s ways, this effort would eventually display all the limitations of the present Buddhism.    

We cannot just decide for ourselves what is right or wrong as the former prime minister of Ceylon declared.  Sometimes the laws of the land themselves are immoral, such as some of the laws in Germany during Hitler’s regime.  In this case the country’s laws are acting like a renegade policeman, promoting immoral/optional things or prohibiting moral things.  Buddhism itself is like a renegade policeman, because it is making up its own rules without having the authority to do so.   

The conclusions which Buddhist ethics reach are not always so innocent.  For an interesting example of some unethical things espoused by Tibetan Buddhism, here are eight poignant questions to the Dalai Lama:  www.trimondi.de/EN/deba03.html

Any system which disregards God, must ultimately rest its morality on human opinion alone.  This is the predicament of Buddhism.  Many teachers may espouse lofty and humanitarian ideals, but these are only opinions with no authority to back them up.  Other teachers, because of this lack of authority don’t bother to emphasize morality, at least not an absolute one:

“Although he stressed the necessity of the formalities of Zen practice, [Shunryu] Suzuki-roshi declined to establish an ethical code for his students, on the rationale that ethics were relative to culture.  Such a code, he said, would have to be developed gradually over time through trial and error…his general ethical relativism had an obvious appeal to the generation that had pushed through the revolution in American sexual mores.” (Robinson, 304)

Just as this teacher of Zen Buddhism did, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher also downplayed the importance of morality:

“Trungpa viewed ethical norms as part of the ‘bureaucracy of the ego’ that meditation was intended to overthrow….Trungpa’s writings…were quite popular, and his frank rejection of ethical norms notorious.” (Robinson, 304- 5)

In both of the above cases, the results were predictable:

“Suzuki-roshi died in 1971, and Chogyam Trungpa in 1987.  Both had appointed American Dharma heirs shortly after their deaths; both of their heirs quickly became involved in sex scandals and were eventually removed from their appointed organizations.  Soon similar scandals in other Zen, Son, and Tibetan centers, involving Asian as well as American teachers, brought home that these were not isolated instances but part of a general pattern…”  (Robinson, 306)

In spite of teaching that there is no soul (no permanent person to receive the rewards or punishments of their deeds), but that there is rebirth, Sakyamuni Buddha still held to a conviction that the universe is not amoral.  Concerning Buddha’s conviction that this is a moral universe, Jones concludes:  “He could not claim that this conviction had a sound basis in the rational, analytical part of his teaching; indeed, it would seem to me not too strong to say that there is a hopelessly irreconcilable contradiction between the two” (Jones, 36). 

Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer wrote, “If you begin with an impersonal, no matter how you phrase that impersonal, there is no meaning for morals.”  (37).  Also, taking Plato as an example, Schaeffer wrote:

“We must understand at this point that Plato was absolutely right.  He held that unless you have absolutes you have no morals.  Here is the complete answer to Plato’s dilemma, he spent his time trying to find a place to root his absolutes, but he was never able to do so because his gods were not enough.  But here is the infinite-personal God who has a character from which all evil is excluded and so His character is the moral absolute of the universe.” (42)

Plato’s situation was similar to that of the Buddha.  The Buddha rejected the absolute and personal God and thus could not justify his conviction of there being such a thing as morals.  Impersonal karma cannot account for personal morality.  Buddhists have to place a lot of faith in the finite conclusions of the Buddha who said there is such a thing as karma which functions unchangingly and absolutely.  How could the Buddha, being finite and using his non-self, impermanent, non-absolute mind to reach these conclusions- be sure that his conclusions are absolute? 

Buddhists must place their faith in one man’s conclusions, which are sometimes supplemented by the equally non absolute, subjective, and mystical conclusions of meditation.  If someone meditates and “discovers” that they are the true heir (in a supposed past life) to an unclaimed piece of property, would any court of law accept this meditative revelation as evidence?  That meditation is on the same par with dreams and of course would not be accepted as legal evidence.  Buddhists must go by faith, without evidence to support their claims about the way things are.        

The world we live in is amazingly fitted to correspond to itself in a way that does not come about just by a random, impersonal beginning.  Trees and plants put out oxygen and take in carbon dioxide.  Humans and animals do just the opposite.  Our stomachs are able to digest and use the food we find all around us.  We have eyes, and we also have the corresponding light needed to use these.  The migration instincts of birds correspond to the way the geography of our world is laid out.  We also have a sense of morality which is built in to our human make-up, which evolution or an impersonal beginning cannot explain.  Human morality is different from what we see in the animal world.  Animals don’t have police or courtrooms or prisons.  It would be absurd to try to enforce morality on animals.  It would be equally absurd to let go of all morals among humans.  We were made as moral beings.

In reading various articles from Buddhist journals, websites and books, there are a variety of theories of ethics which are proposed for Buddhism.  The trouble with all of these though is that they cannot be metaphysically anchored (in a consistent and reasonable manner).  Buddhists can propose a variety of systems for being good, but ultimately what defines good in these systems is just human opinion.  Personal morality cannot come from an impersonal force.  Instead, Buddhists, who are personal beings have made up their own morality.  This does not carry with it any ultimate authority though, and it does not take into account our Creator who does have authority to teach us what is good.   

5. Going Astray from Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11).  There are many wrong ways a sheep can go to get lost. To be in the fold one must have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  In what ways do Buddhists go astray from God’s ways?

To begin with, Buddhists do not love God:  “Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  (Matthew 22: 37- 40)

Also, Buddhists do not have faith or trust in God:  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11: 6)  This faith is based on evidence God has given us, not a blind faith.

In eliminating God from consideration, Buddhists do not give proper respect to God:  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”  (Proverbs 9: 10).  Instead of fearing God, many Buddhists end up living in fear of ghosts and in bondage trying to appease various spirits.

By being one’s own refuge, a Buddhist leaves no room for humble dependence on God:  “…God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.”  (James 4: 6). “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”  (Matthew 18: 3).

Instead of glorifying God, Buddhists follow vain imaginations by glorifying meditation and imagined previous lives:  “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…”  (Romans 1:  21-22) 

“And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17: 3)  Knowing God is the goal.  This is personal.

God did not call people to have a spiritual adventure by use of their minds.  The prescriptions of some quack doctors can result in apparent success for a while.  Even if quacks prescribe something reasonable it doesn’t mean they are valid doctors.  The Buddha did prescribe some reasonable morals, but he also prescribed some things which take people far away from God.  Whether or not meditation leads to an experience is not the point.  The Buddha’s qualifications are sorely lacking.  God calls us not to seek after experience, but to seek a relationship with Him, and obey Him.

What was so wrong with Adam and Eve taking and eating of the fruit that God forbid?  Aside from the obvious sin of disobedience, they also fell for the lie of “seeking knowledge apart from God.”  This is a lie that surfaces in many forms, one example being astrology.  When people turn to the horoscope section of the newspaper, it is a form of divination; seeking knowledge apart from God.  To do this a person must suppress the truth God has already revealed.  The problem is not one of ignorance.  It is not a matter of not knowing the truth, but a matter of not wanting to know the truth.  The attitude of not wanting to know what God has revealed stems from an unwillingness to obey.  Everyone has some knowledge of God, even if that knowledge is only an awareness of His existence.  But, once the knowledge is suppressed people tend to seek out other answers- “knowledge apart from God.”

This is the same lie the Buddha fell for.  Instead of seeking knowledge from God, acknowledging his Creator, he suppressed that truth, and sought knowledge apart from God, through meditation.  Meditation is a form of divination just as astrology or tarot cards are.  The deeper problem with this lie is that it is a manifestation of distrust.  Instead of trusting God and having a relationship with God, the relationship is severed and the serpent’s words are repeated, “Did God really say….?”

The Buddha has given people lies instead of the truth and the result is spiritually tragic:  "Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.  (Ezekiel 13: 22)

Finally, instead of being in the care of a loving Shepherd, Buddhists are left in the presence of the devil, the serpent (the naga serpents which Buddhism exalts, but which really are demons).  

Conclusion

To put it very simply, a dead man can’t help anyone to find the answers to life’s most important questions:  Where did I come from?  Why am I here?  Where will I go when I die?  The Bible can answer these questions.  Jesus Christ is alive.  He has risen from the dead.  Would you like to make peace with your Creator?  If you do, you can begin by confessing your sins to Him, including the sins of ignoring Him and not giving Him the honor that is due to Him.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1: 9).  God wants each person to believe in Jesus Christ and thus have a personal relationship with God.   

I’ve summarized some of the items covered in this paper with an acronym:  HOODED.  This is the precarious position a Buddhist is in.  Like the Buddha himself it’s as though a giant hooded cobra is perched above their head, because of the inadequate answers to or ignoring of life’s most important questions, like a wounded man telling the doctor to go away.  On the other hand there is the acronym CAMPER which stands for the evidence which a Christian has, which make faith in the Bible a very reasonable and reliable foundation for answering life’s most important questions.  I’ve presented many reasons here, but now the choice is yours.  Will you respond to God’s love?  Will you come to Him humbly?  Will you yield your life to Him, with a child-like faith?  

A little more on the “E” of HOODED (Experience is the subjective test):  In addition to meditation being highly subjective (things “learned” through meditation could not be admitted into a court of law as evidence), meditation also opens up a dangerous door into the spirit world.  The meditator must go into an altered state of consciousness.  In explaining the path to awakening in Buddhism, through meditation, Robinson in his historical introduction to Buddhism, summarizes, “The content of Awakening is thus two-thirds shamanism, ethically transformed, and one-third phenomenology…” (19).  Robinson defines shamanism:  “In the simplest terms, shamanism is the effort to gain knowledge or power from altered states of consciousness.”  (290).

I know someone in Bangkok whose landlord was being taught meditation a few years ago.  One time, as she was doing meditation, a hideous being appeared in front of her.  She was scared and ran out of the room.  Her meditation teacher later told her not to worry about it, but to go back and teach that hideous being the “peaceful” ways of Buddhism.  In that way, the evil spirit deceived her into thinking she was doing some good, when in actuality she was in the presence of an evil deceiver only pretending to learn peace, but keeping her bound in deception.  The Pali Canon gives historically and scientifically inaccurate information as can be seen in this article and in my previous article.  Thus, to trust its instructions in the spiritual realm would be just as misleading.  Meditation opens up a person at their deepest level to be led not by accurate and objective truths, but rather to be led by subjective experiences away from the God who loves them.

Shravasti Dhammika in talking about meditation in Sri Lanka, writes:

“…the meditators walk around looking like the long-term inmates of a psychiatric hospital.  Indeed it is not unknown that some people who spend time in these meditation centers end up having serious mental problems.  A joke circulating in certain circles in Sri Lanka in the 1990’s went ‘One month in Kanduboda, six months in Angoda,’  Kanduboda being a well-known meditation center in Colombo and Angoda being the city’s main mental asylum.”

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/brokenbuddhanew.pdf

http://patokallio.name/photo/travel/Thailand/NongKhai/Buddha_Naga2.JPG

HOODED:  The Buddha covered by the hood of a giant seven headed serpent.  In the Pali Canon, it doesn’t say there were seven heads, but it says it was for seven days and seven coils. (Muccalinda Sutta in the Udana of the Pali Canon)

Here is the canonical account of the Buddha and the naga:

“Then Mucalinda the naga-king left his dwelling place and having encircled the Lord's body seven times with his coils, he stood with his great hood spread over the Lord's head (thinking) to protect the Lord from cold and heat, from gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and the touch of creeping things.  At the end of those seven days the Lord emerged from that concentration. Then Mucalinda the naga-king, seeing that the sky had cleared and the rain clouds had gone, removed his coils from the Lord's body. Changing his own appearance and assuming the appearance of a youth, he stood in front of the Lord with his hands folded together venerating him.”

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.2.01.irel.html

To sum up what I’ve written in my previous article and in this article, the Buddhist is left with a faulty map in hand, told to depend on self, which is undependable, and has a hooded snake hovering above head!  May I introduce you to Jesus Christ, instead?

In writing about the archeological evidence that supports the Bible account, Mark Cahill says,” There have been over 25,000 archeological finds that provide support regarding people, their titles, and their locations mentioned in the Bible.  Nelson Glueck, the renowned Jewish archaeologist, wrote:  ‘It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference’” (Cahill, 65)

“Lionel Luckhoo (1914-1997) was a famous lawyer and later an evangelist, whom the Guinness Book of World Records lists as having had the most successive acquittals in murder trials, with 245  …He said, "I have spent more than 42 years as a defense trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt."

http://www.conservapedia.com/Lionel_Luckhoo

Jesus Christ was God Almighty in the flesh.  Jesus is the Creator of the universe.  He lived among us for 33 years, did miracles, healed people, cast out demons, taught with authority, was crucified, laid in a tomb, and then rose from the dead on the third day.  His disciples were willing to testify to His resurrection with their own spilled blood.  Hundreds of prophecies preceded Jesus’ ministry and were fulfilled by Him.  Most of these prophecies were given even before the Buddha was born.  Jesus Christ is not a dead man like other religious leaders, but rather is alive.  He is the only one who has the authority to cleanse us of our sins and receive us into heaven.  But, to reject Him is to reject the truth in favor of lies.  Do you love the truth?  Are you willing to follow Jesus Christ at any cost?  Although salvation is offered freely, there is a certain cost for yielding to God to let Him be the Lord of our lives, but there is a greater cost for keeping “self” as Lord.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

CAMPER:  “By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of the same promise with him.” (Hebrews 11: 19)

http://vormedia.com/

Appendix 1:  King Asoka

King Asoka is often referred to in Buddhist writings as a promoter of Buddhism and is sometimes idealized as a great benevolent king.  It is as though, with the lack of authority in the Pali Canon, and the lack of authority for anchoring the Buddhist system of morals in an impersonal universe, this king is pointed to in order to somehow substantiate or with his kingly authority to give credibility to the Buddhist way.  But, in hungering for the personal and the ultimate, instead of exalting God, a mere man has been exalted, who cannot satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart.  In addition to that, the historical records regarding Asoka further show the lack of reliability in Buddhist writings. 

There are two main sources in addition to the Edicts.  The Sanskrit Asokavadana which is Hinayanist (but non-Theravadin) was likely compiled in the second century AD in Northwest India (Strong, 1989.  Pp. xi-xii).  The Pali Mahavamsa on the other hand was compiled sometime in the fifth century AD in Sri Lanka.  To what extent either of these works was based on earlier notes is unknown.  Both the Asokavadana and the Mahavamsa relate the story of King Asoka, but with great variations.

Here are some of these differences:

“In the Asokavadana, Asoka is said to have been born one hundred years after the parinirvana of the Buddha; in the Mahavamsa, however, he is said to have been consecrated king 218 years after the parinirvana.” (Strong, 1989. P. 21).

According to the Asokavadana, even after Asoka’s conversion he still retains his penchant for killing…

“…Asoka shows no mercy toward Candargirika, his former executioner-in-chief, and has him tortured to death.  Or again, later on, he flies into a fury and has eighteen thousand heretics [Ajivikas] killed…and then launches a veritable pogrom against the Jains, setting a bounty on the head of any heretic.  Still later, he announces with relish all the tortures he is going to inflict on his wife Tisyaraksita, and carries through with her execution…” (Strong, 1989. P. 41)

On the other hand, “As one might expect, in the Sinhalese chronicle [the Mahavamsa], most of the negative side of Asoka’s personality has been dropped.”  (Strong, 1989. P. 67)  It is not because the Mahavamsa is completely opposed to bloodshed though that this is the case. 

When the Mahavamsa relates how Buddhist Prince Dutthagamini overthrew the non-Buddhist Tamil government, in 101 BC, the Mahavamsa records how Duttagamini killed one million Tamils, with monks accompanying the troops into battle.  According to Dhammika, “Eight arahats assured him that he had made very little bad kamma because he had only killed passim, i.e. animals; nonbelievers being no more than animals.  Again, by any standards Duttagamani’s struggle would qualify as a religious war.” (see Dhammika website in references).  From the makers of Mahavamsa we also have the incredible story of a queen who had “children” by cohabiting with a lion. (http://hettiarachchi.tripod.com/dipa.html) Is this history?  In Buddhism people are often subdued by fantasy rather than empowered by truth.

Coming back to Asoka, some of his inscriptions (if they are his) are also in contradiction to him killing heretics:  “he [Asoka] even donated artificial caves in the Barabar Hills, near modern Gaya, to the Ajivikas, opponents of the Buddhists.” (Basham, 468)  Referring to the third council (organized by Asoka- according to the Pali Mahavamsa, but which is not a well substantiated council, since the Sanskrit Asokavadana does not even mention it)- Asoka supposedly had all of the non-Theravadin heretic monks (no less than 60,000) ousted from the sangha. 

Concerning Asoka’s Edicts, the first one to be translated in modern times was in 1837.  In these edicts, the king usually refers to himself as "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadassi."  There are six edicts which mention something about Buddhism in a favorable light, and three inscriptions which mention the Ajivika religion in a favorable light.  Out of the six Buddhist inscriptions two are highly suspect (the Rummindei and Nigalisagar inscriptions), having been brought to light by a known con artist (Dr Alois Anton Fuhrer)…

http://www.lumkap.org.uk/Lumbini%20On%20Trial.htm#p1

One of these inscriptions (the schism edict) does not mention Buddhism, but “the order.”  Most Buddhists have assumed this means the Buddhist Order.  The 7^th Pillar Edict mentions Buddhism as one among many religions receiving attention: 

“My officers of Dhamma are busy in many matters of public benefit, they are busy among members of all sects, both ascetics and householders. I have appointed some to concern themselves with the Buddhist Order, with brahmans and Ajivikas, with the Jainas .... and with various sects. There are many categories of officers with a variety of duties, but my officers of Dhamma are busy with the affairs of these and other sects.”

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/asoka1b.html#Nigalisag

So, that leaves only 2 out of 33 inscriptions which clearly refer to Asoka’s personal faith in Buddhism (the Maski and Bhabra inscriptions).  It was not until 1915 that the Maski inscription was found with the name “Asoka.”  This is the only edict containing the name “Asoka.” 

The picture of Asoka’s life is quite different depending on whether we consult the Mahavamsa, the Asokavadana, or the Edicts.  In the Edicts, Asoka (?) mentions heaven three times, but never Nirvana.  He also does not mention the Four Noble truths.  His attitude in the edicts is ecumenical rather than sectarian.  We have three contradictory pictures of Asoka’s life.

References

Basham, A.L. In Eliade, M. (Ed.).  (1987).  The Encyclopedia of Religion.  New York:  MacMillan Publishing Company.

Cahill, M. (2005).  One Heartbeat Away:  Your Journey Into Eternity.  Rockwall: BDM Publishing.

Frasch, T. (2004). Notes on Dipavamsa:  An early publication by U Pe Maung Tin.  In The Journal of Burma Studies.  DeKalb:  Southeast Asia Publications. 

1. Hinuber, Oskar. (1996). A Handbook of Pali Literature.  Berlin:  Walter de Gruyter.

Jones, J.G.  (1979).  Tales and Teachings of the Buddha:  The Jataka Stories in relation to the Pali Canon.  London: George Allen & Unwin.

King, W.L.  (1989).  A Thousand Lives Away:  Buddhism in contemporary Burma.  Berkeley:  Asian Humanities Press.

Ling, Trevor. (1979).  Buddhism, Imperialism and War.  London:  George Allen & Unwin.

Payutto, P.A.  (1998).  Toward Sustainable Science.  Bangkok:  Buddhadhamma Foundation.

Rahula, W.  (1999).  What the Buddha Taught.  Bangkok:  Haw Trai Foundation.

Robinson, R.H., Johnson, W.L., Wawrytko, S.A., & DeGraff, G.  (1997).  The Buddhist Religion:  A Historical Introduction.  Belmont:  Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Schaeffer, F.  (1972).  He Is There And He Is Not Silent.  London:  Hodder and Stoughton.

Strong, J.S.  (1995).  The Experience of Buddhism:  Sources and Interpretations.  Belmont:  Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Strong, J.S.  (1989).  The Legend of King Asoka:  A Study and Translation of the Asokavadana.  Princeton:  Princeton University Press. 

Swearer, D.K. (1995).  The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia.  Albany: State University of New York Press.

Veidlinger, D.M. (2006).  Spreading the Dhamma:  Writing, Orality and Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand.  Bangkok:  O.S. Printing House.

Websites

Asoka’s Edicts…

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/asoka1b.html#Nigalisag

Shravasti Dhammika’s book…

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/brokenbuddhanew.pdf

Concerning Dr Alois Anton Fuhrer…

http://www.lumkap.org.uk/Lumbini%20On%20Trial.htm#p1

Mahavamsa lion legend…

http://hettiarachchi.tripod.com/dipa.html

Sri Lanka's Civil War...

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/06/15/1181414556706.html?page=fullpage

By Scott Noble (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) June 14, 2012

False Prophets

It does not matter if people predict something in the Name of the Lord because they are inspired by a demon, or if they do it by the futility of their own mind. Either way, a false prophet is a false prophet.

And you may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?” When a prophet speaks in the Name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing, which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.(Dt 18:21-22)

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says theLord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth…’” (Jer 28:15-16)

Hananiah predicted things that did not happen.

Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in my Name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.” (Jer 14:14)

These false prophets were deceived by what was in their own mind.

There were a lot of false prophets running around in Jeremiah's day, but even after their prophecies were proven to be false, people continued to follow them:

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and my people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? (Jer 5:31)

It does not say they are not His people, nor that they are not prophets, but He does say that they prophesy falsely and the people love it so.

Now, when Jesus warned about false prophets in the Last Days, many people think He was talking about the Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormons, the Hare Krishnas, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that the proliferation of these cults is of some prophetic significance, and they are certainly false prophets. But those are not the false prophets Jesus was warning about. He said:

For false christs and false prophets will be raised, and they will give signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible even the elect. (Mark 13:22)

A Prophet Like Moses

The Talmud says that  Deut 18:18 is about the Messiah:

I shall raise up a Prophet to them from among their brothers, like you; and I will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him.

We know that it is about Jesus, who was a prophet like Moses.

Born Under an Oppressive Foreign Rule

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land.” So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh, storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. (Ex 1:8-11)

Moses was born under an oppressive, foreign rule.

Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (Lk 2:1-2)

Jesus was born under an oppressive, foreign rule

Threatened by a Wicked King

Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (Ex 1:15-16)

A wicked king decreed that Moses and the male Jewish children be killed.

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its environs, from two years old and under. (Mt 2:16)

A wicked king decreed that Jesus and the male Jewish children be killed.

The Faith of the Parents

And the woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.(Ex 2:2)

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict. (Heb 11:23)

Moses' life was saved and preserved through the faith of his parents.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy him.” So he got up, took the Child and His mother during the night and left for Egypt. (Mt 2:13-14)

Jesus' life was saved and preserved through the faith of His parents.

Protected in Egypt

And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water." (Ex 2:10)

Moses received protection in Egypt for a time.

And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying "Out of Egypt did I call My Son." (Mt 2:14-15)

Jesus received protection in Egypt for a time.

His Wisdom Not Surpassed

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses… "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us as well?" Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man that was on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:1-3)

There were people trying to compete with Moses because of his wisdom.

And it came about that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and answers. (Lk 2:46-47)

ed to compete with Him, but they could not do it.

Rejected by the Jews

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Ex 32:1)

Moses was rejected for a time by the people of Israel.

But the governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." And Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" They all said, "Let Him be crucified!" (Mt 27:21-22)

Toward the end of His life, Jesus told the Jews: "You shall not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:29)

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Rom 22:25)

Jesus was rejected for a time by the people of Israel.

Accepted by the Gentiles

And he (Moses) went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, "Why are you striking your companion?" But he said, "Who made you a prince or judge over us?" When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian. And Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses . (Ex 2:13, 134, 15, 21)

Moses was rejected by the Jews, but accepted by the Gentiles.

Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear. (Rom 11:20)

I permitted myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek me. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame. Behold, My servants shall shout joyfully with a glad heart, but you shall cry out with a heavy heart, and you shall wail with a broken spirit. And you will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, and the Lord God will slay you. But My servants will be called by another name.” (Is 65:1, 13-15)

Jesus was rejected by the Jews, but accepted by the Gentiles.

Criticized by His Family

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. (Num 12:1)

Moses married a Cushite - a black African woman.

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." (Mk 3:20:21)

Moses was criticized by his family because he took a Gentile wife. Jewish people criticize Jesus because, in figure or in type, He took a mainly Gentile wife, the church. The book of Ruth is read in the synagogues on the day of Pentecost – the story of a Jewish man taking a Gentile wife and a baby who was called “the redeemer” in Bethlehem being born.

Willing to Bear Their Sin

Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!” (Ex 32:31-21)

Moses prayed to God to forgive the sins of his people and Moses was willing to bear the consequences of their sin and their guilt.

But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:34)

For you have been called to this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Pet 2:21-24)

Jesus prayed to God to forgive the sins of His people and He was willing to receive the consequences of their sin and their guilt.

Fasted Forty Days and Nights

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Ex 34:28)

Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights to bring a covenant to God's people.

And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry . (Mt 4:2)

Face to Face with God

Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. (Dt 34:10)

Moses had a face to face relationship with God.

No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (Jn 1:18)

Jesus had a face to face relationship with God.

His Face Shone

.Whenever Moses came out and spoke the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him. (Ex 34:34,35)

When Moses met God face to face, he glowed supernaturally.

And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. (Mt 17:2)

Jesus glowed supernaturally like Moses.

A Voice Was Heard

In Exodus we read that God spoke to Moses directly from heaven and a voice was heard.

And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." (Jn 12:23, 28)

God spoke to Jesus directly from heaven.

Tomb Guarded by an Angel

In the epistle of Jude, verse 9, we read that an angel guarded the tomb of Moses.

And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. The angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen." (Mt 28:2-6)

An angel guarded Jesus' tomb.

Revealed God's Name

Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; And He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you." (Ex 3:13-14)

Moses revealed God's name to God's people.

I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world. And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one even as we are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me. (Jn 17:6, 11, 12)

Jesus revealed God's name to God's people.

Fed the People

When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, as frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” (Ex 16:14-15)

Moses fed God's people in large numbers, supernaturally.

And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up towards heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude, and they all ate and were satisfied. (Mt 14: 19-20)

Jesus fed God's people in large numbers, supernaturally.

Showed Signs and Wonders

Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to per-form in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. (Dt 34:10-12)

Moses did miracles, signs and wonders as no other man before him had ever done.

But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. (Jn 5:36)

The Lord Jesus did works, did signs and wonders, and did miracles, as no one else has ever done

Made a Covenant with Blood

Then he took the book of the covenant and he read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words." (Ex 24:7-8)

Moses went to a mountain, made a covenant with blood and covered God's people with that blood.

And while they were eating Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And, when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." (Mt 2:26-28)

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Heb 9:11-12)

The Lord Jesus went to a mountain, made a covenant with blood and covered His people with that blood.

There were many great men of God in the Old Testament – Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Samuel, David - just to name a few. But there was only one prophet like Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah of Israel.

Now the Lord said to Abram…

(This time “Abram” – not yet “Abraham”.)

“Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai…

…which means “my princess” in Hebrew…

…his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.

Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.

Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister…

…and in fact she was his half-sister…

…so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels. But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.

It Began Before Haran

There were things known by the ancient Jews that were not written down in the Bible in the Old Testament but were later recorded in the New. In Stephen’s apology before his martyrdom in Acts 7 he tells us something about Abraham’s journey that Genesis doesn’t. In Acts 7:2 he says this…

… The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

The book of Acts tells us that God called Abraham in Mesopotamia – Ur of the Chaldees. Genesis picks up the story in Haran much later.

Abraham is the father of all who believe – Jews, Arabs, even Muslims look to Abraham. Arabs call him “Ibrahim”, Jews call him “Abba Abraham” – “father Abraham”. The “father of all who believe” means theologically he’s the prototype. His experiences prefigure what would happen to his progeny, his descendants.

The Typology of Egypt

Understand “coming out of Egypt”. In a famine Abraham goes into Egypt; he dwells there. God judges Pharaoh and Abraham comes out of Egypt and goes into Israel. Later on his descendants, the sons of Jacob, in a famine go into Egypt. God’s judgment comes on Pharaoh – a wicked Pharaoh, and Abraham’s descendants do what Abraham did: they come out of Egypt taking the treasures of Egypt with them into Israel. So what happens to Abraham happens to his biological descendants the Jews.

But then we’re told in 1 Corinthians by Paul it happens to us. Egypt is a figure of the world, the Promised Land is a figure of heaven, and as Moses made a covenant of blood sprinkled it on the people, bringing them through the Red Sea into the Promised Land is the way Jesus brings us out of the world through baptism into heaven. (1 Cor 10) We came out of “Egypt”. Pharaoh’s, of course, a figure of the devil, the god of the world but he’s also a major type of the Antichrist who is to come. So Abraham comes out of Egypt, his descendants the Jews come out of Egypt, and our salvation because he’s the father of all who believe – we come out of Egypt.

Now a lot of people would have a problem, particularly liberal theologians in Matthew 2:15 ….

…“Out of Egypt I called My Son”.

…when King Herod dies. Matthew quotes from the prophet Hosea 11:1, only Hosea is talking about the exodus of the Jews. How does Matthew take something that in its context applies to the Jews in the exodus and say it’s about Jesus?

Well because the Hebrew understanding of prophecy is “pattern”. Abraham comes out of Egypt, the Jews come out of Egypt, we come out of Egypt, and Jesus who’s the seed of Abraham therefore must come out of Egypt. He fits the pattern. God again judges a wicked king – Herod – and in the character of Abraham the seed of Abraham, Jesus, comes out of Egypt. Hebrew prophecy is a pattern. Ultimately the coming out of Egypt is the Rapture and resurrection of the church. Those judgments on Egypt in the book of Exodus are replayed in the book of Revelation: the darkness, the blood, etc. And the way that Pharaoh’s counterfeited the miracles of Moses and Aaron is the way the Antichrist and false prophet will counterfeit the miracles of Jesus and his witnesses.

They brought Joseph’s bones with them out of Egypt into the Promised Land because the dead in Christ rise first; we come out together. It’s a picture of the resurrection. That’s theultimate coming out of Egypt. Hebrew prophecy is always a pattern, multiple fulfillments. But each fulfillment is a “type” or a foreshadow of the final fulfillment. That’s Abraham. His experiences are replayed by the Jews and by believers: we come out of Egypt.

The Typology of Egypt

Understand “coming out of Egypt”. In a famine Abraham goes into Egypt; he dwells there. God judges Pharaoh and Abraham comes out of Egypt and goes into Israel. Later on his descendants, the sons of Jacob, in a famine go into Egypt. God’s judgment comes on Pharaoh – a wicked Pharaoh, and Abraham’s descendants do what Abraham did: they come out of Egypt taking the treasures of Egypt with them into Israel. So what happens to Abraham happens to his biological descendants the Jews.

But then we’re told in 1 Corinthians by Paul it happens to us. Egypt is a figure of the world, the Promised Land is a figure of heaven, and as Moses made a covenant of blood sprinkled it on the people, bringing them through the Red Sea into the Promised Land is the way Jesus brings us out of the world through baptism into heaven. (1 Cor 10) We came out of “Egypt”. Pharaoh’s, of course, a figure of the devil, the god of the world but he’s also a major type of the Antichrist who is to come. So Abraham comes out of Egypt, his descendants the Jews come out of Egypt, and our salvation because he’s the father of all who believe – we come out of Egypt.

Now a lot of people would have a problem, particularly liberal theologians in Matthew 2:15….

…“Out of Egypt I called My Son”.

…when King Herod dies. Matthew quotes from the prophet Hosea  11:1, only Hosea is talking about the exodus of the Jews. How does Matthew take something that in its context applies to the Jews in the exodus and say it’s about Jesus?

Well because the Hebrew understanding of prophecy is “pattern”. Abraham comes out of Egypt, the Jews come out of Egypt, we come out of Egypt, and Jesus who’s the seed of Abraham therefore must come out of Egypt. He fits the pattern. God again judges a wicked king – Herod – and in the character of Abraham the seed of Abraham, Jesus, comes out of Egypt. Hebrew prophecy is a pattern. Ultimately the coming out of Egypt is the Rapture and resurrection of the church. Those judgments on Egypt in the book of Exodus are replayed in the book of Revelation: the darkness, the blood, etc. And the way that Pharaoh’s counterfeited the miracles of Moses and Aaron is the way the Antichrist and false prophet will counterfeit the miracles of Jesus and his witnesses.

They brought Joseph’s bones with them out of Egypt into the Promised Land because the dead in Christ rise first; we come out together. It’s a picture of the resurrection. That’s theultimate coming out of Egypt. Hebrew prophecy is always a pattern, multiple fulfillments. But each fulfillment is a “type” or a foreshadow of the final fulfillment. That’s Abraham. His experiences are replayed by the Jews and by believers: we come out of Egypt.

Promises to Abraham

God gives Abraham five promises:

God’s judgment would have fallen on the United States of America a long time ago except for two reasons: three out of every five dollars spent on missions, evangelism, and charity come from North America; the other reason is America has treated the Jews better than other nations. Holland would be the same. The immorality in Holland is unbelievable but they protected the Jews in the Holocaust. I’m convinced that is the only things that has stayed God’s hand. If you’ve ever been to Amsterdam you wouldn’t believe it.

In any event He will bless those who bless the Jews and He’ll curse those who curse the Jews. When the Nazis took over Germany, if you saw the film Schindler’s List, they built walls around the Jewish shtetls, the ghettos. And any Jew climbing over the wall would be machine gunned. Then what happened? Once the Third Reich collapsed a wall was built around Berlin, the great capital of the Reich, and any German climbing over that wall was machine gunned. And that wall didn’t come down until Hess died in Spandau Prison. Not until the last Nazi responsible for what happened in the 30’s and 40’s was dead did that wall come down.

My grandparents were from Britain. Britannia ruled the waves. If you told my grandparents a time would come when the sun would set every 24 hours on the British Empire they would have laughed at you. Britain revoked the Balfour Declaration after promising the Jews the right to return and Jews went to concentration camps. Even after the war when the holocaust was known to have happened the British put the Jews back into detention camps in Cypress to prevent them from coming to Israel so as not to offend the Muslims. Now the sun sets on the British Empire every 24 hours. I know because I live there.

The Spanish Inquisition. You had the Spanish Main. Spain was the big world power, they were the preeminent ones in the New World until the Inquisition. In 1492 Columbus discovered America, right after that under Ferdinand and Isabella at the behest of the Roman Catholic church the inquisitions begin. It didn’t take too long before Francis Drake sunk the Armada then Britannia ruled the waves. “I’ll bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee.”

Abraham's Children

Now this is not anything to do with the Jews – it’s for the sake of God’s promise to Abraham. And you’ll also find this is true of the church because the believers are also Abraham’s children. Nations that have blessed the church have been blessed and prospered and nations that have persecuted the church have come under God’s judgment. Just look what happened to Eastern Europe.

There’s an almost hypostatic relationship between anti-Semitism and persecution of the believing church because born again believers and Jews are the only two kinds of people the Bible calls “God’s chosen”. (Ps 105:6, 2 Thes 2:13) In Genesis 3:15….

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed…

The “woman” being Israel but by extension and cooperation the church. You’ll find that the two kinds of people that Satan has always hated the most are Jews and born again Christians because they’re the two kinds of people who are descendants of Abraham and who are called “God’s people”.

Who do the Communists hate the most in Russia before the Iron Curtain came down? Jews and born again Christians. Who do the Roman Catholic church persecute the most? Jews and born again Christians. Who do Muslims hate the most? Jews and born again Christians. The Eastern Orthodox Church would be the same. God will bless those who bless Abraham’s descendants, both his biological descendants and his descendants by faith. And He will curse the ones who curse. Those who curse the Jews or who curse the true church touch the apple of God’s eye. (Zech 2:8) But there’s more to it.

A Journey Like Ours

It’s Abraham’s journey. His journey is a journey like ours. The text of Genesis tells us the journey begins here in Haran when his father dies. That’s when he responds to God’s call. But the New Testament tells us that is not when God’s call began. God’s call began here in Ur of the Chaldees.

Ur of the Chaldees was where the tower of Babel had been built, approximately, and it’s where the Babylonian Empire would later arise. Abraham’s father was an idol-monger. We’re told in Jewish tradition, in the Talmudic literature, that his father was an idol-monger. And there’s a story in the Talmud – it’s only a story, that Abraham took a hammer (a “pattiysh”) and smashed all of his father’s statues – idols, except for one, and he put the hammer into the hand of the one remaining idol. And his father came in, Terah, and said, “Who killed all of these gods?” And Abraham said, “That god did, the one holding the hammer.” And his father said, “That’s impossible! It’s only a piece of stone with no life or breath in it!” And Abraham said, “Exactly, father – exactly.” That’s just a story from the Talmud. His father was an idol-monger.

Not until his father dies at a crisis point in his life does he respond to the call God gave him in his youth at a much earlier time in Ur of the Chaldees.

So often that happens to people. God is drawing them, God is calling them always, but not until a crisis point in their life will they respond to His grace and His call. Sometimes it isbereavement, other times it’s financial calamity, a crisis in health, a combination of things. God calls and calls and calls but when people don’t respond He’s out to save people. He’ll even use calamity for them to be saved.

You see, those whom He foreknew. (Rom 8:29) I’m not a Calvinist but God did know us before the creation of the world and He begins drawing us from conception, from childhood. When somebody is born again, when somebody comes to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, when you’re first saved, not only does your future make sense, not only does your present make sense, but even your past. It all clicks. Once you come to know the Lord you realize why your life was the way it was. Things you can’t really quantify, perhaps the kind of thoughts that went through your head in bed before you fell asleep at night, perhaps experiences you had, or just impressions, none of it made sense. It had some kind of a metaphysical aspect to it, perhaps, but you couldn’t quantify it. Yet when you get saved you realize, “That was God drawing me all along to this point and this time when I came to know Him through His Son”. When somebody’s born again not only does their future make sense, not only does the present make sense, but even the past makes sense. God is drawing us all along.

But just like father Abraham – Abraham our father, so often it takes a crisis for us to respond to His grace, His call. But then the real journey begins.

Leaving family is a difficult thing, but so often that’s what the Gospel requires. This is certainly true among Jewish people. It’s also true among Muslim people. But I’ve known Roman Catholic people, I’ve known people from Communist families, I’ve known people from Greek and Russian Orthodox families – it’s the same principle. Paul says that in 2 Thessalonians that even the Gentiles have the same kind of rejection as the Jews did from their own families. Jesus came to bring division. (Luke 12:51) It’s wonderful when families get saved but the fact is death separates and the only way you can be with your family is if they get saved, too.

So he begins his journey and the first stop on his journey after meeting the Lord is Shechem – “Shakem”. “Shakem” is a kind of word for “shoulder” in Hebrew. Not an anatomical shoulder but the idea of carrying a burden. It’s near the city of Nablus today. And at Shechem Abraham dwells under an oak called, “the oak of Moreh”. It’s the modern Hebrew word for “teacher” but it’s the ancient Hebrew word for “knowledge”, particularly knowledge of God.

The Typology of Trees

You have to understand something from Jewish midrash about dwelling under a tree.

If a Jewish Christian of the 1st Century was reading John’s gospel – John 1, 2, and 3 – he would have said that John’s gospel is a midrash on the creation in Genesis. The new creation in John 1, 2, and 3 is a midrash on the creation in Genesis 1, 2, and 3:

• He would have said God walked the earth in the creation. (Remember Adam heard God walking in the Garden? That was Jesus.) Now God walks the earth in the new creation; the Word becomes flesh. (Jn. 1:1)

• He would have said God comes to separate the light from the dark in creation in Genesis, but now God comes to separate the light from dark in the new creation in John.

• He would have said the Spirit moves on the water and brings forth the creation in Genesis. Born of water and of Spirit, God brings new life from the water in the new creation.

• He would have said in the creation in Genesis you have the small light and the great light, but in the new creation you have “Johannan Hamadvil” – John the Baptist the little light and “Yeshua HaMashiach” – Jesus the great light, one bearing witness to the other, reflecting light of the other.

• He would have said on the third day in the creation in Genesis God does a miracle with water. Lo and behold in John 2:1, the wedding at Cana, it says it was the third day. God does a miracle with water.

• He would have that said God began his plan for the creation of man with a wedding, a marital union between Adam and Eve. Hence now God begins His plan for the new creation for man with a wedding at Cana, Jesus’ first public ministry is at a wedding.

That’s how he would have looked at it that way. The new creation is a midrash on the creation.

But then in John 1 Nathanael asks Jesus, “How did you know?” and Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree”. (John 1:48) Whatever literal fig tree Jesus saw Nathanael under, that fig tree in midrash is known as the “peshit” – “the simple meaning”. (This is not Gnosticism now. Gnosticism uses symbolism as a basis for doctrine, in midrash you use symbolism toillustrate doctrine.) The peshit was, “I saw you under the fig tree”. But the “pesshur” – “the deeper meaning”, was “I saw you from the Garden, from the creation of the world”. In Judaism the Tree of Life, the “Ets Chayim”, is represented by a fig tree. So Jesus was saying to him, “Creation or new creation, I know you because I knew you from the Garden, from the foundation of the world. I saw you under the Tree of Life” – the Ets Chayim, the fig tree.

So here Abraham is under an oak tree. “Oak” in Hebrew is called “elon”. It’s a very hard wood; it’s a strong wood; it’s a wood of strength. Whenever you see someone dwelling under a tree in the Bible, typologically it means something in Jewish midrash. Before King Saul was killed he was under the Tamarisk tree. (1 Sam 22:6) When he was in a state of despondency Elisha was under the juniper tree. (1 Kings 19:4) But here Abraham is under the oak of Moreh – he’s in a place of strength due to the knowledge of God.

“Shechem” is where you lay your burden down and you come to your first knowledge of God. And there he builds an altar and sacrifices. At any turning point in our relationship with God He will require us to build an altar. In Hebrew we call an altar “mizbeach” and it has only one purpose, to sacrifice something. No sacrifice, no progress.

From Shechem to Bethel

So far so good – he comes to Shechem. But then he moves on to his next stop. His next stop is called Bethel, in Hebrew “Beyth El” – “the house of God”. After somebody comes to know the Lord the first thing they should normally do is come to church. Now Bethel is on the west, a place called Ai is on the east. “Ai” in Hebrew meant “a heap of ruins”. Abraham builds another altar at Bethel and he turns his back to the east where he came from where the tower of Babel was, where Babylon was. His past, the east, where he came from becomes a heap of ruins and he faces the house of God. It is the same pattern the high priest would have to sacrifice on. He’d have to turn towards the east, towards Babylon, and face the west. There he builds another altar. Once more, sacrifice.

When you come to church it costs you something. I don’t just mean what you put in the collection basket. It means you turn your back on your past. Your old friends become acquaintances who your only interest in having any dealings with is to witness to them. Maybe some of your old interests are things you have to give up, at least for awhile.

For me I couldn’t listen to any kind of music except for traditional hymns because I associated music, especially rock music and classical music, I associated that with taking drugs. I used to listen to the stuff when I was stoned. I couldn’t listen to that music for a couple of years. A few years later as I grew in my faith it didn’t bother me anymore, it didn’t disturb my focus anymore, but it had to go on the altar for awhile because it took my eyes off Jesus. After I grew in my faith it doesn’t matter now. To me it’s just music now. I grew and now it doesn’t matter, it’s just music, but at one time it would have caused me a problem. It’s not the same things that have to go on the altar for everybody but something will have to go on the altar. We turn our back on the past. Now obviously this means turning from sin, but it costs us something.

So far so good. But you know, there are people who never make it to Bethel. I call them “Shechem Dwellers”. They understood the Gospel and maybe made a profession of faith, but that’s as far as they went. They go no further.

I knew one “Shechem Dweller” in London, England in Speaker’s Corner where I will sometimes still preach the Gospel on a Sunday afternoon and get heckled by the Muslims, etc. This one guy’s name was Robert – a nice guy, he has a big board front and back they call a “sandwich board” in England. And it says, “Christ died for our sins” on the front and the back and he goes around Speaker’s Corner. And the Christian preachers there all know each other so I said to him, “I have to go now, Robert, it’s time for the evening service in my church”. And he asked me what church I went to and I told him what church – it was a Baptist church in London at the time, and I said, “I have to go”. And I said, “What church do you go to?” And he said, “I go to a High Anglo-Catholic church”. I said, “Why don’t you go to an Evangelical church?” He said, “Well, I went to an Evangelical church once but everybody was already born again. There was nobody to preach to. “ He was totally sincere; he meant it. He knew the Gospel, but that’s about all he seemed to know. He never came to Bethel.

Well, Abraham makes it to Bethel and he builds that altar and he turns his back on his past. But then something goes wrong.

Going to Egypt

Matthew 13 tells about the seeds falling on different kinds of soil. If the devil cannot get somebody to backslide or fall away with the passions of the flesh or the lusts of youth or something like that, if he can’t get you to fall away for those reasons he’ll try something else: crisis – calamity. He’ll make you think you have to take your destiny in your own hands, or that God has somehow abandoned you when things become difficult. And you have to begin making your own decisions. And it’s easy for a young Christian to be dissuaded.

You see, when people are first saved they have their first love and they think they’re going to be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John the first day and go out and do miracles. They think they can do everything. They have their first love, they have a lot of zeal, but they don’t have a any experience, a lot of knowledge, and they don’t know anything although they think they know everything. But after they’ve had their first trials a few months later they realize they know very little. They have their first love – we have to give them that, that’s something we tend to lose, but they don’t have any wisdom or experience or knowledge. And that’s when they get in trouble.

So what does Abraham do? He goes to Egypt. What is Egypt a picture of? The world.

Look at Isaiah 30, what Isaiah says about going to Egypt. King Hezekiah was a good king but he was being badly advised. He was in a strategic crisis. He had the Assyrians infringing on one side on his east and he had Egypt on the other. He was caught in the middle between two superpowers. And he was being advised to go to Egypt for help. And the prophet Isaiah warns against these people who were telling him to do that, to act in a crisis by his own wisdom by going to Egypt. Look at Isaiah 30:1…

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,

Again, when you  see people into things like Ecumenism, they’re making alliances that are not of God’s Spirit. They’re going to Egypt, the religions of the world.

In order to add sin to sin; Who proceed down to Egypt Without consulting Me, To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

Notice it’s not that they go to Egypt but they go without consulting the Lord. Whenever you get involved with the world you must have the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in it. You get involved in the world’s legal system? You must have the Lord’s guidance in it. You get involved with the world’s financial system, the world’s health system, it’s school system – whenever you get involved with the world you need to consult the Lord. I wouldn’t advise so much as swallowing an aspirin without praying first. Whenever you get involved with the world you need to consult the Lord. But he didn’t. In a crisis the flesh will tend to gravitate to what the flesh considers strong: the world.

Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.

Whenever somebody goes to the world they wind up in a state of humiliation. Backsliders always do. They wind up in a state of ultimate humiliation. Look what happened to Abraham. He went so low he was actually willing to give his wife over sexually to another man and apparently it happened.

You Can Never Be the Same

You see, you can never meet Jesus and be the same. Once you’ve come to know Him you’re either going to be better or you’re going to be worse, but you can’t be the same. If you go back to the world you will sink to a level of moral depravity that was worse than anything you did before you were first saved. You can’t meet Christ and be the same; you’re either going to be better or you’re going to be worse. If you go back to the world you’ll become more depraved than you were before you first came to know Him. You’ll sink to a level.

Not only that but you’ll wind up in a state of humiliation. Look at Isaiah 31:1…  

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.

There’s no help in Egypt! The strength of horses were flesh not Spirit. The old creation will always look to the flesh; it will always look to the things the world considers strong: money, political power, influence, prestige. Whenever you get involved with the world, if God is going to use the things of the world, it will be on His terms, never on the world’s terms. Whenever you get involved with the world you need the mind of the Lord. But the flesh wants to trust the things of the world; the flesh wants to trust what the world considers strong.

Abraham finds out the hard way it doesn’t work. And there he goes. He goes all the way in what ancient times was known as the Wilderness of Shur. The Wilderness of Shur, roughly speaking, was the eastern area of the Sinai Desert and the western area of the Negev. It is a long, hot journey all the way down to “Mitstrayim” – Egypt. (In Hebrew we call Egypt “Mistrayim”.) And then all the way back to Bethel in Genesis 13:1.

Resuming the Original Journey

You see, you pick up where you left off. He could have been further on his journey to where God wanted him to be but instead he wasted his time. Backsliders waste their time, they waste their life. Compared to eternity what’s 10 years or 20 years? Nothing. But compared to the 80 or 90 years at the most probably you have in this world, 10-20 years is a long time to waste. Backsliders are wasting their time, they’re certainly wasting their youth. And it will all come to nothing. They’ll wind up in a state of humiliation. They’ll either get out of Egypt or they’ll die there, and you pick up where you left off. All that time wasted for nothing. Back to Bethel.

Then he resumes the journey he should have came on to begin with. From Bethel he proceeds further south. He goes through the hills of Judah, from the mountains of Samaria to the hills of Judah. It is a long, arduous journey from Bethel to Hebron, but not nearly as difficult as going all the way to Egypt and all the way back. He comes to Hebron. “Hebron” derives from the Hebrew word for “fellowship” – “heet ha brut”. The Hebrew word “heet ha brut” for fellowship means “bricks held together”. Now Peter draws on this in 1 Peter 2:5: we are the stones of the temple, the church being the temple. We’re the “living stones”.

On Palm Sunday when Jesus comes into the Temple Mount from the East Gate and the people are singing the Hallel Rabbah to Him (Ps. 113-118) – “Hosannah to the Son of David”, the Sanhedrin says to Jesus tell the people to be quiet. And Jesus says, “If these remain silent the stones will cry out”.(Luke 19:40) What He was saying in Jewish midrash is that if the Jews don’t proclaim Me as Messiah the Christians will. John the Baptist said God could raise up Abraham’s children out of the stones (Math 3:9) – Christians as the children of Abraham.

Hebron is the place of fellowship – stones cemented together.

Suppose I came into a building and I said to the pastor, “This is a nice church you have – quite a building, but there’s a lot of bricks missing in the wall. Where are all these missing bricks?” Well there they are – they’re stacked up in the middle of the floor. What good are the bricks stacked up in the middle of the floor? For the bricks to be any good they have to be placed into the wall, fastened to the other bricks. It is one thing to come to church; it is another thing to come to fellowship.

Hebron was a long, arduous journey through the mountains, and upon getting to Hebron Abraham had to build an altar. If you want to come to fellowship it’s going to cost you something. Anybody can come to church, sing the hymn, pay a tithe, bring their offerings – “Hello, brother, how are you? See you next week.” Anybody can do that.

Now it’s not wrong to do that. When you’re a new Christian you come to Bethel but it’s wrong to stay in Bethel. You have to come to Hebron, you have to come to fellowship. Because at the place of fellowship Abraham dwells under some other oaks, the oaks of Mamre. (This is near the place today called Kirath-Arba on the West Bank, a very troubled area. It has the cave of Machpela where the Patriarchs are buried.) “Mamre” in Hebrew means “firmness” or “vigor”. The “oaks of strength”. And it’s only when he gets to Hebron, dwelling under the oaks of Mamre, that he’s in a strategically strong position to rescue his kinsman Lot. He couldn’t rescue his kinsman Lot if he’s up in Bethel, he had to be down in Hebron close to where Lot was.

From a Church to a Fellowship

You see, we want to see our families saved, our neighbors saved, our friends saved, we want to see our countrymen saved from the pagans – the Canaanite in the land. From New Age, from Islam, from occults, from false Christianity, but you’re never going to do that by going to church.

I was a missionary in the Middle East for years – listen to me. There is not a church in the world – I don’t mean in the Greek sense of “eklesia” but in the sense of “congregation” – there’s not a church in the world that can take on a mosque and win. You hear what I said? There is not a church in the world that can take on a mosque and win. If you want to take on a mosque you better be a fellowship. If you’re going to take on Islam you better be in the place of firmness, vigor, real strength.

There’s not a church in the world that can take on the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses – they’re too committed. They’re more zealous for a lie than most Christians are for the truth. No church can take on a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall or a Mormon temple. None. Not a church in the world can take on those places; a fellowship can – not a church.

Bethel Will Come to Trouble

Do you dwell in Bethel or do you dwell in Hebron? Well if you’re dwelling in Bethel you’re going to have a problem. Turn with me to Amos 4:4… 

“Enter Bethel and transgress; In Gilgal multiply transgression! Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened,

…(sin, false doctrine)…

And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known.

Enter Bethel and transgress? Oh, you bring your tithe and your offerings, but you bring a sin offering from that which is leavened.

For so you love to do, you sons of Israel,” Declares the Lord God.

For so you love to do, you Plymouth Brethren! For so you love to do, you Pentecostals! For so you love to do, you Presbyterians! For so you love to do, you Baptists!

“Oh, I come to church! I pay my tithe!” It is leavened. Spiritual pride, sin, false doctrine. “Oh, I come to church, alright! I do my bit! I pay my tithe! I’m alright!” The flesh loves religion. The old creation will always try to justify itself by rule-keeping, by going back under the Law. Look at Amos 5:5…

“But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba;

(All these things mean things in Hebrew.)

For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble.

You see that? “Bethel will come to trouble”. The church will let you down. If it hasn’t happened already, sooner or later I absolutely guarantee – I promise you, the church will let you down. The reason the church will let you down is because the church is made up of people who are just like you and just like me. The church will let you down. A church can’t stand. “Bethel will come to trouble”. It’s a fellowship that will stand.

We have some believers here who were Christians under the Communists in Romania. Churches meant nothing. The Communist police would get rid of any church; it’s fellowship that stood. People who have a sense of commitment, community, family; people willing to stick their neck out for each other, those are the things that stood under the persecution. And persecution will return before Jesus comes even to countries we consider to be democracies. “Bethel will come to trouble”.

There’ s no security in the church; there’s security in Hebron – that’s where the strength is. That’s where the oaks of Mamre grow.

Bethel Dwellers

What is a “Bethel Dweller”? There’s a lot of ways to pick them out. One way, of course, is people who come to church Sunday morning but they won’t come to the evening service. Not for any good reason like work or sick children or something like that. Just because they’d rather watch the football instead of video recording it and watching it when they get home. That’s the “Bethel Dweller”. Today you can video tape the game if you like sports, but those people have a problem. Or people who will come on Sunday and do their bit but they won’t come to the mid-week meetings, people who consistently do that. Not for valid reasons like sick children or responsibilities of work or things like that, I just mean people who make excuses not to be there. Those people have a problem. Their priorities are wrong.

But there’s a sure way to tell a “Bethel Dweller”. I’ll tell you how to pick out a “Bethel Dweller”: they’ve been saved 5 years, they’ve been saved 10 years, they’ve been saved 60 years or more and they don’t know if they are an “eye”, a “foot”, or a “hand”. They don’t know what their gifts are, they don’t know what their ministry is, they don’t know if they have the gift of teaching, they don’ t know if they have the gift of evangelism, if they have the gift of helps – they don’t know what their gifts are. They don’t know where they fit into the wall so they just stay a brick on the floor. They come to church, they pay the tithe, they sing the hymn, and say, “I’ll see you next week”. That is a “Bethel Dweller”.

Most Christians in the Western world are “Bethel Dwellers”. In most of the churches I go to in the Western world it is 15% of the people who do 85% of the praying. Call a prayer meeting, see how many people come. It is 15% of the people who do 85% of the ministry. It is 15% of the people who do 85% of the giving. I don’t mean in terms of the amounts, I mean in terms of ability – portion. It’s 15% of the people who are in fellowship; the others go to church.

“Bethel will come to trouble”. I shouldn’t be laughing about it. But “Bethel will come to trouble”. I’m telling you the church will let you down. And in the Last Days it will let us all down.

You never get anything just coming to church. A young Christian? Fine, come to church, but then you have to come to fellowship and build that altar. It will cost you something to come to fellowship. It costs: time, finance, spiritual attack – there will be a price. No altar, no sacrifice; no sacrifice, no progress.

We're All Somewhere On This Map

Take a look at a map of Abraham’s journey. Everyone is somewhere on that map. Even those little children out there in the nursery or Sunday School – they don’t know it yet but they’re in Ur of the Chaldees. Through the faith of believing parents they are already being drawn by the Lord to the way of salvation. God is already calling them. We don’t baptize babies but God does see the children of Christians different than He sees the children of the world.

Maybe you’re in Haran, you’re at that crisis point. If you’re reading this and you have not been born again and have not accepted Jesus, you’re reading this for a reason. Not your own reasons, God’s reasons. Your life doesn’t make sense, but if you turn to Jesus it will because becoming a Christian is very easy. Perhaps the things you’ve read today are complicated, but when you’re born a baby doesn’t know too much – he learns. When you’re born again it’s the same thing: you learn more as you go on. But being born is easy and so is being born again.

I’m not talking about the hype or nonsense you see with the con artistry like you see in the preachers from America or on TV, that’s not born again, that’s con artistry. I’m talking about the Gospel. The Gospel is simple. The same kind of love you have for your own baby, if you have a baby, God created that kind of love to teach how much He loves you. And the same as you would give your life willingly to save the life of your baby, that’s what Jesus did when He went to the cross for your sin. That’s what He did. You see, we’ve all rebelled against God’s love and rejected His authority. We’ve gone under the influence of someone called the devil, the god of this world. That’s why none of man’s political or economic systems will ever work, that’s why we destroy the environment, that’s why marriages fail, that’s why we want to be good and do good but we all do things we know are wrong because we have a fallen nature and the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one.

To God one man without sin is worth more than all the men with sin. That’s how Jesus could die for everybody because one without sin is worth more than all with sin. God becomes a man and He takes our sin. All the wrong things I did, all the wrong things you did, God puts them on Jesus. And then God takes His righteousness and gives it to us. And as He rose from the dead He will raise us from the dead unto eternal life. That’s the Gospel.

You have to turn from sin. Ask God for the power to turn from sin and He will give you that power. He delivered me from cocaine addiction when I was in University, a terrible addiction. The devil had a grip on my life but Jesus was more powerful than the devil, He was more powerful than the cocaine. What He did for me He can do for anybody. He’ll do it for you. He’ll give you the power to turn from sin if you ask Him. He’ll take your sin and give you His life.

If you don’t know Him you’re in Haran, you’re at the point of crisis. You can go from death to life today. You don’t have to go to hell, you don’t have to go to judgment, you can become a child of Abraham today.

Perhaps you are in Bethel where you come to church. The devil comes to church every Sunday. He’s very religious. The devil gets more people into hell with religion than he does with all the dope, all the substance abuse, all the compulsive gambling put together. Religion’s a drug.

You know, the two most influential people in history were both Jews: Karl Marx and Jesus Christ. There’s one thing they agreed on: religion is the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on humanity. Religion will get you nowhere; it’s Jesus Christ that will get you someplace. Religion is not the solution to the world’s problem. Look at Northern Ireland – that’s religion. Religion is not the solution to the world’s problem, religion is the world’s problem, Jesus is the solution.

But perhaps things went wrong. Perhaps it was the law of the world, the things the old nature liked, passions of the flesh, sexual immorality, ungodly relationships, drugs – whatever it is – love of money or perhaps things just went wrong. You felt God abandoned you. He didn’t, but you felt like He did and you began to wander and assume the management of your own existence no longer as the junior partner but as the senior one and you went to Egypt. You’re back in the world.

There’s no hope for you there; you’re only going to wind up in a state of humiliation. You’re either going to come out of there or you’re going to die in there. There’s no such thing as a “successful” backslider. It’s a theological impossibility. You are wasting your life, you are wasting your youth – just wasting it. You’ve got to come back to Bethel, come back to the Lord and His house and pick up where you left off.

That’s where most people are – Bethel, but that’s not where God wants us to be. He wants us to be in Hebron. He does not want us to be bricks in the floor, He wants us to be bricks cemented into the wall. He wants you to know your place in the body, He wants you to be in the place of firmness and vigor so you can rescue your kinsmen from the kings of darkness. That’s where He wants you to be.

Where are you? The little kids are in Ur of the Chaldees – that we can agree on, but are you in Haran where you’ve never accepted Jesus? Are you at that crisis point? You could begin your journey today. The Bible says, “Boast not about tomorrow for you know not what tomorrow may bring”. (Pr. 27:1) Now is the appointed time, today is the day of salvation. If you don’t know the Lord, you contact us. Don’t continue without coming to know Him.

Maybe you’re in Egypt. Please – God doesn’t love you any less, this life is too short, stop wasting it. Youth flees; don’t waste it. We’re told in Ecclesiastes, “Youth flees”. (Ecclesiastes 12:1) Don’t waste it.

But most of you are where most Christians are – at least in the Western world, most of you are in church. Most Christians are in Bethel. I have one hope and one prayer for your church. This is my hope and my prayer for your church: that soon it will no longer be a church. My prayer for you is that your church will become a fellowship.

and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when tthis sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ GOD SAYS, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT AND THEY SHALL PROPHESY. AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him,

‘I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’

“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT ONE OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID HIS FLESH SUFFER DECAY. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:

‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Small & Waiting, Betrayed & Afraid

And on the Day of Pentecost it is the book of Ruth that is read in the synagogues, the story of a Jewish man taking a Gentile bride. It is the Jewish Feast of Weeks—“Hag Shavu’ot,” from Leviticus 23. This is the second of the pilgrim feasts when Jews would come from all over the world to celebrate this feast, and when the book of Ruth is read in the synagogues.

This particular Day of Pentecost, however, was one like no other. There was a very small church comprised of a very miniscule percentage of the population of the Jews who lived in the land of Israel at that time. Possibly no more than five hundred committed followers of Jesus existed, and we can only be sure that one hundred twenty of those were really solid in their commitment. As the lines get smaller and smaller, the circles concentrically begin shrinking: we have the apostles, the seventy, the one hundred twenty, and then five hundred or so—a very small church. But the church on the Day of Pentecost was the church that was waiting for something to happen. It was waiting for an anointing. (The the Hebrew word “mishchah,” the Greek word “chrisma”). It was a church that was not anointed. More than that, this was a church that had been betrayed. It had been betrayed not simply by enemies who pretended to be friends, it was betrayed by men among their own number. Describing Judas in the Old Testament, Jesus speaking through the Old Testament prophet says, “My friend lifts his heal against Me.” (Ps. 41:9; Jn. 13:18) Judas was called the friend of the Lord.

There are two kind of people who are going to be very close to Jesus: people who really love Him, and people who are backslidden. That is what was happening at the Last Supper. The apostle who Jesus loved was reclining on His chest on one side, but on the others side was Judas. Jesus will always leave the ninety-nine to go after the one.

Backsliders and very holy Christians both have something in common. Backsliders are under the continuous conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent, to return to Him. Jesus does not abandon backsliders, they abandon Him. He gives Judas the place of honor, and by giving Him the sop at the Last Supper, He gives Him the sign of acceptance, beseeching Him to repent. Backsliders are under the continuous conviction of the Spirit. But very holy Christians have the same kind of problem. They are also very close to Jesus, but the closer someone gets to the Light, the more they see the dirt and the little specks that all the people do not see. Very holy Christians usually do not have a very high opinion of themselves because they are too close to Jesus to be that deceived.

The early church was betrayed by one of its own, by one of its own who was one of its leaders, hand-chosen by the Lord Himself.

The second thing that is characteristic of this church is that it is such a small percentage of the Jewish society and it is quivering and it is terrified. Its leaders are afraid. Jesus died for them—He gave them a promise, but its leaders were afraid. The church was afraid. It was very small. Other people were caught up in their own religion, but the church was not only not anointed, it was betrayed, it was very small and it was afraid. And its leaders were afraid. There is no question that this church was a church that had no power, had no anointing and that was sold down the river, but all of the sudden, something dramatic happened.

The Outpouring of the Spirit

We have to understand the Jewish background of “Hag Shavu’ot” to understand this. He begins talking about “I will pour out.” Different liquids represent the Holy Spirit from different aspects. The “new wine” is the joy of the Spirit in worship. Oil—“shemen” in Hebrew, is the anointing of the Spirit. But the idea of rain water—fresh, clean rain water being poured out is “chay mayim:” “living water.” In John 4 Jesus says, I will give you the living water (Jn. 4:10-14), but in John 7:39 He says what the living water is:“this He spoke of the Holy Spirit.” Different liquids teach about the Holy Spirit from different aspects.

So this outpouring draws on the language of rain to teach about an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The whole idea comes from a lot of places in the Old Testament, one of which is Isaiah 44:3...

‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;

The outpourings of water have to do with outpourings of the Holy Spirit.

In Israel we have the early and latter rains. These correspond to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Church and at the end. When this happens the result is that the Spring rains prepare the Spring harvest and the Autumn rains prepare the Autumn harvest. This has a spiritual equivalent.

The rabbis tell us that the Torah—the Law—was given to Moses on this same feast, the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost. Only when the Holy Spirit was given on this anniversary of Moses giving the Law, something happened: when the Law was given on Mount Sinai, 3,000 fell; but when the Holy Spirit was given 3,000 were saved. Grace is greater than the curse of the Law; one undoes the other. The society was under a curse, but this outpouring of the Holy Spirit had the power to break that curse and to give a harvest.

Who Gets Anointed?

But look who gets anointed. Is it the Church who gets anointed? No, it is not. It is not the Church who gets anointed. Look at Acts 2:32. Who gets anointed?

“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:

‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’ (Act2:35)

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Jesus was anointed, not the Church.
What Peter was drawing on here was Psalm 133. To understand Pentecost, we have to read Psalm 133.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!

(Now notice this...)

It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes. (Ps. 133:1-2)

Aaron is the High Priest. Hebrews tells us that Aaron the High Priest is a symbol of Jesus. In the epistle to the Hebrews, He is our High Priest. The oil is poured on Aaron’s head by Moses, and it goes off of his head, over his body, down his shoulders, down his arms, all over his torso, and down to his feet. To get the oil on the hands, on the feet, on the shoulders, on the torso, we have to be under the head. One reason the Body of Christ is not anointed today is because it is not under the headship of Christ, it is under the headship of man.

We can have a very able hand, a very good foot, but it is useless unless it is attached to the body. And the body is useless unless it is under the head. The anointing is poured on the Lord Jesus. If the Body of Christ is not under His headship, it is not going to be anointed.

Unity of the Spirit

But then there is something else. What happens after the Church is anointed? They were all together, of one mind, of one accord. What does Psalm 133 say?

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity! (Ps. 133:1)

It is talking about the unity of the Spirit. If there is not a unity of the Spirit, there is no anointing. Another reason there is no anointing in the Body of Christ today is because there is not a unity of the Spirit; there is a unity of man. The Holy Spirit in Hebrew is “Ruach Qodesh”—the Spirit of Holiness. There can be no unity of the Spirit where there is an absence of holiness.

I firmly believe in the gifts of the Spirit, always have, and practice them myself. But it is one of my most frequent complaints (because I believe it is the complaint of God Himself) that the level of carnality and worldliness among Pentecostals and Charismatics is much higher than it is among Baptists or Plymouth Brethren or fundamentalists. Of all the churches in the Bible, it was not the legalistic or nomianistic Galatians, or the confused Thessalonicans that had to be reminded of the Holy Spirit, it was the charismatic Corinthians. That is equally true for today. There is no unity of the Spirit if there is an absence of holiness.

The first commandment is, “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not make other gods (or have strange gods) before Me.” (Ex. 20:3) And the second commandment in the original Hebrew is this: “You shall not make a graven

image of anything in heaven above or earth beneath...you shall not bow down to them or serve them.” ( Ex. 20:4-5) In the north of England there are many people who are born-again Christians who are saved out of Roman Catholic backgrounds. They come out of that church seeing the truth of the Gospel, seeing that what they were taught and brought up to believe is not what Jesus taught. When someone bows down before a statue and lights candles and prays to the dead it is referred to in Hebrew terms as a “familiar spirit.” It is an act of idolatry and superstition. It is an utterly abhorrent sin.

To tell someone in the name of Christian unity that they can continue to practice this sin is no different than telling a homosexual who gets saved he can stay homosexual, or an alcoholic who gets saved to keep drinking, but that is exactly what is happening. There is no anointing because to be anointed is to be under the headship of Christ, not the headship of men who are teaching things contrary to Christ.

Secondly, the body must be unified. But the Holy Spirit—the unity of the Spirit—is the Spirit of holiness. When there is open immorality, open idolatry being practiced in the name of Christian unity, there is a problem.

I read the book by the Right Honorable George Carey. (What is “right” and what is “honorable” are issues I will not go into. It is not my place.) Nonetheless, the book is called The Meaning of Orders, a call by this person who claims to be a born-again Christian to reunite with the church of Rome. Those who are a saved Roman Catholic know very well that they are said to have left the one, true church. Unless one goes to confession and returns to mother Rome, they are going to hell. We can accept the other quote/unquote “Protestants” because they do not know any better. So on one hand, this church is telling them they are going to hell because they left it, but leaders in their churches, in their denominations, are uniting with these people, going into idolatry. Why is there no anointing?

The Spirit of Truth

But He is not only the Spirit of holiness, He is the Spirit of truth.

There are two kinds of division. One kind of division is not of God; the other kind of division is very much of God. The kind of division that is not of God is that division which divides Bible-believing Christians from each other; the kind of division that is of God is the kind that separates Bible-believing Christians from ones who do not believe it. Or worse still, who say they believe it, but their lives show differently. He is the Spirit of truth; He is not the Spirit of error. No one can build the unity of the Spirit based on error.

When we see people saying we are saved by the sacraments, we should pray to the dead, we are going to atone for our own sins in Purgatory—when that is being taught and we see born-again Christian leaders saying that it is OK to believe that and we should be one with these people, that is the spirit of error; it is not the Spirit of truth. Paul says there will be factions among you to prove which is true. (1 Co. 11:19) There are factions that are of God. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring unity, I came to bring the sword, to bring division.” (Lk. 12:51)

I see the same thing in Ireland that I see in Israel. When a Jew gets saved it is said, “You betrayed your people” because Christianity is so associated in the Jewish mind with anti-Semitism and the pogroms and the inquisitions and the holocaust. “You betrayed your people. You have become one of those people who murdered your ancestors.” In Ireland it is the same. When a Roman Catholic gets saved it is seen that way. “You have become a Protestant. You have become part of the people who perpetrated the Potato Famine, and the war crimes of Cromwell, and the genocidal war crimes of the Puritans—the people who divided our land.” They are seen as a traitor to their people.

It is very difficult for a Jewish person who gets saved to explain to his family the difference between a “Bible-believing” Christian and what his family think Christians are. And it is very difficult for a Roman Catholic, in Ireland particularly, to explain the difference to his family between a “Bible-believing” Christian and what they think a “Bible-believing” Christian is, which to them is a Protestant. I know a case in Belfast where a Roman Catholic girl got saved. She came to an Assemblies of God church—a Pentecostal church, and the priest told her if she did not return to “the holy mother the church”, he would have the IRA deal with her.

He is the Spirit of truth; He is not the Spirit of error. No one can base a unity of the Spirit on error.

I am not talking about secondary doctrinal issues that exist among all of us. I am talking about the essential issues: how are we saved, the authority of God’s Word, the definition of sin. If it is not under the Head, there is no anointing going on the Body. And if the Body is not united in the Spirit, it is not going to be anointed.

It is the Same Today

Look at the church today. What do we have? The same thing as on the Day of Pentecost. On the average Sunday in England, 1.2% of the people go to church. Most of those are Roman Catholics who believe it is a mortal sin to miss mass. It seems like “Mother and Son Day,” “Memorial Sunday,” Christmas and Easter drag the overall statistics up to about 8% a month in England, but it is only 1.2% of the people who go to church on a given Sunday, and most of them are not saved. We are a very, very small minority, the same as the first Christians.

Secondly, we have very, very little power. Very little real power.

Thirdly, we too have been betrayed, and we have been betrayed by those we count among our leaders.

I used to be a Baptist—a Baptist who believed in the gifts of the Spirit, but I was a Baptist. I had to leave the Baptist church even though my own church stood with me because of the leadership of the Baptist Union who entered the Ecumenical Movement to be united with the Roman Catholic church and with liberal Protestant churches. I oppose this. I know many, many people in the Baptist church who knew it was wrong, but they were afraid to rock the boat. They were afraid to say anything about it.

There is an organization called “The Church’s Ministry to the Jews.” It is evangelical Anglican. When they learned there was going to be an evangelical Archbishop of Canterbury, they were elated. They thought, “That is it; we won! Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord, for such a faithful, faithful leader!” He became the Archbishop of Canterbury. He went on the radio with a chief rabbi, denounced giving the Gospel to the Jews, withdrew his patronage of the church’s ministry to the Jews, and totally went against the cause of giving the Gospel to the people of Jesus. Paul said the Gospel to the Jew first and they will be judged first if they do not accept it (Ro. 1:16), but “No,” says the Archbishop. Even a liberal would not have gone that far. This is the same one who wrote this book telling us we should go back under Rome.

About 2,000 evangelical Anglican clergymen signed a petition asking him to stop the worship of foreign gods in Anglican churches like Canterbury Cathedral, where they have Tibetan monks (Lamaist monks who believe the Dalai Lama is the incarnation of God), African witch doctors, Brahman priests from Hinduism, Muslim Imams, Orthodox rabbis and the rest of it, all getting together with the Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy in Canterbury Cathedral. “No,” says this born-again Christian leader, “I respect all religions.” In 1 Corinthians 10 and Deuteronomy, other gods are “demons” (Greek—“daimonoi,” Hebrew—“shedim”). “No,” say our leaders, “we respect all religions.”

Why is there no revival? Why is there no anointing? That is some idea of unity. Think about what is happening.

In England one out of every three males have a police record—a criminal conviction—before the age of 30. One out of three! In the inner cities it is one out of two, and in certain Council Estates it is more than three out of four. One-third of all children are born out of wedlock. In certain places like Liverpool it is two out of three and it is socially accepted. The crime rate is going through the roof. There are over two million auto break-ins every year in England. But it is growing at the rate of 32% a year! That is what is happening out there. This society is going to the wall. But the reason this society is going to the wall is because the people who God has called to prevent it from going to the wall are not anointed. Why are they not anointed? Because they have been betrayed, because they are afraid, and because they are not united. At least not united in Jesus.

Man's Ways

Many people have concocted all kinds of ways to deal with this problem. Nobody in their right mind will look out that window and think everything is alright. Wigan has the best rugby team in the world. Nothing wrong with rugby, it is a good game. But every Sunday that stadium, for the game, will be filled with people every time. Nothing wrong with rugby, it is a good game, but it is only a game. It is not going to matter a million years from now. Those children in that Council Estate, one of whom out of three are going to wind up in jail, they are going to matter a million years from now.

If we were to have a heavy metal concert with a rock band that openly admits to Satan worship, they would sell out. If we were to have strip club, the place would be filled. But when we have a church that is not preaching the truth, yet claims to be the Church, it is no worse and no better than a strip club or a heavy metal concert or whatever. There are different ways that people have tried to get this anointing they say we all need.

The Charismatic Movement is twenty-five years old in England. Look out there; is there any anointing? Where is the revival? I got saved in a revival. I saw what a revival is. I saw tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of hippies saved. We were out there getting stoned out of our minds, getting venereal disease, and radically changed by the power of Jesus overnight. I saw revival. I saw what it is like when there is a revival.

When Wesley had a revival in the north of England, the society was radically changed. The crime rate nose-dived, immorality plummeted, social injustice plummeted. Building societies to get housing for the working classes, the school system, literacy for the working classes, things like the Guardian newspaper and the trade unions to defend the rights of the disenfranchised, prison reform, hospital reform, slavery abolished in the British Empire, child labor abolished in the British Empire (children 4 years old were digging in coal mines in Wales and in Newcastle)—those things were changed directly because lives were changed by the power of Jesus. That is a revival.

To see a revival today, go to Korea. To see a revival today, go to Kenya. To see a revival today, go to Brazil. To see a revival today, go to Indonesia. To see a corpse, come to the western world. Look at the characteristics.

Anointed for Burial

Teaching in the Bible in the original Greek: “didaskein” (which is like a Bible study), something called “homilia” (which is like a sermon), and something called something called“kerygma,” which is preaching of the Gospel, mainly to the unsaved. This is Peter’s kerygma, and he begins talking about Jesus from two aspects: the suffering Jesus who was crucified and the conquering Jesus who had dominion.

This comes directly from Judaism: “HaMashiach ben Jozef” and “HaMashiach ben David:” the Messiah who is the son of Joseph and the Messiah who is the son of David. First Jesus comes as a suffering servant like Joseph, but then He comes as a conquering king at His return like David. In His First Coming He comes as a suffering servant; when He comes back to set up the Millennial Kingdom He is a conquering king like David. The point is this: before Jesus was anointed for dominion, Jesus was anointed for burial.

For it was fitting for Him .for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. (Heb. 2:10)

Jesus did not need to suffer. He did not have a fallen nature for God to deal with. But He underwent a process theologians call “kenosis,” and He identified with us even though He had no sin. For our sakes He put Himself into a position where God had to perfect Him by suffering as an example to us and to win the victory for us on the cross. Before the Lord Jesus was anointed for dominion, He was anointed for burial. Before the Church can be anointed for dominion, it has to be anointed for burial. It is very easy to see why all of these well-intended (but I must say unscriptural) formulas for anointing have not worked.

The Charismatic Movement is twenty-five years old in England. Can we say the schools are any better? Is there any less crime? Is there any less homosexuality? Any less divorce? Any less racism or hatred or social injustice? Are more people coming to church? Are more lives being changed? Is there any less sexual abuse of little children? No, there is more. After twenty-five years, what do we have to show for it? Nothing – absolutely nothing. I remember people saying with well intentions that this Charismatic Renewal was the key. This Charismatic Renewal had a unity, but it was not the unity of the Spirit. “It is OK whatever your church is, whatever your church believes. If you want to be a Roman Catholic, you want to pray to the dead, you go ahead.” No anointing.

Then there is the name-it-and-claim-it people: “Faith-Prosperity,” that is the key. Go to America; the only key they have now is the key that locks them up in jail (the ones who have been caught already – the others are still wanted men). These people have made “born-again” a household joke coast-to-coast, and these same people (and same kinds of people) are coming into this country even at this minute, even at this very hour. Faith-Prosperity proponents say that is the key to getting the anointing. “Just believe it, brother. Reach out and claim it by faith.” Well, if we want to know about faith, the best way to begin is by reading the faith chapter, Hebrews 11.

and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

(“Believe God for that Cadillac ®, brother. Just believe God you are going to prosper, your business will prosper. Believe God you are going to grow, your church will grow.”)

They were stoned, they were sawn in two...

(Why? Because of their faith.)

...they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword...

(Why? Because of their faith.)

...they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute...

(Destitute! Impoverished! Their faith did not make them rich, their faith made them poor! They were not hoping in this world, they were hoping in what is going to come. I am not saying we should trust God for poverty, but we should trust God whether we have riches or poverty.)

...afflicted, ill-treated...

(They experienced sickness.)

...(men of whom the world was not worthy)...

(Living in mansions in Beverly Hills? No.)

...wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval... (How?)

...through their faith... (Heb. 11:36-39)

These so-called people who say their so-called Faith-Prosperity Movement is the key to the anointing, they are not teaching faith in Jesus, they are teaching faith in “faith.” This is faith. Anointed for dominion? Yes, but anointed for burial first.

Man-Made Ideas

I have seen so many failed businesses up and down England and all over America coast-to-coast. Christian businessmen who, wanting to pull through, understandably were seduced by these people telling them, “Just write a check for 500 and God will bless it and multiply it back”, and they did it. Now, if God tells you to write a check for 500 or 5,000, you do it, but you let God tell you, not some conniver.

The Charismatic Movement promised something, but it could not deliver. Why? It is not scriptural so it could not produce an anointing.

The Faith-Prosperity Movement promises something it cannot deliver. No one has to believe me, all they have to do is talk to one of the thousands of Christians who lost their businesses or their homes or their jobs. Why? Because it is not scriptural — no anointing.

About the most ridiculous and pathetic of all these man-made ideas for anointing (well, actually there are two) is the Restoration Movement. To restore something it has to be something that existed to begin with. It began with Arthur Wallace in the late 60s. He wrote and said a lot of good things, although a lot of wrong and very unscriptural things, but it began in the 60s. The movement has been blossoming for about 16 years. Where is the revival? They cannot deliver any revival because they are trying to restore things that never existed.

The first is not apostolic authority, but their version of apostolic authority. Their version of apostolic authority is not the version of apostolic authority in the New Testament. What they call apostolic authority is something known as “heavy shepherding.” It never existed in the New Testament, so they are trying to restore something that never existed. The second thing they are trying to restore is Kingdom Now theology, the idea that we are going to conquer the whole world for Jesus, set up His kingdom, then He is going to come back. This view says it depends on us. It does not depend on the return of Christ as such, it does not depend on God’s prophetic plan of which Israel and the Jews play a pivotal role — it does not depend on that, it depends on us and our movement.

Many people propagate this: Roger Forster, Terry Virgo, Gerald Coates. In America it is the likes of Kevin Connor and Rick Godwin. There are people who are trying to come to England now with this stuff from the States. It is what they are teaching. That movement has been around 16 years. Where is the revival?

No Such Place as Hell?

I firmly believe in Bible-believing Christians standing together and proclaiming Jesus. The March for Jesus seems to be a good idea to me in and of itself. But what do we do when the people who organize the March for Jesus say, “Jesus did not die to save people from going to hell, there is no such place”? Someone can march all they want, but if they do not think that the lost are going to perish, do not expect God to bring a revival through their marching. That is what Graham Kendrick believes. The man is an excellent hymn writer, but that is exactly what he believes: there is no such place as hell. That is what Roger Forster believes. And they are leading all people in these marches with this philosophy, thinking they are going to bring revival.

The apostles said, “Save yourself from this wretched generation.” (Acts 2:40) They knew about the Lake of Fire that burns forever and ever, as it were. The preaching of Wesley, the preaching of Spurgeon, of anybody whoever God every anointed to bring revival talk about the holiness of God and the judgment of those who reject the Gospel. Today, what do we have? The leaders are saying there is no such place.

I had a tremendous respect at one time for John Stott. When liberalism was at its real apex theologically, he stood up for the Gospel and the authority of Scripture. I respected him personally, but not doctrinally — I never thought much of his sermons or his books, but I respected him. Now he is telling his people there is no such place as hell.

It is Not Scriptural

These are the leaders. How is there going to be a revival? Do these people really think — really think — that they are ever going to stop what is happening to this society? Do they really think with leaders like this we are going to stop society from going to the wall and seeing revival with man-made ideas, a false unity? Of charismania? Of Kingdom Now theology and Restorationism? Of Ecumenism, sometimes going into open idolatry? They think they are going to bring a revival?

The Kingdom Now movement has been here sixteen years. I just watched a video recently of what happened in the Docklands Arena. I watched it again. We all know what happened with Mr. Wimber and his Kansas City Prophets. They came and they said revival is coming in October of 1990. He said, “We are the Joel’s army”. And then the other Kansas City Prophet came out and he said, “We are going for 100% accuracy — none of God’s Words will fall.” So what he is saying is he is speaking God’s Words and it is going to be 100% accurate. “I do not care what anybody says, you are going to go out of here seeing a visitation and a revival.” That was 2-1/2 years ago. In the last 2-1/2 years since the visitation and the revival, which was predicted by them to commence in October of 1990, more mosques have been built in England than churches. That is the truth.

I am not knocking or throwing rocks at anybody or anybody’s intentions or motives. I believe that people who get caught up in this nonsense are sincere people. I believe they are people who really are concerned with what is happening to this country and who really want to see Jesus lifted up and to see souls saved. I believe the people who are getting caught up in all these movements really have good intentions. But the devil knows they have good intentions; therefore he puts them on a road, a road to nowhere.
Once again, the Charismatic Movement has been here over twenty-five years. It made a promise it cannot deliver. Why? Because it is not scriptural.

The name-it-and-claim-it Faith-Prosperity people, if we really look at what they believe, if you we at the doctrines of Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin, it is their own doctrines, their own books. They quote E. W. Kenyon, “Jesus did not win the victory for us on the cross, He did it when He descended into hell.” That is what they believe. The cross is not central to their theology. But look how popular it is among people who want to have their ears tickled. But what happens? It cannot deliver. Their businesses go bankrupt anyway. They made a promise they cannot deliver. Why? It is not scriptural.

The Restoration Movement, the Kingdom Now Movement, they make a promise they cannot deliver. It should have happened in October of 1990, but it did not happen. They go around marching, making these proclamations: “Now is the time for us to march upon the land,” they are saying. “We are building a kingdom of power, not of words.” Well I have heard their words, where is the power? They have not got any.

We have had these people coming (again I am not slinging mud, I am just stating facts) like Rick Godwin and David Shearman. They come and they are giving these seminars such as “Training for Raining.” We hear what they are saying: “Thank You, Lord God, that Your kingdom is advancing forcefully, that Your kingdom is advancing mightily.” Whose kingdom? Satan’s? One-third of the kids in this country are going to wind up in jail! 1.2% of the population goes to church on Sunday, most of them are not even Christians! More mosques are being built all over! Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, New Age is being taught in schools, even the Church of England schools. They are teaching children to use condoms in sex education in schools. Whose kingdom is advancing forcefully?

These people may be perfectly honorable in their motives and their intentions — I am not attacking them. What I am attacking is their doctrines. I do not question these people’s sincerity or their integrity; it is not for me to judge, but what is for me to do is to say that what they are teaching is scriptural or not. (A) I look in the Bible and I see that it is not scriptural, and (B) I look out there and I see one thing: they all promise something they cannot deliver.

What is the Answer?

Peter says what happens on Pentecost is a shadow of what will happen at the end of the world. He did not say “this is that,” in Greek it is “this is like that.” (Acts 2:16) There were no signs of blood and fire and vapor as it is stated in the text from Joel 2, those things did not happen on Pentecost. It says “this is like that.” Somehow what happened then is a shadow of what happens at the end. What happened then teaches us what happens at the end. At the end, once again, we have a body that is been betrayed, we have a body that is afraid, that is miniscule, whose leaders are terrified, and that is not anointed.

The central theology of the Kingdom Now people, the Manifest Sons of God, or the Joel’s Army teaching is all the same. What these people do is engage in something called “Gnosticism.” Instead of dealing with what the text says exegetically, they read things into it which it does not say, claiming some kind of revelation. But they say something about Joel’s army which is not what it says in Joel.

God's Word through Joel

Joel is someone who prophesied very little for his own day, in fact almost not at all. He prophesied almost exclusively for the end of the world. But we know he either prophesied right at the beginning of the start of the Babylonian Captivity or right before it, and he is talking about the armies of Babylon. And look what it says…

Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the LORD is coming;
Surely it is near,

(Now that is an eschatological statement – it is about the end of the world.)

A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again...

(He is talking in his own time, about Nebuchadnezzar’s army of Babylon. That is what he’s talking about for his own time, but he is saying this teaches about the end of the world.)
A fire consumes before them
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them. (Joel 2:1-3)

The Kingdom Now people say that this is them, their movement. And it describes this army. But look what happens with this army…

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
And rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.
Who knows whether He will not turn and relent... (Joel 2:12-14a)

In other words, Joel says if the people repent, God will call this terrible army back. And what happens to this army?

“But I will remove the northern army far from you,
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the western sea.
And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up,
For it has done great things.” (Joel 2:20)

God is going to judge and destroy Joel’s army, but that is who John Wimber says he is! John Wimber actually says, “We are the locusts.”

“Then I will make up to you for the years
That the swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)


He called it His army, but it is His army in the sense of Nebuchadnezzar, the army of Babylon. It is an evil army. The way God judges His people is by bringing other evil people against them to make them repent. He has always dealt with Israel that way. That is the context. It is an evil army that God is going to destroy, but the entire Kingdom Now philosophy is based on the fact that we are this army, or at least they are, those in their movement.

Recalling Judgment

But what happens in the midst of all this prediction of doom and gloom?


“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)


If there is a repentance, God pours out His Spirit and calls His judgment back. That is the key to the anointing. That is the key to get what the Kingdom Now people promise but cannot possibly deliver. That is the key to get what the Ecumenical people promise but cannot possibly deliver. That is the key to get what the Faith-Prosperity people promise but cannot possibly deliver. That is the key to get what the Charismatic people promise but cannot possibly deliver.


Joel’s army? The church is not Joel’s army; Joel’s army is what is judging the church. If we repent, God will recall that judgment and pour out His Spirit. That is the key.


That is what happened in the early church, and that is what is happening today. We have been betrayed, we are small and quivering, our leaders are afraid, and we are not anointed. It is all going to the wall. There is one hope: We repent or we perish. God bless you, and thank you.


God bless, †††
James Jacob Prasch