BRASS FOR GOLD
Solomon’s apostasy is chronicled for our time
Solomon’s apostasy led to untold evils in
Israel. The hearts of the people were
turned from the true worship of God and
syncretism crept in until they were
steeped in idolatry while they themselves
considered themselves faithful in all their
ways.
The Bible foretells a similar apostasy at
the end of time where the people of God
will be led astray like Jezebel led God’s
people astray by introducing the
syncretistic worship of Baal and Yahweh.
1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved
many strange women, together with
the daughter of Pharaoh, women of
the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites,
Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning
which the LORD said unto the children
of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them,
neither shall they come in unto you:
for surely they will turn away your
heart after their gods: Solomon clave
unto these in love.
The decline of Solomon was gradual, almost imperceptible. Sin
has a habit of spinning its web one strand at a time. Solomon
loved the Lord and in his youth made a choice to follow Him
with his whole heart. His early reign was exemplary.
Above every earthly good, the king
desired wisdom and understanding
for the accomplishment of the work
God had given him to do. He longed
for quickness of mind, for largeness of
heart, for tenderness of spirit. That
night the Lord appeared to Solomon in
a dream and said, "Ask what I shall
give thee." In his answer the young
and inexperienced ruler gave
utterance to his feeling of helplessness
and his desire for aid. "Thou hast
showed unto Thy servant David my
father great mercy," he said,
"according as he walked before Thee
in truth, and in righteousness, and in
uprightness of heart with Thee; and
Thou hast kept for him this great
kindness, that Thou hast given him a
son to sit on his throne, as it is this
day. {PK 28.1}
1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant
king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I
know not how to go out or come in.
1Ki 3:8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou
hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor
counted for multitude.
1Ki 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to
judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad:
for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
1Ki 3:10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had
asked this thing.
1Ki 3:11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this
thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast
asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine
enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern
judgment;
1Ki 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have
given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there
was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any
arise like unto thee.
1Ki 3:13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not
asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any
among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
1Ki 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes
and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I
will lengthen thy days.
Steps to apostasy:
1.
Self confidence
But Solomon had begun to lose sight of the Source of his
power and glory. As inclination gained the ascendancy over
reason, self-confidence increased, and he sought to carry
out the Lord's purpose in his own way. He reasoned that
political and commercial alliances with the surrounding
nations would bring these nations to a knowledge of the
true God;
2.
Unholy alliances
and he entered into unholy alliance with nation after nation.
Often these alliances were sealed by marriages with
heathen princesses.
3.
Setting aside God’s requirements for those of the world
The commands of Jehovah were set aside for the customs
of surrounding peoples. {PK 53.3}
4.
Flattering himself that his wisdom would prevail
Solomon flattered himself that his wisdom and the power
of his example would lead his wives from idolatry to the
worship of the true God, and also that the alliances thus
formed would draw the nations roundabout into close
touch with Israel. Vain hope! Solomon's mistake in
regarding himself as strong enough to resist the influence
of heathen associates was fatal. And fatal, too, the
deception that led him to hope that notwithstanding a
disregard of God's law on his part, others might be led to
revere and obey its sacred precepts. {PK 54.1}
5.
Relishing worldly honor (Gold of Ophir)
The king's alliances and commercial relations with heathen
nations brought him renown, honor, and the riches of this
world. He was enabled to bring gold from Ophir and silver
from Tarshish in great abundance. "The king made silver
and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar
trees made he as the sycamore trees that are in the vale for
abundance." 2 Chronicles 1:15. Wealth, with all its
attendant temptations, came in Solomon's day to an
increasingly large number of people; but the fine gold of
character was dimmed and marred. {PK 54.2}
6.
Losing confidence in God’s guidance
So gradual was Solomon's apostasy that before he was
aware of it; he had wandered far from God. Almost
imperceptibly he began to trust less and less in divine
guidance and blessing, and to put confidence in his own
strength.
7.
Disobedience creeps in
Little by little he withheld from God that unswerving
obedience which was to make Israel a peculiar people, and
he conformed more and more closely to the customs of the
surrounding nations. Yielding to the temptations incident to
his success and his honored position, he forgot the Source
of his prosperity.
8.
Unhealthy ambition
An ambition to excel all other nations in power and
grandeur led him to pervert for selfish purposes the
heavenly gifts hitherto employed for the glory of God.
9.
Less regard for others
The money which should have been held in sacred trust for
the benefit of the worthy poor and for the extension of
principles of holy living throughout the world, was selfishly
absorbed in ambitious projects. {PK 55.1}
10. Character development marginalized
Engrossed in an overmastering desire to surpass other
nations in outward display, the king overlooked the need of
acquiring beauty and perfection of character. In seeking to
glorify himself before the world, he sold his honor and
integrity.
11. Benevolence turns to tyranny
The enormous revenues acquired through commerce with
many lands were supplemented by heavy taxes. Thus pride,
ambition, prodigality, and indulgence bore fruit in cruelty
and exaction. The conscientious, considerate spirit that had
marked his dealings with the people during the early part of
his reign, was now changed. From the wisest and most
merciful of rulers, he degenerated into a tyrant. Once the
compassionate, God-fearing guardian of the people, he
became oppressive and despotic. Tax after tax was levied
upon the people, that means might be forthcoming to
support the luxurious court. {PK 55.2}
12. Passion reigns
Passion for power: As a safeguard against dependence on the
arm of flesh, the Lord had warned those who should rule over
Israel not to multiply horses to themselves. But in utter
disregard of this command, "Solomon had horses brought out
of Egypt." "And they brought unto Solomon horses out of
Egypt, and out of all lands." "Solomon gathered together
chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four
hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he
bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at
Jerusalem." 2 Chronicles I:16; 9:28; I Kings 10:26. {PK 56.2}
Passion for women: Beautiful and attractive women were
brought from Egypt, Phoenicia, Edom, and Moab, and from
many other places. These women were numbered by
hundreds.
13. Idolatry
Their religion was idol worship, and they had been taught
to practice cruel and degrading rites. Infatuated with their
beauty, the king neglected his duties to God and to his
kingdom. {PK 56.3}
His wives exerted a strong influence over him and gradually
prevailed on him to unite with them in their worship.
Solomon had disregarded the instruction that God had
given to serve as a barrier against apostasy, and now he
gave himself up to the worship of the false gods. "It came
to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away
his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect
with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the
Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites." I Kings II:4,5. {PK 56.4}
14. Conscience seared
Solomon's course brought its sure penalty. His separation from
God through communication with idolaters was his ruin. As he
cast off his allegiance to God, he lost the mastery of himself. His
moral efficiency was gone. His fine sensibilities became blunted,
his conscience seared. He who in his early reign had displayed so
much wisdom and sympathy in restoring a helpless babe to its
unfortunate mother (see I Kings 3:16-28), fell so low as to
consent to the erection of an idol to whom living children were
offered as sacrifices. He who in his youth was endowed with
discretion and understanding, and who in his strong manhood
had been inspired to write:
Chemosh
Ashtoreth
, "There is a way which seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death" (Proverbs 14:12), in later years
departed so far from purity as to
countenance licentious, revolting rites
connected with the worship of Chemosh
and Ashtoreth. He who at the dedication
of the temple had said to his people, "Let
your heart therefore be perfect with the
Lord our God" (I Kings 8:61), became
himself an offender, in heart and life
denying his own words. He mistook license
for liberty. He tried--but at what cost!--to
unite light with darkness, good with evil,
purity with impurity, Christ with Belial. {PK
57.2}
15. Nobility lost
From being one of the greatest kings that ever wielded a
scepter, Solomon became a profligate, the tool and slave of
others. His character, once noble and manly, became
enervated and effeminate. His faith in the living God was
supplanted by atheistic doubts. Unbelief marred his
happiness, weakened his principles, and degraded his life.
The justice and magnanimity of his early reign were
changed to despotism and tyranny. Poor, frail human
nature! God can do little for men who lose their sense of
dependence upon Him. {PK 58.1}
In the midst of prosperity lurks danger. Throughout the ages,
riches and honor have ever been attended with peril to
humility and spirituality. It is not the empty cup that we have
difficulty in carrying; it is the cup full to the brim that must be
carefully balanced. Affliction and adversity may cause sorrow,
but it is prosperity that is most dangerous to spiritual life.
Unless the human subject is in constant submission to the will
of God, unless he is sanctified by the truth, prosperity will
surely arouse the natural inclination to presumption. {PK
59.3}
In the valley of humiliation, where men depend on God to
teach them and to guide their every step, there is
comparative safety. But the men who stand, as it were, on a
lofty pinnacle, and who, because of their position, are
supposed to possess great wisdom--these are in gravest peril.
Unless such men make God their dependence, they will surely
fall. {PK 60.1}
So the Lord raised up adversaries against him and promised to
tear the kingdom from him:
1Ki 11:12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David
thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
1Ki 11:13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will
give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for
Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
The adversaries that were raised up against Solomon were
Relatives, outsiders and insiders. They were: Hadad the
Edomite who had fled to Egypt when Joab had killed all the
males in Edom. Hadad was strongly allied to the king of Egypt
and was married to the sister of Pharaoh’s wife. He returned
to Edom after the death of David to be a thorn in Solomon’s
side.
The second adversary was Rezon who reigned over Syria and the
third was Jeroboam the Ephraimite who rebelled against him
and later ruled over the ten tribes torn from the kingdom of
Solomon, It’s interesting that Jeroboam’s mothers name was
Zeruah which means leprous and serves as a symbol of sin.
Why did God permit this?
1Ki 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have
worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh
the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children
of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which
is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my
judgments, as did David his father.
Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt and allied
himself to pharaoh Shishak. He returned after the death of
Solomon and tried to make peace with the Rehoboam, the son
of Solomon, but instead of listening to the advice of his elders to
accept the proffered hand, Rehoboam listened to the advice of
the young men and doubled the yoke on the neck of of
Jeroboam. This directly led to the division of the kingdom. Had
Rehoboam acted in a Christ like manner, this could have been
prevented.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.
Jer 18:15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have
burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble
in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way
not cast up;
Jeroboam not only took ten of the tribes with him, but he tried
to invest with solemnity a false system of worship to
counterfeit the true.
1Ki 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom
return to the house of David:
1Ki 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the
LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again
unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall
kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves
of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to
Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt.
1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in
Dan.
1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to
worship before the one, even unto Dan.
On one occasion a prophet rebuked him and prophesied
against the counterfeit altar he had erected and when he
stretched out his hand to command the arrest of the
prophet his arm withered.
1Ki 13:4 And it came to pass, when
king Jeroboam heard the saying of
the man of God, which had cried
against the altar in Bethel, that he
put forth his hand from the altar,
saying, Lay hold on him. And his
hand, which he put forth against
him, dried up, so that he could not
pull it in again to him.
1Ki 13:5 The altar also was rent, and
the ashes poured out from the
altar, according to the sign which
the man of God had given by the
word of the LORD.
A Paralyzed Arm: And his hand, which he put forth against
him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 1
Kings 13:4. {CC 202.1}
Jeroboam was filled with a spirit of defiance against God and
attempted to restrain the one who had delivered the
message. In wrath "he put forth his hand from the altar" and
cried out, "Lay hold on him." His impetuous act met with swift
rebuke. The hand outstretched against the messenger of
Jehovah suddenly became powerless and withered, and could
not be withdrawn. {CC 202.2}
Terror-stricken, the king appealed to the prophet to intercede
with God in his behalf. . . . "And the man of God besought the
Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and
became as it was before." {CC 202.3}
Vain had been Jeroboam's effort to invest with solemnity the
dedication of a strange altar, respect for which would have led to
disrespect for the worship of Jehovah in the temple at
Jerusalem. By the message of the prophet, the king of Israel
should have been led to repent and to renounce his wicked
purposes, which were turning the people away from the true
worship of God. But he hardened his heart and determined to
follow a way of his own choosing. . . . {CC 202.4}
The Lord seeks to save, not to destroy. He delights in the rescue
of sinners. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked" (Eze. 33:11). By warnings and entreaties He
calls the wayward to cease from their evil-doing and to turn to
Him and live. He gives His chosen messengers a holy boldness,
that those who hear may fear and be brought to repentance.
How firmly the man of God rebuked the king! And this firmness
was essential; in no other way could the existing evils have been
rebuked. The Lord gave His servant boldness, that an abiding
impression might be made on those who heard. The messengers
of the Lord are never to fear the face of man, but are to stand
unflinchingly for the right. So long as they put their trust in God,
they need not fear; for He who gives them their commission
gives them also the assurance of His protecting care. {CC 202.5}
The reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son:
1Ki 14:21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah.
Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city
which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to
put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an
Ammonitess. (Naamah means pleasantness)
1Ki 14:22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they
provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had
committed, above all that their fathers had done.
1Ki 14:23 For they also built them high places, and images, and
groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
1Ki 14:24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they
did according to all the abominations of the nations which the
LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
Although Solomon had longed to
prepare the mind of Rehoboam, his
chosen successor, to meet with wisdom
the crisis foretold by the prophet of God,
he had never been able to exert a strong
molding influence for good over the
mind of his son, whose early training had
been so grossly neglected. Rehoboam
had received from his mother, an
Ammonitess, the stamp of a vacillating
character. At times he endeavored to
serve God and was granted a measure of
prosperity; but he was not steadfast, and
at last he yielded to the influences for
evil that had surrounded him from
infancy. In the mistakes of Rehoboam's
life and in his final apostasy is revealed
the fearful result of Solomon's union
with idolatrous women. {PK 88.2}
2Ch 12:1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established
the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law
of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
2Ch 12:2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king
Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,
because they had transgressed against the LORD,
2Ch 12:3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore
thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that
came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the
Ethiopians.
2Ch 12:4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to
Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
2Ch 12:5 Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and
to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to
Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith
the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left
you in the hand of Shishak.
2Ch 12:6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled
themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous.
2Ch 12:7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled
themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying,
They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy
them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath
shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of
Shishak.
2Ch 12:8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may
know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the
countries.
1Ki 14:25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king
Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against
Jerusalem:
1Ki 14:26 and he took away the treasures of the house of the
LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took
away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which
Solomon had made.
1Ki 14:27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of
brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of
the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.
1Ki 14:28 And it was so, that as oft as the king went into the
house of the LORD, the guard bare them, and brought them
back into the guard chamber.
1Ki 14:30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam
continually.
1Ki 14:31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried
with his fathers in the city of David: and his mother’s name
was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in
his stead.
Psa 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of
thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows.
Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,
out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Psa 45:9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women:
upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Psa 45:10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine
ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
Psa 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is
thy Lord; and worship thou him.
Christ’s bride is covered in gold of Ophir,
the symbol of the righteousness of
Christ.
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked.
"All Israel with Him"
It came to pass, when Rehoboam had
established the kingdom, and had
strengthened himself, he forsook the
law of the Lord, and all Israel with
him. 2 Chron. 12:1. {CC 201.1}
The extravagance of Solomon's reign during his apostasy had
led him to tax the people heavily and to require of them much
menial service. . . . Had Rehoboam and his inexperienced
counselors understood the divine will concerning Israel, they
would have listened to the request of the people for decided
reforms in the administration of the government. But in the
hour of opportunity that came to them during the meeting in
Shechem, they failed to reason from cause to effect. . . . {CC
201.2}
The pen of inspiration has traced the sad record of Solomon's
successor as one who failed to exert a strong influence for loyalty
to Jehovah. Naturally headstrong, confident, self-willed, and
inclined to idolatry, nevertheless, had he placed his trust wholly
in God, he would have developed strength of character, steadfast
faith, and submission to the divine requirements. But as time
passed, the king put his trust in the power of position and in the
strongholds he had fortified. Little by little he gave way to
inherited weakness, until he threw his influence wholly on the
side of idolatry. . . . {CC 201.3}
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
How sad, how filled with significance, the words, "And all Israel
with him"! The people whom God had chosen to stand as a
light to the surrounding nations were turning from their
Source of strength and seeking to become like the nations
about them. As with Solomon, so with Rehoboam--the
influence of wrong example led many astray. And as with
them, so to a greater or less degree is it today with everyone
who gives himself up to work evil--the influence of
wrongdoing is not confined to the doer. No man liveth unto
himself. None perish alone in their iniquity. Every life is a light
that brightens and cheers the pathway of others, or a dark
and desolating influence that tends toward despair and ruin.
We lead others either upward to happiness and immortal life,
or downward to sorrow and eternal death. And if by our
deeds we strengthen or force into activity the evil powers of
those around us, we share their sin. {CC 201.4}
With the rending of the kingdom early in Rehoboam's reign the
glory of Israel began to depart, never again to be regained in its
fullness. At times during the centuries that followed, the throne
of David was occupied by men of moral worth and far-seeing
judgment, and under the rulership of these sovereigns the
blessings resting upon the men of Judah were extended to the
surrounding nations. At times the name of Jehovah was exalted
above every false god, and His law was held in reverence. From
time to time mighty prophets arose to strengthen the hands of
the rulers and to encourage the people to continued faithfulness.
But the seeds of evil already springing up when Rehoboam
ascended the throne were never to be wholly uprooted; and at
times the once-favored people of God were to fall so low as to
become a byword among the heathen. {PK 96.1}
Application:
I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people.
The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of
continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride,
covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without
fear of banishment or condemnation. Grievous and presumptuous
sins have dwelt among us. And yet the general opinion is that the
church is flourishing, and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in
all her borders. The church has turned back from following Christ
her leader, and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. Yet few are
alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt and
even disbelief of the testimonies of the Spirit of God is leavening
our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus.--Testimonies,
vol. 5, p. 217. {ChS 38.4}
The government under which Jesus lived was corrupt and
oppressive; on every hand were crying abuses,--extortion,
intolerance, and grinding cruelty. Yet the Saviour attempted no civil
reforms. He attacked no national abuses, nor condemned the
national enemies. He did not interfere with the authority or
administration of those in power. He who was our example kept
aloof from earthly governments. Not because He was indifferent to
the woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in merely
human and external measures. To be efficient, the cure must reach
men individually, and must regenerate the heart. {DA 509.3}
Today the King of the North has his tentacles everywhere. He
has set up so many structures, front organizations and
affiliations that to unravel them would be impossible. Our faith
must be rooted in Jesus and His truth and we are to rest in Him
who will soon come to separate the sheep from the goats.
Norman Geisler
Jesuits beget Jesuits: Norman Geisler Veritas & Calvary Chapel
Bible College
Norman Geisler Author of the Chicago Statement of 1978, formulated
post PhD. from Jesuit School, Loyola University; is the Founder of Veritas
Evangelical Seminary, and founder of International Society of Christian
Apologetics (ISCA). … all of his Board Members of Veritas are Calvary
Chapel related Pastors and/or Speakers and/or CC Board Members of
other Calvary Chapels.
http://news4themasses.wordpress.com/tag/knights-of-malta/
Past President: Dr. Norman L. Geisler
Ph.D., Loyola University
Distinguished Professor of Theology and Apologetics, Veritas
Evangelical Seminary, Murietta, CA
Personal Website: NormGeisler.com
Past President: Dr. Win Corduan
Ph.D., Rice University
Scholar in Philosophy and Religion
Alexandria, IN
Personal Website: WinCorduan.com
http://www.isca-apologetics.org/executivecommittee
Southern Evangelical Seminary was founded
in 1992 by Ross Rhoads, former evangelist
and then Pastor of Calvary Church in
Charlotte http://www.ses.edu/
Southern Evangelical Seminary not only
promotes Jesuit Theology and Agendas but
also has some Professors that come from
Jesuit schools.
http://rpmgt.org/JesuitTrainedGeisler.htm
Geisler who is involved with Calvary Chapel Bible college
promotes Bible Apologetics based on reason, is involved in
counter cult ministries and promotes Catholic Evangelical
cooperation.
Jesuit-trained Evangelical Leader
President Norman L. Geisler's Role in
Destroying Evangelical Christianity in
America.
By Rick Friedrich Jan. 1 2008.
http://rpmgt.org/JesuitTrained
Geisler.htm
Rick Friedrich writes: Just looking at the
back cover of the book and doing a little
research on the names of those who
recommended the book, should say a lot.
Just look at all the Jesuits and connections
with Jesuits and their agendas, and
remember that Geisler got his Ph.D. from
Jesuit Loyola University. While this may not
bother some people there is much more to
consider. Needless to say, I now realize the
agendas evangelical leaders like Billy
Graham, Chuck Colson, and Geisler have
had over the years, and why things turned
out the way they did. It was very clever
and it worked.
Rick Friedrich continues: One final example is Frank Beckwith. He
was the President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and
resigned to go back to Roman Catholicism. Has this sort of thing
not happened many times before? They pretend to be
evangelicals, are raised up to high places and then later show
their true colors after they do their damage. But notice what the
present SES President has to say in the Introduction about such
people and their defending the faith. He asks why do people
come so far to such a school? He says for "training under some of
the top apologists and Bible teachers in the country to evangelize
the world and to defend the historic Christian Faith." Yet are not
at least some of these men pushing for the Roman faith? And one
finally rejoins it unambiguously. Where is Christian apologetics at
SES??? What happened to defending the faith against the greatest
enemy? As I have written elsewhere, the best way to beat the
opposition is to create it and control it.
http://rpmgt.org/JesuitTrainedGeisler.htm
A Word from the President, Dr. Alex McFarland
"Why have hundreds of students come to Southern Evangelical
Seminary from all over the United States and many other
countries? Because they can get something here that they cannot
get anywhere else, namely, training under some of the top
apologists and Bible teachers in the country to evangelize the
world and to defend the historic Christian Faith (Matt. 28:18-20; 1
Peter 3:15).
"In only a few years SES has trained students from across the
country and around the world. What is more, doctors, lawyers,
dentists, engineers, scientists, teachers, and other lay persons
come to Charlotte to learn how to contend for the Faith (Jude 3).
.. . Indeed, top theologians and apologists from around the
country fly to Charlotte to help train a future generation.
http://rpmgt.org/JesuitTrainedGeisler.htm
Another Jesuit for Another Gospel
What do Bill Bright
(Campus Crusade for
Christ), Billy Graham (Billy
Graham Evangelistic
Association), Tim LaHaye
(CNP founder, Left Behind
co-author), and Chuck
Smith have in common?
They have all benefited financially from Nelson Bunker Hunt.
Nelson Bunker Hunt is a business tycoon famous for trying to make
a run on Silver, an Equestrian, and something I’ve learned recently, a
Jesuit for the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem.
http://news4themasses.wordpress.com/tag/kn
ights-of-malta/
Nelson Bunker Hunt
Nelson Bunker Hunt is on the Council for National Policy
(CNP) President Executive Committee (1983); CNP Senior
Executive Committee (1983-84); CNP Executive Committee
(1988). Heir of the Hunt Oil Company fortune.
Financial backer of CNP, CBN, JBS. In 1951, Bunker Hunt and
Wallace Johnson, founder of Holiday Inns, worked with and
funded Bill Bright’s Campus Crusade for Christ donating
$15.5 million.
In 1967, Hunt formed the Christian World Liberation Front
(CWLF) as a covert front for Campus Crusade, which split
off and became a leading ministry in the Jesus People
movement. Bunker Hunt arranged a retreat for more than
500 millionaires who pledged $20 to Campus Crusade. . In
1981, William Herbert and Nelson Bunker Hunt provided
the start-up money for the Council for National Policy.
Nelson Bunker Hunt is currently a member of Council of
National Policy (CNP).
http://news4themasses.wordpr
ess.com/tag/knights-of-malta/
CNP founder Tim LaHaye
CNP foundation CNP was founded in 1981 as a
501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization by
Rev. Tim LaHaye of the Religious Roundtable,
who was also the first CNP president, 1981.
LaHaye, the right-wing, evangelical political
motivator and author of the Left Behind series.
The original directors, as listed with CNP’s
articles of incorporation filed with the Texas
Secretary of State were Howard Phillips, a longtime conservative activist with plenty of
conservative groups under his wing, and Bob J.
Perry, a Texas businessman who has long
donated vast amounts of money to conservative
causes.
http://news4themasses.wordpre
ss.com/tag/knights-of-malta/
Because CNP rules state that "meetings are closed to the media and
the general public" and "our membership list is strictly confidential
and should not be shared outside the Council," the mainstream
press knows very little about the CNP. …
http://www.federalobserver.com/archi
ve.php?aid=3098
Early CNP membership directories were obtained by enterprising researchers,
however, and these revealed that the early leadership of the CNP was, in fact,
also represented in the Council on Foreign Relations -- the very organization of
globalists to which the CNP was to be the conservative alternative! On the first
CNP Governing Board there were no less than three, and possibly more,
members of the CFR: George F. Gilder- CNP Board of Governors (1982) ; Dr.
Edward Teller- CNP Board of Governors (1982); and Guy Vander Jagt - CNP
Board of Governors (1982). … Many of CNP’s highest-ranking members also
belong to the Masonic Knights of Malta and are associated with Fabian
socialism and the eugenics movement, not to mention cultists like Sun Myung
Moon and Scientology as well as the heretical and cultic
Dominionist/Reconstructionist movement.
http://www.federalobserver.com
/archive.php?aid=3098
The list of members is a veritable who’s who comprising politicians,
Federal reserve and CFR members as well as numerous societies
Spiritual Directors International:
http://www.sdiworld.org/re
view_panel.html
If you go to the website of “Spiritual Directors International”
(http://www.sdiworld.org) you will find that their Review panel
is composed of Protestants, Catholics (including a number of
Jesuits) and rabbis.
Spiritual Directors International is a learning community
committed to advancing spiritual direction around the world. It’s
membership consist of people from many nations and many
faiths. Spiritual Directors International provides programs,
publications, and practices to support spiritual direction. They
promote sacred listening, spiritual guidance, spiritual
accompaniment, anam cara in Gaelic, and mashpiah in Hebrew.
SDI also offers resources for spirituality, contemplative prayer,
contemplative practice, compassionate listening, mindfulness,
discernment, education, and retreats.
The stones are crying out
Mary Fairchild, and active Willow Creek participant wrote an
article in which she discusses the state of Willow Creek and it’s
teachings:
Protestant No More: Willow Creek Infiltrated by a Mystic Quaker
Movement Called Renovare
By Mary Fairchild - March 2003
She writes: "Spirituality" is not Christianity. The written Word of
God gives Christians order and direction in living and worshiping
together. God defines "truth" with His Word. It is objective,
authoritative, and sufficient.
http://www.cephas-library.com/renovare_willow_creek.html
"I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues
which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part
from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this
book." Revelation 22:18,19
She further states: Faith believes that if I obey God, everything will
come out right in the end. If we obey God's Word, God will take
care of the results. Ecumenical evangelism advocates infiltration
of liberal denominations and organizations rather than
separation from liberal unbelief and error. The Bible calls for
separation from unbelief and worldliness. As long as the church
has maintained her standard of separation, she has been
wondrously blessed of God. Whenever she has compromised that
standard and made unholy alliances with unbelievers, her spiritual
strength has been sapped, confusion has resulted, and chaos has
threatened.
…. acceptance of "traditions" of other faiths is being taught ….
Last fall's women's classes were equally disturbing in topics.
Meditation techniques and the writings and traditions from the
Jesuits, the Quakers, and the Black church are being mixed with
Scripture and New Age ideas.
She even warns against: "lectio divina.“ she… “didn't agree with
these meditations and the "breath prayers” … . I warned her that
this form of meditation could open people up to the wrong spirit
and hearing voices.
An indicator of counterfeit faith that does not bring conversion is a
desire to be saved from the punishment of sin, but not from sin
itself. Other indicators would include a desire for the blessings of
Christ, but no desire for a relationship with Him and a desire for
the free gift of eternal life, but not with empty hands of faith.
http://www.cephas-library.com/renovare_willow_creek.html
More indicators of counterfeit faith would include a desire for
Christ as a Priest to procure pardon and peace, but not as a
Prophet to instruct them or as a King to rule over them. And
finally, a desire for Christ that is only under the terms of their
religious traditions or unbending philosophy.
She continues: The Bible tells us that "we do not know what we
should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes
intercession for us….according to the will of God." (Romans 8:1617) Remember, Jesus always prayed and served according to His
Father's will and purpose on each occasion.
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that
He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)
http://www.cephas-library.com/renovare_willow_creek.html
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things
you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore,
pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom
come. Your will be done….(Matthew 6:7-9).
"'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules
taught by men'. You have let go of the commands of God and are
holding on to the traditions of men." And he said to them: "You
have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to
observe your own traditions! Romans 7:6-9
She then warned against the … “Promoted writers and leaders of
this movement at the WCCC “
http://www.cephas-library.com/renovare_willow_creek.html
1. Richard J. Foster
www.cephasministry.com/new_age_richard_foster.html: Renovare
& Christian Mystic Quaker and Fuller psychologist, Foster teaches
all the techniques of the New Age such as quietism, mantras,
centering, Buddhism, Yoga, T. M., exercises of Ignatius Loyola,
Eastern religion and so on….
2. Tilden Edwards http.//www.shalem.org author: Spiritual Friend,
Paulist Press, 1980 Episcopal priest; founder and director of Shalem
Institute For Spiritual Formation. His vision is that contemplative
spirituality can have a powerful effect on today's national life.
3. Parker Palmer
http://csf.colorado.edu/sine/transcripts/palmer.html Palmer
believes that a life illuminated by spirit and infused with soul will
transform education. His on-line transcript follows the Dalai Lama.
He is a Quaker.
4. Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits
www.geocities.com/dasydministries/jesuits.htm Ignatius was the
first general of the Jesuit army. They infiltrated churches to destroy
all that were not related to the mother church. One of the bloodiest
times in the history of mankind, the Jesuits were probably the most
cruel and fierce as they justified torture and murder for the church.
Loyola's spiritual exercises were used by the Jesuits and they would
put themselves into a trance and levitate.
5. George Fox founder of Quakerism Mothers of Feminism; The
Story of Quaker Women in America by Margaret Hope Bacon,
Harper & Row Publishers, 1986; The Quakers by Hugh Barbour and
J. William Frost, Greenwood Press, 1988, Westport, CT. In deep
depression and hopelessness Fox hears a voice and promotes it as
the "Light within." Perhaps out of his devotion to his over-indulging
and well-learned mother, he pushes a strong egalitarian movement
and sets up women preachers as he twists Scripture to make sense
of his "experiences" and explain his unscriptural choices.
6. Gilbert Bilezikian and Egalitarians
www.wayoflife.org/fbns/fbns/fbns464.html Bilezikian is the
founding elder and influential theologian at WCCC. Egalitarians
assert that women should be pastors, elders, and co-heads of
families. They twist Scripture just like George Fox did to make this
possible.
7. John Ortberg & Ruth Barton Egalitarian and New Age influences.
http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/2003/programs/spiritual.php
Together they opened up "spiritual formation" at WCCC with the
introduction of their new book and curriculum An Ordinary Day
With Jesus.
Writing on the Jesuits she states: Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits:
“As his conscience troubled him deeply he chose to earn his
salvation by obedient service to the Roman church and the pope
rather than accept Christ's free offer of salvation. He soon
planned to bring Catholic turned Protestants back to the Roman
Church which he thought was the Kingdom of God on earth. …
Around 1550 the Jesuits began infiltrating every religion and
denomination. Their job was to infiltrate and destroy churches
other than the mother church. Before long, Jesuits had become
teachers and professors in universities throughout Europe.
Eventually they started their own schools, colleges, and
universities.
http://www.cephas-library.com/renovare_willow_creek.html
They saw education as a way to serve the church by strengthening
people who were already members and reclaiming those who had
become Protestants. The Roman Church remained convinced that
it was the Kingdom of God on earth, and it saw the Protestant
Reformation as a threat to that Kingdom. The church determined
to regain what it had lost and to put the whole world under its
religious domination once and for all. … They still infiltrate
churches today. They also infiltrate many Bible schools and
Seminaries around the world and keep them from teaching the
fullness of the world of God. Education was and is used to reach
others and strengthen their own and their hallmark is "the end
justifies the means.”
Brass for Gold:
Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have
forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Deu 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come
upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before
thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations,
whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey
his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and
thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and
have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from
all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.