ORIGINS

Origins, (man, well sure, but everything)

It's a tunnel vision thing with many (most ??) atheists....

The neo-modern "classic" explanation for Origins (one of my favourite ones to nit-pick over) goes something like this:

"First, inexplicably, an infinitesimally small particle of RAW energy began to expand some 100¹⁰ aeons ago... and while we cannot precisely explain why the previously collapsing (and increasingly denser) RAW energy even stopped collapsing, much less why it began to expand, we *know* this did in fact happen because... Space is so very large and vast...

Then as this now very rapidly expanding pure RAW energy hurtled through space at an expansion rate that is beyond anything even the most robust mind could possibly imagine, something remarkable happened.  Within the first micro-segments of the first micro-seconds of time, suddenly and inexplicably (inexplicably as although we are gaining a better understanding daily of just what happened, scientists cannot quite pin down what caused this to happen) some (not ALL) of this RAW energy transformed into matter...

Then continuing a few more micro-segments, of that very first few micro-seconds of time, once again  inexplicably (inexplicably as although we are gaining a better understanding daily of just what happened, scientists cannot quite pin down what caused this to happen) some (but again NOT ALL) of this expanding matter, turned into what scientists call anti-matter...  This is profoundly remarkable because matter and anti-matter cancel out, or obliterate one and other, thus for this  inexplicable occurrence to have occurred is truly amazing!"

And then life (organic life, albeit exceedingly simple single celled organisms)

"Moving on now, several hundred million years from the Origins some 13.5 billion years ago, once again  inexplicably (inexplicably as although we are gaining a better understanding daily of just what happened, scientists cannot quite pin down what caused this to happen, and we *KNOW* this happened, because there is an abundance of both  {organic matter},"life" and non-life {inorganic matter} all over this planet...)"

And then the "pièce de résistance", "COMPLEX" organic life, PEOPLE!!!!

"And finally, when the conditions were just right in that primordial soup called atheistic history, one more truly amazing and inexplicable (inexplicably as although we are gaining a better understanding daily of just what happened, scientists cannot quite pin down what caused this to happen) thing happened, some (but again NOT ALL) forms of simple organic life, miraculously began to evolve into ever higher, ever more complex, forms of Organic Life, culminating with US!   And we *KNOW* this happened, because there are both people and simpler forms of organic matter,"life" all over this planet..."

Talk about circular reasoning?!?!?

If we are all here by just some random happenstance...

How then did the:

collapsing RAW energy stop (inexplicably) infinitely collapsing?

first conversion of raw energy (inexplicably) transform into matter?

first conversion of matter (inexplicably) transform into anti-matter?

first conversion of inorganic matter (inexplicably) transform into ORGANIC matter? and the "pièce de résistance"

How then did the first simple, single celled organism (inexplicably) transform into a roughly 100 TRILLION celled, highly complex creature that we call human beings?

With all of the above gobbledygook to confuse even the most astute student, it should come as no surprise that an atheist (typical student of evolution) would be so quick to argue, "Ha.  No sunlight, NO PLANTS!", when presented with the Genesis account of / for creation:  Genesis Chapter 1, verses 9 through 13, G-d (Christ) created grass, and herb yielding seed and trees yielding fruit after their own kind. Yet, also according to Genesis, G-d (Christ) did not create the Sun, the Moon, even the Stars of the heavens, until the FOURTH DAY, verses 14 through 19.  And this is an unforgiveable and insurmountable problem for the Atheist, no sunlight, no vegetation he / she grumbles (whines) very sharply.  Cannot really blame them I suppose, brainwashing is what it is....  The atheistic mind loves to mock, deride, belittle, badger and ridicule the Christian, for believing in a FIRST CAUSE! (belief in a Higher Intelligence) And for the atheistic mind to accept / concede a Higher Intelligence, is for him / her to also concede that we need to be accountable to said Higher Intelligence, our maker.  Plausible deniability is not only fashionable it seems in Hollywood Blockbuster thrillers, but even in day-to-day life, wherein one seeks not to have to be accountable. 

A “typical” atheistic science book, may contain some 600,000 words in just one volume, and in any given field of study there may be several volumes to explain (teach) the ideas of a given subject matter.  And the atheistic mind will go to great lengths to ask a Christian to site sources where this word inexplicably appears.  They do so because it becomes very easy to gloss over one simple little word, even a word that is repeated four, five or six times, when one uses a five-part, three volume per part, 600,000 word per volume set of text books to say:

Inexplicably, mysteriously, strangely, bizarrely, curiously, without explanation, puzzlingly, unaccountably, enigmatically, inexplicable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, strange, perplexing and / or mystifying. . .

At the end of the day, the word(s) inexplicable / inexplicably, are glaringly unanswered, and very problematic for the atheist, yet they will undoubtedly evade even attempting to answer the question of inexplicable / inexplicably, and rather ask: “How then did your G-d create things?”  To the atheistic mind somehow, for the Christian to ask, “how did this inexplicable / inexplicably strange thing occur?”, is just plain silly, nit-picky and nonsensical.  Yet, the atheist will insist that asking “How did G-d create” everything, is not somehow (at the very least equally as) plain silly, nit-picky and nonsensical, as the Christian’s query about the “inexplicable / inexplicably”.  Thus we have both A) a set of circular reasoning being used by atheists, and also B) a vivid double standard.  For the honest simple answer to the atheist, as to HOW G-d (Christ) created is: “He spoke things into existence”, Genesis Chapter 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28 and 29 “…and God said …”

WITHOUT THE AID OF A HIGHER INTELLIGENCE, How then did the first simple, single celled organism (inexplicably) transform into a roughly 100 TRILLION celled, highly complex creature that we call human beings?  Pure random happenstance?

If you concede to the HIGHER INTELLIGENCE, then why not just accept G-d (Christ) and His free gift of Salvation as He prepared for you on that Cross some 2000 years ago?

If you don't concede THE AID OF A HIGHER INTELLIGENCE, then WOW indeed, your faith in all those (inexplicable) transformations is GREAT FAITH INDEED!

“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know Jesus, KNOW peace”

How does one get to “know” Jesus?  Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20 NIV]  How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything, anything at all?  Well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]

And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]

If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!

John 3:16 says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “Origins” – this 14^th day of January 2013 © 2013, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist” too)

THE “FALL” OF ANCIENT EGYPT

#‎RAD ‪#‎ATEND G-d (Christ) ‪#‎IIC714

The “FALL” of Ancient Egypt

According to Egyptologists, Historians and Archaeologists (and few others too I suppose), Egypt’s ancient civilization began its modern-day demise approximately 4,000 years ago[¹], and wholly culminated approximately 3,000 years ago.  And what is more and more commonly being attributed to this demise, is a tragic and massive shift in weather patterns [¹].  Yep… “Climate Change”!  The once lush, green and vibrant Nile valley and delta areas began a transition.  A transition that would take several hundred years to come to full fruition, to be overrun with drought and famine.   And of course, there’s no factors such as “Moral Relativism” or “Moral Equivalence”, or is there, behind the ultimate fate of Ancient Egypt?

Now consider what the Bible says happened (or at least began to happen) some 4,000 odd years ago.  What on earth could I be talking about?  Famine, drought, pestilence, TRAGEDY begins in approximately 2,000 AM (AM = Anno Mundi = year of the world[²], or years from creation / Adam).  Joseph, who would eventually become second in the land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself, was born sometime in 2179 AM[³] or in c.~ 1,782 B.C.…

Bible review, WHY did Joseph’s family come to Egypt?  FAMINE, read Genesis 42…  Also, why did Moses (and when), under the guidance of the Lord of Hosts, G-d (Christ), lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Some indications of time frames for Moses birth, range from as early as 1592 B.C. {2369 AM} to as recently as 1144 B.C. {2817 AM}, ergo time frames (the when, for Moses leading the Exodus out of Egypt) are between 1512 BC to as recent as 1064 B.C.  (According to Exodus 7:7 Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh. Adding 80 years to the estimated date of Moses birth, provides us with the above noted date range).

Why does any of this matter?  And is it not important that the date range between the oldest date and the most recent date spans some 450+ years?  Why?  Why should a 450 or even 500-year variance matter?  The Egyptologists, Historians and Archeologists claim that Egypt’s demise began some 40 centuries’ ago (1962 AM / 2000 B.C.), BUT, they also say that the culmination was about 3,000 years ago (2961 AM / 1000 B.C.).  These date ranges are, at the very least, not in disagreement with the Biblical accounts.  So again, does a 450 date range mean that the Biblical account is not plausible?

Think about it this way folks (either way), some 3500 ish years ago G-d (Christ), using His chosen vessel Moses lead His CHOSEN people the Israelites out of Egypt.  And He {G-d (Christ)} did so after the Egyptians (under the tyranny of the Pharaoh) rejected G-d (Christ) and the People of G-d.  Do you really want to go down that same path?  I for one do not.

Consider this if I be wrong, and the G-d of the Holy Bible Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef) is little more than some fanciful character from a wannabe fairy-tale, I have lost nothing by devoting my life to following Him.  The moral guidelines of the most basic of ancient human laws, the 10 Commandments, are an awesome set of standards.  On the other hand, if the nay-sayers be wrong about the accuracy, authenticity and legitimacy of the Holy Bible, they stand to lose everything.

“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know Jesus, KNOW peace”

How does one get to “know” Jesus?  Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20 NIV]  How can be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything?  Well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]

And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]

If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!

John 3:16 says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “The “FALL” of Ancient Egypt” – this 7th day of January 2013 © 2013, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist” too!)

Just sayin’...

Shalom, pray for the peace of Jerusalem...

What is #RAD? #RAD is:

R epent of rejecting Christ

A ccept Christ as your Lord

D evelop your relationship with G-d

#RAD your relationship with the Living Almighty God Himself as your personal Lord and Saviour depends on it!

What is #ATEND G-d (Christ)?  Ask me!

What is #IIC714?

II 2nd

C hronicles

7:14

John 3:16, Revelation 3:20, Romans 10:9 -10, Revelation 21:27, II Corinthians 5:21 and I John 5:13 / John 20:31!

Shalom

Cited or consulted sources and resources

[¹] - http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/05/29/4000-years-ago-climate-change-caused-massive-civilization-collapse.html, “4,000 years ago, climate change caused massive civilization collapse”

[²] - http://bit.ly/2j9RsVn, “The Jewish calendar”

[³] - http://bit.ly/2j9ME2a, “Genesis chapters 37-50”

http://bit.ly/1kliLwA, “Bible Hub”

http://bit.ly/1kliTMD, “BibleGateway”

http://bit.ly/1MzWhEQ, “Bible.org”

http://bit.ly/2ja2RV3, “Genealogy Of Jesus”

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_was_Moses_born, “When was Moses born?”

http://www.truthnet.org/Biblicalarcheology/5/Exodusarcheology.htm, “Biblical Archeology of the Exodus”

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/exodus/f/ExodusDate.htm, “When Was the Exodus?”

ALLAAH OF ISLAM VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM G-D (CHRIST)

The God of the Bible is very, no make that vastly, different from the god, Allaah, of the Qur'an

Our Father, the God of the Holy Bible, (that is the TaNaKh / Old and New Testaments, absent of the Apocrypha), is a Trinity. ^[1]  The God of the Bible loves unbelievers. ^[2]  We can call God of the Bible "Father." ^[3]  Allah of the Qur'an, in Sura 9:29 ^[i]  commands Muslims to violently subjugate nonbelievers.

In Sura 3:54 Allaah is called the greatest of "deceivers" although it's usually translated as schemer or plotter. ^[4]  In contrast, the Bible does not describe God in such a way but rather refers to Satan as the "father of lies." ^[5]

^[1] – Genesis 1:2, and 1:26 & 27, Matthew 28:19

^[2] – 2 Peter 3:9

^[3] – Isaiah 63:16-19, Deuteronomy 32:6 & Isaiah 64:8

^[4] – Sura 3:54 - http://bit.ly/U87Mlr, see also Sura 4:142 –    “… it is He {Allaah} Who deceives them.” - “Hilali-Khan 4:142”

^[5] – John 8:44 & Genesis 3:4

^[i]   – “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” – “Hilali-Khan 9:29”

Emphasis in BOLD ITALICIZED CAPS mine.

Sura 9:33 – “It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad SAW) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) hate (it).” – “Hilali-Khan 9:33”

Emphasis in BOLD ITALICIZED CAPS mine.

See also Hilali-Khan 9:73, Hilali-Khan 9:111, Hilali-Khan 9:123, Hilali-Khan Hilali-Khan 98:6 and Hilali-Khan 48:29, as they all promote hatred and violence.

Note here how in Sura 98:6 Allaah tells us that: “…they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture (Christians and Jews) and the polytheists (Trinitarian Christians) will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures.” – http://bit.ly/U8cLTb 

Emphasis in BOLD ITALICIZED CAPS mine, emphasis in parentheses () added by me, for clarity.

It is my contention that once one reviews the content noted above, and is careful to review said content in full and proper context, one cannot help but conclude that the god Allaah of the Qur’an is, in fact, nothing like the God of the Holy Bible.  One, the god of Islam’s Qur’an is a created being, and the other, the God (Christ) of the Judeo-Christian is the Almighty, Omniscient, and Omnipotent Creator of everything.

Some will suggest, or have already suggested, that Allaah is merely Arabic for God, and also that Isa is merely Arabic for Jesus.  While this is indeed true, to a point, the simple fact remains that the god of Islam’s Qur’an, Allaah is nothing like the God (Allaah in Arabic) of the Holy Bible.  Neither is the Isa of Islam’s Qur’an remotely similar to the Jesus (Isa in Arabic) of the Holy Bible. 

It’s really very similar to the vast difference between either the jesus’ of the Mormons and / or Jw’s.  In the case of the Mormons, their jesus christ is A) a half brother to Lucifer, B) a created being and C) now an exalted being, god.  In the case of the JW’s, their jesus christ is also Michael the Archangel, he is also, according to their version of the bible, a god {John 1:1: NWT}, and also there is no trinity or even personage of the Holy Spirit within the JW’s religion.  Instead what the JW’s teach about the Holy Spirit, has the Holy Spirit relegated to the dark recesses of the “creative power” somehow of the father and son working together.

No one who understands Biblical Christianity would recognize either the JW’s or Mormons as bonā fidē Christians.  Yet to many an onlooker, as both the JW’s and Mormons throw around the name “jesus christ” so very authoritatively, the JW’s and Mormons are just another branch of Christianity.  Such is the case and argument against Islam, the god of Islam’s Qur’an Allaah, and the Isa of the Qur’an, when compared with the God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef) of the TaNaKh and New Testament, a.k.a. the Holy Bible.

For one to deny that the god of Islam is indeed vastly different from the God of the Holy Bible, one must either be wholly ignorant of what the Qur’an and Hadith’s teach, or wilfully blind.  Ignorance is one thing, however if one does in fact posses even some basic knowledge of Islam, the Qur’an and Hadith’s, and yet remains convinced that the god of Islam’s Qur’an and the God of the Judeo-Christian’s Holy Bible is the same… well suffice it to say, said person must either be in denial or wilfully blind.

“Know Jesus, know peace whereas no Jesus, no peace” 

How does one get to “know” Jesus?  Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20 NIV]  How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything, anything at all?  Well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]

And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]

If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!

John 3:16 says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, Allaah of Islam vastly different from G-d (Christ) of the Judeo-Christian Faith – this 28th day of October 2012 © 2012, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist N’ “creationist” too).  With credit and much thanks too, Marie Wood and Mari B. Kaimo for valuable information provided in the compilation of the above Blog.  See also, David's jihad tab on Answering Muslims.

THE "DEITY" OF JESUS or the KJVO

From a very good friend, on the subject of modern English renderings of G-d's (Christ's) Holy Word:

"We  had a good discussion the other day on Bible translations. Some sites and some people are very dogmatic on KJV only. I post and teach KJV most of the time for my own reasons but I read NKJ or NIV. You have to remember I have a lot of Bible software on my computer to check proper translations. I found this article interesting. 

DO THE MODERN TRANSLATIONS TAKE AWAY
FROM THE "DEITY" OF JESUS?

Be very careful when making the argument or listening to someone make the argument, "well, the NIV (or NKJV or NAS, etc.) LEFT OUT SOME WORDS in their translation that TAKE AWAY THE DEITY OF JESUS!

People making this argument are often referring to several places in the KJV New Testament rendered, "The Lord Jesus Christ said " Some of the newer translations simply say, "Jesus said." Upon first reading you might say, "hey, look, the new translation DID leave a word out. It DOES take away the words CHRIST and LORD. This is unacceptable, they HAVE taken away the DEITY of Jesus!" But wait, what is really happening here? 

Whenever one sets out to make a modern, scholarly translation of the Scriptures, one must first decide what the STANDARD will be. The NIV translators for example did not use the KJV as their standard but rather chose to examine actual early Greek and Hebrew copies of the scriptures. They attempted to get as near to the originals as possible by examining THOUSANDS of copies and to also compare them with later translations of the Greek and Hebrew. They determined that they would be as true as possible to what was ACTUALLY found in the consensus of reliable, early documents.

The people with the KJV ONLY MOVEMENT that use words about the modern translations like; added, deleted, took away, changed, etc., are assuming that the KJV is THE STANDARD for any translation after it. This simply is not so, nor would it be wise when so much more translation evidence exists NOW than when the KJV was translated!

In the passages illustrated above, the words Christ and Lord were NOT FOUND in the early documents! The KJV translators ADDED these words when they made THEIR translations. Certainly the KJV translators were not "wrong" in referring to Jesus as CHRIST and LORD, but nether were the NIV translators "wrong" in translating EXACTLY what was in the early texts (obviously good enough for the HOLY SPIRIT in the original rendering of the scriptures!)The translators of both versions had a judgment call to make. Neither one of them were wrong. The NIV translators did not "leave out" ANYTHING! The KJV translators simply added words that were not in the original manuscripts.

It is interesting that when the KJV ONLY folks make this argument, they fail to mention, either because of convenience or lack of knowledge, that there are SEVERAL instances in the NIV and other modern translations that the deity of JESUS is strongly AFFIRMED (as it was in the original manuscripts!) but this affirmation is NOT FOUND IN THE KJV! A little fairness should be called for in this matter of "taking away the deity of JESUS." I think it is highly unfair and a bit silly to suggest that ANY serious, scholarly, Christian translation of scripture has made a purposeful attempt to take away the deity of Jesus!" By: Pastor Joe Reeves

Something literally came out of the AnsweringChristianity website

H/T my good friend Mari B. Kaima, who posted this via Facebook

"" At least there is one good thing that has come out of answeringchristianity dot com, and I mean literally came out of it :)

His name was Issa Ahmad Khalid, and he was a former contributor to the AnsweringChristianity website. He writes:

It is not my wish or intention to insult the feelings or the faith of Muslims, but I find it most prudent to share my experience in order to spread the truth of the Lord Jesus in the hopes that it will not only deter any confused Christian into making the mistake of embracing Islam as I had, but also to share with all Muslims why I returned the loving arms of my Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus. I pray that you read these words with an open mind and heart.

BORN A ROMAN CATHOLIC

If anything, I was submersed in the Christian Faith from a young age. My mother was, and continues to be, a devout Roman Catholic, and in spite of whether or not one agrees with Catholic theology, I admire her for her faith. It was this faith that rubbed off on me as I went to Catholic school as a child, along with serving as an Alter Boy at Sunday Mass. Eventually, as I became older, I also served as an Usher, Lector with aspirations of moving on to become a Roman Catholic Priest. I don?t want to get into any intricate details with respect to my life, but let?s just say that I wanted to serve the Lord in any capacity I could. It was during the years I spent in study that I began to have questions flood into my head with respect to what exactly it was that I was following as a Roman Catholic, seeing that many of the dogmas and traditions held no support from The Holy Bible. I began to learn that the Catholic Church felt that only they reserved the right to interpret the Bible in the way they saw fit, however, even in this case I was at a loss to understand how one can interpret the Bible into believing that reverence should be given to Mary, the virgin mother of our Lord Jesus, as this only served to compromise that it was Jesus who came to be the intermediary between God and man, and that the need to pray to Mary and other Saints was both unnecessary and in complete violation of the first and second commandments. However, it is not my wish to defame the Catholic Church, nor Catholics themselves as they too are Christians, but I felt it necessary to share this bit of information so as to give you and understanding and background into why I left the Church. Sadly, it wasn?t until many years later that I came to realize that my disillusions about Christianity was not in Christianity itself, but rather in the Catholic interpretation of such. This would be no more reflected than in the many articles I wrote for the propagation of Islam, as they were deeply indicative of my Catholic upbringing and indoctrinated beliefs, rather than the pure Biblical teachings of Christianity that would have become more apparent if I had just taken the time to study them. None the less, some years after leaving the Church, I embraced Islam and became a Muslim, changing my name to Issa Ahmad Khalid, and as I may reference to just prior, began a writing campaign against Christianity in my propagation of Islam. I was heavily influenced by the direct approach of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, going so far as to imitate his approach to the joy of the Muslims who were more than happy to accept a former "wanna be" clergyman into their fold with my somewhat "limited" knowledge of The Holy Bible.

ISSA AHMAD KHALID

As I mentioned already, I took this name and spent several years being a rather influential force in my local Muslim communities, giving lectures at many Mosques and even appearing on television twice with a local Muslim celebrity. As ashamed as I am of saying this, I took great joy in angering the feelings of Christians with my rhetoric, even behaving in a most confrontational manner as I did everything within my power to completely insult and deride the Christian Faith, all with the blessings of the Muslims. This was so obvious in my writings as I pulled no punches in lashing out against the Bible, going so far as to call it pornographic and immoral. I would spend hours upon hours going through its pages in an attempt to find anything I could to further insult it, even if it meant quoting passages out of context as any knowledgeable Christian would be able to deduce from my writings, but I imagine I was aiming my works to a demographic that was not knowledgeable. I will say this though; that if anything good came out of my bad intentions towards the Bible, it is that my deep study into it for the purpose of defaming it only proved itself to be the reason for my return to the Christian Faith.

DISILLUSIONS WITH ISLAM

There were many factors that eventually led to my disillusions with Islam, all of which stemmed not only from the behaviour of the Muslims themselves, but by their teachings and literature as well. In the forefront of it all was the character of Muhammad, who I came to accept as the greatest of all the Prophets of Almighty God (Allah), and the bearer of God?s final revelation to mankind which the Muslims believe is embodied in the pages of the Qur?an. I read so much in the way of Islamic literature that I not only propagated the belief that Islam was the most perfect of religions, but that Muhammad was the culmination of God?s perfection. So much of this Islamic literature was aimed at using The Holy Bible as a tool to prove the validity of both Muhammad and Islam with claims to Biblical references to Muhammad?s prophethood. On the one hand, Muslims (myself included) would continually rant about the corruption of The Holy Bible, and yet on the other hand we would use the same Bible we defamed as a tool to prove the advent of Muhammad. This was pure hypocrisy not only on my part, but on the part of all Muslims who continually follow this criteria, and the criteria I make mention of is taking certain passages of The Holy Bible and quote them completely out of context in order to spin them into our own ideology and interpretation. This is no different than the dishonest archer. Where a true archer would draw the target first and then shoot the arrow into the bull?s eye, the dishonest archer would shoot the arrow first and then proceed to draw the target around the arrow. Needless to say, no such proofs of Muhammad exist in The Holy Bible and any such examples used by Muslims, like those I myself used as a Muslim, is nothing more than the fancy work of spin doctors. I will now address some examples.

"The burden upon Arabia." Isaiah 21:13

In this passage, Muslims will try and convince all who will listen that this is in reference to both Muhammad and the Muslim world as the heralds of God?s everlasting Law simply because the word Arabia appears, but in no wise does this refer to any burden placed upon Arabia as such Muslim scholars as Sheikh Ahmed Deedat would have you believe in his "Bible Combat Kit", rather it is a warning (prophecy) against Arabia.

When read and studied in its proper, historical context, it deals with the Dedanites, who had availed themselves of the hospitality of the Arabs whenever they travelled through the desert, would now lodge in the forests because the Arabs would be driven from the land. So again, in this we have no reference to Muhammad.

"The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand went a fiery new law." Deuteronomy 33:2

This passage chronicles the journey of the Children of Israel under the Prophet Moses; from their escape out of Egypt into the desert, to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, to finally coming forth into the Promised Land out of Paran with the Law. Muslims claim that Mount Paran and the fiery new law refers to Mecca and the Qur?an, and that when Muhammad had entered into Mecca he brought with him 10,000 of his followers. Again, the problem for the Muslims here lays in the fact that this passage has a historic significance in that Moses was educating the new generation of Israelites, as the old had died out, about the journeys of the Israelites into the Promised Land. As far as the term "Ten Thousands Of Saints" is concerned, the obvious fact is that thousands is in the plural, which denotes a great myriad in the hundreds of thousands being that the Hebrew script of the time had no zeros, which is why thousands is in the plural. Also, Mount Paran is not in Arabia, but rather in the Sinai Desert. This in no way makes any notion to the advent of Muhammad.

"The villages that Kedar doth inhabit." Isaiah 42:11

"Arabia and all the princes of Kedar." Ezekiel 27:21

Again, we have a failure on the part of the Muslims to understand the historic significance of these passages. While it is true that among the sons of Ishmael one was named Kedar, to use this passage to prove the advent of Muhammad is groundless as Kedar was another name for Arabia during the time of both Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel. Also, Ezekiel makes it clear that he was referring to local merchants when speaking of the "Princes Of Kedar".

"For to you every vision has become like the words of a sealed book. You give it to someone able to read and say, read that. He replies, I cannot because it is sealed. You then give the book to someone who cannot read and say, read that. He replies, I cannot read." Isaiah 29:11-12

Muslims use this passage in reference to Muhammad being given the revelation of the Qur?an, in spite of the fact he could not read. They also lay this claim on the fact that the first chapter (surah) of the Qur?an is titled "Al-Fatihah" (The Opening) forgetting that this particular chapter of the Qur?an was not the first one supposedly revealed to Muhammad. This passage, in fact, deals with the Prophet Isaiah reprimanding the Israelites for rejecting the Word of God and following false prophets.

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My Words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I command him." Deuteronomy 18:18

Here God is telling Moses and the Children of Israel that He will raise prophethood from among their brethren, and this is proven from the long line of prophets sent to the Israelites. The Muslim use of this passage to prove the advent of Muhammad stands on a shaky foundation as the Ishmaelites are not the brothers of the Israelites but rather the cousins, and that to use the term "brethren" in any other context is wrong as proven from the use of the word is the same chapter 18 of Deuteronomy, verse 7.

"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes." Psalms 118:22-23

Muslims claim this refers to Muhammad, however, our Risen Lord Christ Jesus quoted this prophecy in Matthew 21:42-43, indicating that He was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

"The Coming Light" made reference to in Isaiah 42:1-2, 6-7 once again deals with the Lord Jesus, who walked the earth 600 years before Muhammad was even born.

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever; the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17

Muslims claim that Jesus was referring to Muhammad, but as Christians we know that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. For example, the passage states that the Counselor will be with us forever. Muhammad did not abide with us forever, but rather he died. The passage also states that the world could neither see nor know the Counselor, but Muhammad was seen and known by many people. The passage also says that the Counselor would live and abide inside us; Muhammad could do no such thing as he was not a spirit. Jesus makes it quite clear that this passage speaks of the Counselor as the Holy Spirit in the following;

"But the Counselor; the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

Once again we have the following;

"But I tell you the truth; it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you." John 16:7

In this passage also Muslims claim Jesus was referring to Muhammad, but had they known The Holy Bible more thoroughly, they would have realized what Jesus said later about this prophecy as He was being taken up to Heaven;

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5

Jesus clearly said that this would happen in a few days and not 600 years later as Muslims would have us believe. In fact, this was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4.

I can continue onwards with many more examples, but to do this would seem as if I am singling out Muhammad, which is something I have no wish of doing as it would be counter productive to establishing a relationship with Muslims. However, this new found knowledge, as well as the repetitive nature of the rituals of Islam, led me to realize that the truth of Almighty God lays in the Saving Grace of Christ Jesus. Salvation does not lay in submitting one's self to the whims of an Arabian who lived over 1400 years ago, to which the Muslims today follow fanatically. Many examples of this can be found on http://

www.answering-islam.org/ so in that I will spare dragging this testimony on longer than it has to. I will say this though, that Muslims live in fear; whether it is from God or fellow Muslims as the Hadiths leave a Muslim will little or no other option. As a Christian I now have no fear of hellfire as I have put myself in the Saving Grace of Jesus, but sadly Muslims have no such comfort as the Qur?an teaches that God saves who He Wills and condemns who He Wills, leaving the Muslim to wonder right to the very end of his/her life here if in fact they will achieve Paradise regardless of all their wonderful deeds. It is this type of mind set that has led so many Muslims to die in the Name of God and Islam, calling themselves Martyrs. But the nature of Martyrs differs drastically from Christianity to Islam, as Muslims believe any who die fighting for the cause of God is a Martyr, whereas a Christian believes that one is a Martyr who dies for the preservation of their faith, refusing to relinquish their belief in Christ Jesus.

I TESTIFY

Aside from this testimony, I made my intentions clear to the Muslims I once called brothers and sisters some time ago in returning to my Christian Faith. Sadly, I was met with scorn and ridicule, as well as threats of damnation for my apparent apostasy. I was somewhat shocked at how easily I was turned against in such a venomous manner, but none the less, I have only God to fear and not man, for Jesus taught us to fear Him that can destroy the soul and not him that can destroy the body. Ironically, among the Muslims I testified to was an individual who has his own Islamic web-site. You see, I had contributed many works for the propagation of Islam to his web-site, and even though I made my intentions clear about returning to Christianity, my works still appear on his web-site. I have requested that he remove them, but instead he merely removed my name and simply put my initials (A.T.), claiming these to be the works of a new convert to Islam. This is most hypocritical on his part, not realizing that by doing so, he is going against the tenants of his own religion. You see, in Muslim circles I am now an apostate, and as such any Muslim who continues to having any dealings with me is also an apostate; and the fact that my works are still on this web-site is leaving him to indirectly continue to having dealings with me, which again contradicts many of the Hadiths of Muhammad. These articles can be found on 
http://
www.answering-christianity.com/a_t/index.html

I am not proud of these works, and no doubt they will be a source of life long shame on my part, but please know that these were the works of one whose ignorance of The Holy Bible would eventually blossom into true knowledge and return to Christ Jesus; Hallelujah. I pray that this brief testimony will be a source of enlightenment to those who read it, a source of comfort to those who can relate, and a source of knowledge to those who are contemplating a choice to live in accordance to either Muhammad or Jesus Christ.

I now live in accordance to the Saving Grace of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, taking every step as if He will return at any moment. I now work for the Lord, having become an Ordained Minister, and sharing my experiences with all who wish to hear me. To all who claim that The Holy Bible contradicts itself, I claim that The Holy Bible does not contradict itself, but rather it contradicts the chosen lifestyle of those who make such foolish accusations. To all who try to correct The Holy Bible, I say rather than correct The Holy Bible, let The Holy Bible correct you. As I mentioned earlier, I can go on and on with respect to Islam, Muhammad and the Qur?an, but a wealth of information exists on this web-site answering-islam.org that I implore you all to take the time a read through all you can to gain a better understanding of the Christian Faith and the origins of the Islamic religion. Knowledge is strength, and when we have this strength, we can teach others. I like to think that I am proof of that. Thank you for taking the time to read my testimony and may Almighty God Bless you all abundantly through the Saving Grace of our Risen Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus. Amen.

Reverend Anthony Tarasca of the
ARMOUR OF GOD CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
United In Christ Jesus ""

DO NOT FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF G-D (CHRIST)

Do not frustrate the Grace of G-d (Christ)

While I whole heartedly agree with many, that scripturally speaking, the Sabbath is the seventh day, and that based upon my modest research into the Messianic’s worship practices there is very compelling evidence to suggest that Sunday is indeed a gross misrepresentation for the Christian’s “day of worship”.  I find myself contemplating the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef) regarding man and the Sabbath:

“^{23 One Sabbath He was going along beside the fields of standing grain, and as they made their way, His disciples began to [n]pick off the grains.}

^{24 And the Pharisees said to Him, Look! Why are they doing what is not permitted or lawful on the Sabbath?}

^{25 And He said to them, Have you never [even] read what David did when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were accompanying him?—}

^{26 How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was the high priest, and ate the sacred loaves set forth [before God], which it is not permitted or lawful for any but the priests to eat, and [how he] also gave [them] to those who were with him?}

^{27 And Jesus said to them, The Sabbath was made on account and for the sake of man, not man for the Sabbath;}

^{28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.}” Mark 2:23-28 (AMP)

Specifically that the “…The Sabbath was made on account and for the sake of man, not man for the Sabbath.” Verse 27

And thus I find myself asking two questions:  (A) “Which is MORE important to G-d (Christ) then, that man observes the Sabbath on the seventh day, or that man observes a Sabbath days’ rest?”  And (B) “Is it really worth publically criticizing a member of Christ’s Church over a dogma?”

If one says that observance of the Sabbath on the Seventh Day is THE MOST important, then it would seem that one is not only contradicting the importance and placement of the Sabbath according to our Lord’s teachings, but that effectively one is saying that the “Son of G-d (Christ) sinned” as He was criticized by the Pharisees for not keeping the Law.

It must also be considered then, that IF one MUST keep the Sabbath on the seventh day (because that’s what it says in Genesis) then one must also keep the Sabbath correctly, and in accordance with the LAW.  What do I mean by this?  Well the Sabbath, according to Genesis begins at sunset on the 6^th day, and continues through to sunset on the 7^th day.  And if one seeks to be under the law, then one is UNDER the whole Law: “For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.” James 2:10  (AMP)} and similarly as in Galatians 5:3 – “…that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”, and effectively nullifies the Crucifixion, “…do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21 KJV

Am I saying that the Catholic Church is in fact a Christian Church?  Yes, in fact quite emphatically I am.  Am I some huge fan of, or otherwise a “great defender” of all things Catholic (Roman Catholic Church (RCC) or other Catholic Churches)?  The answer to both of the latter questions is a resounding “NO, I am not”!  Disagree with me that the RCC is a bonā fidē Christian Church!  Then please feel free to reply directly and highlight specifically BOTH what (A) it is that makes one a bonā fidē Christian and / or a bonā fidē Christian Church, and (B) what expressly disqualifies the RCC from said inclusion. 

The Bible, Torah / Tanakh plus the New Testament (for our Jewish & Messianic friends) makes it clear that to deny for example the Deity of Christ, is Anti-Christ - 1 John 2:22.  Thus the Mormon church and the Jehovah’s Witness (JW) church are befitting the label “cult”, as for the RCC…  I think one will find, if one looks at their exegetical core tenets of Faith, they are part of Christ’s Body.

Well then, do I not (or can I NOT) see that the RCC is terribly FLAWED?  Of course I can and do, see that the RCC is indeed flawed.  Can other people NOT also see that ALL churches are likewise, to some degree, FLAWED? 

Please consider reading “THE CHURCH, AS AN INSTITUTION, IS FLAWED… AND…” [http://dabauzstake.blogspot.ca/2012/01/church-as-institution-is-flawed-and.html]

So again I pose the question:  “Is it really worth publically criticizing a member of Christ’s Church over a dogma?”  Considering that according to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, He was breaking the Law with respect to the Sabbath, do those actions of Christ make Him a sinner?  I think NOT, in fact I “KNOW” not!  Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach was without sin! 

“For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.”  Hebrews 4:15  (AMP)

Do the WORDS of G-d (Christ) Himself mean anything to us as followers of Jesus / Yeshua?  If so, then please remember that we (Christians) will be known / recognized by:

“… this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35 KJV

As far as the flaws, errs and misguided teachings of Catholicism, or Orthodoxy, or Pentecostalism, or the Baptists, etc., etc., etc… is concerned, we should let G-d (Christ) deal with their “flaws”, and deal with our HEARTS.

May G-d (Christ) Bless you all! 

PLEASE let's ALL continue to work together to present a UNIFIED Christ to our UNbelieving friends!!!!  Remember, Jesus said – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 KJV  See footnote ^[1] below.

“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know Jesus, KNOW peace”

How does one get to “know” Jesus?  Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20 NIV]  How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything, anything at all?  Well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]

And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]

If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!

John 3:16 says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “frustrating the Grace of G-d (Christ)” – this 5^th day of June 2012 © 2012, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist” too)

Footnote [1] – What is / are Christ’s “Commandments”?  According to Matthew,

“36 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?]

    37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).

    38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.

    39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.

    40 These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP)