You are currently browsing the yearly archive for 2011.
I used to love prophecy websites and articles. But I have found that much of them are way over the top, or full of speculation…some border on the fantastic, paranormal, filled with numerology, astrology, and paganism. Many are full of false prophets whose predictions have never come to pass. But this seems to sell a lot of books.
Lately it seems I have come across some pretty strange teachings, and many I have to reject. Why?
In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of events that will happen but He speaks many more times about deception. The very first thing Jesus said in response to “…what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” was “Watch out that no one deceives you.”
I still believe that we are to watch for things to come, to be ready and prepared, but I also have been thinking about the verses Acts 1:10-11. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside then. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? The same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”‘
Are we to be constantly looking up at the sky for the return of Jesus? We can but truly we need to be about the Father’s business.
Jesus told Peter that if he loved Him, he would feed his sheep. Shepherds of the flock need to love Jesus. Out of this love they will feed the flock. So those who profess to be a teacher or pastor need to have the right motivation. The love of God. Instead I am seeing the love of money.
John MacArthur said this… “Our stewardship is pretty simple, I think. Preach the Word…Second Timothy 4, ‘Preach the Word, Preach the Word in season, out of season, preach the Word.’ Give yourself to sound doctrine, Paul says to Titus. Take care of two things he tells Timothy, 1 Timothy 4:16, yourself and your teaching. Read the Scripture. Apply the Scripture. This is our stewardship.” (The Murder of God’s Son: A Prophetic Parable, Part 2)
This passage from an article “How Serious is False Speculation About Prophecy? ” really hit home because of the evidence of the love of extra-biblical sources, as opposed to scripture-interprets-scripture.
Whether it manifests itself in apathy or fanatic violence, false prophecy and false speculation about prophecy is dangerous. Those of us who get caught up in the destructive practice of prophetic speculation not only lend support to the principalities and powers of evil, but also sow seeds of disillusionment and rebellion against the gospel and biblical revelation. Mark 9:42 declares: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea” (nkjv).
Source of quote HERE
Ancient-Future Heresies
Let’s both reason from the Scriptures, and simply be reasonable (Isaiah 1:18). The Ancient-Future search to discover gems from “Classic Christianity” comes up short by a century — the century in which the New Testament was written. The critical difference should be obvious. The writers of the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit as they penned God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21, 22). What writings from A.D. 100 and later can claim such inspiration? None. But we’re told that some were disciples of or lived at the time of the apostles. True, but proximity to the apostles is hardly a guarantee against heresy, nor does it come close to inspiration. Furthermore, much of the first-century-written New Testament reproved and corrected errors that had already entered the church!
Remember the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Ephesian elders, who were certainly closer to Paul than any of the so-called Church Fathers:
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28-31).
Again, why this attraction to the ancient Church Fathers? Could any of them say with Paul, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9)? We can trust his God-breathed words completely. On the other hand, it takes very little scrutiny of men like Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, Justin Martyr, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Augustine, and others, to see their flaws, let alone their heresies. For example, Origen taught that God would save everyone and that Mary was a perpetual virgin; Irenaeus believed that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus when consecrated, as did John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem; Athanasius taught salvation through baptism; Tertullian became a supporter of the Montanist heresies, and a promoter of a New Testament clergy class, as did his disciple Cyprian; Augustine was the principal architect of Catholic dogma that included his support of purgatory, baptismal regeneration, and infant baptism, mortal and venial sins, prayers to the dead, penance for sins, absolution from a priest, the sinlessness of Mary, the Apocrypha as Scripture, etc.
It’s not that these men got everything wrong; some, on certain doctrines, upheld Scripture against the developing unbiblical dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church.
Nevertheless, overall they are a heretical minefield. So why seek them out?
Introduction by Lou Whitworth
The Early Years
In this essay we will examine the life and work of Edgar Cayce, often called “the sleeping prophet.” Many considered him to be a prophet and healer very popular in the sixties and seventies. Today his influence is stronger than ever as he helped pave the way for the popularity of “channeling.”
Edgar Cayce was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1877. His family was ordinary in most ways, except for a current of demonic dabbling and occultism among the males. His grandfather was a water witch and unerringly accurate in dousing for water with the forked limbs of a witch hazel tree. Many of his acquaintances held that he was also able to make tables and brooms “dance.” Edgar’s father was an unwitting Pied Piper of snakes. Apparently snakes loved him and followed him around and even wrapped their bodies around his hat brim if he put his hat down while working in the fields. It unnerved him so much that he moved from the farm into the city and eventually became a justice of the peace.
Edgar Cayce’s childhood was very unique. As a boy he exhibited an occultic tendency to see and hear things that others didn’t see. For example, he had “little playmates” who disappeared when others came around. They always grew with him and stayed his size, but after the death of a neighbor girl who could also see them, they seemed smaller. He realized that he was growing up and would soon lose their companionship.
As a young boy Edgar attended the Christian church and wanted to be a minister. He resolved to read the Bible through once for each year of his life. By age 13 he was working on his thirteenth reading in his favorite place, a playhouse by a creek in the woods, when he heard a humming sound. He looked up to see a woman in brilliant white clothing with wings on her back standing in front of him. She said,…….
Continue HERE
THE YEAR 2012 AND MAYAN PROPHECY: IS IT THE END OF THE WORLD?
By Marcia Montenegro, March 2009
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens although the nations are terrified by them.'”
Jeremiah 10.2
The Internet is abuzz about it, and movies are being made on it. It’s not a place or a person that is garnering so much attention, but the year 2012. That year, according to Mayan prophecy, marks the end of a long cycle to time, specifically, the end of a 5,126-year (some say 5,128-year) cycle on the Mayan’s Long Count calendar, a year which also occurs during a particular alignment in the skies.
December 21, 2012 coincides with the winter solstice, and at that time, there will be an alignment of both the sun and the earth with the center of the Milky Way galaxy. This heightens the excitement and speculation, causing many to wonder: What will happen? Will it be the end of the earth as we know it? Will it be the ushering in of a “new consciousness?” Will friendly aliens land or hostile aliens invade? Or is it just another year with no special significance?
Full Article HERE
A wolf in sheep’s clothing is on the move again. Todd Bentley. While he was “preaching” in the past, he was drinking and having an affair. This is not a man of God… he is of the devil, a liar. There is no proof of the claims he makes. A wolf feeds on those who are unsuspecting…wanting to be cared for. Flee from him. Run for your lives. He passes on a false spirit anointing, which is dangerous to your soul if you open up yourself to it.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/287652/-Beware-of-the-tattoo-preacher
Sunday December 4,2011
By James Murray and Adam Smith A TORY MP has warned Britons to be wary of claims made by a Canadian preacher who says he can cure cancer and raise the dead.
Thousands have been flocking to hear tattooed former Hell’s Angel Todd Bentley speak at a church in Cwmbran in South Wales, where he is holding revivalist meetings until Thursday.
Last Thursday night he told his audience he had brought 33 people back from the dead and cured more than 100 deaf mutes of their handicap.
Tory MP David Davies, whose Monmouth constituency covers part of Cwmbran, said: “I go to church and respect Christian beliefs, but I am concerned that some of the claims made by Mr Bentley are far fetched and should be treated cautiously.”
Evangelist Bentley, 35, says he had a “miraculous conversion” which saved him from “youth prisons, drugs, sex, satanic music and bondage”.
He told his audience: “In 13 years of preaching we’ve had 33 stories of resurrections from the dead – 20 of them medically verified.
“Everywhere we go we get testimony from someone who has been close to death, had stage four cancer or some incurable terminal condition and received a miracle.
“There would be nights where 30 people would get out of wheelchairs, incredible miracles, thousands of people would be saved every day.
“I prayed for 139 deaf mutes and we had 139 deaf and mute people hear and speak for the first time.
“Some people say miracles are not possible but for me it’s impossible that someone is not healed.”
After his performance at Two Locks Church, Bentley told the Sunday Express: “When we had people raised from the dead doctors called them resuscitations. They were miraculously resuscitated, the doctors didn’t say they were, because they don’t have the terminology for divine
miracles.
I believe in healing whether I have medical verification or not.”
Bentley, who is in Wales with his second wife Jessa, said: “People get cynical because of my background and my appearance and they have an idea of how they think a minister should look.
“I’ve had a lot of public things in my life, I’ve not been perfect and I haven’t done this perfectly either, but I acknowledge my failures and I use my failures to give people strength and hope because really we are all failures in one sense or another.”
He has claimed he can cure cancer by kicking tumours out of bodies with his biker boots. He said: “It’s not something I do regularly but I do have some stories where I’ve been preaching and the faith will come on me.
“I’ve been in a meeting and a woman has a tumour on her face and I heard a voice inside of me, I knew it was the Lord and he said, ‘Pull it off’.”
People travelled from as far away as Germany and Norway to see Bentley on Thursday. Those with conditions ranging from stomach cancer and heart disease to broken bones and arthritic knees queued to be “healed”.
Lucinda Rodregis, 68, has angina. She said: “I can’t climb the hill near my home because it’s too strenuous, but tomorrow I’m going to try and if I can do that then I’ve been healed.
“But I didn’t come here to be cured I came to see Todd Bentley, I just love what God does through him.”
posted by Ronald Harnage
DefCon has chronicled Ravi Zacharias’ downfall beginning with his first public compromise when he accepted an invitation to speak at the LDS temple in Salt Lake City but failed to make any distinction between the true Jesus Christ of the Bible and the demonically inspired false Christ of Mormonism. See Ravi Zacharias fails to preach the Gospel to the Mormons.We then examined his further compromi…se in Ravi’s Descent where he accepted the condition to not pray in Jesus’ name at the National Day of Prayer coordinated by NDP chairwoman Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson of Focus on the Family which recently promoted the cult of Mormonism. Beginning to see the big picture yet?Then we examined Ravi’s Crash and Burn as he not only accepted an invitation to speak at rank heretic Robert Schuller’s New Age ReThink conference, but that Ravi Zacharias also spoke favorably of Roman Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen, calling him “one of the greatest saints in recent memory.”
Now Slice of Laodicea and Apprising Ministries are reporting that not only will Ravi Zacharias not apologize or even back away from his endorsement of Henri Nouwen, but his ministry is defending his position. You can read the following letter from Ravi Zacharias Ministries in defense of Ravi’s endorsement of Nouwen by clicking here (PDF).
One of the most shocking parts of this letter written by Margaret Manning was her justification of Ravi’s compromise via the following statement:
“ . . . if it weren’t for the Catholic church you and I would not be here–nor would Christianity.”
Ravi Zacharias has become one of a long line of “public figure” Christians to compromise a little here and a little there until full blown apostasy is reached. What next Ravi, what next?
“Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”
Roman Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen
Sabbatical Journey
Page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
THE WORLD-TILTING GOSPEL
“Wherever they went, the apostles and the early believers made the Lord Jesus Christ the issue. This carries through the entire book of Acts. They taught and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection (4:2), they gave powerful testimony to the resurrection of Jesus (4:33), they taught and preached Jesus as the Messiah (5:42), they preached the good news about Jesus’ name (8:12), told the good news about Jesus (v.35), proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God (9:20), proved that Jesus was the Messiah (v. 22), preached boldly in Jesus’ name (v. 27), preached the good news of peace through Jesus as Lord of all (10:36), preached Jesus as Lord (11:20), proclaimed Jesus as Messiah (17:3), testified that Jesus was the Messiah (18:5), showed by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah (18:28), testified to all about faith in Jesus (20:21), spoke about faith in Jesus (20:24), asserted that Jesus was alive (25:19), tried to convince Jews about Jesus from the Scriptures (28:23), and taught about Jesus with boldness (28:31–the last verse in the book.)”
“When we come to be gripped by the truth that Jesus is Lord, everything in our lives begins to shift. How we think, evaluate, cherish, make decisions, relate: Everything begins to change. There is a seismic shift, a sea change, and it echoes through every day of the rest of our lives. That shift both is, and is caused by repentance.”
“Genuine repentance–a genuinely changed mind- would issue, without fail, in a changed life.”
“Jesus was the aim and heart of their message.”
Dan Phillips
The World-Tilting Gospel
Chapter 7
First Towering Truth: Declared Righteous: Justificaton
Horn has some VERY convincing arguments in many instances, and he has some rarely exposed research information. Horn is correct that Freemasonry and other secret orders want a new order of the ages using America as a springboard to do it and they are in deep alliance with the occult. This is highly seductive to the Bible believer who is interested in prophecy. His errors are that he accepts the Apocrypha (when even the Reformers didn’t view the Apocrypha as inspired of God) as equivalent to the Bible and refuses to expose the Vatican as a heretical church system explicitly. Horn supports the Apocrypha and the Book of Enoch as a means to promote his view on the Nephilim.
The Palestinian Jews or Jewish people in Israel never accepted the Apocrypha as inspired. Nor did the Samaritans. The Jews in Alexandria never officially accepted the LXX as canonical. The leading fathers of the Greek Church did not accept the Apocrypha as inspired writings. Principle lights among the Early Church Fathers rejected the idea of the inspiration of the Apocrypha. The book of Enoch and the Book of Jasher have tons of contradictions and aren’t divinely inspired of God. Jasher 18:9 states that one of the angels tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son, but Gen. 17:16 says that God told Abraham. In Jasher 42:30-41, Rachel talks to Joseph from the grave. This is of course necromancy and is an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:11-12). Tertullian admits that the Jews never accepted the Book of Enoch as authentic and that Christians of his time also rejected it. So, it isn‘t wonder that New Agers like the late Elizabeth Claire Prophet supports the Book of Enoch. In Chapter 40:9-10 of the Book of Enoch, it falsely says that the angel Phanuel can give eternally life to over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life: “…9 seen and whose words I have heard and written down?’ And he said to me: ‘This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.’ 10 And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those….”
The Bible is clear that Phanuel does not exist in the Scriptures. It’s blasphemy to say that an angel is set over the repentance of those who inherit eternal life. That statement in itself contradicts everything the Word of God teaches. We read in 1st Timothy 2:5 that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Mediator between God and men, not some angel named Phanuel… “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Salvation is found ONLY in Christ Jesus, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” King David said in Psalm 62:6, “He (Jesus) only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.” Repentance is strictly between a man and Jesus Christ alone. Only Jesus died for our sins, and shed His blood to pay for them (1st Peter 1:18-19); therefore, we must be diligent to guard and defend against LIARS and imposters who would lead people to believe otherwise. 1st John 2:22 clearly indicts all Christ-deniers as LIARS, guilty before God. The Book of Enoch, on chapter 69:8-12 says that a being named Penemue told man to write in ink and paper, etc. which doesn’t exist in the Bible at all. The Book of Enoch teaches that 450 tall feet giants exist in the world via relations of angels plus women. There is no biblical or scientifically evidence of this reality.
*Tom Horn is promoting his new book on Prophecy in the News, called “The Researchers Library of Ancient Texts Volume 1. He and Gary Stearman say that these books are not on a par with the Bible….yet then go on to say that “these studies are on the front burner,” the “predictions are astonishing”, it is for “serious Bible researchers..”
I have come to believe that these studies are meant to distract from the simple truths we find in the books of the Canon. Satan’s plan is to distort truth of the Word of God and make people believe it has no power in itself. Seduction lies in wait as a promise of hidden knowledge only for those who are enlightened enough to find it. I reject all teachers or pastors who promote these books, hidden codes, esoteric knowledge or long lost texts. I accept only those teachers who are faithful to God’s Word in the canon and who guard and shepherd the small flock by teaching the Bible and its truth and applications so that we can find salvation and learn to live lives holy unto the Lord.
John MacArthur
In an increasingly secular and ungodly culture, many Christians wonder about their role and duty. Should we lobby for rights that have traditionally belonged to us? Should we make every effort to implement a Christian agenda? Should we completely reform the government? The Bible speaks clearly about our duty, and it’s all about governingour character.
Over a quarter of a century ago the late apologist and Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer asked the question, “How should we then live?” in his landmark book of the same title. The relevance of that question has not changed. If anything, it has only become more urgent for believers at the dawn of a new century and millennium.
Society has taken a nosedive into greater and greater evil, debauchery, violence, and corruption, and outside the church, the landscape seems filled with “modern barbarians.” The temptation is strong for believers to jump into the cultural fray as self-righteous social/political reformers and condescending moralizers. All the while those self-styled Christian activists forget or ignore their true mission in the world and completely miss the answer to Schaeffer’s question–an answer that God’s Word spells out quite clearly.
Full article link below:
By Ronald Harnage
This subject opens a whole realm of questions that need to be addressed in order to arrive at a biblically sound conclusion.So I did what I always do with a difficult subject,I completely discarded my own ideas and approached it like I had not dealt with this subject before,so I examined it from every angle and balanced it against scripture,and what God has taught me through His word.There are two main camps of doctrinal beliefs surrounding this issue.After closely examining both and spending all morning trying to make their entire teaching of either fit into scripture I came up empty handed on both sides,neither of them will completely line up with God’s word.It goes back to what you often find in the church concerning two sets of doctrines,often times one is counterfeit and the other is religious,both of them having some truth and both of them being unreliable because they focus on some scriptures yet exclude others,the whole counsel of God has to be considered.So what do we have?
Lets start with the occultic infiltrations so that we can whittle down the confusion a bit. A lot of the basis for the Nephilim teachings are extra-biblical and primarily are focused on the book of Enoch.Let us consider first that the book of Enoch has never been a part of cannonical scripture.It wasn’t listed by the Jews in the Old Testament and I believe largely because it did not exist until the rise of Gnosticism that we see at the advent of Christianity,but lets start with the inception of it’s modern influence.
It begins with James Bruce,the discoverer of what is widely accepted as the book of Enoch.Rumors of a surviving copy of the book in 1773 sent the Scottish explorer James Bruce to distant Ethiopia in search of it. There he found the Ethiopic church had saved the book and kept it alongside of the other books of the Bible. Bruce was able to secure not one, but three copies of the Ethiopic book that he brought back to Europe and England. In 1821, Dr. Richard Laurence, an Oxford Hebrew professor, produced the first translation.
Richard Laurance,translator of the Book of Enoch had this to say about the timing of its writing-” Presuming therefore that the book before us,(Enoch) was a composition of some unknown Jew or Jews. I shall therefore consider what criteria afforded us to determine at what period it may have been written…There exists sufficient internal evidence to indicate that it was written long subsequent of the commencement and conclusion of the Babylonian captivity. This book was written a few years AT MOST before the begining of the Christian era.” The earliest Ethiopic text was apparently made from a Greek manuscript of the book, which itself was a copy of an earlier text. The original text appears to have been written in a Semitic language, now thought to be a dialect of Aramaic that is commonly asscoiated with the Essenes,who were a Gnostic sect.
New Agers,Luciferians and other occultists use the book of Enoch to indoctrinate the unsuspecting into occult mysticism.When I was in the occult the book of Enoch was actually the first book in my library. I had it for most of my occult career. Along with other Gnostic books such as the book of Moses(The Assumption of Moses and the Testament of Moses),and the Greater and Lesser keys of Solomon,they are highly regarded in the occult world.
I think one point you may find interesting is what is commonly known about Bruce in the occult world.Bruce was a disciple of Helena Blavatsky,who as you may recall I mentioned in my note “Inside the Occult 2”, that she was the first female member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,and a colleague of Aleistar Crowley,the most famous satanist to date. Blavatsky created the first tenants of theosophy which were accepted as organised doctrines for Luciferianism.Blavatsky gave high praise to the book of Enoch and its author.In her book “The Secret Doctrine” volume 3-and I quote”Thus the book of Enoch is entirely symbolic.It relates to the history of the human race and their relation to theogony,(basically theogony is greek myths),the symbols being interblended with astrological and cosmic mysteries.” Blavatsky goes on to mention Bruce by name and grants him high regard and status in the occult world for his work.James Bruce introduced this book into the new age movement and it has long been known to be a Gnostic text.
Next question,who were the Gnostics? To put it simply the Gnostics were the first Qaballists to incorporate Christian themes, which were in turn perverted to suit their own beliefs.This they then combined with Greek mythology.What they produced was highly heretical literature that would be the first established beliefs in what would later be termed as luciferianism. Many of their writings perverted the diety of Christ and soveriengty of God,in fact making God the villain who was ejected from heaven and lucifer the maligned and misunderstood hero and true reigning god.
Qaballism goes back to ancient times,it is basically Jewish sorcery,where they have learned the paganistic practices of the heathen nations and incorporated it into their own culture,making their own cultural type of sorcery.
The Qabbalah itself consists of a large body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul and also the role of human beings. It generally is subdivided into four sections: meditative, devotional, mystical and magical. It is for this reason that Qabbalah is regarded as an occultic offshoot of Judaism.
The gnosis of the Qabbalah is well recognized by Jewish scholars. From an article cited in the Jewish Encyclopedia, we see the intimate relationship between Gnosticism and the Caballa:The Jewish Encyclopedia quotes the opinion that “The central doctrine of Gnosticism,a movement closely tied to Jewish mysticism,was nothing else but the attempt to liberate the soul and unite it with God; but apparently this was to be affected through the use of mysteries,incantations and the use of the names of angels,(angel worship),..etc. It will be seen how widely even this phase of Gnosticism differs from Christianity and identifies itself with the magical Qabbalah of the Jews.”
You can see how at the outset Gnosticism completely abandons salvation through Jesus Christ,and places it solely in the hands of the practitioner to somehow obtain salvation through magical means,you could not possibly get any more occultic than this.
M.Matter states in Histor de Gnosticisme, that Jewish scholars fully understand that secret oral traditions of the Cabbalah were previous to any Christian Gnosticism.
In Some notes on various sects of Gnosticism and their possible affects on Freemasonry,D.F. Ranking notes that the secret oral tradition of the Cabbalists confirms them as being Gnostics.” This claim to a secret oral tradition confirms the conception of the Gnostics as Cabbalists and shows how far they had departed from Christian teaching.For if only in this idea of one doctrine for the ignorant and another for the initiated the Gnostics restored the very system that Christianity had come to destroy.”
Author Nesta Webster concurs with M. Matter and other historians that Gnosticism involved an attempt to Cabbalise Christianity….”M. Matter was therefore right in saying that Gnosticism was not a defection from Christianity,but a combination of systems into which a few Christian elements were introduced.The result of Gnosticism was not to Christianise the Cabbalah but to Cabbalise Christianity by mingling its pure and simple teaching with theosophy and even magic.”
I could include a great number of other secular historians and Jewish scholars that say the same thing,as a matter of fact you will not find one that doesnt see that Gnosticism was but a new sect of Qabbalism that arose to directly confront Christianity.
The book of Jude quotes Enoch in verses 6, 14, and 15.Which he just as well may have taken from oral tradition. This does not mean that we should accept the whole book as the authoritative word of God and that it should be included in the bible.Jude’s quotes are not the only quotes in the gospels from an unbiblical source.The Apostle Paul quotes Epimenides in Titus 1:12. That does not mean we should build doctrines around Epimenides entire writings.The same can be said about Jude.Jude’s quotes by no means grant carte blanche’ to the entire works of Gnostic literature,which is what I see happening in the church,not only with the book of Enoch, but other Gnostic writings as well.All Jude is saying is this particular passage is true.We do the same thing on facebook everyday when we post clips and sermons from people that we dont entirely agree with but what they are saying on a particular subject happens to be biblically correct.Evidently though,this was something that Enoch prophesied or the bible would not attribute it to him. Apparently, this may have been handed down by oral tradition,as was Genesis and the book of Job were largely taken from oral tradition until they became among the first scriptural traditions.We should treat the book of Enoch and other Gnostic writings as interesting but heretical documents that only entertain an acceptance of occult philosophies.Some of what it says is true but a great deal of it is false and I could easily do a lengthy note on just the heresies found in it.They are not the inspired authoritative word of God.They are however fullfilling the purpose for which they were created and that is to sow doubt and confusion along with occult teachings into the Body of Christ.
Jude quotes from 1 Enoch, a second-Temple Jewish writing, (Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9) and another Gnostic work in Jude 9, possibly what early Christian writers identified as the Assumption of Moses.The honest problem facing the infant Roman Church of 390 A.D., when first assembling today’s Bible, was that the existing copies of 1 Enoch varied. There is no way of knowing which versions are the original and which are the errors,it does make it impossible to anchor beliefs or arguments on any given section.
This alone is a legitimate reason to exclude it from the holy writ. When faced with the task of declaring what is and what is not the “inspired, infallible Word of God,” erring on the side of caution and certainty must be the case every time! (Only those who do not believe in the divine inspiration, and modern integrity, of scripture will be dissatisfied with this reasoning. ) The translation copies available (presumably) in 390 A.D., and especially those we have today, could not with any certainty also be classified as “infallible.”The church did in fact suppress The Book of Enoch.
Realistically however, there was also a “point” to the canon. The goal and even eternal function in assembling the earliest Bibles was NOT merely sorting out what was inspired of God and what was not. They also had the specific intent of promoting and preserving a solid doctrinal foundation for all believers in Christ. Like Paul, they had to passionately argue against Gnosticism – “the doctrine of salvation by knowledge ,” or the idea that gaining “superior” and/or “hidden” knowledge ensures one some higher spiritual position – opposed to a simple obedient faith in Christ.
Gnostics strive for a mystical face to face experience with God that does not include the gospel of repentance or Christ as Saviour. It is one of the most volatile combinations of witchcraft and self-justification ever produced.The Church strongly opposed Gnostics… labeling mystical experiences as from God was taboo… Putting a stamp of approval on such a wild tale (Enoch) would have too many people believing that they could experience God for themselves without any need for a saviour or repentance, … Those who experience visions or personal insights from mystical sources are dangerous to the gospel,because the very purpose is to instill the belief that supernatural experinces alone qualify one for salvation. They lead people astray by supporting beliefs and practices that are clearly not of God and that are centered around pagan philosophies . This has been brought to bear on us in a very real way today as we can see that the Charismatic movement does highly esteem,and promote those who have had mystical experiences while at the same time disregarding any serious promotion of the gospel.
The truth is that Gnostics “strive for” experiencing God without knowing and submitting to Christ or His Body, the church. Even today, the wish to “experience God face-to-face” without Christ’s mediation (1 Timothy 2:5) is not just an honest effort to avoid false religion (of which there is much), but to not submit to any spiritual authority at all – whether it be God’s Church, God’s Word or even God’s Christ! It should always be kept in perspective that “the church” was not Rome’s, or even man’s idea. Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Mt 16:18).” The early church rightly opposed Gnosticism, but beginning with Paul’s letters, not with the Roman Church. Many who passionately promote (or just reprint and sell) 1 Enoch today do so not with the intention of promoting a deeper faith in God’s inspired Word, but more with the intent of undermining the Bible’s authority – and especially the church’s. 1 Enoch’s clear historical integrity but “lack of inclusion in the Bible” is often used to “springboard” arguments for other “favorite” heretical books, left out for all the right reasons. Modern Gnostics are often fond of several other “gospels” ,such as Thomas and Mary, both of which have heretical statements and theologies that clearly contradict the message of the gospel, proving they were NOT inspired by God,but definitely inspired..by satan himself.
Now,having established that the book of Enoch was from Gnostic literature we can proceed to look at the doctrines surrounding Genesis 6, having set the Gnostic myths surrounding it aside.This should be a more than reasonable course for anyone that considers God’s word to be the authoritative source of all truth.
DiscernIt 
Recent Comments