Bible Believers' Newsletter #138

"We focus on the PRESENT Truth -- what Jesus is doing NOW . . ."                       ISSN 1442-8660

We greet you in the wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and appreciate your fellowship.

Once again, a special welcome to our new subscribers. This newsletter serves those of like precious faith and whosoever will receive the truth is welcome to feed their soul from the waters of the River of Life.

Everything presented should be confirmed personally in your own Bible. If you feel I may be mistaken on some point, or that it requires further explanation, please feel at ease to write to me.

Your brother in Jesus Christ. . . . Anthony

Israel Says UN Should Take Over Temple Mount

Jerusalem (Guardian) September 25, 2000 -- Israel is strenuously promoting an idea once unthinkable . . . to transfer sovereignty of the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif -- 86 hectares of hallowed ground on the most fiercely contested hilltop in the Middle East -- to the supervision of the five permanent members of the UN security council.

The Haram is sacred to Muslims for the shimmering gold Dome of the Rock that marks the spot where the prophet Mohammed is said to have ascended to heaven; and to Jews, as the site of their temple, which was destroyed in 70AD, and where God is meant to have called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Full story: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Distribution/Redirect_Artifact/0,4678,0-372838,00.html

Stock-option Accounting Distorting Economy

SAN DIEGO (Union-Tribune) September 24, 2000 -- According to Bernstein's Michael L. Goldstein, the intrinsic value of outstanding stock options at the end of last year was half a trillion dollars, equal to 35 percent of corporate debt. Options grants were up a whopping 57 percent last year to $101 billion, which came to 13 percent of corporate earnings.

Corporations do not take these options as an expense, except under certain circumstances. Bernstein figures that, over the last three years, had the 45 percent annual growth in option awards been expensed, earnings growth would have been 5.3 percent a year, not the 8.7 percent that was reported.

"The money value of unexercised options outstanding now equates to 22 percent of book value of equities," Goldstein says. "And in technology, the share is over 80 percent. If options were treated as a liability, the debt-to-equity ratio of high techs would zoom from 16 percent to 99 percent." Full story: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/business/news_1b24bauder.html

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What a Friend We Have in Jesus

At the time of our Lord's first Coming the people to whom He was promised were in expectation, being familiar with the precise time schedule prophesied under the Old Covenant (Daniel 9:25-26). "And all men mused in their hearts whether John were the Christ, or not" (Luke 3:15). Paul observed, these nominal believers "have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2). Like today's nominal Christians under the New Covenant who are familiar with the precise time schedule Jesus gave for His second Coming (Matthew 24:30-36) but lack the revelation that It is a "parousia" and not an "erchomai" Coming, Israel was looking for the wrong Coming and rejected the One Whom they sought.

Israel was looking for the promised Son of David Who would restore the kingdom, not the promised Son of man, Who as the Lamb of God must first die to redeem Israel then go away to receive a kingdom (of Gentiles -- Luke 19:11-27). When Messiah did not accord with their misinterpretation, Israel killed Him. And most churches that are in expectation today, are looking for the physical Coming of the glorified Son of David, rather than the "parousia" Coming of the Son of man in Word form (Matthew 24:3; John 5:27; Acts 3:19-21; I Corinthians 13:10; 15:23; II Thessalonians 2:1; Revelation 10:1-7). These zealous souls, not having the faith of Jesus Christ, are crucifying Him unto themselves afresh.

The Gospel rejected by Israel will return to them once the Gentile dispensation is finished. And when It does, two witnesses anointed with the Spirit that was upon Elijah and Moses will introduce Christ's "parousia" in Word form, not the glorified Jesus. As the Hebrews brought the Word to we blind Gentiles after Israel's dispensation ended in apostacy, It will return to blinded Israel after the Gentile dispensation ends in apostacy. And 144,000 elect Israelites will receive It after the death of their prophets as a small election have received It today after Brother Branham's death. It will not be Brother Branham's Message of the "seven thunders", but the revelation of the Feast of Trumpets that revives Israel (Revelation 10:3; 8:6; Matthew 24:31).

The question is, what went wrong for Israel? How could they be so blind as to reject their Messiah? The answer is, they failed to recognize that Scripture IS God in Word form. They did not honor the Word but misinterpreted It as they chose. By following the ministry without confirming it in God's unchanging Word, they went astray from the heavenly Way into creed and traditions that made the Word of God of no effect to them. They were brainwashed. Eventually the Establishment's (Babylonian) ministry had such political power, that whoever withstood their denominational teachings was prosecuted. Even crucified.

Since the First Nicea Council of AD325, we Gentiles have come under the rule of the Establishment's (Babylonian) ministry which has brainwashed the world and prosecutes all who withstand their false teachings. Today the penalty is ostracism or loss of privilege. Soon it will again be death (Revelation 13).

Israelites and Gentiles may blame the ministry, which is certainly guilty. But God said, "The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezekiel 18:20). God placed each individual on the basis of free moral agency and we are personally responsible to Him for our decisions.

Many people today are men-pleasers. Some calling themselves Christians, name their children after the false prophet Mohammed and his wives. Afraid to offend their neighbors, they honor the pagan customs of society: Easter, Christmas, catechisms and so-forth, denying the Word which is God. Very few honor God's Word as admonished by the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11; Romans 3:4; Galatians 1:8-9; I Thessalonians 5:21; Matthew 4:4). Thus they bring themselves under the rule of the Roman false church Jesus calls "the great whore, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth", and the yoke of the Edomite "Jews" (so-called) who are likewise accursed of God.

Both groups are bound for the Lake of Fire, yet blind followers of this end-time Message embrace them, winking at the abominations of a people who absolutely despise us and loathe God's unchanging Word. The question is, what does this say about these "Message people"? The answer is, they are not in the faith and their folly is manifest to all the saints. Brother Branham said "If one can't see the revelation of the true Oneness of the godhead, water baptism and the Serpent's seed, just walk away from them. Let the blind lead the blind, for you know the election is off".

Few Message people have a clear understanding of the true Oneness of the godhead and Scriptural water baptism; still less understand physical and Spiritual Serpent's seed. Had they the faith of Jesus Christ they would follow His Words and heed His prophet William Branham. Yet knowing their testimony is that they are not Christians, that they certainly have not "met the Pillar of Fire on the backside of the desert" and that their web sites announce they are pantheists who despise Jesus Christ and Christianity, they invite these reprobates concerning the faith to minister. Had they the faith of Bugs Bunny, they would know "What's up, Doc"!, and separate themselves to the Word. Instead they expend precious resources of time and money trying to impress or to convert those whom God has set at enmity against us (Genesis 3:15).

This "strong delusion to believe the lie" that we are all God's children is one more sign of apostacy confirming we are at the end of the Gentile dispensation. Another "trusted brother" like Judas Iscariot proves Satan takes his man but not his spirit. Others are building personal empires instead of the kingdom of God.

Like their Establishment mother, the Message denominations would not offend one of their own. But exposed by the Light of God's revealed Word, they will skin you alive. At least they'll destroy your influence among the non-elect majority in Message circles. So watch your back, saints!

You can blame the Judas ministry of this day but if your soul sins by receiving their poison, your soul shall pay the price. The soul that sins shall surely bear its own burden. So prove all things. Prove everything I preach and write, tie everything back to God's unchanging Word from Genesis to Revelation. It's the tie post of the soul. If it does not agree with the Word, and every one, hold to that Word.

If father, mother, husband, wife, government, church or friend require you to live or act contrary to the revealed Word, forsake them. Display the Token Life of Christ and testify to the glory of the Lord God. Be God-pleasers, not man-pleasers. If they can not or will not repent and receive the Word, you know the election is off no matter how well they can quote the letter of the Message (Luke 14:26-35).

Today, most of the good people are afraid to be good. They strive to be broad minded and tolerant! It is fashionable to be tolerant -- but mostly tolerant of evil -- and this new code has reached the proportions of demanding intolerance of good (II Timothy 3:3). The wall of resistance to evil -- obedience to God's unchanging Word -- has thus been broken down by politically correct men-pleasers, and no longer affords protection to those who, persecuted by evil doers, stand in need of it (Ephesians 6:13).

As an example, this week's news reports a lady from Tasmania has for the past eight years delivered handbills in letter boxes warning of the attack on the white race by the self-styled "Jews". The Establishment media is controlled by the Jew (but funded by the taxpayer), so she was defamed as "anti-Semitic". However, according to their own encyclopedias and their most eminent historians, it is "Jews" themselves who are non-Semitic and anti-Semitic. And leading Jews are on record stating their aim is to destroy the white race by miscegenation (which is forbidden by the Torah). We see the outcome of this policy in multiculturalism (so-called) which is multi-racialism introduced by the Jew's golem, the United Nations, against the wishes of our once Christian, once democratic Western civilization. And what about abortion?

As the good British parliamentarians sat on their hands when their colleague, Captain Ramsay was imprisoned without trial for warning of the Jew's plot that became World War II and 53 million mainly nominal Christian dead, not one of our legislators has sufficient manhood to stand with this elderly woman and prove by the Jews' own writings that her warning is fact. And the Gentile world is so blind they can not see that their Satanic plan practically a fait accompli already.

We have been brainwashed because we have become tolerant of evil. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33). Such broadness of mind as we applaud today has the logical effect of leading to mental confusion. And as Brother Branham prophesied, universal insanity. We have become a race of skeptics. Theology has replaced prophecy and reason has subverted revelation.

Worse still, there are cases wherein virtuous people's good name is relentlessly "filched from them", but no effort will be made by the presumed good people to rally to their defense. They are happy if they can discover the cause of their ruin, material or moral, either partial or total.

There exists a secret world which Judas served. One might almost say an underworld, whose objective is to penetrate, dominate and destroy, not only the so-called upper classes, but also the better portion of all classes. There are those who feel confident that if they "mind their own business", refrain from joining any society or group and avoid entanglements, no harm can befall them. To such, let me say that situations can be, and are, created for innocent dupes every day: wrecked homes and lives are the direct result. Neither fortune nor a blameless life led, as it were, in an island of strict virtue in the midst of a tumultuous sea of evil, spells security. We must speak the Word of God with boldness, like Peter and John, such that "the world will know that we have been with Jesus".

So many Jekylls and Hydes stalk about unsuspectingly in our midst! Yes, within this Message. The hymn warns, "There are three kinds of believers in this world today; they gather where the eagles go to feed . . ." So close they would almost deceive the very elected if that were possible. But what a friend we have in Jesus.

Our once Christian society has rejected all that was hitherto so meaningful and reasonable. The ancient landmarks of morality, integrity, national sovereignty, thrift, personal responsibility and accountability have been demolished. Certainty is usurped by insecurity, conscience and the unchanging inward law engraved by God in the heart have been replaced by lawlessness and external law. (Lady Queensborough, Occult Theocrasy, The Christian Book Club of America, p7-10).

Most people are imbued with the spirit of Laodicea. They have it all. They know it all. They cannot be taught. If a point of truth from the Word comes up and a man tries to explain his view to one with an opposing view, the listener is not at all listening that he might learn, but is listening only to refute what is being said. The ancient landmarks have been removed, there are no longer any constants. Everything is situational, including morality and truth. And after six thousand years on earth, man has rejected the absolute unchanging constants to rediscover the rudiments and make a better world to sin in.

"After the world with all of its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and know God by means of man's philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe" (I Corinthians 1:21).

Man seeks to understand the meaning of life, the universe and everything by exercising doubt or unbelief in God's Word rather than faith. And this is a principle underlying scientific enquiry today which is why so much of the knowledge promulgated through education is foolishness or propaganda of the secret world.

In the four hundred years of prophetic silence from Malachi to the close of the Hebrew dispensation, the Gentiles had made the most profound search for the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Their intellectual pursuit of truth and the meaning of life through philosophy led the Indians into psychological suicide of the ego by the annihilation of all personal desire to attain a state of "nirvana" which is Nihilism. Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam yield to "fate" rather than overcoming adversity and the world by faith in the Word of God to reflect the image of God. "The wicked is driven away (from God) in his wickedness: but the righteous has hope (of reunion with God) in his death" (Proverbs 14:32).

For all their wisdom and self-seeking the West was also spiritually ignorant and bereft of hope. During the time of the Roman Empire, suicide was glorified, and when judging the incarnate Word, Pilate asked, "What is truth" (John 18:38)? The Greeks either denied all feelings (Stoicism), or indulged in carnal excess (Epicureanism). No wonder Hebrews regarded we Gentiles "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the Covenants of Promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Preaching on Mars Hill, Paul declared, "I see you are very religious, for one of your altars bore this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:22-23).

We were lost as could be. Four thousand years after Adam, the Indians, Romans and Greeks knew not God, whilst Pontius Pilate in his role as judge did not understand what truth is. I suspect many of his brother judges today are in the same confusion, and could care less. These situations demonstrate the law of entropy or chaos and prove man is not evolving, but devolving.

Today men are destitute of hope. They have forsaken the ancient landmarks because they do not believe 6,000 years of preaching God's infallible Word and want new "truth" and "meaning" that will accommodate their sinful desires. Hopelessly deluded, they fail to realize that for 6,000 years reprobate minds sharper than theirs have sought a new "truth" that would accommodate sin, and found it not. Today desperate people without hope turn to suicide, quack religion, physical excess, sexual perversions and substance abuse in a search for "truth" and "meaning" to life without God.

Men are fighting their way to hell. "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" (Romans 1:21).

It has become more important to win the argument than to establish the truth. Successful litigation rests upon affording a lawyer wise in his own conceit and the deceit of others. We have a legal system but no system of justice. I believe it was Diogenes who wandered Athens bearing a lantern in the daytime seeking truth. Diogenes was made a martyr.

Since God's unchanging Word, Jesus Christ, has been put out by our once Christian society, something sinister has crept into our way of life. Long forgotten is the fact that we are to be a separated people. Forgotten is the maxim of early America, "Friendship with all, alliances with none". Wisdom and common sense principles are now abhorred and instead of following Bible ways, we are led by men who despise Adam's race and nations, to whom the ends justify the means, who always work under a different name and in a different occupation, (whenever possible at the expense and against the will of others who will become their scapegoat), whose guide is the Talmud. Read Genesis 3:15.

Where once we were led by the Lord, now we follow His sworn enemy. As Brother Branham often said, "We opened the gates and the goats came in". The natural types the Spiritual. Immediately we made it possible for these heathen to participate as equals in our society and government, the nation they had already established within our nations began to finance wars, Nazism, Communism, and to invade the world with their cultural, economic and political imperialism.

Friends, instead of being Christ-minded and Spiritual, unbeknownst to most worldly people including those in Message circles who call themselves Christians, but are not, we have been brainwashed into receiving a strong delusion. God has sent this strong delusion to believe Satan's lie: that we are all God's people, a brotherhood of man, and that God will not destroy us. But we are not, and He will. When He takes the New Testament saints Home for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb the Holy Spirit departs, allowing man to destroy himself and all life on earth. Under the Fourth Seal the rider is named Death (II Thessalonians 2:11-12; Malachi 4:1-3; Revelation 6:8; 19:20; 20:5, 10; Isaiah 28:15-22).

Most professing Christians are so deceived they are cheering the enemy's team. But Jesus said the end-time evangelism would call the wise and foolish virgin out from the "church", which is Satan's synagogue: and nothing more than the world with God's Name on it (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 18:4).

Prophesying against Jerusalem Ezekiel 16:44-60 says, "Like mother, like daughter. You are your mother's daughter . . . Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you. The iniquity of your sister Sodom was pride, laziness and too much food, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. And they were haughty and worshiped idols before Me; therefore I removed them as I saw fit . . . Thus saith the Lord, I will repay you for your broken promises. You lightly broke your solemn vows to Me, yet I will keep the pledge I made to you when you were young . . ." And He goes on to prophesy the restoration of the kingdom to Israel.

Ezekiel spoke twelve years after Nebuchadnezzar defeated Judah when God began the times of the Gentiles as punishment for idolatry. Jerusalem will remain under Gentile dominion until the consummation. Reading this chapter we notice her sins parallel those of Rome in Revelation 17 and type the Laodicean condition of Gentile civilization today. Our world is in idolatry and Sodomy. As it was in the days of Lot, God veiled Himself behind a prophet and revealed Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, and today and forever by the Messianic sign of Hebrews 4:12, warning of judgment to come and showing a way of escape (Luke 17:28-30; Genesis 18).

Jerusalem and the nation would also lose Covenant blessings for almost 2,000 years whilst God called a people for His Name, a Bride for Messiah from all the nations of Adam's race. But God was gracious: for forty years after Calvary and Pentecost He was still calling to the Hebrew people. Intellectually they were receptive, but when they saw how the Gentiles also believed, "they were filled with envy, and spoke against the revelation, contradicting and blaspheming". Paul and Barnabas boldly said, "It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but since you have rejected It, and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal Life, we turn to the Gentiles. As the Lord commanded when He said, I have set you to be a Light to lead the Gentiles from the farthest corners of the earth to My salvation" (Acts 13:44-47; 28:27-28).

The history of Israel had so profoundly influenced the Israelites in their thinking that signs and wonders had become the hallmark of the reality of their Covenant with the Lord. (Like so-called Pentecostals today with their "initial evidence" of speaking with other tongues). The Gentiles, on the other hand, never seemed to ask such manifest demonstrations of the reality of their gods. And with good reason as the priests of Baal discovered (I Kings 18:21-40).

Paul said, "In His wisdom God saw to it that man would never find Him through human scholarship and debate, and chose to save men by faith in all who believe His Message. This became a trap to the Hebrews who demand a sign from heaven to vindicate the Message; and was foolishness to the Gentiles who believe only what agrees with their philosophy and seems rational. So when we preach Christ crucified, the Hebrews are offended and the Gentiles call it nonsense. But to those who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God, and the hub of His wise plan for their salvation. Because the so-called foolishness of God's plan is far wiser than the wisest plan of man; and the weakness of God dying on Calvary in the form of our Kinsman Redeemer is stronger than any man. Look among yourselves, my brethren, how that few who are called to follow Christ are wise in the ways of this world, powerful or of noble birth" (I Corinthians 1:21-26).

When Paul brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, he delivered it "Not in Word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know we were for your sake" (I Thessalonians 1:5-6). Perhaps these signs were to confirm to the early Church, who were mostly Hebrew converts, that the Gentiles had been brought into the same Covenant relationship with God, and to "break down the middle wall of partition between them" (Ephesians 2:14).

This was demonstrated when those of the Cornelius' household were born-again, "To Jesus of Nazareth all the prophets witness, that through His Name whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins". And while Peter was yet speaking, the Holy Ghost fell on all those (Gentiles) who heard the Word. The believing Hebrews who had accompanied Peter were astonished, because the Gift of the Holy Ghost was also poured out on the Gentiles. The evidence being that each Hebrew understood them magnifying God in their Gentile languages. Then said Peter, "Can any man forbid these from being baptized, seeing they have received the Holy Ghost as well as us" (Acts 10:43-47)?

"It is written in the Law that God would send men from other lands to speak with foreign languages to His people, but despite this, they will not hear Me". So you see, speaking with unknown tongues is not a sign to Christians but to them who believe not (that is: Israelites and others on the point of believing): but inspired preaching and teaching of the deep truths of God's Word is not for unbelievers (on the point of believing), but for Christians" (I Corinthians 14:21-22; Hebrews 5:13).

Whilst the miraculous signs of Christ continued abundantly both in blessing, bearing witness to their Message (Hebrews 2:3-4) as in the miraculous release of Peter and Paul from prison, and also in instantaneous judgments, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-16), there appears to have been a decline in the manifestation of signs and wonders following the Jews stoning of Stephen. And since the kingdom has been taken from the unfruitful olive tree and given to the Gentiles who will bring forth fruit until the end of their dispensation the supernatural understanding of other tongues becomes less frequent. Besides, expatriate Hebrew Christians in Gentile lands were not unfamiliar with the local tongues. So the signs and wonders so expected by the Hebrews diminish. No further healings are recorded in the epistles, and The Book of The Acts of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles closes with Paul's statement, "You Israelites had better realize that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and that they will receive It" (Acts 28:28).

This is not to say that there were no more healings, gifts of the Spirit, miracles, signs or wonders. But it does indicate the different nature of Gentile believers who do not require a sign but have the faith not found in Israel (Deuteronomy 32:30; Matthew 8:10). When God answers prayer or performs a miracle, the Gentile believer receives it in thankful expectation.

Peter, the apostle to the Hebrews, was imprisoned then cut off, and his ministry ended because God was no longer dealing with that nation. Eventually we find the great miracle-worker Paul seemingly forsaken by all men, writing Timothy to send his coat and library (II Timothy 4:9-17). He was imprisoned, "completing in his flesh what remained of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church" (Colossians 1:24). There Paul wrote more of what we know today as the New Testament, and was ultimately martyred.

We find ourselves near the close of the Gentile dispensation. The gospel of Paul by which God will judge the world, is restored. And the mystery of God is finished. But multitudes are working signs until we have a generation of sign seekers who know little or nothing about the Word, or a true move of the Spirit, and support even unscriptural signs.

All nature is groaning in travail for the manifestation of the Sons of God. However their signs and wonders will not be publicly witnessed. But will testify against the Christ-rejecting world and encourage the Bride, raising her confidence to unrealized heights of faith in the spoken Word to enable her to change in the atoms so that her corruptible flesh can be glorified and her mortality put on immortality to cross to the unseen dimension. What a Friend we have in Jesus. nl138.htm

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Brother Anthony Grigor-Scott is a non-denominational minister. He has ministered full-time since 1981, primarily to other ministers and their congregations in various countries. He pastors Bible Believers' tiny congregation, and is available to minister in your church.

For Further Information Contact:

Bible Believers' Church
Currabubula, NSW 2342, Australia
e-mail: ags@biblebelievers.org.au
URL: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/