Modern Blast
from the Past

35 years ago Professor Klaas Runia of the Reformed Theological College, Australia, published a small book entitled ‘Reformation Today’. In it he proposed that churches needed to keep reforming – just what we at BTM call for!

I thought that his words might answer some of our critics, who think that our work is superfluous…

“…there is a need for the revival of doctrinal teaching within the church…they (ministers) will have to begin to preach the great doctrinal truths of the Bible once again. We should never preach dogma as such (Ed. As does the RCC!!), but always the doctrines of our faith as grounded in scripture. This is of tremendous importance in building up the faith of the congregation…

Often (today) the people get milk only and they never taste the meat of the word. One of the tragic results is that there is a shocking lack of knowledge…How can such church members be good witnesses for their Lord if they are not able to refute even the most obvious errors?”

At BTM we are not ashamed of our ministry – to teach sound doctrine and to fight error. Both are very much needed today, even more so than when Runia wrote the above words. He continues:

“Doctrinal teaching is the only way to get a congregation to know what it believes. From the very beginning of the Christian church this has been the case…in all the epistles… (doctrinal teaching) is never divorced from the practical, ethical aspects…But, they are always based on the doctrinal aspect.”

This is exactly what we do, every Sunday, in our church meetings. It is also what you find in everything BTM publishes. Runia goes on to say that a congregation taught doctrine systematically will not be swayed or brought down by deception. This begs the question – how did so many thousands of congregations get swept away by the vile Toronto Blessing? It stands to reason that they were badly taught, or were not taught doctrine at all.

Doctrine is not a weird side-issue or an academic playground – it is the stuff our lives and faith are made of. Without it, we are spiritual ducks in the water, waiting for Satan to eat us whole!

Another ‘blast from the past’, from Runia (same book), is modern in outlook…

“We shall also have to revive discipline in the church. One of the main causes of present troubles is the neglect of discipline…”

Though my own doctoral dissertation is academically sound, I do not think any publisher will touch it. I have quoted Roman Catholic as well as Reformed teaching on the subject, as it pertains to excommunication. I have allowed their own words to come through. Yet, because of their fear of being linked with a so-called ‘dissident’ (myself) publishers are unlikely to touch the manuscript. This is extremely sad, for I have yet to read anything of the type elsewhere.

Toronto claimed thousands of victims, whose Biblical knowledge and understanding was deficient. And when churches threw their spiritual lot in with Satan’s deceptions, no-one – and I mean no-one - applied discipline to the situation.

The mighty (as it calls itself) Evangelical Alliance flunked the test. No pastors or members were disfellowshipped (but thousands of genuine Believers were excommunicated by corrupted pastors for refusing to accept evil and heresy)! Runia was spot-on back in the 1960’s, just as he is today. Who has the spiritual backbone to do anything about it? I would be interested to know, for the churches get weaker by the day.

Churches are filled with people who think they are Christians. Charismaticism and the Alpha course will ensure that this number increases dramatically. Another blast from the past, this time from J. Gresham Machen in 1925, says it all…”One of the greatest evils of present-day religious life, it seems to me, is the reception into the Church of persons who merely repeat a form of words, such as ‘I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour’, without giving the slightest evidence to show that they know what such words mean…(as a result countless people are admitted into the Church) on nothing more than a vague admiration for the moral character of Jesus, or else …(to engage in) humanitarian work.”

That sounds like Alpha and charismaticism to me!! It will get far worse, too.

Begging Refugees?

My opinion of so-called refugees (the false kind) is now well-known. They should not be in this country and should not be accorded civil rights at all, for they are criminals, many being active terrorists or wrong-doers, and often violent.

So, when a UK judge decrees that such people should not be left begging on the streets but should be given every assistance with money, one must question the sanity of our judges!

UK beggars who live here legitimately are taken off the streets and put into holding cells, then they are penalised by our judges. But, foreign beggars who are here under false pretences are to be given money, clothing, housing and free health care that are not even available to UK pensioners!! Please, explain the thinking to me!

Muslims in the UK Army

In an effort to bend over backwards to accommodate Muslim sensibilities, UK government offices are going nuts!

One Muslim serviceman refused to go to Iraq to fight. (The Mail, 14th Sept). He is contesting the right of the army to send him! If he wins the right to not go, then every Muslim should be considered suspicious, for they are putting religion before their country, when they have no proper basis from which to do so.

How can we trust Muslim servicemen if they will not fight even the worst extremists, for the good of their own kind? This shows very clearly that Muslim servicemen will put their fellow Muslims first, even if they are killing others and causing mayhem around the world.

Does this not worry the leaders of our armed forces? Are not Muslims who refuse to fight even the most vicious terrorists, themselves acting in a way that is treasonous? How can we trust them with our lives, if they are willing to let terrorists go free, just because they are Muslim?

Perhaps you will recall the recent case of a high-ranking Muslim cleric, in the US Army, who stole top-secret plans of the Miami holding camp for Islamic terrorists from Afghanistan? He was going to give them to Al Quaeda terrorists, so that their fellow killers could be set free! It does not matter if such men are evil even in the sight of their own kind.

This is why I have, in the past, said that no matter how reasonable and law-abiding are most Western Muslims, if it comes to a choice between protecting or supporting the most vicious Muslim terrorists and the well-being of Western countries, they will choose Islam! This they must do, because Islam is basically a violent religion.

It is my belief that Muslims should not be employed in our armed forces, for they cannot be trusted. If they will not fight even the worst criminal terrorists of Islam, then they will certainly not defend us in our own country if terrorists came to do their worst. It is even likely that some would turn their guns against the UK.

Muslims who are presently in our armed forces should be given notice to quit, because the next time the issue will be raised might easily be at a time of national emergency, when Islamic terrorists need to be hunted or taken. Such men have already promised by solemn vow to defend the UK, but they have lied if they refuse to take part in active service against evil men within Islam.

Until something is done about this situation we have a time-bomb ticking, and it is buried deep within our own armed forces!

The same kind of lunacy is found in our police forces, some of which deliberately recruit homosexuals as police officers, who they think will help when tackling gay-related crimes. In reality, because all homosexuals are living a perverted lifestyle, they will probably cover-up crimes by homosexuals. Our leaders should start to think clearly and properly, before mayhem becomes the norm and evil takes over.

Predestination

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to (his) purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate (to be) conformed to the image of his Son….

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans, 8:28-30).

Note that predestination is NOT the same as foreknowledge (though predestination includes foreknowledge – as it must)! See also that the wording is in the past tense…it is already done. We were glorified in Christ before the world began and even before we die!

I simply do not understand Christians who say that they do not believe in predestination! What Bible are they reading? Are they truly Believers anyway? If yes, then they are badly taught OR they are sinning by rejecting the underpinning activity of God in all things.

Some criticise me for teaching predestination, accusing me of rejecting the fact that we have a responsibility to accept salvation when it is given to us by God. This is not the case, because I teach both. What I do NOT teach is that men can choose salvation. They must respond, yes – but this response is part and parcel of God’s grace. He prompts us to respond, which we inevitably must.

I do not understand why there is predestination. Nor do I understand the mechanism God operates that causes us to respond. I only teach what I read in God’s word. I may provide theological studies on the topic, but, at base, I cannot explain these mysteries fully, for I cannot explain beyond what is in scripture. Anybody who says otherwise is a liar…and anyone who says that predestination does not mean God choosing us from before the world was made (and, conversely, rejecting others) is also a liar.

A correspondent was shocked when I said that God only loves those who love Him. Yet, this is what scripture tells us! Look at Proverbs 8 for example, where this is made explicit. It is also found in other texts. Only if we rely on man-made Arminianism will we fail to understand these texts.

Read the opening texts again – for there is a blunt comparison given, though it is not actually spoken. That is, if God calls some and glorifies them, then it means He does NOT call the rest and He will NOT glorify them. That is, they will never enter heaven. We can bleat about this until the end of the world, but these are scriptural facts that I cannot and will not change!

As Proverbs tells us repeatedly, fear of God is the start of wisdom…the knowledge and understanding of God. This fear is real numbing, awe-inspiring, fear, that leads he saved to revere and respect God. Without this, we will never know God or understand Him. That is what scripture tells us, so don’t shoot the messenger!

Predestination is a ‘done deal’. It is over! It cannot be repeated or changed. We must just accept that those who are saved were saved before they were born, in eternity. This should not affect preaching or witnessing, for we do not know who God has planned to save. Thus, the call is always universal for the preacher…its effectiveness is bound by God’s elective power and limited by His own decision to save some but not others.

Whilst many of us attempt to explain some of this, we cannot ever conclude anything, for we simply don’t know why God saves some and not others, apart from what we read in His word. We don’t know why He deliberately rejects the majority of people He has made and then casts them into hell. It is this hidden reasoning that we cannot explain. But this does not mean we cannot preach and teach what is made plain in scripture.

Toleration for Evil Costs Money!

Head of Bristol (UK) Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, Rick Palmer, said (3rd October) in a statement, “These people…are the most prolific offenders we’ve recognised.”

He was referring to just 22 drug-taking criminals who, between them, rack up a cool £1 million in thefts a year!! That’s £22 million coming from the public’s homes, bags and cars. To get their cash, these men savagely mug, burgle and shoplift. To get just £1000 a week to pay for their habits, they have to get an illegally-obtained £10,000 worth of goods. On top of what they steal, there are costs for police and court time, hospital treatments, etc.

Despite this vast amount the Home Office insists that the men should not be locked up!! They say the men must get ‘proper treatment’ so that they can be ‘properly settled’ back into society. Our government sorely lacks in realism! They know nothing of the criminal mind. Nor do they recognise the need for punishment.

These 22 men turn to crime every time they are released because they want to maintain their habit. Unless a habitual user determines to get rid of his habit, he will continue to live in his own pit. But, why should the people of Bristol have to put up with these 22 men? They are laughing at the legal system, and rightly so.

More Official Stupidity

Back to asylum seekers! Two false asylum seekers (false, remember!) were put in prison for entering the UK with false passports.

Their lawyers saw a clause in the 1951 UN convention and sued the UK government for £130,000 for the married couple!! Apparently, the convention states that illegals may not be imprisoned…so this leaves us wide open to thousands of similar claims.

I am not a fool, nor am I intellectually challenged, but this ruling leaves me stunned and at a loss. What this law says is that anyone can enter the UK as criminals, and yet they cannot be touched! If you have been reading about this whole sorry mess in the Beacon, you will know that the government itself says that almost all asylum seekers are bogus and most of them are bogus because they are criminals, who go on to cause great social unrest and criminality in the UK. So, why are we rewarding criminals with huge sums? There is no excuse for this, and the UK must strike out clauses in non-UK government laws that give freedom to criminals to enter and operate in the UK. But, our government has no guts. It is afraid to oppose the EU and the UN, because of the gravy-train they travel on.

Friends, we will have yet another farcical election soon – so why not vote-out the political cronies who have taken us into this abyss of folly?

United Nations of Religions

You may remember two years ago the pope visited Kazakhstan to try to bring the world religions together. Recently 18 religions met in Astana, Kazakhstan, to continue that work. It was hosted and chaired by the Muslim president of the country.

There were representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Shinto and other religions, all meeting under the guise of ‘peace’ and a ‘world-wide’ religious approach (note that we predicted this would happen a while ago?).

The president is to build a multi-faith temple in his capital city where the faith representatives can meet regularly. There will be a mosque, church, synagogue, Buddhist temple, etc., in the one building.

Roman Catholic archbishop Tomash Peta thinks it is a wonderful idea to bring together East and West, and a rabbi said that it was a good way to combat terrorism. One world religion? I think it is well on the way! (Source: Koinonia House Online, 6th Oct).

Halloween

Every year we are asked about Halloween. Just a short while ago one of our readers, who worked in a nursing home in the UK, was forced to leave her job by employers who ordered her to take part in Halloween activities. Because of the way they acted, she is unable to find redress and sue for wrongful dismissal.

So, why did she make such a fuss? Because she knows that there can be no ‘fun’ in Halloween. It is a celebration time for witches not Christians, and it centres on evil not good. No Christian in his or her right mind can take part in such activities, and they cannot allow their children to take part either.

When Black Becomes White!

The head of the London School of Islamics is in regular contact with me. He suggested I look at a web site for Muslim teachers, which I did…and there I found yet more evidence of black being made to be white by Muslim propaganda.

In a book called  ‘The Muslim’s Guide to Islamaphobia’, the writer blatantly says that Islam is responsible for the new Renaissance in the West!! This flies in the face of Islamic scholars who openly teach that Islam means violence toward non-Muslims (and history, which shows how strict Islamic countries become backward and void of all true intellectual progress)! The book says that Islam is being ‘defamed’ by the West who wrongly (!!!) accuse it of hate and violence. (Maybe they ought to examine their own Koran).

Unlike his father, Billy, Franklin Graham does not tolerate false religions and refers to Islam as “a very evil and wicked religion”.

The book, comfortable with its revision of all that Islam stands for – overwhelming societies and killing those who reject its advances – even says that ‘Islamaphobia’ is the “latest form of western neo-fascism”! This is incredible coming from a religion that kills its own and allows for no freedom of thought. The book seems to align deep suspicion for Islam with racism, and anti-Semitism, even though Islam is no longer a racial religion. You can read more on www.islamaphobia.org

It is interesting that the web site for Muslim teachers does not tackle September 11th, because it relegates it to a ‘single isolated incident’. By calling it that, Muslims can somehow pretend that it was not committed by Islamic terrorists. Yet, as we have found out through our web section on Islam, not one Muslim is prepared to denounce that horrific Islamic act of vicious brutality. Instead, Islamics are now turning the whole thing on its head by charging the west with ‘Islamaphobia’!!! As they say on the streets – get real!

Roman Catholics are presently rewriting their own history by reinterpreting everything they have ever said. And Muslims are doing the same thing. Both are claiming that we misunderstand what they say. Well, it seems to me that words now mean nothing, for if we cannot read what is plainly written, then those words should not be written in the first place!

Science Fooled by Prayer

You might have read in the newspapers that ‘prayer works’ for surgery patients. Yes, prayer works...but what is happening in this story is subtle and very mistaken.

A Jewish heart surgeon in the USA thought that maybe prayer might help to save the lives of his heart patients. So, he elicited the help of dozens of prayer groups around the world. So that no-one at the hospital could know who was being prayed over, he had a ‘control’ group. That is, some were prayed over, and others were not.

Then, at the end of six months, the same patients were again reviewed and only then did everyone know who had been prayed for. In other words, it was conducted as a proper scientific experiment.

You might think that this was a great idea. But, think again…the groups were not all Christian. Indeed, few of them were Christian. Most were non-Christian, such as Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, and so on. The idea was that if many people prayed the effect would be somehow magnified in strength.

With this in mind, the surgeon had another idea. This time to he asked more prayer groups – again mixed religions - to pray not for the patients, but for the effectiveness of the existing prayer groups! He thought that this would increase the power even more. I suggest that readers who have not already done so, should now send for our articles on prayer, for these issues are dealt with in detail.

The results of the experiment? Yes, prayer works! But wait – if it worked, how can we accept the findings? How can Christians accept that non-Christian prayers were working?

My answer is this – if the prayers worked, then there can be only one answer…Satanic deception. We are fast heading for a one-world religion. This fact is regularly referred to in these very pages. What better way to ‘prove’ the need for one religion than united prayers that ‘work’??

Satan can heal. The fact that his healings are always flawed will escape the attention of most people. His aim is very simple – he wants to fool people into thinking that any religion can reach God. One of the prayer groups, a ‘Christian’ (charismatic) one from Manchester, UK, said that we must stop our ‘Islamaphobia’ (etc) and join with those of different religions. So, the plan is working!

There are many other doctrinal and other issues that this experiment touched on. For example, gathering together in one place to increase power of prayer, adding more groups to magnify the effect, praying to heathen gods that are no gods, etc. God is not in this experiment, friends. He is not going to perform tricks for scientists. Beware, and don’t get carried away by the seemingly ‘good’ findings.

Also see the article Therapeutic Touch.

Meanwhile…

We are receiving more testimonies through our website that simply praise God for our internet ministry.  Most are Christians who have been badly taught or wickedly led astray by charismatic teachings, many of them horrendously so. We also thank God for this growing number, some of whom receive our Sunday meeting notes.

When we started the website we wondered if it would have any kind of impact. Thus far, we have been shown, many times, that the website is needed and is a work of God. We are now on the brink of starting the second website, so expectations that God will work mightily through it are high.

We have noted, too, the many ardent Catholics (including priests and seminarians) who contact us to argue their case. Believe me, they don’t do this unless they think Protestants are ruining their work! Pray that the impact will continue powerfully.

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BTM Articles

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