The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

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The Trials of the ApostlePaul –Part 2Pg. 10

Israel’s Threefold Exodus – Part 1Pg. 14

WORLD FOCUS• Kid’s Brain Changes Based on Daily Screen Time

• Gospel Power in East Germany• 100 Christians Snatched from Underground Church

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

• Global Government• Replacement

Theology• Pokémon

Pg. 22

Judas Iscariot and Modern Christianity

HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS TRUE? -VOL. 2 ITEM #2276 • 352 pgs. • Paperback

$14.99 Sale $12General Editors: Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge

Volume 1:

HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS TRUE? -VOL. 1 ITEM #2267 • 300 pgs. • Paperback

$14.99 Sale $12General Editors: Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge

• Is the Bible totally without error?• Did the resurrection really happen?• How do we know that the 66 books of the Bible are from God?• Does the Bible contradict itself?• How were people saved before Jesus came?

If you were asked how you know the Bible is true,do you have an answer?

Volume 2:• Who made God; where did God come from?• Has Noah’s ark been found? • Hasn’t Bible text been changed over the years?• Is Hell real?• Did the ten plagues of Egypt really happen?

A FLOOD OF EVIDENCE ITEM #2345

304 pgs. • Paperback

$15.99 Sale $14 Authors: Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge

What You Need to Know About the Flood There are hosts of books and resources on the Flood and Noah’s ark in thecreation movement. But there has been a glaring problem in this area for 50 years. There isn’t one basic laymen book on the Flood and ark to give answers to those questions asked all the time. Most books are too shallow,too specific, or too technical for the average Christian to read or get muchfrom. Most people in the pews could use a book like this to give them thebasic answers they need about the Flood and the ark. Then they will be prepared to go into further technical or specific books from there.

Join the Quest to Find Noah’s ArkNoah’s Ark played a leading role in the book of Genesis, but after safely carrying itspassengers through the Flood, the Ark disappears from the pages of the Bible. Whathappened to it?

Join Dr. John Morris on the adventure to find the Ark on the icy slopes of Mt. Ararat,where Genesis says it came to rest after many months of violent storm and destruction.

You will learn• how the existence of the Ark offers evidence of creation• what the flood and Ark can teach you about God’s character• how to respond to claims that the story of the Flood is just a myth

Chronicling more than 45 years of personal accounts and offering geological, historical,and biblical evidence of the Flood, Searching for Noah’s Ark will inspire you to takeconfidence in the Bible’s historical accounts and its trustworthiness to us today.

SEARCHING FOR NOAH’S ARK ITEM #2346 80 pgs. • Paperback

$5.99 Sale $5 Author: Dr. John Morris

NEW

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Judas Iscariot andModern ChristianityBy Norbert Lieth

Judas Iscariot, who is called the “son of perdition,”stands for both the Israel of that time, whichrejected the Lord, and for the Israel of the end times,which the Antichrist, another “son of perdition,” willgive rise to. At the same time, he also stands for atendency toward anti-Christian Churchianity.

10 The Trials of the Apostle Paul - Part 2By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

14 Israel’s Threefold Exodus – Part 1By Arno Froese

Midnight CallFEBRUARY 2019

4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

22 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

GLOBAL GOVERNMENT...REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY...POKÉMON

24 Action for Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

25 Fellow Laborers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Isabelle Eises

26 The Ebenezer Home – Haifa, Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By David Phillips

Contents

DEPARTMENTS

COVER STORY

18 USA

Kid’s Brain Changes Basedon Daily Screen Time

19 GERMANY

Gospel Power in East Germany

19 CHINA

100 Christians Snatchedfrom Underground Church

20 ISRAELPilate’s Ring Discovered byArchaeologists

21 EU

ClimateNeutralby 2050?

MIDNIGHT CALL

Editor’s Note

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save

Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

This is a strong statementwhen considering thatPaul was chosen by Jesus

Himself to be an apostle, and thatmost of the instructive material for the Church in theNew Testament is authored by Paul. He could havesaid, “I joyfully proclaim the glorious resurrection ofour Lord Jesus.” That would have been more in linewith today’s praise and worship style. But Paul seesand writes something different; he explains in verse7: “…we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained be-fore the world unto our glory.” What is this mystery,we may ask? It is Christ crucified. That means, foreach of us to follow in the pattern Christ left for us.We recall that He was made sin for us; He loved uswhile we were yet sinners. Our only hope lies in thefact that only one sinless Person—in flesh andblood, just as we are—came as a sacrifice for oursins. These are not idle words, but hard reality, foragain we read: “But God forbid that I should glory,save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whomthe world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”(Galatians 6:14). Here we see the distinct differencebetween the world and the cross. The world is partof the Christian’s life in the flesh, but not the spirit;we are in the world but not of the world.

It matters not in which country we live, what ourcultural background is, or to which race or tribe of

people we belong; such things belong to this world.They have no relationship to the true Church of Je-sus Christ, consisting exclusively of born-again be-lievers.

Although we have statistics relating to the Christ-ian religion, there are no reliable statistics thatwould show us the number of truly born-againChristians on planet earth. All we can do is guess:maybe several hundred million, whom God theHoly Spirit has called to faith in the Lord JesusChrist. That, incidentally, is the true global nation—not the one we hear so much about on the politicallevel. The apostle Peter identifies this group of peo-ple: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest-hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that yeshould show forth the praises of him who hathcalled you out of darkness into his marvelous light”(1 Peter 2:9). A holy nation that walks in His light,and to the extent that that light shines into the dark-ness, multitudes of those who are still in darknesswill see the light and be added to the Church. Thissame Peter gives instruction for the members of theChurch, and writes: “Submit yourselves to every or-dinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be tothe king, as supreme” (1 Peter 2:13). Thus, weclearly see three nations: first, the nation of Israelconsisting of Jews. Then the holy nation, namelythe Church of Jesus Christ. The rest is simply thenations of the world.

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STATEMENT OF FAITHWE BELIEVE in the divine inspiration of the whole Bible and there-with the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is God’s Word, andin the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shed Hisblood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the third day andlater ascended into heaven.

WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of eachindividual sinner and that all who believe in Him as their personalSavior are justified through His shed blood and have become children of God.

WE BELIEVE that Israel is God’s chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of theWord of God.

WE BELIEVE in the pre–tribulational appearance of Jesus Christ forthe Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).

WE BELIEVE in the immortality of our souls and the resurrection of ourbodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlastingblessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost.

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Paul enumerates his tremendous advantages in Philippians 3:5, be-ing “…of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of theHebrews…” So, he had all the reason in the world to have confidencein the flesh, in his nation, the only one called by God Himself. But whatdoes he say about it? “I count all things but loss for the excellency ofthe knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered theloss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”(Philippians 3:8). If only we Christians would learn to realize that thereis nothing good in the flesh; in my family, in my town, state, and coun-try. It all belongs to the god of this world.

These are just a few brief reasons why we as believers should be de-termined to follow Christ, fully realizing that He was crucified for oursins. Thus, we should no longer live in the flesh, but follow Him intruth and in spirit.

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6 M I D N I G H T C A L L

Our Lord’s betrayer is a symbol of both the anti-Christian Israel of the endtimes, and a Christianity that is becoming more and more anti-Christian.

Judas Iscariot and Modern Christianity

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Norbert Lieth

C O V E R S T O R Y

Christian parents like to give theirchildren Christian names, but noone will likely want to name

their child Judas. Although there wasanother apostle named Judas, and abrother of the Lord named Jude (hewrote the eponymous epistle), we usu-ally associate the name with the traitorJudas Iscariot, who betrayed his masterfor 30 pieces of silver with a kiss—theso-called “kiss of Judas.”

Judas is the Greek form of the Hebrewname Yehuda (Judah) and was a popularname in the New Testament period. Thenickname Iscariot may indicate the cityof Kirjath or Kerioth (Joshua 15:15),where Judas was from. If so, then Judaswas the only Judean in the company ofthe twelve apostles, since all the restcame from Galilee.

Judas led a shameless life. He didn’tbelieve from the beginning (John 6:64).He was not convinced by the mission ofthe love of Jesus, but was instead a thiefwho acted greedily (John 12:6). He wasarguably close to the disciples, but hadfalse ambitions. The world, the devil,and his own ideas influenced him morethan the Lord Jesus Himself (John 13:2).It appears that Judas wanted to defeatthe Romans through his own initiativeand initiate an empire. He didn’t agreewith God’s way and will for the historyof salvation. So, he stood on the side ofthe Jews who wanted to kill Jesus, anddelivered Him into their hands. And yethe is called an apostle; is everyone whois called a Christian really a Christian?

In a certain sense, Judas Iscariot, whois called the “son of perdition” (John17:12), stands for both the Israel of thattime, which rejected the Lord, and forthe Israel of the end times, which the

Antichrist, another “son ofperdition,” will give rise to(cf. 2 Thess 2:3; John 5:43).It is emphasized over andover that it was the Jewswho wanted to kill JesusChrist (John 7:1, 13). Ju-das is something like theirrepresentative. At thesame time, he also standsfor a tendency towardanti-Christian Churchi-anity. “Jesus answeredthem, Have I not cho-sen you twelve, andone of you is a devil?”(John 6:70; cf. 13:2,27; 17:12).

Judas was an apostle who didn’treally belong to the apostles (John6:64). In the same way, there is an Is-rael that doesn’t belong to true Israel(Rom 2:28-29), and there is a Chris-tianity that doesn’t belong to trueChristianity (2 Tim 3:5). The devil isalready loose in our world, but this isonly the preliminary stage; he will stillenter this world with great power (Rev12:12). And at the same time, the unbe-lieving Israel will play a significant rolein it. As Judas finally collaborated withthe enemies of Jesus and unconsciouslywith Rome, so also will an anti-Christ-ian Judaism and an anti-Christianworld work together. As it was in theGarden of Gethsemane, it will come toa tremendous military build-up, andthe anti-Christian goal will be to fightagainst Jesus and His saints (Rev 12:17;13:7; 19:19).

The so-called Doomsday Clock hasstood at two minutes to twelve sinceJanuary of last year. Who knows how

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Is everyone who is called a Christian, really a Christian?

close the last day actually is. With greatstrides, mankind is well on his way intothe deep night of betrayal (cf. John13:30). The entire world, especially theformerly-Christian West, is on a bla-tantly anti-Christian trajectory. Societyis obviously more and more under theinfluence of powers and principalities,the rulers of darkness in the world, andthe spiritual powers of wickedness inthe heavenly realm (Eph 6:12-13). Je-sus, Christianity, and the authenticteaching of the Bible will be betrayed.Perpetrators become victims and vic-tims perpetrators; biblical truth be-comes lies and lies the truth; sinbecomes holy and the sacred sin; theexotic is brought in and the familiar ismarginalized; Mohammed is exaltedand Jesus is degraded; the Koran andSharia are met with complacency, andthe Bible is rejected.

We lack the space to enumerate all ofthe increasing occurrences of chaos, aswell as moral and spiritual degenera-tion. Here are some examples:

Conversions to Islam are advocated,and Christian authorities have been

among the first. At the same time, thechurches themselves criticize the Bavarian(Germany) Prime Minister for mandatingthe hanging of crosses in all governmentbuildings. One student was fined 300 eu-ros for not attending a field trip about Is-lam, and his parents are on trial forrefusing the visit to the mosque and fear-ing religious indoctrination.

The state and the media give the im-pression that Islamic terror is harmlessand equates to Christian evangelism.We’ve missed the boat. There’s no turningback. We Christians can only use the op-portunity spiritually, and fight with loveand the gospel.

Anyone who takes to the streets duringdemonstrations for life is attacked, se-verely insulted, and hindered; those whopublicly support abortion are celebrated inthe media (most recently, Bono, the leadsinger of U2 and a self-proclaimed “Chris-tian,” jumped on the bandwagon of theZeitgeist and publicly endorsed abortionas a human right). Since 2015, it has beenexpressly forbidden for schools in Englandto teach anything about the origin of theworld other than the theory of evolution.

In April [2018], the “Hourglass Festi-val” took place in Iran, symbolicallycounting the time until the extinction ofthe Jewish state. Mahdi Qomi, the Exec-utive Secretary of the festival, said in therun-up to the celebration of Israel’s im-pending destruction, that “the organiz-ers will work with 2,400 anti-IsraelNGOs in Europe, North America, LatinAmerica and Eastern Asia to promotethe festival across the world.” Mean-while, Qomi announced that the festivalwould be prolonged until July 6, al-legedly at the request of Iranian and for-eign “artists,” who wanted more time to

Judas Iscariot and Modern Christianity

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Pope Francis remarks that there is no difference between the Bible and the Koran.

C O V E R S T O R Y

submit artworks on the theme “Downwith Israel.”

Judge Jens Gnisa’s book Das Ende derGerechtigkeit (“The End of Justice”), de-scribes how in Germany 150,000 arrestwarrants are not enforced, rejected asy-lum seekers are not deported, andthieves and assailants go unpunished,while those who violate parking restric-tions or the speed limit are pursued mer-cilessly.

Recent headlines are worrisome:Protestant bishop Carsten Rentzig con-siders Christian-Islamic dialogue a goodthing. The evangelical church itself isactively involved in Christopher StreetDay (Germany and Switzerland’s equiva-lent of Gay Pride). Pope Francis remarksthat there is no difference between theBible and the Koran. Bill Gates calls for aworld government, and the Black ForestPress asks worriedly where the newworld police is.

The early sexualization of children isin full swing; the anti-Christian trend ispromoted in public education; “Mar-riage for All” has become the socialnorm; the West is thoroughly “de-Chris-tianized”; gender mainstreaming, totallyunthinkable a few years ago, has arrivedin the midst of society; uncertainty andterror determine the lifestyle of our gen-eration.

Is Western Christianity going from Je-sus Christ to Judas and ending in “socialsuicide”? For the sake of materialthings, our society sacrifices the truth ofJesus. The media present man’s treach-

ery. And “one of the Twelve” as a namefor Judas thus becomes a symbol of anti-Christian Churchianity.

What about us personally? Do we en-courage anti-Christian impulses throughhalf-hearted discipleship, or throughfalse tolerance? For example, are we be-ing carried away by the stream of axenophobic movement, or are we fol-lowing the love of Jesus? Judas betrayedlove out of hatred for the Romans. Ourgreatest weapons are and remain thegospel and love.

“Be not overcome of evil, but over-come evil with good” (Rom 12:21).

(MR0618/939)

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Is Western Christianity going from Jesus Christ to Judas and ending in“social suicide”? For the sake of material things, our society sacrifices thetruth of Jesus. The media present man’s treachery. And “one of the Twelve”as a name for Judas thus becomes a symbol of anti-Christian Churchianity.

Judas being paidthirty pieces of silver,for the betrayal of Jesus. 16th centuryfresco painting on thevault in the SaintSébastien Church, inPlanpinet. Claréevalley, Hautes alpesdépartement, France.

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The early church not only proclaimed theirtestimony concerning Jesus Christ amongfriendly witnesses, but also among those who

confronted them concerning the fundamental pre-cepts of the Christian faith, by use of aggressive andviolent tactics. The disciples could not risk inaccu-racy or manipulation of such vital propositions,since those less than enthusiastic individuals—whoregarded the Lord’s person and work as scan-

dalous—could refute these precepts. The founda-tional element of the apostolic preaching was thebold and confident appeal to the experience andknowledge of their listeners. Not only could theyproclaim the life, death, and resurrection of Christ,but also could say, “just as you yourselves know”(Acts 2:22, 32).

Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) had an interest-ing relationship with the United States. When the

The Trials of theApostle Paul - Part 2Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

When accessing the historicity of a document, a matter of ultimate importance isthe closeness in time of the writers to the accounts they recorded. Eyewitnesses(or those who received what they wrote from them) recorded the New Testamentaccounts of the life of Christ (Luke 1:1-3; John 19:35; 2 Pet 1:16; 1 John 1:3; etc.).

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Nazis rose to power, he was replaced as Lord Mayorof Cologne and imprisoned for a brief time in 1934.The United States liberated Cologne, and reap-pointed Adenauer as Lord Mayor. Eventually, heformed the Christian Democratic Union as a newpolitical party. Adenauer lived an interesting life as astatesman, with many challenges. When consider-ing the question of “the most important thing in theworld,” Adenauer replied, “The resurrection of Je-sus Christ. If Jesus Christ is alive, then there is hopefor the world. If Jesus Christ is in the grave, then I don’t see the slightest glimmer of hope on thehorizon.”1

Adenauer correctly believed the resurrection tobe one of the best-attested facts of history. When re-tiring from office, he pledged to spend the rest ofhis life “gathering scientific proof of the resurrec-tion of Jesus Christ.” The fact of the resurrection ofJesus Christ is what compelled the early church togo forth as bold and courageous world-changers.They proclaimed that Christ is raised, which is themessage of the church every day.

Today, hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ isnot on trial (Acts 23:6). The scorn of those whodeny the Bible wilts in the abundance of evidence

that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, buried, androse again. For this reason, the early church contin-ually spoke of Jesus’ resurrection as the only hope.

The resurrection of Jesus is foundational to theChristian faith; yet, oftentimes, it is only given seri-ous thought during the Easter season. I am not aChristian because I was raised that way. In truth, I opposed any form of Christianity as a young per-son, only coming to faith in the God of the HolyBible because of a search for reality and truth. I am aChristian today because of God’s grace and becausethat is where the evidence led me, as C. S. Lewissaid: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that theSun has risen, not only because I see it, but becauseby it I see everything else.”2

Christians do not believe blindly, and the reasonis that has both personal and universal application.Christianity has personal application in that beliefis based upon seeing: in Scripture, among God’speople (the church), and in oneself. The Christianfaith is not merely a set of propositions to affirm; itis an entire way of life. The universal application ofChristianity is seeing everything else through itslens. Christianity has implications regarding allthings, since by God “all things were created” and

I am a Christian today because of God’s grace and because that is where theevidence led me, as C. S. Lewis said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that theSun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”2

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are sustained (Col 1:16; cf. Heb 1:1—2:8). TheBible does not speak on all matters, yet it does re-veal “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pet 1:3), and provides all that is needed in order toproperly view the world and everything in it. Chris-tianity is a complete worldview, because it providesa foundation for everything.

HAVING A STRATEGY(Acts 23:1-35) Acts 23 begins with Paul in danger. Ifthe Romans did not imprison him, the Jews wouldcertainly kill him (22:22). There is a fivefold man-ner in which God assisted Paul. First was Paul’s in-tegrity; he had nothing to hide, for his consciencewas “perfectly good” before God (23:1). Ananias’ re-action indicates obvious anger toward Paul’s up-rightness (v. 2). The high priest behavedinappropriately, yet Paul manifested respect for theoffice, not the man (vv. 3-5). Nevertheless, one ap-pointed to uphold the law is not to act contrary to it(and Paul’s words were prophetic, because God didindeed smite Ananias).

Secondarily, the strategy evident in verses 6-10did not result in Paul being freed, yet the resulting“dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees”compelled the Roman commander to provide safe-guard for Paul. Thankfully (and thirdly), Paul hadthe best lawyer available: the Lord Jesus (v. 11).Paul received promise that the Lord was in sover-eign control over all the events. One could not exag-gerate the encouragement that the Lord’s assurancecertainly brought to Paul during his three additionaltrials, his two-year imprisonment, and his perilousvoyage to Rome. Today, the Holy Bible (God’s Word)offers divine grace and unshakeable hope to expelany dejection of spirit.

Fourth, by God’s providence, Paul’s nephew livedin the city, and he overheard plans of an ambush by

more than forty Jews, who took “an oath, sayingthat they would neither eat nor drink until they hadkilled Paul” (vv. 12-16). “Paul called one of the cen-turions to him,” requesting that he lead his nephew“to the commander,” who then determined to sendPaul “safely to Felix the governor” (vv. 17-24). Younever know what friend or relative God may use toprovide help. Sometimes the most casual and nor-mal occurrences truly reflect divine intervention inour lives.

In his letter, Claudius Lysias omitted any haste inbinding Paul, but simply mentioned the facts of thecase, and his judgment that death or imprisonmentwas not deserved. Nine of the principal verbs in theletter are in the first person, thus demonstratingthat the correspondence was quite honorable, yetparticularly self-centered. He correctly judged thatthe issue was a matter of Jewish law (vv. 26-30). TheRoman attitude toward Christianity is noteworthy,because nothing in Paul’s life or message threatenedtheir law.

Fifth, when purposing to do so, God can causeduplicitous individuals, a young person, govern-ment officials, or large numbers to preserve andprotect His people. “The king’s heart is like channelsof water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wher-ever He wishes” (Prov 21:1). Paul had the protec-tion of 472 Roman soldiers, and the entire authorityof the government, which eventually led to his ar-rival in Rome (cf. Acts 23:11). Government isnowhere close to perfect, yet it does promote order;for that everyone can thank God (cf. Rom 13:1-4).

HAVING A DEFENSE(Acts 24:1-27) Acts 24 contains two speeches: a syco-phantic prosecution by Tertullus (a hired orator rep-resenting the Jewish Council) and the explanatorydefense by Paul. Tertullus began with flattery (vv. 2-

The Trials of the Apostle Paul - Part 2

Paul received promise that the Lord was in sovereign control over all the events.One could not exaggerate the encouragement that the Lord’s assurance certainlybrought to Paul during his three additional trials, his two-year imprisonment, andhis perilous voyage to Rome. Today, the Holy Bible (God’s Word) offers divinegrace and unshakeable hope to expel any dejection of spirit.

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4), knowing that many influentialand powerful individuals are sus-ceptible to it (cf. Luke 6:26; Acts12:20-24). He continued with slan-der, accusing Paul of being “a realpest and a fellow who stirs up dis-sension” (thus threatening the PaxRomana). He falsely claimed thatPaul “even tried to desecrate thetemple.” Finally, he urged Felix toexamine Paul, and the Jews joinedwith Tertullus as false witnesses intheir censures against Paul (vv. 1-9). If a person knows how to flatter,it is certain he or she also knowshow to slander. Whatever hindersslander often leads to the stealthierapproach of flattery.

Paul spoke politely and truth-fully, not sycophantically, appealingto easily ascertainable facts (vv. 10-12). His defense was threefold: hislife, faith, and service to his nation(vv. 10-21). He challenged his ac-cusers to prove their accusations,which he knew they could not. Be-ing strategic to proclaim the gospelmessage of God’s grace throughfaith in Jesus Christ, he did admit that he affirmedthe truth of “the Way ... in accordance with the Lawand [everything] that is written in the Prophets” (v.14); therefore, Christianity should not be regardedas a “sect” (as his opponents declared, v. 5), becausePaul worshiped the God of the patriarchs and be-lieved all the teaching of Scripture.

Paul was not an innovator, for he was loyal to theancestral belief. Furthermore, he admitted that hebelieved the doctrine of the resurrection, whichsome of those before him also cherished (v. 15), andthus he could not be regarded as a heretic or sectar-

ian. Paul then asked why the Jewsfrom Asia Minor were not present,since they actually started the riot(vv. 17-21); their absence was a se-rious breach of Roman law.

Felix understood Paul’s defense,since he had “a more exact knowl-edge about the Way.” Unfortu-nately, he was not truthful whensaying he would talk to Lysias thecommander (v. 22). Paul remainedin prison, even though Felix knewhe was not guilty (vv. 23-27). Dur-ing this time, Felix was intriguedby the truth claims of Christianity,yet sadly delayed belief (cf. Isa55:6-7; 2 Cor 6:1-2). God’s pur-pose for keeping Paul in prison isthat it was the safest place for him.Why the Lord will sometimes al-low falsehood to triumph is notreadily apparent, yet in those situa-tions the believer can trust God’s

sovereignty. Throughout his imprisonment, Paulwas not depressed, for he continued to dependupon the Lord and continued witnessing to Felix.Paul is a stellar example of waiting patiently for theLord’s will to be accomplished.

(971)

ENDNOTES1 As quoted in Billy Graham, The Reason for My Hope (Nashville:

Thomas Nelson, 2013) 91.

2 C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: Collier, 1980) 92.

Throughout his imprisonment, Paul was not depressed, for he continued todepend upon the Lord and continued witnessing to Felix. Paul is a stellar exampleof waiting patiently for the Lord’s will to be accomplished.

The Apostle Paul fresco in church BasilicaSan Giovanni dei Fiorentini by NicoloCircignani (1590) in Scarlatti chapel, Rome,Italy.

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The Faith IssueAt the very beginning, in paradise, Adam and Eve weretold not to eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of thegarden; it was the tree of the knowledge of good andevil. We know from reading Genesis chapter 3, that theserpent presented to Eve a lie. She believed the lie morethan the truth of God. “And when the woman saw that

the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant tothe eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, shetook of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also untoher husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6).Therefore, for man to be saved, he must reject the lie ofSatan and believe the simple truth of God’s Word; that isas plain as day.

Israel’s Threefold Exodus – Part 1

God is the originator of all things, and He in His wisdom chose one man through whomHe intended to bless all the families of the earth. That man was Abraham. What wasthe purpose of choosing Abraham? In short, to bring forth salvation for mankindthrough faith. That means, long before Israel became a nation and later received thelaw of God through Moses, the avenue of faith was already a reality.

ARNO FROESE

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Abraham’s CallingHere are the first three verses of Genesis 12: “Now theLord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, untoa land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee agreat nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy namegreat; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will blessthem that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

This reveals the great “I will” of God. It is His willthat in Abraham, “…all families of the earth beblessed.” How did Abraham react? “So Abraham de-parted, as the Lord had spoken unto him” (Genesis12:4a). Abraham believed and obediently followedGod’s instruction!

Genesis 15:6 reads: “And he believed in the Lord;and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Israel’s Beginning“And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy nameshall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall bethy name: and he called his name Israel” (Genesis35:10).

Israel’s beginning, at least the name, goes back to Ja-cob. Jacob (Israel) was the grandson of Abraham. Abra-ham, however, is called in Scripture, “…the father of allthem that believe…” (Romans 4:11). Verse 16 con-firms: “…the faith of Abraham; who is the father of usall.” And verse 18 adds: “Who against hope believed inhope, that he might become the father of many nations,according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seedbe.” Therefore, Abraham is not limited to Israel, but to“all them that believe.” The key word is “faith”: believ-ing in the only true God who created heaven and earth.

The Name ChangeThe name Israel came to being when a name changetook place. Jacob, the supplanter, the deceiver, becomesIsrael, meaning “fighter with God.” The reason? “…Foras a prince hast thou power with God and with men,and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).

Reading chapter 32, we notice that Jacob dideverything in his power on the one hand, and onthe other he relied on God. “Deliver me, I praythee, from the hand of my brother, from the handof Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smiteme, and the mother with the children. And thousaidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thyseed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be num-bered for multitude” (verses 11-12). He based hisprayers on the promises God had made to him.

Jacob’s Self HelpJacob does what comes naturally. Genesis 32:13reads: “And he lodged there that same night; andtook of that which came to his hand a present forEsau his brother.” Jacob was very generous; appar-ently, he could afford to be, for God had blessedhim abundantly.

Jacob instructs his servants to leave a space be-tween each group, and when they saw Esau, theywere to tell him that the abundance of livestockwas a present. “Then thou shalt say, They be thyservant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lordEsau: and, behold, also he is behind us” (verse18).

Jacob did everything in his power to appeasehis brother Esau. “And say ye moreover, Behold,thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I willappease him with the present that goeth beforeme, and afterward I will see his face; peradventurehe will accept of me” (verse 20).

“Jacob Was Left Alone”Next comes Jacob’s separation from all that hehad: “And he rose up that night, and took his twowives, and his two women servants, and hiseleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. Andhe took them, and sent them over the brook, andsent over that he had” (Genesis 32:22-23). NowJacob was separated from all that he had. The nextverse reads, “And Jacob was left alone.”

“And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel” (Genesis35:10).

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God-Given Name: Israel What happened next? “There wrestled a man withhim until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24b).It is important to realize that Jacob did not wrestlewith the man, but in the first place the man wrestledwith him. In other words, the initiator of thiswrestling match was the Lord.

Then comes the moment of the decisive question:“What is thy name?” The name Jacob carried theguilt, the sin, the character of his deceptive works.Jacob confessed: “Jacob,” and that’s precisely thepoint where this unnamed heavenly identity pro-claims: “...Thy name shall be called no more Jacob,but Israel…” (Genesis 32:28). From that point on,we read the word “Israel” 2,570 times in our Bible.

While he was told he “shall be called no more Ja-cob,” we notice when reading Scripture that the oldname, Jacob, appears repeatedly. Even in the NewTestament, Jacob appears 27 times.

If we ask why, the answer is rather simple: Jacobrepresents the old nature, while Israel represents thenew nature. The name Jacob was given by his par-ents, but the name Israel was given by God.

Beginning in Egypt Jacob had twelve sons, and one was special; his namewas Joseph. His brothers did not favor Joseph, andone day he was sold to a Midianite merchant, an Ish-maelite, and he was brought to the land of Egypt.

Because of a severe famine in the land of Canaan,as well as Egypt, Joseph’s brothers—in search offood—found out their sold brother was second incommand of Egypt. This resulted in Jacob movinghis clan to the land of Egypt. We read in Genesis46:26-27: “All the souls that came with Jacob intoEgypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’ssons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;And the sons of Joseph, which were born him inEgypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house ofJacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore andten.” That was the family and the beginning of thenation of Israel.

Serving in EgyptWhile in Egypt, something strange happened. Israelgrew into a mighty nation. As a matter of fact, mightierthan Egypt, as documented in Exodus 1:7: “And thechildren of Israel were fruitful, and increased abun-dantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty;and the land was filled with them.”

The new king of Egypt realized the danger: “…Be-hold, the people of the children of Israel are more andmightier than we” (verse 9).

Fear created a solution. Pharaoh ordered the killingof each newborn Israeli male. There must have beenmuch weeping and mourning as the newborn malechildren were murdered. But the law is the law,“Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son thatis born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter yeshall save alive” (Exodus 1:22).

Israel Did Not RebelIt seems strange that Israel did not rebel against theEgyptians. After all, Pharaoh stated: “…the people ofthe children of Israel are more and mightier than we”(Exodus 1:9). They could have rebelled; they couldhave subdued the Egyptians.

There are a number of reasons why Israel did notfight, but two need to be mentioned. First, prophecyhad to be fulfilled. We read in Genesis 15:13: “And hesaid unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall bea stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall servethem; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.”That simply means Israel had to serve Egypt.

Second, Israel had to learn to be enslaved, to be obe-dient to the government, and to wait for the redeemer.

Moses the RedeemerThe redeemer came; it was Moses, who went toPharaoh and requested, “Let my people go.” ButPharaoh did not let the people go. The opposite was theresult; he added an additional burden to the Israelis.“And the taskmasters of the people went out, and theirofficers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saithPharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get you straw

Jacob represents the old nature, while Israel represents the new nature. The nameJacob was given by his parents, but the name Israel was given by God.

Israel’s Threefold Exodus – Part 1

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where ye can find it: yet not ought of your workshall be diminished. So the people were scatteredabroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gatherstubble instead of straw” (Exodus 5:10-12). Insteadof being liberated from their burden and bondage,their burden increased significantly. Why?

The Straw IssueThere was a reason for it; before the children of Is-rael moved out of the land of Egypt, they went tothe Egyptians to collect silver, gold and valuables:“And the children of Israel did according to theword of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptiansjewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight ofthe Egyptians, so that they lent unto them suchthings as they required. And they spoiled the Egyp-tians” (Exodus 12:35-36).

How did they know where to go and who had themoney? Remember, they went throughout the landof Egypt to gather straw. That means the Israelisknew who lived where, who had the financialmeans. They went right back to the places theyknew to go. We may say, they collected payment fortheir labor. That was the real reason why Pharaohtold the Israelis to get their own straw.

Israel in the DesertThe people of Israel saw the supernaturalmiracle when they crossed the Reed Sea ason dry ground, while the Egyptians follow-ing drowned. That should have given thepeople confidence in the God of Israel, whowas on their side.

The Prepared Promised LandIt is helpful to read the prophecies Mosesmade before Israel entered the PromisedLand. “And it shall be, when the Lord thyGod shall have brought thee into the landwhich he sware unto thy fathers, to Abra-ham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee

great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,And houses full of all good things, which thoufilledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedstnot, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedstnot; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Thenbeware lest thou forget the Lord, which broughtthee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the houseof bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

Thus, we learn that God had everything preparedfor the children of Israel to take possession of theland:

• Cities they built not• Houses full of goods• Wells of water they did not dig• Trees they did not plant

This reminds us of the words of Scripture: “But seekye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;and all these things shall be added unto you”(Matthew 6:33).

Israel’s first Exodus produced theOld Testament, the tabernacle, andlater the temple. God the Father wasintroduced to the people of Israel.(This is an abbreviated message from the book Israel’s

Threefold Exodus, Item #1088, SALE $12.)

“...Beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land ofEgypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).

MC

U S A

Kid’s Brain Changes Basedon Daily Screen TimeBrain scans of adolescents who areheavy users of smartphones,tablets and video games look different from those of less activescreen users, preliminary resultsfrom an ongoing study funded bythe National Institutes of Healthshow, according to a report by “60Minutes.”

That’s the finding of the first batch ofscans of 4,500 nine- to 10-year-olds.

Scientists will follow those children and thou-sands more for a decade to see how childhoodexperiences, including the use of digital de-vices, affect their brains, emotional develop-ment and mental health.In the first round of testing, the scans of chil-

dren who reported daily screen usage of morethan seven hours showed premature thinning ofthe brain cortex, the outermost layer thatprocesses information from the physical world.Early results from the $300 million study,

called Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development(ABCD), have determined that children whospend more than two hours of daily screen timescore lower on thinking and language tests.Teenagers now spend an average of 4 1/2hours a day on their mobile phones, “60 Min-utes” reported.

-www.bloombergquint.com, 10 December 2018

Commentary: It was in the early 1900s whenradio became popular as the new informa-tion source and family entertainment. Next,

around the 1920s, came television; it tar-geted vision. People could see what ishappening literally around the world.Computers and smartphones came next,around the turn of the century. One maygo to the most remote areas of the world,even where poverty is rampant, and yetone sees people walking around com-pletely absorbed with their mobilephones.Before the 1900s, humanity was de-

pendent on the written Word. The Biblenotes some 3,500 years ago the word“write,” “And the Lord said unto Moses,Write this for a memorial in a book” (Ex-odus 17:14a).That all changed with the availability

of the radio. One could now hear thingsnever heard before. Broadcasters couldquickly produce tapes or reports fromevents happening around the world. Television brought the events even

closer. But all the information heard andseen was subject to those who producedthe programs. Today, with smartphonesand other devices, one can selectively

hear and see thingsthat are happeningglobally. For the newyoung generation, it isbut natural to makeuse of such amazingtechnology. Have aquestion? Ask Google,Bing, Yahoo, and oth-ers and receive amaz-ing results. Whatabout entertainment?YouTube, for one, of-fers resources virtu-

ally without end. So, the question: howwill it affect the new generation? Accord-ing to the article, no one really knows.One thing we do know is that man will in-creasingly be more reliant on his own in-ventions, whatever the name of theproduct, and therefore less dependent onGod the Creator. How should we view this development?

Just as any modern invention, whether mo-tor vehicles, electricity, radio, television,smartphone, etc.; all may be used for theproclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.We may freely make use of these thingswhile we are in the world, yet always real-izing we are not of the world. Bible believ-ers know that modern technology leads

away from God theCreator and, in theend, man will wor-ship the work of hisown hands.

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G E R M A N Y

Gospel Power in East Germany“The swan song of evangelization isnonsense,” says Evangelist TheoLehmann, as he criticizes increasingself-reflection.

The time of huge evangelization eventsisn’t over. If they are designed to be

contemporary, they’re still met with great interesttoday. This conviction was expressed by evan-gelist and pastor Theo Lehmann (of Chemnitz,Germany) in the magazine Aufbruch (“Awaken-ing”), which is published by the Gemeindehilfs-bundes (“Church Support Association”) basedin Walsrode, Germany. “I’ve been hearing thisnonsense for 50 years now, especially fromthose who fundamentally reject evangelism.” Heand other evangelists have never lacked for workor invitations: “If you get it right and stay with thebiblical message, you won’t have spare time onyour hands.” It is even “one of the best ways tobring the message of Jesus among the people.”

Against Constant Emotional AnalysisLehmann also commented on the success ofhis church services in Chemnitz (then Karl-Marx-Stadt) during the GDR [German Democra-tic Republic of East Germany] era. He wasdelighted with the roughly 3,000 visitors. He

was simply doing his duty: “Anyway, it’s fortu-nate that God has saved me from constant self-observation and reflection, which some peopleuse to measure their ministry and analyze theiremotional state.” Anyone who, like him, wasborn in wartime, “has neither the time nor the in-clination to perpetually monitor his own pulse.”

When Praise Becomes “Boring”Regarding today’s widespread worship music,Lehmann says, “If the Lord and King is raised tothe throne through constant repetitions, it’ll grad-ually become boring.” Christian texts should“express the deepest truths in simple words,true to life and up to date.”

[article in ideaSpektrum, 44.2018;

translated from German]

Commentary: The year 2019 marks the thirti-eth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall,which separated communist East Germanyfrom socialist West Germany. Immense vol-umes of information about this period areavailable, mostly dramatizing the almost 90-mile long wall dividing the East from theWest.But there is another side of the story, and

that is the Church of Jesus Christ. The west-ern press loudly proclaimed much “news”about the suppression against practicing reli-

gion in communist countries. Of course, thereis some truth to it, but generally, faith cannotbe regulated. And faith that builds the Churchof Jesus Christ is truly global; it sprouts allover the world. Brother Lehmann testifies ofabout 3,000 visitors to his church during thecommunist regime. How did he get awaywith it? Simply proclaiming the biblical mes-sage of Jesus Christ as the Savior. That, ap-parently, was not illegal. The Church has noborders, no language barriers, no governmentlaw that can hinder the work of God the HolySpirit. Here we are reminded of the words in1 John 4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, andhave overcome them: because greater is hethat is in you, than he that is in the world.”That is the Church, which is being built allover the world, despite frequent oppositionfrom Islam, Hinduism, communism, social-ism, and capitalism. The real Church is victo-rious, for the victory has already been

achieved by JesusChrist the Lord onCalvary’s Cross,when He ex-claimed: “It is fin-ished.” 6904(See The Sure Foundation

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100 Christians Snatchedfrom Underground ChurchAbout 100 worshippers at an unoffi-cial church in southwestern Chinawere snatched from their homes orfrom the streets in coordinated raids.

Chinese authorities targeted membersof the Early Rain Covenant Church

across various districts of Chengdu, the provin-cial capital of Sichuan, in what appeared to bean effort to close down one of the country’smost prominent Protestant house churches.“The police said our church is an illegal or-

ganization and we cannot attend any more

gatherings from now on,” said Zhang Guoqing,assistant deacon.The Early Rain Covenant Church is one of

China’s few unofficial house churches—Christ-ian assemblies that operate without state sanc-tion—and this is not the first time Pastor Wang

Yi and other members of the church have beendetained.While most of China’s Protestant house

churches operate underground to avoid attract-ing official attention and control, the Early Raincongregation openly practices its faith, postingsermons online and evangelizing on the streets.Many house churches have been closed this

year in China’s harshest religious suppressionin decades.In February [2018] the Religious Affairs Reg-

ulation was amended to give grass-roots offi-cials more power to act against churches andimpose tougher penalties for “unauthorizedreligious gatherings.”

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C H I N A

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(continued next page)

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In Henan and Zhejiang provinces, two of thehardest-hit areas in the religious clampdown,churches have been shut down or even de-molished, and their members told to de-nounce their faith.The South China Morning Post has learned

that a number of elders are still in hiding whilemany church members were tracked down bypolice overnight asking them to sign a letterpledging they would not attend further gather-ings.

-www.scmp.com, 10 December 2018

Commentary: Persecution of Christians is aprominent subject in the Christian media.Reading only one side of the story makes itdifficult to come to a decisive conclusion.While we sympathize with all Christianseverywhere, we realize at the same timethat we are subject to the prevailing gov-ernment.Here a story comes to mind that this

writer heard in Europe, while the Wall sepa-rated the East from the West. Many so-called underground church members werepersecuted for not following the rules andregulations of the government. Others,however, practiced their faith openly basedon the country’s laws—being properly reg-istered with the government. One leaderwas asked, “How was it possible to operatesuch a large church in East Germany underthe communist regime?” He answered:“Follow the rules.” The questioner contin-ued, “What about baptism?” He said, “Wedid that secretly, and if caught, then we paidthe price for violating the law.”As to communist China, the Church

there is well and alive. Whether operatingopenly or secretly, Jesus is building HisChurch, and it will be completed one day.We must keep in mind that the livingChurch is a miracle, or as the apostle Paulwrites: “This is a great mystery: but I speakconcerning Christ and the church” (Eph-esians 5:32).

Furthermore, the Church is organicallyrelated to the nation Israel. Jews all over theworld experienced persecution in someplaces, yet in other places they prospered.Yet, after 2,000 years of persecution, theJews kept their identity until this day. Thusit is with the true Church of Jesus Christ; itwill continue to grow until the day when the

last “lively stone”is added to thespiritual temple.Then that templewill be rapturedinto the presenceof the Lord. 6910(See The Great Mystery of

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I S R A E L

Pilate’s Ring Discovered byArchaeologistsAn inscription on a copper-alloystamping ring found 50 years agohas been deciphered, and is likely tohave belonged to Pontius Pilate.

The Roman prefect, who was infa-mously credited with sentencing Jesus

to die by crucifixion, ruled the province of Judeafrom 26 CE to 36 CE. The Greek inscription,which was published in the latest edition of theIsrael Exploration Journal, includes the word “OfPilate” [≠ιλατο].Pilate’s name was not considered to be com-

mon during this time, and the seal is typical of thestatus of cavalry in Roman society, which is whythe authors of the publication believe it belonged

to the prefect. Though the ring is simple, it waslikely used for daily functions, such as stampingdocuments by officials or court staff who wouldhave signed documents in Pilate’s name.Pilate was the fifth Roman prefect stationed in

Judea. Archaeologists assume he usedHerodium—originally built in the first century BCEby King Herod the Great—as an administrativecenter. The fortress palace and adjoining townwere conquered and destroyed by the Romans in70 CE during the Jewish revolt.The only other archaeological evidence con-

firming Pilate’s existence is a Latin inscriptionfound on a limestone block that is Pilate’s tributeto Tiberius. It was found in 1961 as a reusedblock within a staircase at the Roman theater inCaesarea, and is now housed at the Israel Mu-seum. The inscription on the stone also refer-ences Pilate as the prefect of Judea.

-www.jpost.com, 29 November 2018

Commentary: Pilate was the political authorityand opposed the religious authority. Yet his fi-nal conclusion was: “When Pilate saw that hecould prevail nothing, but that rather a tumultwas made, he took water, and washed hishands before the multitude, saying, I am inno-cent of the blood of this just person: see ye toit” (Matthew 27:24). He certainly believedJesus to be innocent by his statement: “…thisjust person.” Verse 25 reads: “Then answeredall the people, and said, His blood be on us,and on our children.” That has also been ful-filled, as some historians estimate that morethan 14 million Jews were killed since thedeath of Jesus. But this blood will also be thesaving element of the Jews one day. That daywill come, as we read in Romans 11:25b-26a:

“…blindness in part ishappened to Israel, un-til the fulness of theGentiles be come in.And so all Israel shallbe saved…”

6903(See Israel’s Threefold Exodus,

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100 Christians (continued from page 19)

photo credit: J.RODMAN/HEBREW UNIVERSITY

E U

Climate Neutral by 2050?The European Union says it is aim-ing to become the first major econ-omy to go “climate neutral” by2050.

Under the plan, emissions of green-house gases after that date would

have to be offset by planting trees or byburying the gases underground.Scientists say that net-zero emissions by

2050 are needed to have a fighting chanceof keeping global temperatures under 1.5Cthis century.The EU says the move will also cut pre-

mature air pollution deaths by 40%. Climate neutrality means your emissions

are balanced by methods of removingwarming gases from the atmosphere. Sothe warming emissions that are created bycars and power plants should be counter-acted by the greenhouse gases removedfrom the air by the planting of new forestsor through carbon capture technologieswhich would see the CO2 buried under-ground. Getting to this point would require large cuts

in emissions from the current position. Since1990 the EU has cut its emissions by over

20% while the economies of member stateshave continued to grow.The EU says that this can be done with ex-

isting technologies such as solar and wind en-ergy which would have to be ramped up toprovide 80% of electricity. Energy efficiencymeasures such as home insulation would alsoneed to be boosted to reduce energy con-sumption by half by the middle of the century.“With this plan, Europe will be the world’s

first major economy to go for net-zero emis-sions by 2050,” said EU climate commis-sioner Miguel Arias Cañete. “We have all thetools to be ambitious.”The EU believes that the measures will help

achieve the goals of the Paris agreement, willbe expensive but will boost economies by 2%of GDP by 2050 and reduce energy imports byover 70%, saving up to three trillion euros ayear.Some countries such as Germany are

struggling with their current commitmentsand are worried that further cuts wouldthreaten their industries. Others such asPoland are still reliant on coal and would ob-ject to even more stringent restrictions on theuse of fossil fuels.Some countries though are keen to press

ahead—a group of ten, including Denmark,Sweden and Spain have written a letter to theEU asking for a “clear direction” towards net-zero emissions.Sweden has legislated to achieve net zero

emissions by 2045. Other coun-tries are looking at it, includingthe UK which has asked theCommittee on Climate Changeto report on the idea. The EU says there needs to

be a debate among memberstates about how to achieve thislong term goal. The plan is toadopt and submit the ambitiousstrategy to the UN by early2020.

-www.bbc.com, 28 November 2018

Commentary: We have in the past com-mented on the environmental issue. It isour position that those who oppose theenvironmental agenda vastly underesti-mate the actual issue, while those whosupport environmental issues do the op-posite.Thus, the simple question: does mod-

ern industry contribute to global warm-ing? The answer is simply yes. Forexample, when the temperature reaches40 C (104 F), then the measurement inthe countryside is definitely lower than inthe city. Air conditioners are running,factories produce waste heat, even tar-based roads absorb and emit heat; that’s afact that cannot be argued. However, wedo not have long-term data (e.g. 500 or1,000 years ago) to determine whetherclimate change took place during thosedays, when there was no modern indus-try.What we do know is what Scripture

says: “While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest,and cold and heat,and summer andwinter, and dayand night shall notcease” (Genesis8:22). 6892(See The Genesis Factor,

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EU climate commissioner Miguel AriasCañete

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Global GovernmentDear Mr. Froese,

The word “global” is usedall the time now and bringingall the nations together as onein everything.

Revelation chapter 13 statesthat all the nations will recog-nize a single, global authority,i.e. one world government,with the Antichrist as leader.The Bible is always right; itwill happen. Revelation 19states that Jesus will defeat theglobal system.

Macron is leading thecharge to globalism. I still be-lieve he will be the Antichrist.

We are becoming one globalentity through trade, financeand investment, which is link-ing all nations together morethan ever. Revelation is veryclear that this will happenwith the Antichrist as leader.Revelation 19 is also very clearthat Jesus is coming back andwill defeat this global, one-world government and the An-

tichrist. It is all part of God’splan before Jesus returns. Weare to tell the world around usthat Jesus saves, while we can,as stated in Mark 16:15.

-G. Kitts, OH

Answer: Actually, globalism has

many advantages; years ago, a study

concluded that for each four new

jobs created in the United States,

three are created by foreign coun-

tries. In reality, the US is the most

globalist country. After the First—

and particularly the Second—World

War, industries were established

globally by the US: General Motors,

General Electric, Coca-Cola, just to

mention a few. Now, however, other

nations have entered the globalist

competition, and the US is no longer

winning. GM, for example, is closing

their factories in Australia, the UK,

and Europe (as well as Ford). Why?

They can’t compete with the new

elite of the globalists.

Jesus will not come, as you write,

“to defeat the globalists,” but He will

reveal His victory to the entire world.

Obviously, that includes the USA.

And what will be the end? Read in

your Bible: 2 Peter 3:11-12.

Our interest lies exclusively in the

Church of Jesus Christ, the true glob-

alist society. We are everywhere, on

every continent and in every country

of the world. We, the born-again be-

lievers, constitute a totally new na-

tion, as stated in 1 Peter 2:9. This new,

peculiar nation is also called the

body of Christ, the bride of Christ,

and the spiritual temple. When that

spiritual temple is complete, the Lord

will take His Church into His pres-

ence.

Replacement TheologyArno Froese,

It seems there are numerousthoughts concerning Israeland about who they were yes-terday. Who are they today?And, who will they be in thefuture, in God’s eyes?

There are thoughts in favorof replacement theology andthoughts against replacementtheology, both sides using

Address letters for publication to: Letters to the Editor, Midnight Call, P.O. Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073. Include full name,

address, and daytime phone number. Without name and address, letters will be discarded unread. All material is subject to edit-

ing. Midnight Call assumes all publishing rights on letters sent to the Editor.

Note: All letters will be answered by the Executive Editor, Arno Froese.

GLOBAL GOVERNMENT...REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY...POKÉMON

Letters to the Editor

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Scripture to prove their par-ticular viewpoints. I feel thisactually becomes a moot sub-ject that we shouldn’t argueabout, because it seems to methat the Scriptures are veryclear about it; namely, that itculminates into being aboutthe promise God made toAbraham and who are to be-come recipients of thatpromise!

I hope that you, or someoneelse, will read this [enclosed]study concerning the matter.The whole 11 pages should beeasy to understand regardingwhere it is going and why, butit does have a good ending!

-M. Semadeni, CO

Answer: Your 11-page argument for

replacement theology is well-writ-

ten but in error. There is only one

Hebrew, Israeli and Jewish nation—

all others are fake. In Romans 11, the

future of Israel is guaranteed: “For if

the casting away of them be the rec-

onciling of the world, what shall the

receiving of them be, but life from

the dead?” (Romans 11:15). Verse

18a warns: “Boast not against the

branches.”

Furthermore, if you—or the

Church—want to be Israel, then

read verse 25b: “blindness in part is

happened to Israel, until the fullness

of the Gentiles be come in.” There,

very clearly, you have two groups:

the believer and Israel. And what is

Israel’s future? “And so all Israel shall

be saved” (Romans 11:26a). I realize

faith is often stronger than biblical

facts.

PokémonDear Mr. Froese,

I need written informationon Pokémon and its productsfor kids. Good or bad?

-P. Koeneman, KY

Answer: Pokémon is a modern com-

puter-based game that is very popu-

lar with children. But, as with many

recent trends (such as yoga), some-

where religion is hidden. And, in this

case it’s Shintoism, according to The

Guardian. Here is a small excerpt:

“Pokémon owes much of its con-

ception to creator Satoshi Tajiri’s

childhood love of bug collecting,

but the mythology and animist re-

ligious history of Japan also pro-

vided rich inspiration.

“Shintoism, Japan’s oldest reli-

gion, teaches that the world is in-

habited by thousands of kami, or

gods. When made offerings of

food and incense, kami bestow

good luck in business, studies and

health, but when disrespected,

they can turn vindictive.

“In many cases, the parallels are

clear: the water/ground Pokémon

Whiscash bears a strong resem-

blance to namazu, a catfish who

causes earthquakes in Japanese

mythology; meanwhile, grass/dark

Pokémon Shiftry is clearly a tengu

or goblin.”

-www.theguardian.com, 12 July 2016

Baptism of the SpiritArno Froese,

I’d like your opinion please.Here are four terms: “born

again” (or “begotten again”),

“baptized in the Holy Spirit,”“receive the Holy Spirit,” andbeing “in Christ.”

According to your theology,are these the same event? And,does “being baptized into thename of the Lord” have any-thing to do with any?

-K. Bean, OH

Answer: You must believe in order to

be saved, “Believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

(Acts 16:31). Believing is also trusting:

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye

heard the word of truth, the gospel of

your salvation: in whom also after that

ye believed, ye were sealed with that

holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians

1:13). My confession that I believe in

Jesus is answered by God the Holy

Spirit, and I am sealed; that is the re-

birth. You may call it the baptism of

the Holy Spirit. It is a spiritual matter.

Baptism, however, is a physical

matter by which I, as a believer, testify

to the invisible and the visible world

that my old sinful self is paid for by the

blood of Jesus: “…buried with him by

baptism into death: that like as Christ

was raised up from the dead by the

glory of the Father, even so we also

should walk in newness of life” (Ro-

mans 6:4). The mode of baptism,

whether “in the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” “in the

name of the Lord,” or “in Jesus’ name,”

has become an issue of debate. I keep

myself to Jesus’ words to the apostles

for the Gentiles: “Go ye therefore, and

teach all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew

28:19). MC

Bible-believing Christians throughout the worldadmire Israel’s great achievements, almost super-natural success when it comes to high-tech de-

fense technology, water conservation, medicine, etc. Welove Israel, we pray for Israel, and we always rejoicewhen positive news arises from that nation.

However, we must realize this is only the beginning.The prophetic Word, in its full force, cannot be fulfilledunless the Jews are back in the land of Israel. ReadingEzekiel chapter 36, it speaks mainly of the topographi-cal land of Israel. This has been in the works for about2,000 years, and is still in process. The Jews alwayswanted to return to the land of their fathers, to Zion.Then, in the late 1800s, the world’s first Zionist Con-gress took place in Basel, Switzerland. It declared thatthe Jews should have their own land in Canaan, the landof their fathers. Fifty years later, the State of Israel wasproclaimed in 1948.

During the last few decades, millions upon millionsof tourists have come to the land, witnessing the fulfill-ment of Ezekiel 36:35: “And they shall say, This landthat was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; andthe waste and desolate and ruined cities are becomefenced, and are inhabited.”

There is much more: Israel is probably the only coun-try in the world that is threatened with immediate de-struction by its enemies. While the Arab world haslearned not to tangle militarily with Israel, Iran contin-ues to publically proclaim that Israel is a cancer in theMiddle East and should be eradicated. Thus, defense is areality for Israel, while for most countries, it’s just a pro-military word.

A recent article in the Jerusalem Post proclaims thatIsrael’s aerospace industry has closed a deal valued at$160 million with communist Vietnam. Here is an ex-cerpt:

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) has agreed a deal to sell

three drones to the Vietnamese government for $160 mil-

lion. The Heron type 1 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will

be used by the Vietnamese military for a range of routine

missions including maritime patrols.

The Asian media reported that the UAVs will be

equipped in such a way that they can take off and land auto-

matically and will be capable of operating in extreme

weather conditions.

The Heron UAVs being supplied to the Vietnamese will

be able to operate up to a range of about 350 kilometers

over periods of up to 50 hours and be able to carry payloads

of up to a quarter of a ton—all according to the mission on

which it has been sent.

The deal has finally been agreed after a protracted pe-

riod of uncertainty and delays. According to one of the re-

ports, the deal has been achieved after the personal

intervention of Ministry of Defense director general General

(res) Udi Adam.

-www.jpost.com, 10 December 2018

Communist Vietnam has successfully defended them-selves against foreign invaders. Several generationshave grown up being taught what happened in the pastduring their academic years, and to be prepared for thefuture. Thus, defense is a major item in the curricu-lum.

Defense for Israel, as we have already mentioned, isa brutal reality. While the people in Israel are rather re-laxed and counted as one of the happiest people in theworld, the military is fervently at work to be ahead ofpotential enemies. But, from the prophetic Word, weknow nothing will help in the end except the super-natural intervention of God on behalf of His people:“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saiththe Lord of hosts.”

“Not by might, nor by power, but by myspirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah4:6b).

IsraelMIDNIGHT CALL BY ARNO FROESE

MC

24 M I D N I G H T C A L L

MIDNIGHT CALL

Fellow Laborers

At 5:30 in the morning, when it’s still darkout, we leave the city of Montevideo in acrowded missionary car headed northeast.

In just under five hours, we will reach the smalltown of Vergara, home of Radio El Libertador. Thestation has been operating day and night for 13years, sending out the message of the Bible alongwith informational, sports, and cultural program-ming.

Pastor Ricardo, his wife Mayka, and coworkerJorge are visibly glad for the visit. It’s encouragingfor them to be able to run the programming on Ra-dio El Libertador’s anniversary, together with theinternational radio and literature team from Mon-tevideo.

While some go to work in the studio and othersin the kitchen, Victoria and Alejandra walkthrough the streets of Vergara with leaflets andtracts entitled, “What Is Man’s Greatest Need?”This title is the question of the day. Everyone whoparticipates by sharing an answer will be enteredinto a raffle to win prizes that the radio station hasreceived from regional entrepreneurs for this pur-pose.

In the library, our staff is getting to knowRosana, administrator of the small but well-main-tained anthropological museum on the same site.This provides an opportunity for an interview,which is broadcast live on the radio.

Meanwhile, the grilled sheep is ready, and the ta-bles are set in the studio. We enjoy the meal to-gether with the invited correspondents and theirwives. All of them listen attentively to the evangelis-tically-oriented devotion, but has the Word alsogained access to their hearts?

In the afternoon, interviews and round table dis-cussions will be broadcast, with personal testi-monies from our staff members. Alejandrasuccinctly expresses what motivates all of us in ourwork:

“Communication is something wonderful, some-thing we do unconsciously, practically from the mo-ment we’re born. A newborn baby begins to cry andis already communicating. Because communicatingis a constant part of our lives, it’s necessary to do soresponsibly and commit ourselves to the truth. I personally enjoy communication with all its possi-bilities, especially when there’s something good tocommunicate. In our case—much more than news,entertainment, and music—it’s our desire to tell youabout Jesus, how He has transformed our lives. Hecan fill the emptiness in us to help us in our miseryand deliver us from our wickedness. This is themost precious thing we have to share, and the rea-son for these programs. Our desire is for all our lis-teners to know this Jesus, and experience thefreedom and hope that only He can give.”

(MR0918)

“When there’s something good to communicate…”A report from our missionaries on the work of Radio El Libertador.

ISABELLE EISES, MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

FEBRUARY 2019 25 % 1-800-845-2420

The Ebenezer Home is a care center for the el-derly in Haifa, Israel. It was built in 1976with the help of a Norwegian charity organi-

zation, and was intended for Christian elders ofJewish origin. Among them were many Holocaustsurvivors (some of whom still live at EbenezerHome).

Over the years, the demands on facilities forolder people in Israel have changed considerably,just like all over the world. The Israeli governmentimposes strict requirements on the care and nurs-ing of the elderly. The building regulations havebeen changed in such a way that Ebenezer Homecan only remain open if a large-scale renovationand new construction takes place, including thebuilding of a Nursing Ward.

The intention is to renovate Ebenezer Home insuch a way that it transforms from only care, tocare and nursing. This has the great advantage, thatthe Ebenezer Home is no longer dependent on do-nations alone, but is reimbursed from the govern-ment. If the Ebenezer Home qualifies as a nursinghome after the renovation, the costs of nursing willbe reimbursed by the Ministry of Health in Israel.

This way the believers in Messiah Yeshua willkeep their place to stay, till they are called Home byour Heavenly Father. There is no such place in Is-rael except the Ebenezer Home in Haifa, whereeven all employees are faithful believers.

Great InvestmentFor this large-scale transformation, a lot of moneyis needed: 7 million US dollars. That money is col-lected by various charity organizations across theworld. Many individuals and churches are involvedin this great project. We pray to collect $7 millionin 7 years, for the renovation and building of acomplete Nursing Ward added to the existingbuilding.

Looking Back to God’s Help—Figure from thePast YearUp to the end of 2018, we collected all together 1.2million USD.

I am often asked, “Why does it cost so muchmoney to renovate and build?”Building costs in Israel are much higher than in the US.There is simply very little building land available, andthere are very strict safety requirements (such as bombshelters and earthquake safety). The tax burden is ex-tremely high, partly due to the very high security costsin Israel. In order for the building to meet the require-ments of the government, a complete steel-frame “shell”must be placed over the existing building, so it will sup-port the new floor on top of the existing building.

For now, we are waiting to hear from the munici-pality, if there are any objections coming from theneighbors. If yes, we will need to face them and lis-ten to their voices to see what to do. Thank the Lordtill now, nothing came up after publishing the pro-ject in the local newspapers as required by law.

2019This year, I will dedicate more time to traveling inthe US and Europe to speak at various places,churches and events for the fundraising project.2018 was a year in which lots of connections weremade with different organizations. Through this,God opened many hearts to give us new opportuni-ties to share our urgent need of the Nursing Ward.

If you know God has put this project on yourheart, please spread the word. Maybe some of youhave a church that wants to join in and hear moreabout how God works through our ministry. Pleasewrite me and let me know.

Thank you for your contributions!David Phillips, Project ManagerEmail: tms1.dp@gmail.com

N U R S I N G   W A R D P R O J E C T

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“To the only wise Godour Saviour, be gloryand majesty, dominionand power, both nowand ever” (Jude 25).

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