choir loft

There is no such thing as THE LAST SUPPER. That's a deliberate misconception of the church. Jesus didn't have a final dinner party with His boys. Jesus' last meal with His disciples was a SEDER. Ever attended one? You should. You'd learn a lot if you did. The seder is an ANNUAL memorial meal in observance of Passover - deliverance of the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt. It's not a weekly event on the church calendar. THE EUCHARIST WAS STOLEN from the Jews. It has nothing whatsoever to do with magic incantations converting common bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Jesus. Jesus died once for all. We don't need to crucify Him over and over again on the altar of religious hypocrisy. It's about remembering Jesus' death for our SINs and our hope of redemption in Him. It's not rocket science unless one wants to get involved in religious rubbish. that's me, hollering from the choir loft..

Calvinists have a big problem with Jesus' statement, 'many are called, but few are chosen." They have a problem with it because John Calvin was an outspoken Jew hating antisemite. The Bible says JEWS ARE THE CHOSEN people of God. Not Calvinists, not Catholics, not Orthodox churches and certainly not American protestants. The Bible also claims MANY ARE CALLED. This is what evangelism is all about - calling folks to REPENT and accept the King of the Jews as their Lord and Saviour. It isn't rocket science boys and girls. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

People were "getting saved" long before there was a church. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Yes, it's a joke isn't it? CL

That many? I didn't know. CL

Unfortunately your opinion has been echoed by many theologians and pastors and political pundits. Their voices join with yours and ours in a choir that chants warning - that evil is coming our way. They all declare we've gone too far, that we've crossed some invisible line. I hope you are wrong too. I hope I am wrong about all this. I hope for a future of peace for my children and grandchildren, but alas I fear it will not be so. It is my fervent prayer that God will protect those who have surrendered to Him.....few as we may be. I believe there is sufficient evidence He will do so, but the rest will suffer terribly. Personally I don't want to look upon it - it grieves me even now, but it must be said. The only real solution that I can see is REPENTANCE, but we as a nation will not. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

These are the days we remember the Holocaust - Yom HaShoah. Let us never forget! "For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN." (Y'shuah/Jesus quoted by Matthew 24:21) NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN, Y'shuah said. Amen, Lord.....NEVER AGAIN, NEVER. One Tribulation is enough. And I have heard with my own ears the testimony of a Jewish woman who survived a German death camp how that each day and many times during each day the German guards would stand over her (and other Jews) and strike repeatedly saying, "Jesus told me to hit you - filthy Jew." Over and over again they were struck and over and over again they were murdered BECAUSE JESUS TOLD THEM TO DO IT (the Germans said). These are the words of one who bore the scars of hatred The Germans of the 20th century were thought to be good Christians. But the church was duplicitous in the machinations of the government even as all other Christians of that time chose to look away and ignore what was happening. Lest it happen again amongst any of us we should remember and cry aloud - Never again! that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

The United States is a nation under judgment of God. IF GOD DOES NOT JUDGE AMERICA HE WILL HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO SODOM AND GOMORRAH. What WILL happen to affect Americans and their families as a result of war with China (not to mention the deaths of young men and women in their families) ought to be important. Some like to fold their arms and ho hum things of this nature as they wistfully say, "God is in charge." These folks don't realize that God isn't in the business of blessing America any more. My purpose in sharing these news items is to warn of imminent hard times and permanent unpleasant changes in our future. It is time to REPENT of our SINs and pompous attitudes. We are NOT immune to the effects of world events, not by a long shot. The time to REPENT and make peace with God is NOW. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I wish to direct your attention to the world stage. Communist China is concluding a long series of preparatory moves instigated more than fifty years ago and is about to begin war - first against the United States, which it will win, and secondly against Israel, which it won't. Preparations for war can be divided into a few categories; financial, trade and military. Financially, the Renminbi is now on the verge of replacing the dollar as the default world currency. This past week has seen Britain and France joining with Germany and OPEC nations in support of Chinese currency for international trade deals. (FYI: China has two currencies. The Yuan is used for domestic trade. The Renminbi is used for foreign trade. It's the Renminbi that is on the verge of replacing the dollar as the preferred currency.) In Trade, most pundits who argue that China's economy isn't stable use the Yuan as their example. It's true, but it isn't accurate. The Renminbi is now much much stronger than the US dollar in terms of international trade. All major industrial nations now agree and are lining up with China instead of American economic leadership. China has successfully concluded their Road and Belt initiative. This initiative includes sea lanes that traverse the ocean south of Asia. It also includes a series of highways built THROUGH the Himalaya mountains. Traffic is now moving along the road between western China and the terminus in Iran and nations directly north of Afghanistan - (all the -stan nations.) It is the modern equivalent of the ancient silk road and is the largest most expensive building project since the Great Wall. The US government is planning to replace the dollar with digital currency. The cash in your pocket may not be worth much after hostilities commence over Taiwan. Militarily, China has been preparing for war with the United States and Israel. The first phase of the war will be a general attack upon the islands of Taiwan. Whether the United States succeeds in defending its ally is irrelevant. The effects upon America in terms of a general trade boycott of China against the United States will cripple and nearly destroy our economy. It may be worse than the days of the Great Depression. Shortages presently unimagined will arrive along with devastating inflation. The outcome of a general war with China is questionable, depending upon which pundit you read. It's generally assumed America will lose the military conflict - or be so crippled by a marginal victory that it will be unable to assume military leadership or respect anywhere in the world again. That being said, the actual outcome of battle will be irrelevant because the United States will lose the subsequent trade war with China. The Renminbi is already on top even as we read and write here. America will be devastated by the approaching war with China. Whether or not Messiah Jesus will return when the Chinese lead an arab war against Israel remains to be seen. A major offensive is being planned even as we read and write here. I've been following their moves for twenty years and see warning signs everywhere. America and its people are in for some very hard times - perhaps as soon as only a year or two away. The trends are already in evidence. Sabers are rattling. Our military is preparing for the battle, but our civilian leaders act as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening. I can now make very accurate predictions of conditions in America following the outbreak of hostilities, but most who read them will blow it off as exaggeration. I am increasingly puzzled by the lack of concern of our politicians citizens AND church leaders. This will be a major judgment of God against America and it won't be pretty. Indeed I believe that for those who haven't made peace with Christ it will be a terrible time in our history. It is time to REPENT. Serious and deliberate peace must be made with God. Even those who think they are secure must be encouraged to make a deep examination of their relationship with Christ. Only the just will be saved. Those who continue to play games with God will discover they can't win. It is time to REPENT. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

In response to RETROBYTER's lengthy post I can only say - thank you for proving my initial point: that there are multiple permutations of the rapture/tribulation/millennium theories now being promoted by the post-modern protestant church. Perhaps as many as 16, perhaps more. I admit I haven't counted them all. My statement was simple, that there are several different interpretations of the End Times including one that doubts them all. My intent was not to parse into oblivion each and every one, which Retrobyter has attempted to do. I made a simple statement that there are several interpretations. My statement wasn't disproven. Indeed, I might go a step further and declare that nobody really cares one way or the other. THIS TOO is a problem with the church, but that's for another discussion. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I am forced to take exception to I am forced to take exception to your post, which is explicitly inaccurate. The reader ought to be advised there are at minimum 16 different permutations of the theories of millenium, tribulation & rapture. They are theories because there is no definitive proof as to SEQUENCE in time or that they may exist at all other than as figurative language. Millenium Interpretations of Biblical references to a 1,000 year period were first committed to paper quite early in the history of the church. During recent centuries the theory has been refined to three separate suppositions all of which are linked to the Second Coming of Christ to the earth. The most aberrant variations became popular among protestant congregations during the mid-19th century. Delivered by men who had no formal religious training, much of the promulgated dogma remains illogical and fictitious. Nevertheless it's part of the post-modern church's dogma. All 3 variations are connected to the action of the church - NOT GOD. Pre-millenialism presupposes Christianity would spread to all the earth. Every living breathing human being would become a member of some church before the 2nd advent of Christ. At the end of WWI every theologian worthy of his position acknowledged this theory as an impossibility due to the fact it had become painfully obvious the entire planet would NOT become evangelized members of the church. Mid-millenialism presupposes a fetid feral form of the church would welcome the anti-Christ system, which in turn would lead to a 2nd genocidal persecution of Jews not unlike the WWII holocaust it supported initially. The problem with this theory is that Jesus said the holocaust would only happen once. Post-millenialism presupposes Jesus would arrive following a series of global catastrophes devastations and events unparalleled in human history. While this theory is the most plausible, given the number of fulfilled prophecies we have already witnessed, there are several sub-theories attached. One suggests that the second coming won't really happen at all - that the arrival of Christ is purely figurative in nature. Another suggests that Jesus would arrive only after the entire planet has been laid waste from a nuclear war. The thousand years is a reference to the length of radioactive lifelessness on this planet. Other theories suggest variations of a real political kingdom on the order of a theocratic UN, while the lunatic fringe believes Jesus is an astronaut and will return aboard a flying saucer. Rapture The rapture is a figurative attempt to explain the exact meaning and experience of the arrival of Jesus Christ. This theory has several permutations independent of millenium and tribulation theories. As many as three or four separate raptures of people from the planet are to be expected depending upon which variation one accepts. No one among the post-modern church seems to realize that the dogma dramatically opposes the context of Biblical assertions regarding the way God handles human problems. None of the permutations of rapture theory are possible given Biblical context. The theory has been popular among American protestants for nearly two hundred years despite its having been originally published by the Vatican approximately 500 years ago. Tribulation Predictions of a future second holocaust are entirely bogus, given the fact that Jesus Christ said it would only happen once. It remains firmly entrenched in post-modern church eschatology due to its antisemitic overtones and the church's discomfort with anything even remotely Jewish. Thus the theological solution is to kill everything Jewish, including the people. Very little of this stuff takes into account Biblical context or the designs of the Most High. Instead it purports to subvert the gospel and substitute a very secular rationale in its place - a very antisemitic rationale. According to all three theories Jews won't be included in the Christian millennial reign of the King of the Jews, the tribulation will arrive to murder any Jew who refuses to join a church and the rapture won't include any Jew with an ounce of integrity. The major problem with post-modern church eschatology is the SEQUENCE of events. Jews got the Sequence of God's visitation wrong the first time and failed to recognize God's visitation among them. The post-modern church today is stumbling over its own false expectations for the same reasons. Tradition and hubris in its interpretations blinds both Jew and non-Jew into accepting erroneous reasons which are either logically implausible, historically impossible, intellectually incompetent or simply antisemitic. Jesus said we need to look up and watch the seasons. We can't do that when our eyes and minds are buried in our ASSumptions. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

"I did NOT come to abolish the LAW. I came to fulfill it." (Jesus as quoted by Matthew 5:17) Protestors and lawless types deny the LAW altogether admitting as they go along with their senseless arguments that they are ignorant of the LAW of Grace and the law of works. THERE ARE TWO LAWS. The LAW of Grace was WRITTEN BY GOD and given to Moses upon the holy mountain. It has not changed. It will NOT change. The law of works was codified by the Jewish rabbinate during their captivity in Babylon. Jesus and His apostles lived ministered and died by the LAW of Moses/Grace. They argued constantly against the pharisees, who supported the law of works and/or tradition. Numerous predictions and prophecies were made by Jesus and His apostles that in the Last Days lawLESSness would multiply. I submit, dear reader, that they were talking about denial of the LAW of Moses by Jews and gentiles alike. While it is true that predictions of violence and criminality were made, those deeds have been common since the first man made designs against another. (Cain vs. Able) It is rather those attitudes and denials of God's Holy LAW that are now commonplace. Unfortunately, many Jews now deny Torah altogether (1st 5 books of the Bible, called the LAW). Many post-modern church types do also arguing as they do in support of THEIR OWN PAGAN TRADITIONS. <--- This IS the leaven of the pharisees we were warned to oppose. For the post-modern church now lives and breaths it's own invented traditions, in denial of God's LAW. As the pharisees did before us, so we do ourselves today. and Jesus is still opposed to it, boys and girls. As for the LAW, I can only say that if it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.....

Why did Jesus come to us? Jesus came to DIE. (1 Peter 2:24) "he was led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7) "he was cut off from the land of the living" (Isaiah 53:8) "It was the Lord's will to crush him and make him suffer." (Isaiah 53:10) "he poured out His life unto death and He was counted among the SINNERS" (Isaiah 53:12) (*) The annual observance of Pesach/Passover/Easter is upon us once again. It is well that we remember Jesus said He came to fulfill the sacrificial requirements of the LAW (Matt 5:17). But if we deny we are SINNERS, as many do today, then we JUDGE OURSELVES UNWORTHY OF GRACE TO BE SAVED. (Acts 13:46) The blood shed by Jesus upon the cross is for God. (Leviticus 17) The cross is for us. (Matthew 10:38) Pick it up and carry it. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (*) Jews and congregations of the post-modern church don't read Isaiah 53. Its' details of the crucifixion of a man it calls 'the lamb of God' are more graphic than any of the gospels. Who is this 'lamb of God'? Many don't know. Many deny it when told. Moses told His people that if they didn't apply the blood they'd die. Jews deny Moses' words regarding this sacrifice. Many in the post-modern church do also.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary TIME is "the point or period when something occurs." What is your point in asking this simple question? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I attend Temple New Jerusalem messianic synagogue in Palm Harbor, Florida. Rabbi Mike recently added a surprising statement to a recent sermon. Mike's scripture reference was Genesis 1:1 (NAS) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Rabbi Mike said there’s a tiny word in the original Hebrew text that’s not included in English translations. Here it is in its proper placement….. “In the beginning God created {Aleph Tav} the heavens and the earth." The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two characters. The first character is Aleph. The last character is Tav. Thus the meaning here is akin to the Greek phrase “alpha and omega” or the English equivalent “A to Z or beginning to end”. In other words, the meaning of what was first created is TIME. God created TIME first of all - the Space Time Continuum. All the text that follows Genesis 1:1 is thus subject to interpretation of timeLESS eternity vs. temporal physical TIME experienced on earth. The narrative jumps around in temporal dimensions and eternal depictions. For instance, the last book of the Bible, Revelation, predicts an event that's predicted in the first book of Genesis. When Jesus said He saw satan fall to Earth like lightning He was quoting Genesis (that had already happened in physical history/time) as well as assertions of Revelation that hadn't yet been written. Other references in the gospels and Revelation refer to events that WILL happen in Genesis 1:1. One might make good use of a time machine to sort out the confusion, to travel back and forth in Time to understand a strange sort of temporal spiritual war…….or take it by faith that God has a handle on things and will win in the end - as the scripture tells us HAS happened and WILL happen. Here we are in the middle, looking both ways - wondering and watching. Either way it's an interesting point of view of the very first line of scripture - Aleph Tav. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I really wish you'd read my post - all the way through. Again there are 16 different variations of rapture, tribulation & millenium theories. No two of them agree. They don't agree because of a few simple reasons. First, are speculations surrounding the Second Coming involving events that have already happened. The Tribulation of the Jews is one of them and is already past. (btw, I'm not a Preterist. I'm an historian.) Second, are doctrines that are directly disproved by history or which depend upon a nebulous interpretation of it. For instance, three different versions of the millenium are linked to the second coming. Most theologians of worth, as well as church historians, recognize only two remain. Following the human disaster of WWI, theologians realized that certain specific events regarding the pre-millenial advent of Christ weren't plausible. Since the tribulation has already happened, it's not possible to peg the immediate second coming to that event either. Third, and most important, is that although there's a basis for the Second Coming in BOTH the old and new testaments, the problem with interpretation is the SEQUENCE of events involved. Jews got the First Coming wrong (and still do) because they didn't understand the sequence of events surrounding Jesus' first appearance among us. Scriptures are quoted stating either that Jesus didn't arrive, that He wasn't who He said He was or that messiah is yet to come. Jews didn't read their own scripture and got it wrong. Today, Christians don't read their own scripture either - and get it wrong all over again. Neither will they listen to reproof because they have hardened their hearts and closed their minds. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Please read the Bible. When you make assertions that are NOT in agreement with God's Word you tread on very thin ice. Humans have NO part or portion that survives physical death. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 3:19) While it's true that Eve & Adam were created with an immortal spirit, they LOST it. Genesis 1:26 is often quoted saying Adam was created with the Image of God. Unfortunately he and his wife didn't keep it long. The Image of God, the immortal component, was LOST two chapters later when both SINNED. The consequence of their SIN was immediate spiritual death and physical death, which took a bit longer. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal" (Genesis 6:3a) To be mortal is to die - to cease to exist in time and eternity. People, even rich ones, can fail to grasp that, like animals, they will die. (Psalm 49:30) A great many people are confused about the Image of God. The common misconception is that everybody has it. The idea comes from pagan and secular wishful thinking, not God's Word. It's not true. Not even a little bit. We do not read about the Image of God again in the Bible until the New Testament when we are told what it is; The Son is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15a) Think JESUS = IMAGE OF GOD and you've got it. The Bible is very explicit in saying that those who reject God's generous offer of immortal life will be left to their natural destiny. They will die just like any sick dog or cockroach. Dust you are and unto dust shall you return. (Genesis 3:19) The myth of hell is also dispensed with because it's impossible to torture a dead guy. Nowhere does the Bible imply or state that SINNERS are granted immortality. The soul that sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4) That's it and that's all. After SINNERS take their last breath they suffer the judgment they've wanted for years - because they have judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. (Acts 13:46) Christians aren't given the mandate to judge SINNERS. Why? Because SINNERS judge themselves. It is SINNERS who have the authority to judge themselves unto death. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. (Ezekiel 33:11a) Therefore it's time for all to REPENT of our pet SINs and wickedness and LICENTIOUSNESS and seek the forgiveness only God can grant. It's not automatic. It's must be asked for....... that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Please review Revelation 17:15. It speaks of LIVING people. It's these living people that compose and support the world sea-beast, the Roman Catholic church. Some have a familiar interpretation for the Earth Beast of Revelation 13, but it has little to do with judgment. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

You're mostly on the right track. The Bible is self-interpreting. Let's take a quickie look at the three verses in question beginning with Revelation 20:13. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds. The sea in Revelation 20:13 is representative of the LIVING. It's stated twice in Revelation. Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea (Revelation 13:1) The interpretation of the sea or sea waters appears in Revelation 17:15. Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages Death can be clearly understood to mean dead people. The word Hades tends to confuse the issue because it's a deliberate mistranslation. The word Hades is a reference to the mythical Greek god of the underworld who guards the gates to the world of the dead. Hades is a reference to a PERSON, not a place. There is no statement either implied or stated in scripture that such a person is real. The church has deliberately confused the word so as to obfuscate the meaning of scripture. Judgment therefore is an account rendered of both the living and the dead. Exactly when and where this judgment takes place is another issue for discussion. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I agree with you, but many will doubtless contradict what has been written. Many are convinced of the truth of their interpretations of scripture regarding Christian eschatology. In truth there are more than 16 variations of tribulation, rapture & millenium doctrines and dogmas. If truth WERE truth would there not be one truth for all? I submit the problem isn't with interpretation, but with the sequence of it. Jews correctly interpret the advent of messiah (ha-mashiach) and continue to expect His arrival. They deny other interpretations that indicate messiah would suffer for the SINs of man (Isaiah 53) or those that affirm the Trinity. (Deuteronomy 6:4 *) They've got the interpretations correct, but they stumble over the sequence of events. They expected a liberator when they called Jesus 'son of David'. Instead they got a suffering servant - 'son of Joseph'. In the same way, the church has missed the boat regarding the sequence of prophecy of the End Times. Revelation 13:3 has already happened as has the Tribulation. The facts support scripture. The sequence of church understanding does not. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*) Shema Yisrael, Adonai elohenu, Adonai echad. (Hear O Israel the Lord your God, the Lord is one) The last Hebrew word in this oldest prayer of Judaism is 'echad'. It is a plural form of the English rendered word 'one'. The Hebrew word 'yachid' is an absolute one - as in "I have one dollar remaining in my wallet before payday". The word 'echad' implies plurality - as in a family or team. For instance, a man may play the position of catcher, pitcher or outfielder on the NY Yankee team, yet all are Yankees. Jews deny the meaning of their own oldest prayer - God is (more than) one.

Where do you get that assumption? Quote book, chapter and verse please. Opinions based on conjecture aren't valid unless proven by scripture. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Self-learning seems to be the way individuals gain experience. Its a dangerous business and I'm reluctant to advise anyone to get into it out of a sense of curiosity. Those that do get involved do so mostly out of necessity as you have testified. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

It has the potential to spread across the nation. The JESUS MOVEMENT of the late 1960's and early 1970's began the same way. I remember those days. It was the closest thing to heaven I've ever seen. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Intensity yes, but something is missing. What is missing is the lack of charismatic human leadership. What is missing is a crawler along the bottom of the screen telling us where we can send our donation$. What is missing is any sort of theological clap trap. What seems to be present is praise of Christ, undiluted unvarnished and unaltered. We need more of that for sure. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Oversight is a thorny issue. It's been my experience that oversight is naturally self-destructive. Issues creep into this 'oversight' and in a very short space of time the whole thing gets bogged down into the muck of human involvement. Leaders tend to become pompous - stuffed full of hubris and self-importance. There is a political movement in some areas to make political office limited. One may serve only one or two terms in a position. This practice might well be adopted by the church. Far too many leaders have wrecked the movement of the Holy Spirit in the past. Promotion of cultish ideas is indeed one of the products of true revival. Weeds do not grow in a desert and imitation is supposed to be the greatest compliment. Does God not have the ability to guide and direct His own movements? Why do we need leaders who tend to debauch themselves and anyone who follows them? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...