May 1: Illegal Immigration Day Defused!

I am forwarding this and have marked my calendar on May 1st as shopping day!!!

WASHINGTON (AFP) Immigrants' rights advocates, elated by the
resounding success of Monday's "National Day of Action," which drew
the backing of hundreds of thousands of protesters across the United
States, now are planning a national boycott which they hope will have
an even greater resonance.

Organizers are planning the May 1 "Great American Boycott," urging
illegal immigrants -- who cannot vote and who have only limited
political power -- to flex their economic muscle.
Protesters are being urged to refrain from shopping, and to stay away
from school and work.

You should take a moment to let that sink in.

This is a movement orchestrated by people who entered the US
illegally, and then want to scream about their "rights." WHAT RIGHTS?
YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!

Let's take a look at some of the many benefits that illegal aliens
have blessed our great country with: Street gangs, graffitti, drugs,
skyrocketing healthcare, depreciation of property value, illiteracy.
The list could go on. What they actually have to offer (cheap labor)
pales to what they have given our country to deal with. I'll take
expensive vegetables over expensive healthcare any day!

And now, like terrorists, they are going to attack our economy -- the
one entity that makes our nation stand out from all the others. The
backbone of our nation. The country they came to like locusts so they
could reap the benefits is now the focus of their boycott. You've seen
it on TV: Marching on our American streets waving their Mexican flags,
boldly showing that they can be more racist than who they accuse of,
and yet the obvious is totally oblivious to them......

IF YOU'VE GOT IT SO BAD HERE, THEN LEAVE!!!

To all the real Americans, you can do one small thing on May 1st,
2006. It won't be racist, nor will it be violent. It will not be
boastful, arrogant, selfish, nor distasteful. It will not be any of
those things that our "guests" have already displayed. What it will do
is nullify a movement.

All you have to do is buy something on May 1st. Make up for what they
will try to take away. It doesn't have to be a new car or house
(unless you were already planning on getting one). It simply needs to
be a day of trading.

Hold off grocery buying until May 1st.
Take your wife out to eat that night.
Get the kids pizza, hamburgers, whatever!
Make several trips to the convenience store.
Buy your meals at work.
Fill up your tank.
Shop for clothes, furniture, outdoor equipment.
If it needs to be bought, BUY IT MAY 1st!

Those are just a few suggestions. We're not asking you to spend your
inheritance that day, but just to spend more than you normally would.
Even if it's only a few dollars, this will help soften the blow that
the Mexicans will try to inflict on our economy that day. It sounds
trivial at first, but if this idea gets around, what the Mexicans set
out to do will fail.

NOW COMES THE HARD PART:
This email will not self-destruct if you don't send it to someone.
It will not cause bad luck, nor will it make you impotent.
It will not do some trick or show a cute little animation if you send
it to "X" amount of people.
You will not get paid for doing it.
******************************


GOD BLESS AMERICA

May we not only be a part of the backlash against the economic assault against us by illegal aliens by shopping on May 1st, but by dropping to our knees and counting our blessings and confessing and forsaking our sins, so help us God.

2 Chronicles 7:14

14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

May we turn from our NATIONAL SINS of idolatry and immorality that the CURSE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION comes to its swift end (Daniel 9:11).

May we repent of transgressing the biblical boundaries our Great Creator God has set for us, that biblical law and order may be restored in our lives and in our land, this Promised Land of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.

The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to Know!

The United States and Britain in Prophecy by Herbert W. Armstrong.



Deuteronomy 28:15, 43-47

Curses on Disobedience

15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you...
43 “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower... he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.

45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.
47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.

Related articles about the curse of militant minorities as part of divine punishment for our NATIONAL SINS:

Race Matters

Martin Luther King Day?

Chocolate Continent Awaits the Great Black Return!

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Herbert W. Armstrong & Worldwide Church of God mentioned in Israeli newspaper

You could say I have a God-given love for the Jews and the nation of Israel (Isaiah 62:6-7). That sacred bond has been strengthened over the years by the fact that I've been blessed to have lived all over Israel, getting to know its land and people quite well.

Apart from 5 months as a kibbutz volunteer at Ramat Yohanan near Haifa, I've also served as a kibbutz volunteer at Sdot Yam on the Mediterranean, next to Caesarea, the site of my first ulpan (intensive Hebrew course), and where Israel's heroine, Hannah Senesh, was from; Regavim, near Zichron Yaakov, where I continued my Hebrew lessons amid its rolling green hills; Reshafim, near Bet She'an, with Mt. Gilboa practically in our backyard, and Jordan's mountains in lovely view out front; Adamit, on Lebanon's border, high up on a mountain, from where on clear days you can see all the way to Haifa's Mt. Carmel; Shoval, a rose in the Negev desert, just north of Be'er Sheva; Dan, way up in the northernmost part of Israel, in between Syria and Lebanon, next to the majestic snow-covered Mt. Hermon, where I was living when "Operation Desert Storm" blew in; and Ha'On, with its campground and ostrich farm on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, across from Tiberias; and last but not least, my beloved Jerusalem, next to my favorite spot on earth: the Temple Mount.

It was during my sojourn at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, while looking for the home of the widow Simcha Gombo, a Worldwide Church of God member and mother of Michal (who was deaf) - both of whom I had briefly met during the 1980 Church of God celebration of the biblical Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem - that I met Ilan Itzhayek on the street and asked directions, as related in Israel Work History (Worldwide Church of God).

Ilan Itzhayek wrote the following full page article in Hebrew that appeared in Hed HaKiryot, a newspaper in Northern Israel, just West of the Sea of Galilee, November 19, 1982. Please note that David Hoover is the name I was born with before I legally changed it to David Ben-Ariel, and forgive the imperfect translation of the Hebrew into English in this attempt to preserve a part of the Church of God history in the Promised Land (and honor Ilan Itzhayek for helping to make it).

The Drug Addict Who Discovered God and the Kibbutz
by Ilan Itzhayek

His name is David Allen Hoover - he's 22 years old and was born in Toledo, Ohio, USA.

David, and other members of the Church he belongs to arrived in Israel last month as visitors in Jerusalem, but David stayed behind as a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan. He doesn't mind any of the work they give him to do - whether it's in the fields, in the factory or in the chicken incubators - he has ideals.

David belongs to a very special Church called the Worldwide Church of God - they call themselves the true Christians and consider the conventional Christians pagan. They believe in the Torah of Moses and observe Sabbath, as well as all the annual holy days mentioned in the Torah. They believe Jesus Christ is the Messenger of God. The Church has 100,000 brethren all over the world. A common belief they have is that they have been chosen by God to join the community of believers. Their leader is Herbert Armstrong, 91, whom they admire and consider that he's come in the spirit of Elijah.

David talks quite excitedly about his Church. He's very patient and ready to explain his convictions to you again if you haven't understood them. His answers are filled with verses from the Bible and the New Testament - verses that he knows by heart. He calls himself "chosen" because in his Church there isn't those "religious and not religious" - there's only the chosen. If you don't agree the Church doesn't want you - which means that God hasn't called you.

Scar in the Heart

David hasn't always been in the Church. He was raised on a farm in Ohio that belongs to his father's family. His parents were divorced when he was 11 years old. A year later his alcoholic father died at the early age of 36. "All I remember about my father," David says with a sort of bitter smile, "is that he was drunk and always messing up the house and arguing with my mom. He was always arguing with her. I was really young then so I really didn't even get to know him. I almost can't remember how he looks."

It was a drastic change - his parents divorced, the move from the farm to the city, a new school and then his father's death that deeply affected him.

Soon, with all of his being, David began to search for a way to help him with his hurt. That's when someone mentioned to him how you feel "high" when you do drugs. So he began to really look for drugs. He tried to find out who used them and where they hung out. Shortly after trying pills, pot and hash, he began to buy them regularly.

"When I was 15 years old I stopped taking them by the mouth and started snorting them" - quickly adding ' "it's far more potent that way and it affects you more quickly...money to buy drugs with wasn't a problem for me. It wasn't hard to get. The man my mom had remarried wasn't rich, but he definitely wasn't poor. The allowances I got I used to buy drugs with instead of clothes or other things. My sister and I kept it secret that we were getting high and so our parents kept giving us good allowances."

It seems like David will never forget a Jethro Tull rock concert that he attended. "I had snorted some drugs, smoked a lot of pot and hash and was drinking beer until I was really high." He remembers, "I felt really strange. All I remember is being sat down by some friends and the chair began to fall backwards...3 days later I woke up in the intensive care unit of the hospital with a heart monitor attached to me. I was in serious condition and it had been getting worse but the doctors worked hard to save me." "Later there was a special agreement between me and my parents," David grins. "I was promised that if I quit taking drugs they'd allow me to let my hair grow long. I promised and I didn't keep it. My hair grew down to my waist."

Wanderings and its Moral

A different stage began in David's life: wandering through different churches. He was in and out of many churches during his search for the true morals and values. He considered the members of traditional Christianity as hypocrites. Those churches had failed to fulfill him.

After failing to find what he was searching for, David came in contact with Hinduism - the Hare Krishnas. He was attracted by its exotic appeal, the incense and vegetarian members of that cult. During a special Krishna festival in Philadelphia, he met a famous leader in their movement who wanted him to become his personal aide and travel all over. David decided not to join because he didn't want to be separated from his family. "I believed in Hare Krishna," David says assured, "I loved the religion because it was physically and spiritually attractive and I was devoted to it. I engaged in their ceremonies, singing and dancing, chanting their mantras and going into a group trance. But even though I knew their religion didn't accept drugs, I still used them, though they were unaware of it. I was around 17 when I began to shoot up drugs."

After awhile David began to seriously question his involvement with the Krishnas. He feared he had been wrong, had been misled in going to the guru. His amount and use of drugs began to dramatically increase, going to the bars every night of the week, getting high and drunk, began to take its toll on his body. By then it seems he had lost any spiritual strength he had.

"God Help Me"

"I really began to think about God," he says. "Suddenly I began to think about him seriously and wondered if I had been deceived or enlightened in Krishna. I begged God to lead me into all the truth. I had prayed about it many times and then one of the greatest miracles in my life happened" - he explains while getting down on his knees to show how he had been praying. "All I remember is that I was purposely praying to the God of the Bible and really hoped that somehow He would answer my prayer. Then it was like a hot brand was put upon my forehead. Two words were forcibly impressed upon my mind: "FORSAKE HINDUISM!" Then I actually wondered whether it was my subconscious that gave me those words. I turned to my Bible that was beside me and, unintentionally, opened it up to Psalms 115:4-8 - David's holding his Bible and reading it out loud: "Their idols are silver and gold; the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not; They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like them; so is every one that trusts in them." "After that I didn't need any further proof to know that it had truly been from God. That same day I burned all my Hindu books, beads, posters...".

"Dirty needles"

The drugs caused David's condition to continually deteriorate. Everyone told him that he was destroying himself. He knew himself that he was going to die, but he wasn't able to help himself.

"All that horrible time" - David says with a shaky voice - "I really wanted to be free. I didn't want to be addicted to drugs. But I also felt that there wasn't anything in this world worth living for. I didn't have any power but I still tried to get off drugs. I ended up throwing away my needles, hoping to stop, but later I'd turn around and go back and take them out and use them." Even though his needles had been in the garbage, dirty and broken, he said he still used them up to a dozen times, even though you're only supposed to use them once! "I was taking the needles in my frustration and would bash them against the wall so that I couldn't use them, but later I'd attempt to until it hurt me and I was bleeding. That's when I realized that I was addicted." David says, thinking out loud: "All I knew was that only GOD could help me, not man!"

David experienced "almost sure death" another time, besides the rock concert, when he was 18, and was in his bedroom mainlining some drugs. His mother was home at the time but was unaware of what was happening to her son. "Suddenly everything seemed strange to me" - David says trying to remember - "the music started sounding really weird...Later I woke up in the hospital and a doctor informed me that I had damaged my liver and that it was a miracle that I still had a brain and could think clearly."

Goodbye and Good Riddance

"Those were my times of wandering in the wilderness. God delivered me and took me out of Egypt into His light" - David says reflecting on his past. "The inner struggle between good and evil wearied me after awhile. I had been asking God what I was supposed to do. I asked for power because I didn't have any strength and none of the churches I encountered had the power necessary to deliver me from drugs. At the time I opened up my Bible unintentionally to Isaiah 45. The first verse that caught my eye was verse 2: "I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron...". That verse succeeded to do for David what he, of himself, had been unable to do for years.

"No more drugs!" David said and that is how he finally managed to be free from drugs. "Now I felt ready to begin to listen to God. Sometimes you have to first live in darkness before you can appreciate the light. I knew I wanted to live God's ways of life so I said good-riddance to drugs and to my old friends and bad influences - to all of that I said goodbye and good riddance!"

"Drugs are a Lie"

Shortly afterwards, David discovered the Worldwide Church of God through their Plain Truth magazine. The ideas in it seemed so logical to him and not like all the others he had known.

Soon David was one of its excited believers. After a whole year of observing Sabbath and all the holy days of Israel, he was baptized as a brother into the Church.

One of the Worldwide Church of God beliefs is that there will be a politico-military mess that will take place by next year. In their opinion, Germany, and maybe even Italy, will attempt to conquer the world. That attempt will ignite a world war that will take two thirds of the world's population, but that afterwards there will begin a true peace for planet Earth. The members of the Worldwide Church of God will be among those that survive and they believe that eventually their beliefs will be accepted by all the Earth.

The doctrines of the Church are all biblically based. Besides the above-mentioned prophecy there is another one that states the world leaders will sit in Jerusalem and that Israel will become a "Light to all nations." The whole world will have one government.

David is writing a book, from his biblical research, about the two prophets who will prepare the way for the days to come. David is also contemplating about writing an autobiography. He already knows what he would call it - Wanderings! He's convinced that he has a lot of experience to give to others, and he's very interested in warning those who might consider abusing drugs. "Drugs are a lie" - he says - "and it would be a lot better if people would learn form the experience of others. Today I'm alive, very alive - and I feel I have a lot to live for!"


David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Herbert W. Armstrong, Beyond Babylon & The Press Newspapers

East Toledoan calls his book, Beyond Babylon, God’s final warning

Is David Ben-Ariel sounding the trumpet for God or is he merely a confused Christian?

Either way, he’s a dangerous man in dangerous times, a man who Israel deported in 1996.

Ben-Ariel believes Israel should forcefully take back The Temple Mount from Muslim control. He believes Germany and The Vatican are under Satan’s influence and are conspiring to restore the Holy Roman Empire and destroy the United States and Great Britain. He believes that after Germany imposes its will on the European Union, it will attack the United States with nuclear weapons. Three and half years later, Jesus Christ will come to deliver us from the Satanic beast and He will establish His heaven on Earth.

Fact or fiction?

Prophecy, claims Ben-Ariel, who says he is “just one more trumpet sounding the alarm.” Others include Rev. Gerald Flurry of the Philadelphia Church of God. These men believe Americans and Brits are descendents of the Lost Tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people.

Now living in East Toledo, Ben-Ariel sends his views to the world via two web sites and numerous internet forums. Google his name and you’ll get 4,860 references. David’s been a very busy man. And now he’s written a book called Beyond Babylon: Europe’s Rise and Fall. He calls the book, “God’s final warning before the German blitzkrieg begins.”

Ben-Ariel’s views first landed him in trouble with Israeli authorities in 1996. He says he was arrested in a suspected plot to blow up the Al Aqsa Mosque built on The Temple Mount, the site of the Holy Temple where Jesus Christ taught. Ben-Ariel spent three weeks in an Israeli jail and was released without being charged. He was deported and banned from applying for a Visa until this year.

Ben-Ariel says he was arrested because he was protesting the occupation of the Temple Mount and his beliefs were contrary to the softer position of Israel’s Left. He claims he was misunderstood by authorities and caught up in a “witch hunt” after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.

“I wanted it (the mosque) removed but I’ve always said that’s a government’s responsibility. I’m against abortion too and I want the government to remove all those clinics but it doesn’t mean that I’m inciting, that I’m calling for anyone to go out and blow them up. There’s a big difference. But, in Israel, they didn’t see that difference,” he said.

Ben-Ariel hopes to obtain a Visa this year and move to Israel. He has visited there 11 times since 1980 living at more than 8 different kibbutzim.

So, how does the son from a Baptist/Methodist family adopt such radical beliefs?

David, like many Americans who find their spiritual lives unfulfilled in traditional religion, went searching for something more satisfying. He found his ring of truth in the Worldwide Church of God and the teachings of Herbert Armstrong. Today, he is a member of the Temple Mount Faithful and his mission is to urge the Israeli government to take the site from Muslim control. “I am calling upon the Israeli people to repent and as part of their national repentance to cleanse The Temple Mount of its foreign filth, those foreign mosques that occupy Judean’s most holy site.”

The Palestinians should go too. “Israel should cleanse the land of this filth and their polluted mind set and remove the threat by expelling them. It’s logical. America would never tolerate a particular people saying, `We are going to take your capitol and make it ours.’”

You can see why, in the tinderbox that is the Middle East, Israel officials prefer not to have the incendiary David Ben-Ariel in their country. When the beliefs of a militant Christian meet head on with the beliefs of a militant Muslim, can there be any hope for peace?

In Beyond Babylon, Ben-Ariel presents his interpretation of The Bible and how he arrives at his conclusion that a Vatican-Nazi alliance will lead to our destruction, a destruction that we are hastening because of our idolatry and immorality.

When this Armageddon will occur is not certain, Ben-Ariel writes. However, it will come soon. And, I suppose, the recent earthquakes, melting polar ice caps, Asian tsunami and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan provide fertile ground for those who believe in conspiracy theories. And, if you think these people aren’t out there just surf the internet and you decide if Ben-Ariel is blowing a trumpet or a kazoo.

You can read about Ben-Ariel at www.pushhamburger.com. You can order the book at www.publishamerica.com. You may comment at zoz@presspublications.com.

Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres & the Kempler Video

Shimon Peres Charged with the Murder of Yitzhak Rabin?
By David Ben-Ariel

The Justice for Rabin Coalition charges the Israeli authorities with a massive cover-up of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.

[READ FULL ARTICLE]



The Yitzhak Rabin Murder Video (the Kempler Video)
By David Ben-Ariel

Pressure is on for Israel to reopen the Rabin file. This article will help you understand what will soon make world news.


[READ FULL ARTICLE]

Kempler video of Yitzhak Rabin assassination

Shimon Peres charged with the murder of Yitzhak Rabin!

Shimon Peres charged with the murder of Yitzhak Rabin
by the Justice for Rabin Coalition

April 27, 2006/ 30 Nisan 5766
B.H.


We, the undersigned, leaders of major Jewish groups and organizations, hereby sorrowfully acknowledge our lack of leadership in pursuit of justice for slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

We deeply regret standing idly by the blood of our brother Yitzhak Rabin, especially after the initial shock of his assassination wore off and gaping holes were exposed in the corrupt conclusions of the Shamgar Commission that we refused to believe. However, we are now convinced the Shamgar Commission represents nothing more than the official Israeli government cover-up of the Yitzhak Rabin assassination, orchestrated by the Israeli oligarchy outed by Forbes Israel, who were just following their Euro-Nazi orders, specifically Shimon Peres, as part of their plan to sell out Israel to foreign interests.

We grieve that Mrs. Leah Rabin did not live to hear and witness us echo her call to REOPEN THE RABIN FILE. Her plea fell on deaf ears. We will make sure that our demands cannot be ignored or neglected. We sincerely apologize to the family of Yitzhak Rabin and to the nation of Israel, the Jewish homeland, but trust we can go forward with zeal and determination to right these wrongs, reassured by the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Zion shall be redeemed with justice.”

In that holy spirit, and in the spirit of Elijah the advocate for Naboth against Ahab and Jezebel,

1) We demand the Israeli government to REOPEN THE RABIN FILE to an independent, international commission as proposed by the highly respectable, Jerusalem-based Root and Branch Association. There are more than enough valid reasons for this, including "new evidence" and recent comments by Atty. Penina Guy, the prosecutor in Yigal Amir's trial in early 1996, who questioned why Amir wasn't killed immediately after he began shooting: “It's still a mystery to me how he managed to shoot three bullets and at the same time even approach Rabin, and, according to the ballistic evidence, actually touch Rabin's jacket for the third bullet..." which the Kempler video of Yitzhak Rabin assassination proves impossible and Yigal Amir denies.

2) We call upon the Israeli and world media (such as Dateline, 20/20, Nightline) to BROADCAST THE KEMPLER VIDEO and focus on this reopened cold case of Rabin's murder (that refuses to rest until justice is served), in what Israeli political analyst Joel Bainerman predicts will become “the biggest scandal in Israeli history, “and dare to ask the hard questions and address the legitimate concerns that beg their attention (that has too long been denied), including from such “friends” of Yitzhak Rabin as Presidents Clinton and Bush, as well as give long overdue credit to Israeli author Barry Chamish for leading the way in this investigation.

3) ARREST SHIMON PERES FOR THE MURDER OF YITZHAK RABIN.
As WorldNetDaily reported, five thoroughly researched books charge the General Security Services of Israel (Shabak) organized Rabin's murder and three of the books contend that Shimon Peres was the mastermind of the assassination.

"All in all," notes Bainerman, "the case against Peres is circumstantial, but the weight of the evidence is impressive enough to start legal proceedings against him."

Let justice be served and the truth be known that Israel may be free to survive and thrive.

For Zion's Sake,

The Justice for Rabin Coalition

Malcolm Hoenlein,
Executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of major American Jewish Organizations

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi,
Founder & President, The Israel Project

Morton A. Klein,
National President, Zionist Organization of America

Paul S. Miller,
President, American Jewish Congress

Abraham H. Foxman,
National Director & chairman of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith

Ofer Gutman,
North American Representative of World Zionist Organization

Josh Block
AIPAC Director of Media Affairs

E. Robert Goodkind,
President, The American Jewish Committee

****************************

An Important Notice:

I'm grieved to report that The Justice for Rabin Coalition, including the sample press release above - "Shimon Peres charged with the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" - unfortunately is not yet a reality, but clearly represents what self-respecting Jewish leaders and organizations would do if they truly loved their fellow Jews and Eretz Yisrael a fraction of what they profess to.

May this "press release" serve as an opportunity for serious soul-searching, for teshuva, or as an indictment against those who fail to act and will be held responsible for the blood of klal Yisrael before the Throne of Heaven. Life and death are set before you. May G-d bless us all to CHOOSE LIFE.


David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Amazon reviews by David Ben-Ariel

Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, April 27, 2006
Reviewer: David Ben-Ariel - See all my reviews
For the record, I am David Ben-Ariel and am glad to see that the politico-religious subjects addressed within Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall have so "moved" someone to vainly impersonate me and write reviews, including of my own book! How sad.

I have written a few favorable reviews concerning the excellent books by Israeli author Barry Chamish and American author Ryan Mauro, but anybody can clearly see the difference in style, attitude and content between the few I've written and the "others" by a confused person who fears THE TRUTH IS GETTING OUT.

I've reported these desperate infractions to Amazon and trust they shall see to it, but felt it appropriate to mention these facts meanwhile for the general public's sake.

Reasonable folks will acknowledge what I've written is the plain truth and the others will only get frustrated when they fail to subvert (and actually further) what is destined to grow and become a national debate and an international controversy.

Born Again: The Kingdom of God!

Is God reproducing Himself? What is Christian conversion all about? What does it mean to be born again? Has traditional Christianity "toned down" our incredible human potential?

Born Again: The Kingdom of God!

The Economist assaults Jerusalem

The last conquest of Jerusalem by the Economist magazine predicts "Israel's plans for Jerusalem will create a large Jewish city but will have harsh consequences for the Palestinians...."

Doesn't the Economist know that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel? Doesn't the Economist know that Israel is the Jewish homeland? Doesn't it stand to reason, then, that the capital of the Jewish homeland should be a large Jewish city? And is the Economist so uninformed they didn't realize that the resident Arabs' standard of living has been raised with the restoration of Jewish rule over the Jews' ancient capital Jerusalem, as well as throughout the Holy Land?

Any "harsh consequences for the Palestinians" are of their own making. It is unbelievable but true that the Israelis didn't evict their sworn enemies from Jerusalem when they liberated Judaism's holiest city during the Six Day War in 1967.

A related Economist article about Jerusalem's holy places - "the heart of holy war" - refers to the "Old City and its holy sites, the stumbling-block of countless peace negotiations, will be put finally out of bounds to all but the couple of hundred thousand Palestinians living in Jerusalem, and the lucky few others who can get visiting permits. Moreover, the wall is just one part of a gradual and complex process of Israeli takeover."

Interesting, and most ironic, that the Economist should use such biblical language to describe Jerusalem as a "stumbling block," when they're falling for the big lie of the "Palestinians" and promoting their divisive agenda to tear the heart of Jerusalem in two, that plays right into the hands of the German-Jesuit EU that has its evil eye upon the Temple Mount.

Zechariah 12:2-3

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it."

Has The Economist foolishly joined with the dark forces drunk on the delusion that Jerusalem should become "an international city," stripped of Israeli sovereignty, aiding and abetting those who plot a gradual and deceitful process of foreign takeover?

Is the Economist so ignorant of both the Bible and history that they fail to recognize Jerusalem and Israel were already taken over by squatters; that those with illegitimate claims to the Promised Land of Israel (not Ishmael) have coveted the Jewish homeland with an insane jealousy, and that the Jews have only just begun the liberation of the Holy Land? (Notwithstanding the valley of the shadow of death Israel has descended into, misled by treacherous leaders who have sold out to foreign interests, paving the way for EU occupation before the process of redemption is fulfilled).

Israel is to be blamed for not immediately expelling their sworn enemies who forfeited any rights they might have had to remain in the land when they engaged in wars of genocide against the Jews. As a harsh consequence of such sinful inaction, such woeful neglect and dereliction of politico-religious duty, every major Arab group and organization within Israel brazenly continues to call for the destruction of Israel; they remain a constant source of friction (Numbers 33:55-56), the prophesied pricks in Israel's side and represent thorny issues that won't simply go away -- but must, with decisive Jewish leadership, be sent away, as former Israeli Parliament Member and rabbi, Meir Kahane, with great foresight and wisdom called for, saying: "They must go!"

Israel, as a result of an ever growing debt of national sin (Dan. 9:11), suffers the curse of wicked leaders like Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres and now Ehud Olmert with the corrupt Kadima, kapos of compromise, who would rather evict Jews from their homes than drive out Nazi-Muslims! Israel's surrendered "land for peace" and yet the Israelis find themselves with a lot less land and not an inch closer to peace, and they still follow the failed formula, insanely expecting different results, trusting the leopard will somehow change its spots.


The last conquest of Jerusalem is near. Watch for the Vatican and its useful idiots, its puppet politicians and unholy religious leaders, become an international chorus of discontent, demanding the enforcement of UN Resolution 181 as the final solution for Jerusalem.

All of this was foretold. Jerusalem will suffer a brutal betrayal and foreign occupation that carves up the heart of Israel and pollutes the Temple Mount.

Zechariah 14:1-4

1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.

Psalm 118:26

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

The good news is that the prophesied Gentile occupation of Jerusalem will only last for 3 1/2 years before help from on High, the Son of Man, is sent to liberate Jerusalem from its last conquest, shaking up the New World Order and leaving it in rubble, establishing in its place the legitimate Kingdom of God-Beings.

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region.

Herbert W. Armstrong met Yitzhak Rabin

Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
by David Ben-Ariel


I met Yitzhak Rabin in the Israeli Parliament in 1982 during Hanukkah. I was able to talk with him briefly and mention I was associated with Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.

That was a tactful way of saying I'm a Christian since I knew he personally knew Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God, including the Plain Truth magazine. Mr. Armstrong had presented him with a gift of Steuben crystal before.

I was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan at the time, in Northern Israel near Haifa. Just so happens Rabin had lived there for over a year in the late '50s.

I initially considered Rabin - born in Jerusalem - a traitor for surrendering too much to sworn Arab enemies who had not changed their goal of genocide, only their tactics; for going against clear security concerns he once expressed. (I was in a cafe in Jerusalem when he was shot in Tel Aviv). I refused to attend his funeral, although I had attended Rabbi Meir Kahane's some years before.

Later I found out Rabin was apparently being pressured by the dark powers that be to continue to go against what he knew was wrong and that he resisted and was therefore MURDERED by them for coming to his senses.

I do not believe Yigal Amir murdered Rabin. ( I've met Avishai Raviv several times at demonstrations - he's the government agent provacateur who goaded Raviv to murder Rabin). Amir is a patsy, the fall-guy, as is thoroughly expounded upon in Who Killed Yitzhak Rabin by Barry Chamish, his first book that broached the subject and clearly indicts the traitor and murderer Shimon Peres (whose Hebrew name appropriately means vulture).

I repeatedly condemn Shimon Peres as a kapo of compromise, a prostitute who serves his German-Jesuit EU masters, a traitor who has sold and is selling out Jews, Jerusalem and Israel and say as much in my book Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall I am on public record against his perfidy and continue to expose him. He was the Bolshevik in charge during my unjust deportation, who was very much aware of an article published in Jerusalem where I mention the EU plans for Jerusalem's occupation.

The Israeli Secret Police (six men interrogated me) had a computer disk with Beyond Babylon on it and said many would read it/examine it during their investigation of me during their wild goose chase. I told them to make sure Peres read it.

New evidence further PROVES Yigal Amir did not kill Yitzhak Rabin. It's past time Israelis demand: REOPEN THE RABIN FILE.

The Kempler Video Blog

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Raising the Standard for the Nations

Helping to restore the Faith once delivered:

Isaiah 62:10
Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!

Exposing the plain truth about the Babylonian Mystery religion of traditional Christianity:

Jeremiah 50:2
“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it— Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces.’


"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people's minds." — Samuel Adams

Resurrection Sunday a MYTH!

The Resurrection was not on Sunday!

IT is commonly supposed, today, Jesus was crucified on FRIDAY, and that the resurrection occurred about sunrise on Easter Sunday morning.

It would seem that no one, until recently, ever thought to question or to PROVE this "Good-Friday-Easter" tradition. Yet the Bible tells us to PROVE all things. And you will be literally astounded by this proof.

For PROOF there is but one dependable authority; a sole historical record — the Bible.

Tradition No Evidence

There were no eyewitnesses to the resurrection. Even so-called "apostolic fathers" had no source of information save that record which is today available to us. Tradition, then, must be dismissed.

What are the recorded facts? The doubting Pharisees were asking Jesus for a SIGN — supernatural evidence — in proof of His Messiahship.

Jesus answered: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:39-40).

Now consider, please, the tremendous import — the overwhelming significance — of Jesus' statement!

He expressly declared that the ONLY SIGN He would give to prove He was the Messiah, was that He should be just THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the rock-hewn sepulchre in "the heart of the earth."

The Significance of the Sign

These Christ-rejecting Pharisees demanded PROOF. Jesus offered but one evidence. That evidence was not the fact of the resurrection itself — it was the LENGTH OF TIME He would repose in His grave, before being resurrected.

Think what this means! Jesus staked His claim to being your Saviour and mine, upon remaining exactly THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the tomb. IF He remained just three days and three nights inside the earth, He would PROVE Himself the Saviour — if He failed in this sign, He must be rejected as an imposter!

No wonder Satan has caused unbelievers to scoff at the story of Jonah and the "whale"! No wonder the Devil has set up a tradition that DENIES Jesus is the Messiah!

The Dilemma of the Higher Critics

This one and only supernatural PROOF ever given by Jesus for His Messiahship, has greatly bothered the commentators and the higher critics. Their attempts to explain away this sole proof for Christ's divinity are ludicrous in the extreme. For explain this away they must, or their "Good-Friday-Easter" tradition collapses!

One commentator says, "Of course we know that Jesus was actually in the tomb only half as long as He thought He would be!" Some expositors impose upon our credulity to the extent of asking us to believe that "in the GREEK language, in which the New Testament was written, the expression 'three days and three nights' means three PERIODS, either of day or of night!"

Jesus, they say, was placed in the tomb shortly before sunset FRIDAY, and rose at sunrise Sunday morning — two nights and one day.

The BIBLE Definition

But the BIBLE definition of the duration of "nights and days" is simple.

Even these same higher critics admit that in the HEBREW language, in which the book of Jonah was written, the expression "three days and three nights" means a period of 72 hours — three twelve-hour days and three twelve-hour nights.

Notice Jonah 1:17: "And Jonah was in the belly of the fish THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS"! This, they admit, was a period of 72 hours. And Jesus distinctly said that AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish's belly, SO He would be the same length of time in His grave!

As Jonah was in the "GRAVE" (see marginal references, Jonah 2:2) 72 hours, after which he was supernaturally resurrected by God, by being vomited up, to become a saviour to the people of Nineveh upon proclaiming the warning to them, so should Jesus be 72 hours in His grave, thereupon being resurrected by God to become the saviour of the world!

Did Jesus know how much time was in a "day" and in a "night"? Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day . . . but if a man walk in the NIGHT, he stumbleth." (John 11:9-10).

Notice the BIBLE DEFINITION of the expression, "THE THIRD DAY." Text after text tells us that Jesus rose THE THIRD DAY. See how the BIBLE defines the time required to fulfill "THE THIRD DAY."

In Genesis 1:4 God "divided the LIGHT from the DARKNESS. And God called the LIGHT Day, and the DARKNESS He called Night. And the evening (darkness) and the morning (light) were the FIRST DAY . . . and the evening (darkness) and the morning (light) were THE SECOND DAY, . . . and the evening (now three periods of darkness called NIGHT — three nights) and the morning (now three periods of light called DAY — three days) were THE THIRD DAY." (Gen. 1:4-13).

Here we have the ONLY BIBLE DEFINITION which explains and COUNTS UP the amount of time involved in the expression "THE THIRD DAY." It includes three dark periods called NIGHT, and three light periods called DAY — three days and three nights, and Jesus said they contained TWELVE HOURS for each period — a total of 72 hours!

That ought to be conclusive! Any seven-year old, near the end of the second grade, could figure it easily. We praise God that His plain truths are revealed UNTO BABES, and hidden from the wise and prudent!

What Is Wrong?

What is wrong with these plain, simple words of Jesus? How do these wise and prudent theologians KNOW Jesus was crucified "Good Friday" and rose "Easter Sunday"?

The simple answer is, THEY DO NOT KNOW IT — for IT IS NOT TRUE! It is merely TRADITION — a tradition we have been taught from childhood, and carelessly ASSUMED! Jesus warns against making "the Word of God of none effect through your TRADITION." (Mark 7:13).

We have examined two scriptural witnesses, in Matthew and in Jonah, both setting the duration of the time the body of Jesus in the tomb as three days and three nights, which the Scriptures plainly define as 72 hours of time. Now let us examine four other Scriptural witnesses that PROVE THE SAME THING.

Notice Mark 8:31. "And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and AFTER three days rise again."

Our young second grader can figure this. IF Jesus had been killed on Friday, and then AFTER one day He had risen, the resurrection would have occurred on Saturday evening. IF AFTER TWO DAYS, it would have occurred Sunday evening, and if AFTER THREE DAYS, it would have occurred MONDAY EVENING!

Examine this text carefully. You cannot, by any process of arithmetic, figure any less than a full 72 hours — three days and three nights — in a resurrection which occurred three days AFTER the crucifixion! If Jesus was in the grave only from Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, then this text too, must be torn out of your Bible or else you must reject Jesus Christ as your Saviour! If He rose AFTER THREE DAYS, it might have been more than 72 hours, but it could not have been a second less!

Notice now Mark 9:31. ". . . they shall kill Him; and AFTER that He is killed, He shall rise THE THIRD DAY." The duration expressed here must be between 48 and 72 hours. It could not be one second PAST 72 hours, and Jesus still rise THE THIRD DAY. And it could not be Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, because that is only 36 hours, carrying us into the middle of the second day, AFTER He was killed.

In Matthew 27:63 Jesus is quoted as saying, "AFTER THREE DAYS I will rise again." This cannot possibly be figured as less than 72 full hours.

And in John 2:18-22, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and IN three days I will raise it up . . . but HE spake of the temple of His body." To be raised up IN three days after being destroyed, or crucified and buried, could not be more than 72 hours.

If we are to accept all the testimony of THE BIBLE, we must conclude that Jesus was exactly three days and three nights — three full 24-hour days — 72 hours in the grave, or the only supernatural proof He gave must fail.

The TIME OF DAY of Resurrection

Now notice carefully this fact: In order to be three days and three nights — 72 hours — in the tomb, our Lord had to be resurrected at exactly THE SAME TIME OF DAY that His body was buried in the tomb!

Let us realize that very vital fact.

If we can find the TIME OF DAY of the burial, then we have found the TIME OF DAY of the resurrection! If the burial, for instance, was at sunrise, then in order to be left an even three days and three nights in the tomb, the resurrection likewise had to occur at sunrise, three days later. If the burial was at noon, the resurrection was at noon. If the burial was at sunset, the resurrection was at sunset, three days later.

Jesus cried on the cross soon after "the ninth hour," or three o'clock in the afternoon. (Matt. 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46).

The crucifixion day was called "the preparation," or day before "the Sabbath." (Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14). This day ended at sunset, according to Bible reckoning (Lev. 23:32).

Yet Jesus was buried before this same day ended — before sunset. (Matt. 27:57; Luke 23:52-54). John 19:42, John adds, "There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day." According to the laws observed by the Jews, all dead bodies must be buried before the beginning of a Sabbath or feast day. Hence Jesus was buried BEFORE SUNSET on the same day He died. He died shortly after 3 p.m.

Therefore — notice carefully — the BURIAL OF CHRIST'S BODY WAS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON! It was between 3 p.m. and sunset as these Scriptures prove.

And since the RESURRECTION had to occur at the SAME TIME OF DAY, three days later, THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST OCCURRED, not at sunrise, but IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, near sunset! Startling as this fact may be, it is the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH!

If Jesus rose at any other time of day, He could not have been three days and three nights in His grave. If He rose at any other time of day, He failed to prove, by the only sign He gave, that He was the true Messiah, the Son of the living Creator! Either He rose near the END of a day near sunset, or else He is not the Christ! He staked His claim on that one and only sign!

So a time-honored tradition must be shattered! Let us praise God for His TRUTH which has been preserved through the dark ages, so that the true light may now shine forth, if our hearts and minds are still willing to receive it! Praise His name! Do you LOVE the TRUTH as it is revealed, or despise it and love the traditions you have heard? "Whosoever despiseth the Word shall be destroyed!" Let us say with David, "How precious also are THY thoughts unto me, O God!"

What Day Was the Resurrection?

Now which DAY OF THE WEEK was the resurrection day?

The first investigators, Mary Magdalene and her companions, came to the sepulchre on the first day of the week (Sunday) very early, while it was yet dark, as the sun was beginning to rise, at dawn. (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).

Now here are the texts most people have SUPPOSED stated the resurrection was at sunrise Sunday morning. But they do not say that!

When the women arrived, the tomb was already OPEN! At that time Sunday morning, while it was yet dark — JESUS WAS NOT THERE! Notice how the angel says "HE IS NOT HERE, BUT IS RISEN!" See Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6; John 20:2; Matt. 28:5-6.

Jesus was ALREADY RISEN at sunrise Sunday morning! Of course He was. He rose from the grave IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, near SUNSET!

And since we know the resurrection was just shortly prior to that Sunday morning, and that it occurred in the late afternoon of the day, we now may know THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST OCCURRED LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

The Sabbath day ended at sunset. The resurrection was late on that day, before the beginning of the first day of the week. It was not, then, a Sunday resurrection at all — it was a Sabbath resurrection!

Did Christ Fulfill His Sign?

Now all this is based on the supposition that Jesus did fulfill His only SIGN of being three days and three nights in the grave. All our evidence is based on the claims of Jesus BEFORE His crucifixion. But some of the higher critics and doctors of divinity tell us that Jesus made a mistake — that He was only in the tomb HALF AS LONG as He expected to be. Let us have PROOF as to whether He did spend the exact amount of time in the grave He said He would.

Notice that in Matt. 28:6, THE ANGEL OF THE LORD gives this testimony, which we now present as EVIDENCE! "He is not here: for He is risen, AS HE SAID." And He certainly did not rise AS HE SAID, unless He rose at the precise TIME that He had said! So we have the proof of the ANGEL OF THE LORD, recorded in the sacred WORD OF GOD that Jesus did fulfill His sign — He was three days and three nights in the earth — He did rise Sabbath afternoon, and not Sunday morning!

Another proof that Christ was in the grave the full length of time He expected to be, is found in I Cor. 15:3-4, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES."

His death and burial were ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES — NOT CONTRARY TO THEM.

The THIRD DAY following His Wednesday burial was the Sabbath; THREE FULL DAYS spent in the grave ended Saturday afternoon just prior to sunset, not Sunday morning.

Which Day Was the Crucifixion?

It is not difficult now to determine the day on which Jesus was crucified. Counting back three days from the Sabbath when He rose, we come to Wednesday, the fourth or very middle day of the week.

Jesus was crucified on WEDNESDAY, the middle day of the week, He died on the cross shortly after 3 p.m., that afternoon, was buried before sunset Wednesday evening. Now COUNT the THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS. His body was in the grave Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday NIGHTS — THREE NIGHTS. It also was there through the daylight part of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — THREE DAYS. He rose Saturday — the Sabbath — late afternoon, shortly before sunset, at the same TIME OF DAY that He was buried! And Sunday morning at sunrise He was NOT THERE — HE WAS ALREADY RISEN!

It is significant that in Daniel's prophecy of the "Seventy weeks" (Dan. 9:24-27), Jesus was to be cut off "in the midst of the week." While this prophecy has the application of a day for a year, so that this 70th week became a literal seven years, Christ being "cut off" after three and a half years' ministry, as He was, yet it is significant that He was also "cut off" ON THE MIDDLE DAY OF A LITERAL WEEK!

WHAT Sabbath Followed the Crucifixion?

Now we come to an objection some may raise, yet the very point which PROVES this truth! Perhaps you have noticed that the Scriptures say the day AFTER the crucifixion was a SABBATH! Hence, for centuries, people have blindly assumed the crucifixion was on Friday!

Now we have shown by all four Gospels that the crucifixion day — Wednesday — was called "the preparation." The preparation day for THE SABBATH. But for WHAT Sabbath?

John's Gospel gives the definite answer: "It was the preparation OF the PASSOVER. . . . (For that Sabbath day was an HIGH DAY)." (John 19:14, 31).

Just what is a "HIGH DAY"? Ask any Jew! He will tell you it is one of the annual holydays, or feast days. The Israelites observed seven of these every year — every one called SABBATHS! Annual Sabbaths fall on certain annual calendar dates, and on different days of the week in different years, just like the Roman holidays now observed. These Sabbaths might fall on Monday, on Thursday, or on Sunday.

If you will notice the following texts, you will see these annual holydays were all called Sabbath days: Lev. 23:24; Lev. 16:31; Lev. 23:39; Lev 23:26-32.

Notice Matthew 26:2: "Ye know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." And if you will follow through this chapter you will see that Jesus was crucified ON THE PASSOVER!

And what was THE PASSOVER? It was the ancient day of Israel commemorating their deliverance from Egypt, and picturing to them the crucifixion of Christ and their deliverance from sin. In the twelfth chapter of Exodus you will find the story of the original Passover. The children of Israel killed the lambs, and struck the blood over the door posts and on the side posts of their houses, and wherever the blood had thus been applied the Lord PASSED OVER that house, sparing it from death. Following the Passover, was a holy convocation or annual Sabbath.

Observe the dates: "And in the fourteenth day of the first month is THE PASSOVER of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the FEAST." (Num. 28:16-17).

The Passover lamb, killed every year on the 14th of the first month called "Abib," was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Christ is OUR PASSOVER, sacrificed for us. (I Cor. 5:7).

JESUS WAS SLAIN ON THE VERY SAME DAY THE PASSOVER HAD BEEN SLAIN EVERY YEAR! He was crucified on the 14th of Abib, the first Hebrew month of the year! And this day, the PASSOVER, was the day before, and the preparation for, THE FEAST day, or annual highday Sabbath, which occurred on the 15th of Abib. THIS Sabbath might occur on ANY day of the week. Frequently it occurs, even today, and is observed by the Jews, on THURSDAY. The Jews observed this "highday" Sabbath on Thursday, 1952 and in 1955, 1959, and 1962.

And the Hebrew calendar shows that in the year Jesus was crucified, the 14th of Abib, Passover day, the day Jesus was crucified, was WEDNESDAY. And the annual Sabbath was THURSDAY. This was the Sabbath that drew on, as Joseph of Arimathea hastened to bury the body of Jesus late that Wednesday afternoon. THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE SABBATHS THAT WEEK!

Honest Objections Examined

Someone is sure to notice Mark 16:9, thinking this text says the resurrection was upon Sunday. But if you read the whole sentence, it does not say that at all. The expression "was risen" is in the perfect tense. What was Jesus' condition early the first day of the week? Does it say he "was rising" or that He "did rise" from the grave? No, early the first day of the week, at the time He appeared to Mary Magdalene, He WAS RISEN. Of course He was! He had risen the late afternoon before, so naturally He WAS RISEN Sunday morning. The text does not in any way refute the scores of other texts we have given.

Another passage that might confuse, is Luke 24:21: "and beside all this, today is the third day SINCE THESE THINGS WERE DONE." "These things" included all the events pertaining to the resurrection — the seizing of Jesus, delivering Him to be tried, the actual crucifixion, and, finally the setting of the seal and the watch over the tomb the following day, or Thursday. Study verses 18-20, telling of "these things" and also Matt. 27:62-66. "These things" were not completed until the watch was set, Thursday. And the text says Sunday was the third day SINCE THESE THINGS were done. These things were not done until Thursday, and Sunday truly was the third day since Thursday. But it was not the third day since FRIDAY, so this text could not prove a Friday crucifixion.

The Final Proof

There is yet one final clinching PROOF of this amazing truth.

A vital text proving that there were two Sabbaths in that week has been obscured by almost every translation into English. Only Ferrar Fenton's version has this point correct.

Turn to Matthew 28:1. In the common version it says, "In the end of the Sabbath," or more correctly, "after the Sabbath." Notice that both of these renderings use the singular — Sabbath. But in the original Greek the word is in the PLURAL. Fenton renders it correctly by saying, "After the SABBATHS," although the remaining part of the verse he has not translated quite correctly. In a footnote to this text, he says, "The Greek original is in the plural, 'Sabbaths'."

According to Mark 16:1, Mary Magdalene and her companions did not buy their spices to annoint the body of Jesus until AFTER THE SABBATH WAS PAST. They could not prepare them until AFTER this — yet after preparing the spices THEY RESTED THE SABBATH DAY ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT! (Luke 23:56).

Study these two texts carefully.

There is only one possible explanation: After the annual highday Sabbath, the Feast day of the days of unleavened bread — which was Thursday — these women purchased and prepared their spices on FRIDAY, and then they rested on the weekly Sabbath, Saturday, according to the Commandment! (Exodus 20:8-11).

A comparison of these two texts PROVES there were TWO Sabbaths that week, with a DAY IN BETWEEN. Otherwise, these texts contradict themselves.

The PLAIN TRUTH concerning the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ is fast sweeping the world. Thousands are coming to see it. This truth has been published in the Sunday School Times. The Oxford University Press, in their "Companion" Bible, publish a table proving this newly-revealed truth of the Bible.

We praise God that though the truths of His Word became trampled upon and LOST through the dark ages of superstition, apostasy, and counterfeit doctrines, that the ORIGINAL TRUTH has been carefully preserved in THE BIBLE ITSELF. We can STUDY to show ourselves approved unto God, and seek out and FIND these long-hidden truths IN THE BIBLE.

What a wonderful study it is! How precious is HIS WORD! All the Truth has not YET been brought to light. Let us press on, and seek and find more and more! Let us feed upon the pure WORD OF GOD! Let us not reject the true light, or God will certainly reject us! Let us rejoice in it, with praise and thanksgiving!

Dutch folk are Israelites!

The Dutch are descendants of the tribe of Zebulon

Baal's Playboy Bunny: Easter!

"In Old English, Easter, or Eostre, means 'Goddess of the Dawn,' and she was celebrated annually on the vernal equinox, according to Bede. The goddess' symbol was the rabbit or the hare, which many historians believe to be the origin of the modern-day Easter Bunny."

Easter was Baal's playboy bunny!

The Plain Truth About Easter

Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent

Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan & The United States and Britain in Prophecy

My sojourn at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, where I served as a kibbutz volunteer for five months in 1982-1983, blessed me with memories to cherish a lifetime. One of those experiences occurred immediately after our volunteers' trip to the Golan Heights. While we were there, near the former Syrian bunker overlooking the Sea of Galilee, I spotted an eagle in the sky with a snake in its talons and pointed it out for all to stand in awe and ooh and aaah! I love God's good creation.

While having breakfast with around 10 other people, all kibbutzniks except for one volunteer girl from France, in the kitchen of the matgeria - the chicken incubator where the eggs were stored, chicks hacked, then inoculated and sent to Europe (David, a Moroccan Jew, used to make the best shukshuka) - I used my very limited Hebrew to mention how the volunteers had just visited Ramot HaGolan (the Golan Heights). I was very happy to have seen part of the biblical inheritance of shevet Menashe ben Yosef (the Tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph), especially since the descendants of Menashe today are Americans. I said, "Yosef lo Yehudi." Joseph isn't Jewish!

Immediately there was quite a stir, a conversational commotion, and I asked the French girl who spoke Hebrew what was going on. She said everybody was debating whether or not Joseph was Jewish. They all started to say to me, "You need to talk to Professor Karniel, you need to talk to Professor Karniel." I said, "Who is Professor Karniel?" They informed me he was a professor at Haifa University who lived at Ramat Yohanan and that he knew his Bible. I said, "If he knows his Bible, then he'll know the difference between Joseph and Judah."

Just so happened Professor Tzvi Karniel's wife was there and she said she would talk to her husband and arrange a date to meet. We met and Professor Karniel was most gracious and said he understood the difference between Joseph and Judah, but was curious why I believed Joseph isn't Jewish. I explained why and gave him a copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy by Herbert W. Armstrong and The Plain Truth magazine. He said his class was now discussing the story of Joseph, and knowing how God can work, I wouldn't be surprised if he brought up what I said about the United States being the prophesied single GREAT NATION of Menashe (Gen. 48:19). He said I was welcome to return for further conversations.

I was also later invited for coffee and conversation to the kibbutz home of a widower who was present at the breakfast and appeared angrily adamant that Joseph was Jewish. God blessed our meeting as well.

Blessed be the God of Joseph and Judah! May the modern identity of our twelve tribes continue to be restored and the reconciliation process be fulfilled. I'm pleased to help in whatever way I can to let all know that, "I am Joseph your brother!"

The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy

Brit Am Israel

Origin of Nations

The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to Know!



David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Gentiles celebrate Passover too!

The Apostle Paul, following the example of Jesus Christ and all the other holy apostles, commands converted Jews, Israelites and Gentiles to commemorate the Passover and celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (since they were never "done away" as Satan lies, but magnified in their meaning):

"For even Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the FEAST...with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 7-8).

The Passover Memorial

The Plain Truth about Easter

Easter is an abomination

Remember the Passover

Could God's holy days, which portray His plan of salvation, exclude Jesus' sacrifice? How could Jesus' ultimate sacrifice be less than holy? Didn't God have the Israelites smear lamb's blood on their doors to avert death? Didn't that clearly represent Christ's offering for mankind? Yes!

The Passover lamb was to be kept from Nisan 10 until the 14th (Ex. 12:1-6). It was then to be killed on the 14th. It was to be killed in the evening. How do we know for sure which evening is being discussed? Because God the Father set us a PERFECT EXAMPLE!

When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.

After the lambs were killed they were prepared (which took some time) to be eaten, naturally, that evening - which began the 15th and the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. Nothing of the Passover lamb was to be left over until the morning (Ex. 12:8-10).

God decreed that only unleavened bread should be eaten with the Passover lamb, and that only unleavened bread should be found throughout our property for seven days: "neither shall there anything of the flesh, that you sacrificed the FIRST DAY AT EVEN, remain all night until the morning...you shall sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun..."(Deut. 16:1-7; Matt. 27:45-46).

Here God clearly shows that He considered the Passover sacrifice, done at "the going down of the sun." as the FIRST DAY of the SEVEN DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Mark 14:12). If we're to blindly follow popular Church tradition that kills the Passover lamb at the beginning of the 14th, rather than at the end of the 14th, then we end up with eight days of unleavened bread! Does it make sense that the lamb must be eaten with unleavened bread and then somehow afterwards for a whole day you can eat leaven again?! How preposterous! At least a child could figure this out. And that's what we all need to become again, like humble little children, hungry for God's truth, eager to please our Father and let His will be done, and commandments kept, rather than attempting to defend vain traditions (Mark 7:7).

God's Word shows that from the end of the 14th (the beginning of the 15th) until the 21st day of the first sacred month is seven days (Ex. 12:18).

The Passover lamb is killed at the end or afternoon (between the two evenings in Hebrew) of the 14th and eaten at the beginning of the 15th with unleavened bread: "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast...with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"(1 Cor. 7-8). Christ is our PASSOVER - not our "Lord's Supper." Jesus' last supper with His disciples offered Him the perfect opportunity to replace the traditional lamb with a bread and wine ceremony symbolic of His offered body and blood. (Even the rabbis decreed after the Temple's destruction that it was permissible to not eat a Passover lamb).

As we partake of these holy emblems, what are we remembering? Are we commemorating the night of Jesus' betrayal or are we commemorating Jesus' DEATH? We're to eat the BREAD in remembrance of Jesus' body that was sacrificed at the end of the 14th and we're to drink the WINE in remembrance of Jesus' shed blood on our behalf at the end of the 14th (1 Cor. 11:23-26). [And Jesus clearly associated His hour of trial and crucifixion with wine, not grape juice. See John 2:3-4].

We're to remember Jesus' sacrifice as our very personal Passover Lamb - the Lamb of God! Passover - with the bread and the wine substituted for the lamb - is the annual holy day, observed at meal time on the evening of the 15th, that commemorates Jesus' sacrifice.

The Passover is both a memorial and a feast (Ex. 12:14). The PASSOVER MEMORIAL is the FIRST of the seven days of unleavened bread (not eight), and the FIRST of God's seven holy days that portray His plan of salvation for all mankind.

It's important to note and get this straight with the first of God's festivals and new year: How would God's Church know when to celebrate God's holy days or even what they are if it weren't for the Jews? God has made the Jews His custodian and has committed His truths into their care, specifically the Pharisees (Matt. 23:2; Rom. 3:2-3; 9:4).

God's holy days are faithfully proclaimed from Moses' Seat each year "in their seasons" (Lev. 23:4) by His Jewish stewards who keep God's SACRED CALENDAR. How would we know which "season" is which, or which month is the "beginning of months," if God hadn't ordained the JEWS to preserve that knowledge for us? (Gen. 1:14; Ex. 12:2; Rom.3:2-3).

Thankfully, God's quite capable of ensuring that the Jews - despite themselves - will continue to fulfill this special calling (Num. 23:19; Rom.11:29). So everyone can put away their "calculators" (that only add up to confusion, everybody determining for themselves what's right and what's wrong). God's "business" has a full-time "Jewish accountant" who's solely responsible for the calendar.

Let's not attempt to interfere with God's business as He's chosen to run it. God - through His Jewish agent - has preserved the knowledge of His holy days and the correct dates to observe them for all who truly want to know and share in celebrating God's truth.

For additional vital information on the biblical festivals, I recommend the following free literature (although I disagree with them on the dates for Passover and Pentecost):

Pagan holidays or God's Holy Days - Which?

God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind

Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Two Witnesses Soon to Appear!

Two Witnesses to Testify in Jerusalem Against Europe!
Who will stand up to the Beast and False Prophet? Who will offer hope and comfort to Israel's captive audience?

The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
Will two witnesses, two prophets, literally face the nations from Jerusalem? What is their message? Why are they murdered? When are they resurrected?

Two Witnesses in Jerusalem
"The whole world will soon know about the two witnesses. They will not be welcome by this world." Will they be welcome by the Church of God?

The Two Witnesses

Synagogue of Satan Exposed!

Many "Christian Identity" groups (who taint the Israelite origins of the West) claim that most who refer to themselves today as Jews aren't really Jews but dangerous imposters.

Such misguided souls rely heavily upon two scriptures, taken out of context, to stoke their unwarranted hatred:

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." (Revelation 2:8-9 KJV)

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." (Revelation 3:7-9 KJV)

Both messages were given by Messiah through the apostle John to two different Church of God congregations in what today would be modern Turkey. Unlike Jerusalem, the Jews were no major power or threat in either Gentile city.

The Sabbath-keeping Churches of God, who follow the plain truth of the Bible as taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, have always understood such scriptures about imposter Jews to refer to professing Christians who were following the false convert, Samaritan sorcerer Simon Magus:

"Simon had bewitched the people of that country, and they followed him as their leader in the Babylonian mystery religion "from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God" (Acts 8:10)...

[After being rebuked by Peter]...Simon proclaimed himself a Christian apostle, nevertheless, and called the pagan Babylonian mystery religion "Christianity." He accepted the doctrine of "grace" for the forgiveness of sin (which the pagan religions had never had), but turned grace into license to disobey God (Jude 4). He aspired to turn his pagan religion, under the name "Christianity," into a universal religion, to gain thereby the political rule of the world.

Simon, the "Pater" (Peter) of his counterfeit religion, did not accomplish this in his lifetime. But succeeding leaders, with the headquarters moved to Rome, did, later, gain political control over the Roman Empire and its medieval successor, called "The Holy Roman Empire." This empire is in process of again being resurrected in Europe now!" (Mystery of the Ages, Herbert W. Armstrong).

Spiritually speaking, all truly converted Christians are spiritual Jews. Ethnic Jews and physical Israelites who reject Messiah are spiritually Gentiles. Paul explains:

"For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So if the uncircumcised [Gentile] man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? [a spiritual Jew/Israelite] 27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:28).

When Yeshua mentioned the "synagogue of Satan," Yeshua was speaking to the Smyrna and Phildelphia Churches of God in Asia Minor. He was referring to some "synagogue of Satan" opposing them there. He was not referring to Jews as an ethnic group (whom He acknowledged as literal physical descendants of Abraham and so did Paul) or to the Jewish religious authorities in Jerusalem.

Again, spiritually speaking, anybody who professes to be a true Christian is claiming to be a spiritual Jew, as Paul spoke of such circumcision of the heart. Therefore, TRADITIONAL CHURCHIANITY CONSTITUTES THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN -- cleverly misleading the masses for a Gentilized Jesus, a counterfeit gospel, a different spirit and pagan holidays and ways of the Babylonian Mystery religion -- in those days and in these days! (2 Corinthians 11:4, Revelation 17:5).

Any literal, physical Israelite or Jew remains such regardless of whether they're blind to Jesus' identity at this time, as Paul made reference to his ethnic Jewish brethren and didn't reject them as such, even though admitting they were enemies of the gospel. Paul didn't once call them counterfeit Jews or synagogue of Satan or any thing like it. Instead he praised their zeal (having shared it) but said it was "not according to knowledge." However, Paul, like true Christians, knows in God's good time the blindness that afflicts ISRAEL (Anglo-Saxons and Northwestern Europeans) and JUDAH will be history.

Some persist in their error and state that the physical Jews in Israel today aren't Jews in God's sight any more since they reject the Priest-King of Israel and therefore aren't worthy to live in the Holy Land, saying God would never give it to them.

Others compound their sin against our Jewish brethren (ethnically, tribally speaking) by refusing to believe that they're even physical Jews, repeating the lie that they're all Khazar converts, exaggerating claims made by those who refuse to submit to God's Word that clearly reveals LEGITIMATE JEWS would again be living in the Promised Land of Israel, exercising sovereignty over Jerusalem, contested by the international community of fools, just before the False Prophet and Beast occupy Jerusalem.

The Bible, the inspired Word of God, calls them Jews and refers to "the cities of Judah" (not occupied "Palestinian" towns) so we should believe the Bible over men who would say otherwise, as I bring out in Jewish Homeland.

Both Israel and Judah have been blessed because of ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE. Our ethnic Israelite folks, mostly professing Christians, were not denied the physical inheritances God unconditionally promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their heirs would inherit -- even though we're acting like Gentiles. Yes, we're Gentilized Israelites just like our pagan forefathers who rejected God's holy days for pagan holidays.

Yet God has blessed Joseph primarily, the leader of the Northern Ten Tribes, with the United States and British Commonwealth. Likewise, God has not denied Judah a homeland despite their current serious spiritual condition that -- like our Israelite countries -- is in desperate need of repentance and healing or we'll all suffer national destruction, defeat and deportation (Dan. 9:11, Malachi 4:4). God has faithfully given us the blessings He promised Abraham but now their continuance is conditional upon our obedience.

Both counterfeit Christians and jaded Jews must come to NATIONAL REPENTANCE. The Jews have rejected Jesus, blinded by their traditions, and Churchianity has rejected Jesus for their idolatrous traditions, both against the biblical traditions the Jewish apostles have shared with us (Titus 1:16, 1 John 2:4). Such blindness, in large part, was prophesied. But now that God is revealing these things, bringing it to light, exposing the darkness in traditional Judaism and Christianity, we're to confess and forsake our sins and get back to the biblical basics, back to the Faith once delivered -- so help us God -- or we'll go back into national captivity.

The good news is even if we insist upon learning the hard way, going through the "hell" of the Great Tribulation, the Time of Jacob's Trouble, Two Witnesses will see us through the long night and help us prepare to meet our God, to receive our King: Yeshua the Messiah.


David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out his Beyond Babylon blog.

Easter rejected for Passover

No wonder the Israelites remain lost - they stubbornly refuse to repent of their Gentilized "Christian" religion that mixes and matches, polluting and diluting the Word of God with pagan practices that Scripture clearly condemns!

Thankfully, every generation has the chosen few who follow the Faith once delivered, and who faithfully remember the important holy days and dates GOD has given and commanded us to keep and celebrate in spirit and in truth. Soon the whole world will trash their idolatrous Roman/Babylonian/Egyptian traditions for God's biblical festivals when Christ returns and reigns supreme in Jerusalem!

“We…therefore observe the genuine day [Passover]; neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom. For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of the Lord’s appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven, and will raise up all the saints; Philip, one of the twelve apostles [Author’s note: This was “the other” Philip, as the original apostle Philip died in 54 AD.]…Moreover, John, who rested upon the bosom of our Lord…also Polycarp…All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith” (Ecclesiastical History, “Eusebius,” bk. 5, ch. 24, sec. 2, 3, 6).

The Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, highlights the accounts involving Polycarp and Polycrates’ opposition to the increasing errors of the Roman bishops and growing infiltration of paganism into professing Christian beliefs.

“There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb and the first fruits from the dead, continued to be observed… Generally speaking, the Western churches kept Easter on the first day of the week, while the Eastern churches followed the Jewish rule, and kept Easter [Pascha, or Passover] on the fourteenth day…At that time the Syrians [Nazarenes] and Antiochenes (Quartodecimani) were the solitary champions of the observance of the fourteenth day.

“The few who afterwards separated themselves from the [the majority were wrong and refused to repent] unity of the [Roman] church, and continued to keep the fourteenth day, were named Quartodecimani, and the dispute itself is known as the Quarto-deciman controversy” (Article: “Easter,” vol. 8, pp. 828-829).

Polcarp and Polycrates, both faithfully observed the PASSOVER just like Jesus and the early Church at the right time, annually, both Jews, Israelites and Gentiles, and the chosen few of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God follow their holy example while the rest, the vast majority, fell for the creeping paganism of the Roman wolves in sheep's clothing.

Both the Bible and history serve as two witnesses against pagan Easter and for holy Passover.
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The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to Know!

The Church Jesus Built

Holidays or Holy Days?

Christian Cannibals?

Cannibalism - the very thought's disgusting and sends a shiver down our spines! But closet-cannibals are everywhere!

You might be surprised to discover some of your best friends and acquaintances are guilty of this grotesque charge. You've probably practiced cannibalism too - more often than you'd care to admit.

The apostle Paul warned about Christian cannibalism: "But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another" (Galatians 5:15). Are you still stewing over some disagreement? Is an interpersonal problem "eating you alive?" Are you "fed up" with being misunderstood? Have you ever been "chewed out?" Or maybe you wanted to "chew him up and spit him out?" What about "cutting remarks?" Wouldn't you like to tear into certain people and give them a "piece of your mind?" Don't they deserve to be "cut down to size?" Who hasn't made sarcastic comments (Greek - sarkazein, to tear flesh)? We've all been "in hot water!" I think you get the point.

As members of the Royal Family of God, God-Beings in the making, there's no time to waste in squabbling among ourselves. We're not to engage in destructive family feuds or sibling rivalry. Don't torment the Body of Christ! Mental cruelty has got to go! No matter how serious or justified our reasons are for being at odds with someone, they're petty compared to our crucifixion of Christ who commands us, through Paul, to be at one: "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you MUST also do" (Colossians 3:12-13).

The next time you're "out for blood" because you're angry and upset, you'd do well to remember the only "flesh and blood" we're offered - during our course of conversion - is that of Jesus Christ! He grossed out quite a few of His followers when He shared that tidbit of information with them. They couldn't stomach it. Jesus' claim to be the Bread of Life, the Manna from Heaven, was a little hard to swallow. But He meant that we're to feast upon His life-giving words. The scriptures are to sustain us, daily, in this wilderness adventure (John 6:41-69).

You are what you eat. We're to grow more godly, more Christlike and less contentious: "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace... till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature) man, (measuring up to) the stature of the fullness of Christ..."(Ephesians 4:2,3,13).

"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless" (James 1:26). James 3 continues to warn about how we need to control our tongue rather than be controlled by it.

We're to stop picking on one another, pull together as Christian brethren, and resist Satan's attempts to pull us apart. It's the old ploy of divide and conquer. He's revealed as the one who works up this ungodly appetite: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil (not the brethren) walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

Instead of falling prey to our enemy - going at each other's throats - let's make sure we're consumed with our zeal for God's Work (John 2:17).

There's some kosher food for thought!


David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the BeyondBabylon blog.