“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

 

“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

By Gary L. Clendenon, October 28, 2014

Halloween is a holiday that is hard to miss—pumpkins everywhere turning into glowing ghoulish faces, front yards becoming cluttered cemeteries, houses becoming haunted, and candy-craving children clambering at your door for treats. Some Christians find this holiday to be offensive or even evil, and it can also be somewhat challenging for those of us who are Adventists given our fairly unique belief about “The state of the dead”. This Grace Note is not about all that, for I believe that is between you and GOD, but I would like to share with you another Halloween story that, in my opinion, too often gets overlooked.

The year was 1517—three years shy of 500 years ago (1). The location: Papacy controlled Europe (538-1798 AD). It was on Halloween, then called “All Hallows' Eve” in the city of Wittenberg, Germany, that a Catholic Priest and University Professor named Martin Luther approached the door of The Castle Church and nailed a document to it. The document was called “95 Theses” and was an open letter to the Catholic Archbishop regarding the misuse of indulgences and other non-biblical practices. Indulgences were a tool used by the church to raise money while allowing the rich to buy their own eternal forgiveness and guaranteed ticket to Heaven, and Martin Luther had 95 reasons why indulgences and other church practices did not match what the Bible taught.

You see, three years earlier Martin Luther had discovered the book of Romans and had had a life-changing conversion. Throughout his days as a monk and into his days as a priest and teacher, Martin Luther had been completely terrified by the thought of the wrath of GOD, until he discovered Romans 1:17: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'” Here are Luther’s words describing his discovery of GOD's gift of grace: “...by the mercy of God, I...began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.” (2)

Luther's intent was NOT to start a new church, but merely to reform the Catholic Church that he loved, but thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, his words went viral! “Within 2 weeks, copies of the Theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.” (3) Luther had started something bigger than he ever imagined that Halloween evening, and for him there was no going back on his putting the Bible first in his religion. Eventually, these courageous acts led to his dismissal from the Catholic Church and, with those who followed him, the beginning of a new denomination. Looking back now, we can see that October 31, 1517 was clearly the beginning of “The Protestant Reformation” and now is called by some “Reformation's Eve”, an eve worth celebrating! (4)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV)

FOOTNOTES:

1. It's now been 506 years!

2. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/theologians/luther.html?start=1

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheNinety-FiveTheses

4. If you like this idea, please “Like” my Facebook page “Reformation's Eve” October 31

Crazy Christian Belief #2

 

False Assumptions: Relief from 12 “Christian” Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy

A book by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend (c) 1994

Summarized by Gary L. Clendenon, 2019-2020

Click HERE for "Crazy Christian Belief #1"

False Assumption #2: “If I’m spiritual enough, I will have no pain or sinfulness.”

Christian Truth #2: “Sinfulness and pain are normal on the Christian path. To admit and accept our problems is the first step to freedom and growth.”

MORE: People living under this false assumption cope with this untruth through “Denial” of reality, “Trying harder”, and/or “Using shame” and condemnation as their motivation.

The Bible’s truth about badness: 1. “Sinfulness is normal. Expect failure.” 2. “Negative feelings are normal, not sinful, when they arise from a sin against you.”

To blame victims for their pain is a sin against them; it is a sin against God, whose heart is with those who hurt (Ps. 34:18). Nowhere does Scripture tell us to confront the wounded. It tells us instead to love them.

CLICK HERE FOR CRAZY CHRISTIAN BELIEF #3

Crazy Christian Belief #1

 

False Assumptions: Relief from 12 “Christian” Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy

A book by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend (c) 1994

Summarized by Gary L. Clendenon, 2019-2020

False Assumption #1: “It’s selfish to have my needs met.”

Christian Truth #1: “Its NOT selfish to have my needs met.”

MORE: We have a God-given responsibility to get our needs met. If your need for comfort, encouragement, is selfish, then others’ need for that is selfish, too. If it ain’t okay for you to have it, then it ain’t okay for you to give it.

The self-righteous attitude of thinking we have no problems is what birthed Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1940’s. People found that in A.A. meetings they could still have struggles; they could still be needy. In fact, they had to confess their neediness at every meeting. The church should be a place where it’s safe to be unfinished, incomplete, and needy.

Having our needs meet frees us to meet the needs of others—without resentment.

CLICK HERE FOR CRAZY CHRISTIAN BELIEF #2

“The Antichrist!” (Islam & the Antichrist #4)

“The Antichrist!” (Islam & the Antichrist #4)

Here is the link to Part 1:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

Simply put, according to the Bible, the Antichrist will be Satan’s primary human agent on the earth in the last days.

Who exactly is the Antichrist? The Bible prophesies that the Antichrist will be a political and military leader with power unparalleled by any other world leader throughout history.

The Mahdi [Islam’s Messiah], like the Antichrist, is also prophesied to be a political and military world leader unparalleled by any other throughout world history.

The Bible teaches that the Antichrist will lead a worldwide religious worship movement that will attempt to displace and usurp worship from the God of the Bible. This worship will then be directed toward both himself and Satan—the invisible spirit—the provocateur and puppet master that motivates, empowers, and gives authority to the Antichrist to accomplish his worldwide task.

Likewise, it almost goes without saying, the Mahdi of Islam will be the leader of a worldwide worship movement, a worship movement that will seek to cause anyone who practices any religion other than Islam to renounce his faith and worship Allah, the god of Islam.

Both the Antichrist and the Mahdi are said to be the unqualified leaders of a global religious movement that will draw worship away from the God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ.

The Bible is very clear that Satan, through the Antichrist, will specifically target first Jews and then Christians for death. (Revelation 12)

Interestingly enough, Islamic tradition speaks much of the Mahdi’s special calling to convert Christians and Jews to Islam. The following quote from Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini clearly articulates this vision: The Mahdi will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and Christians; if they accept it they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed.

The Bible teaches that the Antichrist, with his multination coalition, will attack Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, to conquer it. The Apostle Paul says that the Antichrist will “set himself up in God’s Temple,” or more literally, “he takes his seat in the temple of God.” This speaks not so much of a literal sitting down as it does of a taking a position of authority.

Likewise the Mahdi is said to attack Jerusalem and reconquer it for Islam in order to establish Islamic rule over the earth from Jerusalem. The Mahdi will not end his campaign against Jerusalem in a peaceful way. For the Jews, the Islamic version of the last days ends with the last few surviving Jews hiding behind rocks or trees from the sword of Islam.

Another of the Antichrist’s goals according to the Book of Daniel is to “change the set times and the laws”: He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. (Daniel 7:25, emphasis mine)

It quite plausible that the biblical reference to the Antichrist who will “try to change the set times and the laws” describes a Muslim. As we look at the full picture, only Islam fits the bill of a system that has its own unique calendar, a week based on its own religious history, and a clear system of law that it wishes to impose onto the entire earth.

So in conclusion, we see that several of the most unique and distinguishing aspects of the biblical Antichrist’s person, mission, and actions are matched to quite an amazing degree by the descriptions of the Mahdi as found in the Islamic traditions. And now, even further, we see that Muslim scholars actually apply Bible verses about the Antichrist to their awaited savior, the Mahdi. This must be seen as quite ironic, if not entirely prophetic.

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 33, 34, 37, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51.

“Islam’s Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist #3)

“Islam’s Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist #3)

HERE is the link to Part 1:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

SUMMARY: After reviewing the various Islamic traditions and opinions of the Muslim scholars, let’s now review and walk through a list of what we have learned about the person and the mission of the Mahdi as he exists in the minds of the 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Remember, this is the man that the Muslims of the world eagerly await:

1. The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.

2. He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name (Muhammad bin Abdullah).

3. He will be a very devout Muslim.

4. He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political, and military world leader.

5. He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the earth.

6. He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and eradicate tyranny and oppression.

7. He will be the caliph and imam (vice regent and leader) of Muslims worldwide.

8. He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.

9. He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.

10. He will invade many countries.

11. He will make a seven-year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.

12. He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a final slaughter/battle against Jews.

13. He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.

14. He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).

15. He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth.

16. He will appear riding a white horse (possibly symbolic).

17. He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert to Islam.

18. He will also rediscover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem.

19. He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain and crops.

20. He will possess and distribute enormous amounts of wealth.

21. He will be loved by all the people of the earth.

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 31-32.

HERE is the link to Part 4:

“The Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist, Part 2)

 

“The Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist, Part 2)

Here is the link to Part One:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

...the most anticipated and central sign that Muslims await is the coming of a man known as “the Mahdi.” In Arabic, al-Mahdi means “the Guided One” -- “the Awaited Savior.”

“...mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear;”

The coming of the Mahdi is the central crowning element of all Islamic end-time narratives. According to Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, “The coming of the Mahdi is established doctrine for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, and indeed for all humanity.”

Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr and Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari, both Shi’a Muslim scholars, in their book, The Awaited Savior, describe the Mahdi this way: A figure more legendary than that of the Mahdi, the Awaited Saviour, has not been seen in the history of mankind. ... He has been the vision of the visionaries in history. He has been the dream of all the dreamers of the world. For the ultimate salvation of mankind he is the Pole Star of hope on which the gaze of humanity is fixed…. In this quest for the truth about the Mahdi there is no distinction of any caste, creed, or country. The quest is universal, exactly in the same way as the Mahdi himself is universal. He stands resplendent high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cut up and divided. He belongs to everybody. (emphasis mine)

In the simplest of terms, the Mahdi is Islam’s messiah or savior. The Islamic messiah, thus, embodies the aspirations of his followers in the restoration of the purity of the Faith which will bring true and uncorrupted guidance to all mankind, creating a just social order and a world free from oppression in which the Islamic revelation will be the norm for all nations. (emphasis mine)

Thus it is fair to say that the “rising” of the Mahdi is to the majority of Muslims what the return of Jesus is to Christians. While Christians await the return of Jesus the Messiah to fulfill all of God’s prophetic promises to the people of God, Muslims await the appearance of the Mahdi to fulfill these purposes. Sheikh Kabbani likewise identifies the Mahdi as Islam’s primary messiah figure: “Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe them as men coming to save the world.”

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 20-23.

HERE is the link to Part 3:

“Islam & the Antichrist!” (Part One)

“Islam & the Antichrist!” (Part One)

The following is the first of a series of posts I will make taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson. Joel has a very compelling take on this subject and I wanted to share it with you, my friends. He says:

“I believe that the information presented in this book will establish the fact that Islam is indeed the primary vehicle that will be used by Satan to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible about the future political/religious/military system of the Antichrist that will overwhelm the entire world just prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ.”

Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, p. 12

The Qur’an mentions five things that a Muslim must believe in order to be a Muslim. These five things have, as a result, become a creed of sorts within Islam. From the Qur’an we read: It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets… (Sura 2:177; Pickthall)

Notice the order of the five tenets of belief:

1. Belief in Allah.

2. Belief in the Last Day.

3. Belief in angels.

4. Belief in the Scripture.

5. Belief in the prophets.

This is very different than in Christianity. Unfortunately, while end-time belief plays a prominent role in the New Testament and in the life of the early church, today belief in the last days has become essentially optional or generally ignored by most. But not so with Islam; there are no true Muslims who do not believe in the last day and the events that precede it. Understanding the Islamic perspective regarding the Last Day and specifically the Major Signs, therefore, is crucial if we wish to understand the central religious anticipations of the 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide.

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, p. 18-19.

HERE is the link to Part 2: