Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus?

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

(Borrowed from the St. Nicholas Center)

Our First Orthodox Christmas

Last year at this time we were in catechism and on our way to chrismation. Being new to Orthodoxy we still walk a fine line in dealing with our family who are not Orthodox, so we spent last year at one of our daughter's house. It was a great time but we opted not to attend the protestant service with them. Been there, done that. This year, my wife and I, having moved with our two remaining teenage daughters to Tennessee, find ourselves fully immersed into the Orthodox ethos. In just an hour or so we will go to St Ignatius. The Christmas Liturgy will begin at 10:30 P.M.. At about the time the bells sound midnight, we will be fully immersed in the Eucharistic service, in the presence of Christ the King. The Liturgy is not just a memorial, but a partaking of the very presence of the Lord of Lords who was born, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and will return again in glory. The Eucharist is a mystery as is the Trinity's love for all mankind. I pray that this year will be the year of peace for all who read this. I will light a candle for the theosis of all. Please pray for me, a sinner.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Self -Appointed Prophets

Self-Appointed Prophet: "Anyone who reserves for himself the right to interpret scripture or prophecy through illumination while disregarding the Church's historic apostolic doctrines and dogmas."

I continue to be amazed, the further I step further away from Protestantism and closer toward the One, holy, catholic and apostolic church, at the faulty ideologies and mindsets that I once embraced. One was the idea that the way we understand scripture is by a personal revelation of truth, the idea that "we need no man to teach us." It has been a comfort and hope to discover that all truth has already been revealed, is kept within the Church, and although the Church must navigate through time and historic events, there is no hidden revelation just waiting to be discovered by some gifted prophetic person who will be the herald of the new truth.

What strikes me most obvious is the arrogance that accompanies such prophetic posturing. For several years now I have subscribed to an e-mail newsletter from the Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l led by Eddie Chumney. I found Eddie's website when I was studying the Judaic roots of Christianity some years ago. The Ministry supports Israel and its right to exist but does so from a dispensational providential viewpoint. Much of the Ministry's ideology comes from interpreting certain biblical prophetic passages and applying them to current events. This method of prophetic interpretation is foreign to the Church as a whole and is predominantly a modern, western, evangelical method of interpreting the signs of the times. Lest I seem too arrogant, I confess that I practiced this method for many years. It was all I knew. Little did I know that only a small segment of believers share this view. Most of the Church across the world deems such as peculiar and even bizarre. My closed mindset was slowly pierced as I read "Unmasking Pre-Trib Fallacies" by Larry Simmons, "Will Catholics Be 'Left Behind'"? by Carl E Olson, and "Israel and the Church" by Peter Guilquist. Now, having found the original Church of the Apostles, preserved by the Church Fathers for 2000 years, I find information, such as Eddie Chumney's Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l expounds, to be unorthodox and unnecessary to my theosis. Thus, I recently asked to be "unsubscribed" from the e-mail newsletter. It was Eddie's response that provoked the title for this article, "Self Appointed Prophets". Here is the exchange:

From: Nathan Lee Lewis

To: elc@hebroots.org

Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 2:16 AM

Subject: Re: Ready for a PLO state?

Please Remove me from your mailing list.

----- Original Message ----

From: Eddie Chumney

To: Nathan Lee Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 6:08:50 PM

Subject: RE: Unsubscribe

You are removed.

I hope that you don't regret not being informed regarding how close we are to the great tribulation.

Ezekiel 33:1-7

Eddie

My Response:

Eddie,

Why do you assume I will not be informed? Are you suggesting that you are only source of revelation? Your reply to my request to be "unsubscribed" seems a bit arrogant. I have receive your e-mails for several years and have enjoyed them and benefited. I have, however, discovered a deeper source of truth than one man's personal interpretation.

"So we have confirmation of the words of the prophets; and you will be right to pay attention to it as to a lamp for lighting a way through the dark, until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must recognize that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit who moved them."

2 Peter 2:20-21

Historical Criteria for Biblical Interpretation: "It is truth only if it was taught at all times, in all places, by the whole church."

"...the Church of the Living God, pillar and support of truth." 1 Timothy 3:15

Please join me at my BLOG http://www.journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/ to discover what the whole Church has always believed about the issues you raise.

Sincerely in Christ,
Nathan Lee Lewis

Delving a little deeper into Eddie's motive's for such a response I read the Ezekiel 33:1-7 he referenced. It was revelatory as to his Self-Appointed status. Apparently Eddie shares the same self-deceived platform as does Tim Lahaye, Hal Lindsey and the like. He lifts a scripture written in about 593 B.C about the siege of Jerusalem to validate his prophetic mantle.

"Son of man I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth warn them from me."

According to the Ezekiel passage, Eddie is the Watchman who sounds his horn to warn the people of impending danger. Apparently I, by unsubscribing to his newsletter, am the one who hears the horn but pays no attention to it so I will die:

"the sword overtakes him and...he will be responsible for his own death."

Self-Appointed Prophets are arrogant.

The dichotomy here is the fact that I share Eddie's support for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people as a whole. The Church teaches that in some measure grace will be extended toward the Jewish people to accept Yeshua as Messiah. However, the Church, being true to the Apostolic teachings, teaches that the old covenant has passed, the temple is destroyed and the new Israel is the Church made up of Jews and Gentiles. The Church is Israel. The modern-day Nation of Israel is not that to which the scripture refers. (See Hebrews)

The issue here is not with Eddie's doctrinal belief in this matter. The issue is that Eddie is a Self-Appointed Prophet working outside of the unity of the Church, and his thinking has become tainted and self-absorbed to the extent that he would pluck out a scripture to prophecy death to one who would dare "unsubscribe" to his teachings.

All of the ecumenical councils were called to deal with Self-Appointed Prophets who used personal illumination to come to some unique doctrinal conclusions which were outside the apostolic teachings of the Church. The Church has always referred to them as "heretics". Heretic literally means: "One who holds an opinion." Eddie holds an opinion.

How Old Is Your Church?

Lutheran founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.
Church of England founded by King Henry VIII in 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.
Presbyterian founded by John Knox in Scotland in 1560.
Congregationalist founded by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.
Protestant Episcopalian branch of the Church of England founded by Samuel Senbury in the American colonies in the 17th century.
Baptist founded by John Smyth in Amsterdam in 1606.
Dutch Reformed Church founded by Michelis Jones New York in 1628.
Methodist founded by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1774.
Mormon (Latter Day Saints) founded by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.
Salvation Army founded by William Booth in London in 1865.
Christian Scientist founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879.
Nazarene, Pentecostal, Gospel Holiness Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and hundreds of other new sects founded within the past hundred years.
Roman Catholic founded in 1054 when the Pope of Rome broke away from the other four Apostolic Patriarchates (which include Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem), by tampering with the Original Creed of the Church, and considering himself to be infallible. Thus, Roman Catholic is 1,000 years old.
Orthodox Christian founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It has not changed since that time. The Orthodox Church is now almost 2,000 years old. And it is for this reason, that Orthodoxy, the Church of the Apostles and the Fathers is considered the true "one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."
[Notes edited from an article by Rev. Dr. Miltiades Efthimiou]

Are Orthodox Catholic?

The term "catholic" is an adjective as well as a noun. "Catholic" actually means "universal" and was used early in church history to refer to the church as a whole. "Catholic" is also a noun commonly used to refer to the western Roman church which split from the east in what has come to be called the Great Schism.

Orthodox are not Roman Catholics and Roman Catholics are not Orthodox. The Roman church in the west (Rome and beyond) has evolved since the schism while the Orthodox have remained virtualy unchanged. Roman Catholic doctrines and practices today more closely resemble Protestants.

Orthodoxy has never experienced events such as the Reformation or Counter Reformation, but has maintained the fullness of the Gospel message since long before the additions that crept into the Roman Communion, such as the doctrines of Papal Infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. The Protestant Reformation has also greatly erred by accepting many of Rome's practices, such as the filioque clause in the Creed, while jettisoning many of the hallmarks of what the Church really is, such as the Historic Episcopacy of the Bishops. Almost all Protestant denominations owe their origins to the Roman Church's evolution through the filter of the Reformation.

Orthodoxy means "Right Thinking, Right Belief, Right action". Orthodoxy is the original church with unbroken unity and succession. Within it is contained the Faith of our Fathers and the original teachings of the Apostles.

[* Journey To Orthodoxy NOTE: After further research, I have discovered that, although the definition "universal" in reference to "catholic" is commonly used, it was a later development and is not accurate. "Catholic" actually means "wholeness" or "fullness" and is more accurately used to infer a spiritual state rather than a geographical one. ( JTO 7/26/07)]

What Orthodox Believe-Short and Simple

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man;

And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;

And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets;

In One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I Confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead,

And the life of the age to come, Amen.

Correspondence With A Rapturist

Having been an Evangelical Protestant for many years, and having not a few friends still in evangelical ministry, you can understand that I have ended up on several e-mail lists. I am privy to the the latest and most current e-mail warnings, prophecies, controversies, petitions and inspirational mailings making the circuit. It is fascinating to watch the cycle as the same e-mail warnings, prophecies, controversies, petitions and inspirational mailings eventually make the rounds a second and third time posing as new information. I recently received the same circulating e-mail three times from three different sources. I thought the subject interesting enough and since I knew the senders and had what I thought to be good relationship with them, I sent a short response. The e-mail contained a link to a You Tube Video. The video was a well produced dramatization, apparently by a local church, of a typical evangelical church service. The pastor is preaching and the full congregation is listening intently. At a certain point, the pastor mentions the coming of Jesus, lifts his Bible in the air and a loud bang/clap is heard. The Bible goes flying into the air and lands on the ground. Instantly the entire congregation disappears with the exception of about 10 weary souls who look around in a panic, some realizing what has happened and that they have been "Left Behind". The video is tagged with the scripture from Matt.24: 37-41:

"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of Man comes...they suspected nothing 'til the flood came and swept them all away...This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes...one is taken the other left." 

This has long been used as a biblical proof text for the Dispensational Theory of a pre-tribulational Rapture. The following is the correspondence and response. It was enlightening to see again the reoccurring theme in evangelical circles that "Truth/doctrine doesn't matter". I also saw again the fact that to raise the question of doctrinal/biblical validity brings strong reaction and even rebuke from those with such a mind-set.

Original e-mail forwarded by my friend Ann:

Subject: Joyce sent you a video!
From: YouTube Service
To:
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:41:38 -0700 (PDT)

YouTube Broadcast Yourself
I want to share the following video with you:
Video Description scary
Personal Message This video is awesome!
Thanks,
Joyce
To change or cancel your email notifications, go to your email options.
Copyright  2006 YouTube, Inc.

My Initial Response:

Ann,

The 24th chapter of Matthew that is the proof text used for this video also says, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of Man comes...they suspected nothing 'til the flood came and swept them all away..This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes..one is taken the other left." Matt.24: 37-41. Look closely at this scripture. Who is taken? The unrighteous! Who is left? The righteous! You had better pray that you are "left behind" not taken. This doctrine of a secret snatching away of Christians before the return of Christ is less than 130 years old, was initiated by Darby, spread by Scofield in his bible notes, is predominately a western evangelical protestant doctrine, cannot be found in one scripture of the Bible, and was never taught by the church throughout its 2000 year history. It is a false doctrine that has been embraced by a western culture and kept alive through the likes of Tim LaHay and Hal Lindsey, both of whom have been proven, through their own writings, to be false prophets. Intellectual and spiritual integrity would require you and your e-mail list to research the validity of my statements rather than continue to embrace an unverifiable doctrine such as this video promotes.Christ will return for his bride, on that we all agree, but only once. One would falsely assume that the pretribulation rapture doctrine is the predominant view. It is important to know that those who hold this view are verifiability in the minority.

May God continue to richly bless you on your journey. I invite you and all you know to my blog: http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com.

Sincerely Yours Christ,
Nathan Lee Lewis

Ann's response to my response:

Ann (last name omitted) wrote:

Nathan,

I was surprised at the coldness of your response. I too am aware of the writings you spoke of, and yet was raised in Southern Baptist and Dallas Theological teachings. I was with Campus Crusade for Christ, taught by Hal Lindsey for a number of years, was assistant teacher to Tim LaHaye and took some audited courses at Dallas Theological Seminary. I went to W. A. Criswell's church in Dallas where I spoke and taught. I have been to Nancy Coen's Seminars for a number of years and sat under Pastor William Hinn for 2 and one half years. He believes as you do. I have read the early church fathers too. After weighing all of the teachings, I have come to the conclusion that what matters most is that I disappear so that He can appear in me, and be all that He wants to be and do through me. He wants me to be light in order to dispel darkness, and to be consumed with His passionate love for mankind. He wants me to walk in a place of surrender, where I am the reflection of Him in the earth. I am ready to establish His kingdom in the earth whatever it takes, to know Him and make Him known. God is downloading revelation so fast at this time, that many of the beliefs that I have held for so long are changing, and just when I think I've got it, I have to lay it down. He comes everyday to me, and my determined purpose in life is to know Him and make Him known. What I believe about the return of Christ is irrelevant to how I live my life. He will come and when He sets up His kingdom in the earth I am going to be a part of it. Meanwhile, I will occupy till He comes, and unite with the remnant on the important issues of being light and love in the earth, make sure I am walking in the truth He reveals to me, and not major on doctrines that divide. I sent the email only to people I thought believed that way, and not to my other friends who did not believe in the rapture. I have friends on both sides of the fence, and they are all my friends. I am in all of their lives what God has called me to be.

The highest revelation of the kingdom in our lives is love. His love in and through us. If people can't see that then we are sounding brass and tinkling cymbals.

Bless you my friend and all that you are doing for the kingdom,

Ann (last name omitted)

My response to Ann's response:

Ann,

Thank you for your thorough and gracious response, I am not sure what you mean by "coldness" as that seems to be an indictment of my heart and character unless you are referring to my conclusions about Hal and Tim, both of whom I have met as well. In that case, "frankness" might be a better and more accurate word. I also know Willie Hinn and have spent some time with him. I am afraid I do not hold so lightly or as "irrelevant", the ramifications of embracing the dispensational mindset which includes the rapture theory, as there is a great body of historic evidence that it negatively effects the very mission of the church to evangelize the world through the planting of deep and enduring roots. I also cannot hold lightly any doctrine that is not the whole truth no matter how many positive motivations that can be gleaned from it. You are not the first to send me a link to this particular video. It is just another in a long list of "interesting" but erroneous things that make the e-mail circuit via the evangelical grapevine. Occasionally I feel compelled to respond. This was such an occasion. But in this vein, I am interested to know what you think of Hal Lindsey today, knowing that the prophecies in the book he wrote in the 70's have, through time, been proven verifiably false. I pray that you aren't just ignoring that fact and haven't purchased a copy of his "new and improved" updated version. It is a shame that anyone would rely on the new, unbiblical teachings of such men, and esteem them more trustworthy than the Fathers of the Faith and the 2000 year old preserved teachings of the whole church. It is also a shame that whenever anyone speaks out about a heretical doctrine or person, they are so quickly accused of coldness of tone, or are given a quick lesson on "love", leaving the original subject matter unaddressed (i.e. Matt 24, Who is taken and who is left? The video uses this verse to suggest the righteous are taken in the Rapture.). Such accusers fail to understand that the prophecies in the scripture were 99.9% "negative" and always contained warnings and conditions. Such confrontations with heresies are for the preservation of the truth of the Living God and are intended to expose the wolves in sheep's clothing who would deceive and destroy God's sheep. All seven of the ecumenical councils of the church met around such heretical matters. I am sure the Bishops who confronted these heresies were considered cold and unloving as well. The modern evangelical presumption that prophetic words, to be valid, must be "positive", spoken with a gentle voice, make the hearer only rejoice, or only confirm what people already know, is foreign to the Scripture and the Faith of our Fathers. Finally, I am not on any side of any "fence". It is not orthodox to hold a personal opinion on doctrinal matters. All matters of doctrine have already been decided. I try in my own feeble way, (Lord have mercy on me a sinner) to stand in same holy place of truth, the faith of the Apostles, as preserved within the undivided Orthodox church for 2000 years. It is only through entering those sacred doors that one can know what truth is. Outside those doors one is forced to find truth within one of over 35,000 thousand documented denominational fences, camps, and groups with their myriads of ever changing beliefs.

I have enjoyed this discourse with you and treasure your heart, ministry, and friendship.

Sincerely Yours In Christ,

Nathan Lee Lewis

I remember becoming fast friends with a Baptist Youth Pastor a few years back. He was so precious and had such a spirit of love, enthusiasm and compassion. He had only been a Christian for a short time but had risen through the ranks of official ministry very quickly. I, myself, had only recently had an epiphany of understanding concerning the second coming of Christ. It is no easy thing to have lived, even been birthed, in the Pre-Tribulational Rapture world, to think any other way. I perhaps wasn't sensitive to have brought up to my Baptist friend the possibility that what he believed wasn't true, but when I saw the shock and even fear come over him that what he held so dear was being challenged, I backed off. The phrase "pick your battles" comes to mind. The belief that Jesus will come secretly to snatch all the Christians off the Earth before "The Great Tribulation" breaks loose has become a doctrine of hope and comfort to those who believe it. (The scripture actually uses the phrase "great tribulation" as an adjective not a noun. There is no "the" before "great".) I do regret, but am not surprised, at Ann's decision not to discuss the original topic. The premise is: All hell is going to break loose but don't worry, you won't be here for it. It is not God's will for his children to suffer, so out of mercy he will remove the Christians and destroy those who remain. Then HE will put the Christians back on Earth to reign and rule with Christ for 1000 years. Facing new truth about this area of belief is much like the Truman Show syndrome. One doesn't even know to ask questions or even consider that what he is seeing and believing may not be real until a spotlight nearly falls on their head. This belief is all he has ever known and he knows no other possibility.

Before proceeding, I would suggest that for an evangelical Protestant to look at this matter with rationality and thoughtfulness, he must decide to be consistent in his method of scriptural interpretation. Such evangelicals have been taught to approach interpretation of passages of scripture literally but, in fact, when it comes to "last days" scripture or prophesies that support the rapture doctrine, literalism is not consistently used. For instance, much is made of the "1000 year reign". According to the rapture doctrine, Christians are to reign with Jesus for a literal 1000 years on the earth. Let's be consistent. The very same term, "1000", is used in another passage of scripture, so here is the question: If  "our Father owns the cattle on a '1000' hills", who owns the cattle on hill number 1001? The fact is, the term, 1000, is a phrase meaning "a long time." I would appeal to the intellectual integrity (intellect is given of God and is not the opposite of spirituality) of anyone to study first how to study before becoming a dogmatist on any doctrine. That having been said, let's see what the undivided body of Christ has taught and maintained about the second coming of Christ for 2000 years.

In simple and non-convoluted terms:

1. There is only one Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the age.

2. Christ returns in a very visible way. Every eye will see him.

3. All who oppose Him will be "taken away" .

4. Those who belong to Him will remain and reign with Him for a "long time".

In the Church there is NO concept of:

1. Two separate returns of Jesus, one for the Church and one for the world.

2. A secret coming of Jesus where believers instantly disappear.

3. All who oppose him are "left behind".

4. Those who belong to him are "taken away" and return years later.

In their Words:

Justin, Dialog with Trypho, CX

"[T]wo advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians..."

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V, XXV, 3

"'And its ten horns are ten kings which shall arise; and after them shall arise another, who shall surpass in evil deeds all that were before him, and shall overthrow three kings; and he shall speak words against the most high God, and wear out the saints of the most high God, and shall purpose to change times and laws; and [everything] shall be given into his hand until a time of times and a half time,' that is, for three years and six months, during which time, when he comes, he shall reign over the earth. Of whom also the Apostle Paul again, speaking in the second [Epistle] to the Thessalonians, and at the same time proclaiming the cause of his advent, thus says: 'And then shall the wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the spirit of His mouth, and destroy by the presence of His coming."

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V, XXV, 4

"And then he points out the time that his tyranny shall last, during which the saints shall be put to flight, they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God: 'And in the midst of the week,' he says, 'the sacrifice and the libation shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation [shall be brought] into the temple: even unto the consummation of the time shall the desolation be complete.' Now three years and six months constitute the half-week."

Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, XXV

"In the Revelation of John, again, the order of these times is spread out to view, which the souls of the martyrs' are taught to wait for beneath the altar, whilst they earnestly pray to be avenged and judged: (taught, I say, to wait), in order that the world may first drink to the dregs the plagues that await it out of the vials of the angels, and that the city of fornication may receive from the ten kings its deserved doom, and that the beast Antichrist with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God; and that, after the casting of the devil into the bottomless pit for a while, the blessed prerogative of the first resurrection may be ordained from the thrones; and then again, after the consignment of him to the fire, that the judgment of the final and universal resurrection may be determined out of the books. Since, then, the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times, and concentrate the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world..."

Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 47

"For this is meant by the little horn that grows up. He, being now elated in heart, begins to exalt himself, and to glorify himself as God, persecuting the saints and blaspheming Christ, even as Daniel says, 'I considered the horn, and, behold, in the horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things; and he opened his mouth to blaspheme God. And that horn made war against the saints, and prevailed against them until the beast was slain, and perished, and his body was given to be burned.'"

Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 61

"That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks conceal-meat in the wilderness among the mountains,..."

Appendix to the Works of Hippolytus, XXV

"For when Daniel said, 'I shall make my covenant for one week,' he indicated seven years; and the one half of the week is for the preaching of the prophets, and for the other half of the week that is to say, for three years and a half Antichrist will reign upon the earth. And after this his kingdom and his glory shall be taken away. Behold, ye who love God, what manner of tribulation there shall rise in those days, such as has not been from the foundation of the world, no, nor ever shall be, except in those days alone. Then the lawless one, being lifted up in heart, will gather together his demons in man's form, and will abominate those who call him to the kingdom, and will pollute many souls."

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse, 20:1

"The little season signifies three years and six months, in which with all his power the devil will avenge himself trader Antichrist against the Church."

Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book VII, Sec. II, XXXII

"For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. 'Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal,' to inherit those things 'which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God hath prepared for them that love Him;'and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus."

These are just a few of the Early Church Fathers who speak of Christ returning only once at the end of the age. There is no mention of a secret snatching away so as to remove Christians from great tribulation that is to occur at the hands of anti-Christ. What difference does it make? Several generations of Protestant believers, especially in the West, are being told that they will miss the tribulation of the end times. It is doubtful they will be prepared for severe persecution and it is likely many will be counted among those who fall away or are are duped by the false miracles, signs, and wonders that will accompany the power of the anti-Christ to deceive.

Which is more valid: The Doctrine of the undivided Church as written, documented, and preserved by the Fathers of the Church for 2000 years, or the doctrine that first surfaced in the late 1800's initiated by a teenage girl, Margaret McDonald, whose alleged prophetic vision was seized upon by Darby and carried into the modern age by the bible notes of his follower Scofield?

The Four Orders of the Priesthood

Bishop - Priest - Deacon - Layman

All were present at the 7 Ecumenical Councils...
All must be present at the Liturgy...
All are codependent...
All are valid...

Is There New Revelation Today?

Spiritual Authority: The Word and the Testimony
by A.W. Tozer, 1950

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies ... 2 Pet. 2:1

Whatever it may be in our Christian experience that originates outside of Scriptures should, for that very reason, be suspect until it can be shown to be in accord with them.

If it should be found to be contrary to the Word of revealed truth no true Christian will accept it as being from God. However high the emotional content, no experience can be proved to be genuine unless we can find chapter and verse authority for it in Scriptures. "To the word and to the testimony" must always be the last and final proof.

Whatever is new or singular should also be viewed with caution until it can furnish scriptural proof of its validity. Thoughout the twentieth century quite a number of unscriptural notions have gained acceptance among Christians by claiming that they were among truths that were to be revealed in the last days.

The truth is that the Bible does not teach that there will be new light and advanced spiritual experiences in the latter days; it teaches the exact opposite! Nothing in Daniel or the New Testament epistles can be tortured into advocating the idea that we of the end of the Christian era shall enjoy light that was not known at its beginning.

Beware of any man who claims to be wiser than the apostles or holier than the martyrs of the Early Church. The best way to deal with him is to rise and leave his presence!

Drive-By-Bloggers or DBBs

A RECENT COMMENT FROM A DBB AFTER READING

"'FREEDOM IN WORSHIP' OR IS ORTHODOXY CHARISMATIC?"

"Well good for you! So glad you've found yet another true way to worship. So long as you don't expect everyone else on the planet to bow in sync with your bow, more power to you. Not everyone is willing to give up the way they worship, the way that's right for them, because it's not right to you. Your truth is not everyones truth, and with so much left before you're fully integrated into the orthodox faith can you truly be giving advice, and telling people in such an open forum that this is the right, the truth, and the only way to go. Lets just say this has been hashed and rehashed in your lifetime and its to your discredidation." ANONYMOUS

As you might understand, due to the public nature of this BLOG, I, upon occasion, receive several negative Comments. Anyone who has made the Journey To Orthodoxy has dealt in some measure with rejection and personal attacks. This is especially true of those who make the drastic shift from some form of Protestantism. I hesitate to post negative Comments like the one here, especially when they are Anonymous. The motives of the author are always in question. I call them drive-by-bloggers or DBBs. They want to shoot at you and run without sticking around. They aren't even sure if their bullet hit the target. It seems to do them good, somehow, just to pull the trigger. One of the most significant differences between me and this DBB is the fact that I put my name on my public forum and take responsibility for what I say. I also am under the authority of my priest who has visited my BLOG and because of my submission to him, he would be given the power of edit if he so chose. In fact, I recently submitted to him a BLOG article that I am withholding from posting at his recommendation until I can gather more information on the topic. So, the DBB does raise at least one valid question concerning my authority to BLOG. Unfortunately it is difficult to appreciate the validity of DBB's Comment due to the noise of DBB's whizzing bullets. But I'll try.

DBB, You are right to point out that I have "found yet another true way to worship". By that I understand that you have knowledge that, in my Journey To Orthodoxy, I have been passionate about truth and worshipping the Lord relative to the knowledge that I had, and that I shared, taught, and expressed, according to that knowledge, and that sometimes that knowledge was wrong. So, your inference would be correct if you are suggesting that once I believed that and now I believe this. Isn't that the way of a Journey, especially one so deep as the pursuit of God? Do you not come upon paths that you didn't know existed, only to discover that the path you were on, that seemed to be the way, was not even near the main road? I understand how, in observing my path-finding toward the main road of Orthodoxy, I might have appeared to be meandering. My own Protestant Father referred to my Journey as the "Religion of the Month Club." But, if one reaches the destination,the main road, can't one's willingness to meander be given a measure of credit for the outcome?

DBB, You are right to acknowledge that I have taught others to "bow" in certains ways that seemed right at the time. It is also true that I carried a "bow" and my quiver was full of arrows with my own monogram. I must confess that I sincerely, but presumptuously, used my bow to pierce the hearts of others with what I believed to be the truth. I sincerely, but at times arrogantly, thought myself a warrior for God. I was wrong. God's arrows are sufficient and his bow is far superior to mine. Since you visit my BLOG, I would hope you would read my articles on Truth and Authority. If you do, you may understand that one of my most significant paradigm shifts is the fact that I no longer hold as a right, my own opinion on anything. My BLOG is not an advice column and it is certainly not a place to express my own opinion on what truth is. Truth has already been established by the Fathers of the Faith. I am sharing the existing truth I have discovered not the new truth I have created. So you are on target on this one. My "truth is not everyone's truth", unless the truth I espouse is that which has been handed down by the Apostles. There is only ONE truth.

DBB, In my article to my daughters I express the fact that they can bring up any number of wrongs I have committed and they will probably all be true. You may be able to do the same. I am a sinner saved by grace, but I am a sinner in a continuing process of repentance. "Hashing and rehashing" is a good thing. It would behoove anyone to spend a "lifetime" doing so. To cease to hash would be to my "discreditation." Fortunately, and by the grace of God, my most confusing hashing days ended in April 2006 when I was Chrismated into the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. It was there (See my 50 Year Journey article), that one of my new brothers in the faith said these words, "Welcome Home." My entire hashing Journey has been about finding the Faith of Our Fathers. Everyone who makes it to their moment of Chrismation in the Orthodox Church says the same thing, "There is no place to go after this. There is no other destination." Part of the Orthodox Liturgy contains this prayer which we pray every week, 

"We have seen the true light. We have received the heavenly Spirit. We have found the true faith. Worshipping the undivided Trinity, for he has saved us."

 

Now, I can, in my admittedly feeble way, spend my next 50 years learning what the Church has taught about light, truth, and worship, for 2000 years.

Finally DBB, The familiarity of your Comment and the fact that you desired to remain Anonymous, suggests you might personally know me and that at sometime along my journey I offended you. If this is the case, I am compelled of heart to ask you to forgive me a sinner and to not hold to my account the wrongs I may have done to you. I also ask that you allow me to make recompense to you personally. Will you put down your weapon DBB and sup with me? May the grace of our Lord be upon you and your family.

"Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."