Tag: al kitab

Islam at War against America

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–Pastor Ward Clinton

Islamist BHO

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During a recent trip B Hussein Obama made to a mosque that is known to espouse “radical” teachings and from which more than one person has engaged in terrorist activities BHO droned on and on about how Americans need to embrace Islam.

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Why would anyone want to embrace a rattlesnake?  Islam cannot save anyone from hell or open the gates of heaven; only Jesus, the holy one of God, can do that.

What a bizarre world we live in, BHO will console Moslems whom he says have been scapegoated and stereotyped due to the actions of terrorists in their ranks, but he’ll never console the Christians those fundamentalist Muslims are killing.

BHO’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, whom he threw under the bus for personal political expediency told us that he helped Obama embrace Christianity while holding on to his Moslem faith.  Sorry but real Christians know that cannot be done.

BHO claimed “Islam has always been a part of America” which demonstrated that he was either lying or he is ignorant.  Although it could be both.

Islam was harassing our seafaring merchantmen and capturing, enslaving them, and demanding ransom from the young nation.  The American Marines showed the world how to deal with Mohammedan terrorists by defeating them soundly in battle.  They also showed that allah would not help them.  The result was that for many years the followers of Mohammad tried to act like civilized human beings but today they are falling back into their old barbaric habits.  Unfortunately the PC cowards are preventing a proper education in civility being meted out upon the offenders and lives are being lost needlessly.

In this very day many Imams slander the holy one of God with their ignorant opposition to the teachings of Messiah Jesus which is not a very wise move especially since the word of God clearly teaches that Messiah Jesus is coming back to this earth, not Muhammad, who is clearly inferior to Messiah as can be seen in every version of the Koran.  Why do the Imams in the Mosques dishonor Messiah Jesus?  Do they disbelieve in Messiah?  Even Muhammad did not disbelieve in Messiah Jesus.

Therefore the man who is wise follows and obeys the teaching of the holy one of God which can be found in the Injil Markus.  The Koran claims the Al Kitab Ul Muqaddas (the Holy Bible) is not corrupt and for that reason you should learn the words Messiah spoke as an adult.  Failure to know them is a heavy stone of evil against you in his scale that outweigh all your prayers to Mecca.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Jesus calls bad people to join in the journey to Heaven

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Injil Markus 2:13  And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

2:14  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

As He was walking by the lakeside He was teaching.  This was a common way for the Jewish Rabbis to teach.  As they walked the roads from one place to another their disciples grouped around them and walked with them and listened as they talked.  Therefore Jesus was doing what any Rabbi might have done.

The tax collector’s booth where Jesus found Levi was on the major international road that went from Damascus through Capernaum to the Mediterranean coast on to Egypt.

It was a saying that “Judea is on the way to nowhere; Galilee is on the way to everywhere.”  The great Road of the Sea led from Damascus, by way of Galilee, through Capernaum, down past Carmel, along the Plain of Sharon, through Gaza and on to Egypt.  Another road led from Acre on the coast across the Jordan out to Arabia (Petra not Mecca) and the frontiers of the empire, a road that was travelled by the regiments and caravans.

Capernaum was by its very nature a frontier town; because of that it was a customs center and the import and export taxes were collected there.  That is where Levi worked.  While it is true that he was not like Zacchaeus, working directly in the service of the Romans; he was working for Herod Antipas, and therefore he was a hated tax-collector, also referred to as a publican.

Levi was not a good person or he would not have been a tax-gatherer.  Still the Messiah choose to call this person to be part of His core group.  This does serve to demonstrate to us that Jesus can change the character of anyone if they will only commit themselves to Him in following and obeying.  The Scripture also tells us about another person who was also chosen by Jesus but who offered excuses for waiting until a more convenient time and therefore he lost out on his unique opportunity.  Levi did not risk the chance of having the offer pass him by to become a disciple of Jesus but responded immediately, wholeheartedly, and without reservation.

2:15  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

In 1st Kings 19:21 Elisha gave a farewell feast for his friends when he went to follow Elijah.

Of all the disciples Matthew is the one who gave up the most at the very outset in his making the commitment to follow Jesus.  Matthew in giving a farewell feast for all his friends shows thereby that with cheerfulness and thankfulness to God he has committed himself completely, and without reservation, to Christ.

Andrew and Simon and James and John could easily go back to their boats but Matthew had burned his bridges behind him as far as his livelihood was concerned and could never go back.  He left everything but his pen.  He obviously did try to invite his friends to join him in the journey and maybe some of them did later on but probably not at that particular point in time.  Some of Matthew’s friends may have been among those converted at Pentecost; we won’t know until after our own arrival in heaven.  His friends were no doubt curious and some of them would have tried to talk him out of this move even as they may have themselves wondered whether there were any hope for them and Jesus’ presence and demeanor at the feast no doubt gave them a glimmer of hope that they also were eligible to be included in God’s forever family.

2:16  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Not all the teachers of the law were Pharisees and not all of the Pharisees were hypocritical even though it sort of seems that the majority of those whom Jesus came into contact with were that way when we read the Scripture.

2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus calmly responds directly to the Scribes and Pharisees.  A self-righteous (self-justified) person does not recognize his need for a savior.  There are many sin-sick souls who have no clue regarding their actual situation.  We find the self-righteous everywhere but the one place we rarely find them is in a Christian Church.  An admitted sinner does tend to recognize his need for a cure.  Part of truly living righteously does include showing mercy to others who seek righteousness.  Although we followers of Christ do need to be very careful in how we keep company with ungodly men lest we become re-corrupted.  We do need to show and have love for their souls while attempting to convince them they also need to join us in the journey of following Messiah Jesus.  Our good Physician had the power of healing in Himself and was in no danger of contracting the disease of sin.  However, we need to keep in close contact with Him to avoid sin.

For unfortunately there is more hope for a fool than for one who is wise in his own conceit (see Proverbs 26:12)  Even when such a one is on the side of truth he remains as fickle as the children of falsehood.

Follow Jesus who is the truth and the way and the life because he is the holy one of God.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

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2:23  And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

2:24  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

Deuteronomy 23:25 allowed the disciples and the people to do this.  Tradition established by that time and the Mishnah said they could not do this on the Sabbath as though their tradition were greater than the Law given to them by Moses.  This is quite similar to claiming the Hadith is greater than the Koran by certain Muslim teaching for if it is then, the Quran, is diminished in value beyond measure and perhaps an admission that the present day Koran has been corrupted.

The Pharisees had quickly pounced and pointed out the multiple transgressions they believed the disciples had committed.  It was obvious they expected Jesus to reprimand His disciples and command them to stop.  Instead He spoke to these “Imams” in their own language and chastised them in His own way which may be a wee bit hard for us to see because we are, fortunately, not under their traditions and rules although we must remember that we are not at liberty to do as we please because we ought to obey the one who is Lord of the Sabbath which is the kalimat Allah, Isa.  The one true God made the day of prayer to make our lives better and fuller.

2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2:28  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Religious tradition had so multiplied and twisted the restrictions, rules, and requirements for keeping the Sabbath that the burden became almost unbearable.  However living a holy life is not simply the keeping of requirements but the seeking of the One who set the requirements in order that He might be found.  The requirements set forth in the first covenant were not intended to drive us from Him but to make us understand our need for Him.  Likewise the first six chapters of Romans in the New Covenant are intended for the same purpose.

3:1  And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

3:2  And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3:3  And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

3:4  And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

3:5  And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

3:6  And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

This, 3:1-6, is a demonstration of the truth proclaimed in 2:28.  The Pharisees were plotting evil against Jesus while Jesus was ready to do good, therefore it is obvious who was guilty of breaking the Sabbath although the people probably did not realize it at the time because of the erroneous teaching they had long listened to.  (What if Abu Bakr did not teach accurately?)  What if the one who compiled and created the Quran was a friend of the djinn and was sent to deceive and empower himself under the guise of preserving truth?  We are told he faithfully re-produced the accurate words but where is the proof?  Why is there more than one version, in Arabic, of the Koran?

 3:7  But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

3:8  And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

The geographical list shows that people were traveling great distances, for that day and age, to see and hear the holy one from God.  Will that generation rise up and condemn this generation at the last day for its lack of effort to seek out and learn Isa’s teaching?  Many Muslims claim they respect and honor Isa but they are actually guilty of insulting Isa because they do not read or pay any attention to what he taught when he was healing and teaching the people.  Mohammad said the Injil is not corrupt.  The Quran says the Injil is not corrupt.  Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas said the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) is not corrupt.  Muhammad Abduh Sayyid Ahmad Khan (died 1905) said “As far as the text of the [Holy] Bible is concerned, it has not been altered.”  Furthermore, Muhammad Abduh said the “charge of corruption of the Biblical texts makes no sense at all.”  The problem with “the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) has been corrupted” argument is that those who make that claim are ignorant of first century history and/or the whole text of the Injil (New Testament portion of the Holy Bible).

It is not wise to insult Isa.  He has the words of life from the one true God.  It is true that many who claim to be his followers (Christians) are corrupted but that is only because they do not truly follow his teaching as revealed in the Holy Bible but that is no excuse, it does not excuse you, for not knowing and studying the words of Isa as preserved in the Injil.

The reason some of those who call themselves “Christian” do not seem to know much about the Holy Bible or genuine Christianity is because they actually are not Christians as is proven by their lives.  As a Muslim, almost all of what you have been told by the Imams about Christianity is taqiyya.  But do not be angry at your Imam, because they lied to him to.  Even among those who actually regularly attend a Bible-believing Church one must look carefully to see how their life matches up to the teachings of Isa in the Injil.  So how can one know?  First pray to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then become familiar with the New Testament portion of the Holy Bible and then request, in prayer, to the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for assistance in knowing the truth; this is not done by simply using a memorized prayer.  He’s listening because He does care about you.  Because God cares about you the Injil is not corrupt, it may be hard to understand, at first, but ask Him to help you and to direct you.  Ask the one true God to help you find real followers of Jesus.

Know Jesus, Know Heaven

No Jesus, no Heaven

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Messiah’s teaching is amazing

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Injil Markus frequently reports the amazement that Messiah’s teaching and actions produced.  The Scribes tended to teach the words of other teachers and the traditions of men.  Part of what was happening with the teaching from Jesus was that He was teaching Scripture, not from the Mishna or some other tradition of men; He was teaching them what God said and meant, not what some famous Rabbi of bygone days had said that perhaps God had really meant.  When a man teaches that a Hadith or a fitnah supersedes or abrogates something in the Quran is he not claiming the Quran is mistaken or corrupted?  Furthermore, because the Koran says the al kitab ul muqaddas is not corrupted, then whenever an Imam teaches something contrary to the Al kitab ul muqaddas he is acting exactly like the Rabbis who were opposing Messiah and he is not one iota less corrupt than they were.  I have already offered the testimony of Muslim scholars and Muhammad himself regarding the Holy Bible’s accuracy in a previous post.

Injil Markus 1:23  And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

1:24  Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

1:25  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

1:26  And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

It was the demons who cried out.  Demonic possession tends to torment and destroy those who are created in God’s image, but the demon recognized that Messiah was a powerful adversary capable of destroying all the forces and schemes of jinn and Shaytan.  The phrase, “The holy one of God,” was perhaps used by the demons in accordance with the occultist belief that the precise use of a person’s name might give a certain amount of leverage against him but most definitely they have recognized the divine origin of Jesus.  Thereby they were saying in effect, “These foolish humans may not know who You are or the love the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has for them, but we know who You are and we know what will happen to all of Your enemies.”

1:27  And they [the people] were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

1:28  And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

The whole subject of demons [jinn] is a difficult one, but no more so than the problem of the devil.  The devil is an unclean spirit, because he has lost all the purity of his former nature, therefore he acts in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit of God, and by his suggestions defiles the spirits of men.  There are many in our assemblies who quietly attend under merely formal teachers; but if the Lord comes with faithful ministers and holy doctrine then, by his convincing spirit, they are ready to say, like this man, What have we to do with thee!   That jinn was terrified that it was going to be sent to the place of punishment before the set time and knew that Jesus had the authority to send him there.  By the way, your Imam does not have that authority; if you have a loved one whom you wish to have freed from demon possession you will have to find a Christian who has been given that authority.  That is just one of the reasons that it is not wise to harass the followers of the Holy one of God.

No “disorder” could enable a man to know Jesus to be the Holy One of God.  The jinn wants to have nothing to do with Jesus, for he despairs of being saved by him, and dreads being destroyed by him.  Consider whose language they speak, who say to the Almighty, “Depart from us”.  This unclean spirit hated and dreaded Christ Jesus, because he knew him to be the Holy One of the one true God; for the carnal mind is enmity against God, especially against His holiness.  People who cannot stand to attend a Bible-believing/Bible-teaching Church here on earth should not expect to be able to tolerate Heaven where the one true God abides forever.

1:34  And he healed many that were sick of [various] diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

The demons knew and understood Him to be the Messiah, the one true and holy Messiah; Isa, Al-Masih, is kalimat-Allah and wadjih according to the Quran and for that reason they were powerless against Jesus.

When Jesus The Christ by his grace delivers souls out of the hands of Satan, it is not without tumult in the soul; for that spiteful enemy will disquiet those whom he cannot destroy. This put all who saw it to considering, “What is this new doctrine?”  A work as great often is worked now, yet men treat it with contempt and neglect, endangering their own soul.  If this were not so, the conversion of a notorious wicked man to a sober, righteous, and godly life, by the preaching about a loving, holy Savior, should cause many to ask, What doctrine is this?  Will he do such a work for me?

–Pastor Ward Clinton

The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still speaks

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Jesus preached the good news of peace (Ephesians 6:15)  The penalty of being a fallen human being is to have a split personality.  In fallen human nature the beast and the angel are strangely intermingled.   Man’s trouble has always been that he is haunted both by sin and saintliness.  Robert Burns said, regarding himself, “My life reminded me of a ruined Temple.  What strength, what proportion in some parts!  What unsightly gaps, what prostrate ruins in others.”  The coming of Messiah Jesus brings forth the cure for that disintegrated personality and enables victory over the warring self through being conquered and completely consecrated by The Christ.

Jesus preached the good news of God’s promise (Ephesians 3:6).  It is true that men have always tended to think of God as a God of threats rather than a God of promises.  Look at the way some say the God of the Old Testament was mean – it demonstrates they still fail to understand who God is.  If you have eyes to see and understand, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shows His mercy and loving-kindness even in the Torah.  God’s grace (i.e. unmerited divine favor) is demonstrated in that portion of The Book, it is just much harder to see than it is in the latter portion which begins with the Gospel (Injil) accounts.

Jesus preached the good news of immortality (2nd Timothy 1:10).  To the pagan and the Sadducees alike, life was the road to death; man was characteristically a dying man; but Jesus came with the good news that through Him we are on the way to life.  Interestingly enough, the pagans that did believe in an afterlife had a rather dark view of what it amounts to.  I have to admit that I am not too impressed with what the followers of Mohammad believe regarding the afterlife either.  That is primarily because the god of the Koran doesn’t seem very trustworthy.  But, of course, disbelievers in Messiah Jesus, as revealed in the Holy Bible, should have a dark view of what the afterlife will be like for them.  The fact of the matter is that there was a time when you were not, but now there will never be a time will you will no longer be.  Therefore, embrace, make friends with, the holy one of the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because, if you do not, this earth is as close as you will ever get to Heaven.

Jesus preached the good news (Ephesians 1:13) of salvation.  Salvation is not simply liberation from penalty and escape from the consequences of past sin; it is the power to live life victoriously and to conquer sin.  That makes the message of Messiah good news indeed.  It is a shame that most followers of Jesus do not live and walk in the full victory of life available to them.

Jesus preached the good news of Repentance.  Unfortunately, repentance is not as easy as we tend to think.  The Greek word metanoia literally means a change of mind.  That is part of the reason a new follower of Isa has such a difficult time trying to walk in holiness of heart and life; he knows he is a new creature, but he still has the old habits and needs help.  Of course, it does not help when the tradition of certain men gets in the way by suggesting that it cannot be done.  As for traditions, the earliest hadiths are only the result of traditions, nothing more, and created by men over a hundred years after Muhammad.

For the follower of Jesus, the Messiah, the trial that may lay ahead is never as strong as the power behind.  The children of the world (disbelievers in the holy one of God) have no such guarantee.  He, Jesus, is “wadjih” (worthy of esteem in this world and the next), according to the Quran.  The Quran also says Isa is kalimat Allah.

Pray to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who sees, hears, and still speaks to us today and longs to demonstrate His great love.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob speaks

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Injil Markus 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Messiah, Jesus, came to set up the kingdom of God among men so that we might be brought into willing subjection to it, and therefore might find salvation in it, and He presented, through the preaching of this gospel, a power going along with it.  It did not go along with traditional thought that men had invented to claim what the kingdom of God would look like when it arrived but it was in accordance with His rule book, the Holy Bible.

The descendants of Father Abraham, have to get right in accordance with the Messiah’s teaching which was in line with the prophets of old but not necessarily in line with the Oral Law and popular Rabbis old who had been adding their own points of view into the mix in the same way Imams do today.  Imams today are adding their own unauthorized opinions to the word of God and then trying to tell their followers that they must not question what they have been told; not only is that taqqiya, what they are doing is shirk of the most evil kind.

Jesus came preaching the good news regarding the kingdom of God.  Unfortunately, it does not appear that the people were as fully aware that the time for the arrival of the promised Messiah, the holy one from God, had come as they really should have been.  They had the sure and accurately preserved word of God and of their prophets but they were not as well versed in them or the signs of the times as they could have and should have been.

They were hoping for Messiah to come in a way differently than the manner in which He came and with a different message.  Muslims have the same problem the people back then had, they are following the traditions of men and ignoring the voice of the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Sorry, but the hadiths and fitnahs were written many, many years after when the Quran was supposedly written and they are only man’s words.  Those who put their trust in them will be very disappointed when Jesus, The Messiah, returns.

Jesus was preaching the good news of truth, “You have heard, but I say,” He said over and over again.  It other words He told them and people of our day that it is time to stop with your man-made traditions and get back to what the Word of God actually says.

Jesus preached the good news of hope.  (Col 1:21-23)  The ancient world was a pessimistic world; in some ways our world is a quite pessimistic one as well.  Seneca spoke of “Our helplessness in necessary things.”  In their struggles for goodness men were defeated.  The coming of Jesus brings hope to the hopeless heart.

The optimist says the cup is half full.  The pessimist says the cup is half empty.  The pragmatist says the cup is too big for the job.  Today, because of Jesus, the child of God (the true Christian) can say, “My cup runneth over.”

–Pastor Ward Clinton

The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Speaks

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John had quite likely lost track of his cousin during his own scholarly and Godly pursuits.  On the other hand he may even have tried to recruit Him into the Essenes because he had always known there was something very special about his younger cousin although he did not know precisely what it was.  Perhaps he was still hoping that his cousin would leave the carpenter shop and join him in preparing the path for the mighty Messiah who would manifest miracles and whom he knew was due to arrive at almost at any time now.  Perhaps Jesus (Isa) had even gone out to hear John preach a time or two.

John’s message of preparation also pointed to something much better than mere water baptism because the Messiah was coming and the Messiah has the ability to baptize people with the Spirit of God.  Water can cleanse the outside only but the Spirit of the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can cleanse our innermost being.  John’s goal was to get people turned around from the path they were on and redirected towards the one who was greater than he; the one whom all men, without exception, need.  Remember this, the teachings that Isa will return show that we really need to know who Isa is and what He taught and expects from each one of us according to the Holy Bible.

Injil Markus 1:9  And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

Jesus probably began His public ministry 27AD, when He was approximately 30 years of age.  As far as we know, he had spent most of his life in Nazareth.  Jesus approached the water where John was preaching and baptizing and perhaps John thought for a brief moment “Cool, here comes my cousin, perhaps he’ll consent to being part of my ministry preparing everyone for the arrival of The Messiah.”  Mark does not relate the brief exchange that took place between the two, which is something which was left to another gospel writer to tell us more about.  But suddenly John recognizes who Jesus really is because the God revealed the truth to him and he exclaims “I need to be baptized by You.”  And John begins telling his own followers, “Follow Jesus, He is the one I have been prophesying and preaching about.  Jesus is the Holy One of God.”

1:10  And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

1:11  And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

For those who have eyes to see something very important has been revealed.

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance intended for those who were sorry for their sins and desired to express their determination to be completely done with them.  What did such a baptism have to do with Jesus?  Wasn’t He the sinless one and therefore such a baptism would be irrelevant and unnecessary in His case?  Short answer, yes.

Jesus took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh in that although He was perfectly pure and unspotted, He chose to be washed as if He had been polluted.  Therefore for our sake He sanctified Himself so that we also might be sanctified and be baptized with Him.  Jesus was and is the holy one from the one true God and He gave us the pattern of living the one true God desires to see reflected in each one of us.

1:12  And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

“As soon as” He was baptized there was a voice from Heaven affirming Him and then He went into the wilderness for a period of time.  Matthew and Luke expand upon that wilderness experience but the Gospel of Jesus according to Mark marches on without even pausing for a breath.

John’s heraldic ministry was now wrapping up and it had accomplished much of that which it was supposed to.  Better results would have been nice but there was a resistance to his message.  Unfortunately that is the old, old story in that so many oppose God and His true messengers.  Fortunately, however, some do pay attention and obey.  So John exits the stage and the main feature begins because the long-awaited mighty messiah who manifests miracles is taking center stage.

1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The good news from, as well as about the one true God, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He was calling for a change of heart and lifestyle.  He also had the message that the one true God actually cares about and loves us enough to send Isa (PBUH) to us to demonstrate that fact.  He is still trying to communicate that message to any who will stop and listen today.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Messiah Jesus is the true path

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Rather than the attire of the religious leadership of that day, John showed up wearing clothing similar to the prophets of old and with similar, in many ways, mannerisms.  Now it had been several centuries since the last prophet so the people took notice and they were flocking out to see and hear the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s special messenger.

It is clear that the ministry of John was quite effective because the people flocked out to listen to him and submit to his call for baptism.  He was living his message 24/7.  He was not one of the Sabbath day saints that shed his saintliness during the rest of the week when it might interfere with his “secular” business dealings.  He was not one of those who, after saying his prayers, would engage in activities that would not be approved by the Messiah as revealed in the Holy Bible and honorably spoken of by the Quran.  Messiah Jesus is the holy one of the one true God who is the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

John told people things that they knew in their innermost being that God desires of all of us and he had the voice of authenticity closely coupled to consistency.

The people, interestingly enough, also had a saying “If Israel would only keep the law of God perfectly for one day the kingdom of God would come.”  So when John recommended real repentance he was confronting them all with a decision that they already knew, within their innermost being, they ought to make.  The law of the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is found in the al kitab ul muqaddas and it is clarified by Jesus in the Injil.  If Muslims would follow Messiah’s law, even if for only one day then true peace would reign throughout the world because Messiah’s law is the law of life.

Injil Markus 1:7  And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

This is, of course, the Messiah for whom John was preparing the people to receive, Jesus of Nazareth who was born in Bethlehem and was the Messiah, the holy one sent by the one true God to show us the true path of righteousness.  Although His followers have made mistakes, Messiah never did.

John was a humble person who was quietly being in alignment with the character of God.  It is quite safe to say, he was not illiterate as some have tried to suggest.  His credentials included being an Essene – those are the people who are responsible for what we call “The Dead Sea Scrolls.”

John had somehow avoided being indoctrinated into the Pharisaic mindset and stayed true to the message God desired that he should bring.  Still, John felt himself unworthy of even the lowest position in the Messiah’s Kingdom.  It is an interesting fact of life that the most eminent of saints of the one true God tend to be the most humble.

It is when we recognize our need of the one true God’s divine light and His empowerment that He begins to pour out on us that which we need to more fully act accurately on His behalf in this world.  The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is close, not to hurt or harm us but because He truly cares about us.  The one true God loves you and wants you to know that, which is why He sent Messiah.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Ezekiel 38

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The events spoken of in this chapter will be in the latter days. (Soon?)  These enemies will come together to invade the land of Israel but the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will defeat them.

Eze 38:1-10 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  Son of man, let your face be turned against Gog, of the land of Magog, the ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and be a prophet against him,  And say, This is what the Lord has said: See, I am against you, O Gog, ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:  And turning you round, I will … make you come out with all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them in full war-dress, a great force with breastplate and body-cover, all of them armed with swords:  Persia, Cush, and Put with them; all of them with body-cover and metal head-dress:  Gomer and all her forces; the people of Togarmah in the inmost parts of the north, with all his forces: a great number of peoples with you.
Be ready, make yourself ready, you and all the forces who are with you, and be ready for my orders.  After a long time you will get your orders: in the last years you will come into the land which has been given back from the sword, which has been got together out of a great number of peoples, on the mountains of Israel which have ever been a waste: but it has been taken out from the peoples and they will be living, all of them, without fear of danger.  And you will go up, you will come like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your forces, and a great number of peoples with you.  This is what the Lord has said: In that day it will come about that things will come into your mind, and you will have thoughts of an evil design:  To take their property by force and go off with their goods; turning your hand against the waste places which now are peopled, and against the people who have been got together out of the nations, who have got cattle and goods for themselves, who are living in the middle of the earth.

Sure, the ancient names tend to be somewhat confusing to our ears today but with a bit of study we can see North Africa and Turkey and Russia in their all plotting to invade Israel.  It is obviously going to be an even more impressive coalition than the one that engaged Israel in the Six Day War.  Apparently Allah and his forces have forgotten how badly they lost in that war.  To human eyes this coalition is going to be able to come into Israel and kill every man, woman, and child in less than a day but the Muslim god is going to lose again; he should have been satisfied with having Mecca and all the land that he already had with all of its oil.

Everyone, open your eyes and see that Israel is dwelling “safely” in that land because they are under the protection of the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is not because they deserve it but because God has promised to do this because of His own holy name.  Endeavors against them therefore will end in failure.  The 38th chapter of Ezekiel goes on to tell that the coalition that comes against Israel will be destroyed and there is nothing that the god of Mohammad can do to prevent it.  Father God, God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the one true God who sees, hears, and speaks, glorify Thy name.

Islam sucks

–Pastor Ward Clinton