The reason you are seeing an increase of the return to obedience to the Word of God in these last days, is this return was prophesied of the people of God immediately preceding the return of Messiah Yeshua to rule and reign. Before you get all excited, please note that “immediately” to God can be several years, even decades, for us (we do not know the day or hour – but we do know the season!) … but you will only see this sort of thing INCREASE as the time gets closer to the end, and not decrease. It is what the Spirit is saying to the churches in this hour. And with that, SHABBAT SHALOM!
2016 Homeschool Family Conference Interview
This is my last full day in Michigan with the 2016 Homeschool Family Conference. I am going home tomorrow when normal posting will resume. If you didn’t catch my interview with Anne Elliott of Homeschooling Torah, you might find it interesting, we talk a little bit about how the book Revelation Revealed came about.
The conference is continuing through Friday with more great speakers. If you missed it, the video sessions are archived!
Hitler’s Pope
The book I have in my library is by the same name, Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell. It talks about the collaboration between the office of the Papacy and Hitler in the extermination of the Jews during the Holocaust. One of the characteristics of the ten horns of the Roman Beast is the cooperation in some way, of the imperial power with the spiritual power which came to represent or be represented by the office of the Papacy. That Hitler and the Pope cooperated is an important factor in determining whether Hitler was in fact one of the ten horns.
But you will notice that this book is absent from the Bibliography. It is because the only other information I could discover about this topic at the time was that the book was full of lies (The Myth of Hitler’s Pope: Pope Pius XII And His Secret War Against Nazi Germany by David Dalin). And at the time I was not sure who was telling the truth. However, since that time multiple witnesses have come to my attention which seem to confirm that the pope at the time did in fact collaborate with Hitler. Here is a list I am working on adding to my library:
Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History by James Carroll
The Pilgrim: Pope Paul VI, The Council and The Church in a Time of Decision by Michael Serafian
God and the Fascists: The Vatican Alliance with Mussolini, Franco, Hitler, and Pavelic by Karlheinz Deschner
Hitler and the Catholic Church by Keelie Smith
The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism by David I. Kertzer
The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany by Guenter Lewy
“But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’” Mat 18:16
To be fair, I also have on my list a book which has yet to be released:
Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History by Rodney Stark
I have not read this obviously. I will let you know as soon as I do.
SEPT. 14 UPDATE: This article was just released this week, with a link to a documentary National Geographic did about this very subject:
Pope vs. Hitler – National Geographic
What is the takeway? Well, the books and documentary were written to expressly debunk John Cornwall’s book, Hitler’s Pope. First Things is a Catholic publication. But National Geographic, presumably, is not. That there is so much still written about this after all this time, means that the question still persists of the Pope’s involvement. We do not want to bear false witness, so we might not ever be able to say who is right in a battle of he said / she said. But we see here even in the 20th century, the previously established pattern of connection and cooperation between Church and State with the end result in the fulfillment of the prophecy, no matter who intended what.
Rev 2-3 Endnotes
Posted endnotes today for Rev chapters 2-3.
One was about the Doctrine of Balaam … what was it? I suggest it was a form of antinomianism, and related to the Nicolaitans:
“[The doctrine of Balaam] is stated in the subsequent part of the verse: ‘Who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel.’ … The meaning here is, that it was through the instructions of Balaam that Balak learned the way by which the Israelites might be led into sin, and might thus bring upon themselves the divine malediction. … The attitude of Balaam’s mind in the matter was this: i. He had a strong desire to do that which he knew was wrong, and was forbidden expressly by God. ii. He was restrained by internal checks and remonstrances, and prevented from doing what he wished to do. iii. He cast about for some way in which he might do it, notwithstanding these internal checks and remonstrances, and finally accomplished the same thing in fact, though in form different from that which he had first prepared. This is not an unfair description in what often occurs in the plans and purposes of a wicked man.”
Albert Barnes, Notes on … Revelation, pp. 75-76.
Christine’s note: Barnes makes a cogent case that Balaam’s sin was in obeying the letter of the law while violating the spirit of it.
“Compare Re 2:14, 15, which shows the true sense of Nicolaitanes; they are not a sect, but professing Christians who, like Balaam of old, tried to introduce into the Church a false freedom, that is, licentiousness; …”
Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, Commentary, Revelation 2:6.