Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why the Catholic (and Emerging Church) “Eucharist” Does not Line up With Scripture
Oct 31st, 2012
CommentaryRoger Oakland
Categories: Exhortation

The Catholic Church teaches that once a Catholic priest has consecrated the wafer of bread during Communion, the wafer turns into the literal and real body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Communion Host is no longer bread but Jesus, under the appearance of bread and is therefore worthy of adoration and worship. The Catholic Catechism states succinctly:

In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.”

The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.

What Does the Bible Teach About the Lord’s Supper?

We have documented [in Another Jesus] what the Catholic Church teaches concerning the Eucharist. But what does the Bible teach? The Bible encourages believers to study “all the counsel of God”(Acts 20:27) and to “[p]rove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thessalonians 5:21). And as believers, we are admonished to:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15)

With these instructions in mind, let us search the Scriptures to determine what the Bible teaches concerning the Lord’s supper.

The Last Supper was celebrated by first century Christians in obedience to Jesus’ words “this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). This observance was established by the Lord at the Last Supper when He symbolically offered Himself as the Paschal Lamb of atonement. His actual death the next day fulfilled the prophecy. Only Paul uses the phrase “Lord’s supper” (I Corinthians 11:20), while the Church fathers began to call the occasion the Eucharist meaning thanksgiving from the blessing pronounced over the bread and wine after about A.D. 100. Christians have celebrated the Lord’s Supper regularly as a sign of the new covenant sealed by Christ’s death and resurrection. Today, the Eucharist means far more than simply thanksgiving.

This is My Body

To what exactly did Jesus ordain during the Last Supper? The Bible states:

[Jesus] took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22: 19-20)

Proponents of the Catholic Eucharist point to Jesus’ words recorded in John 6. Though this chapter does not deal with the Last Supper, Jesus’ words, which are taken to relate to the Communion meal, are as follows:

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. (John 6:51-55)

Just what do these Scriptures mean? The answer to that can be found in our examination of the Word of God itself.

Metaphors and Similes

Throughout the Bible, context determines meaning. Bible-believing Christians know to take the Bible literally, unless the context demands a figurative or symbolic interpretation. Before exploring Jesus’ words in John chapter 6 and elsewhere, let’s review a few examples of symbolism in the Scriptures. All scholars would agree that the following verses are metaphorical. An explanation follows each verse:

O taste and see that the LORD is good. (Psalm 34:8; Try to experience God’s promises to find if they are true.)

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14; For those who receive the gift of salvation, Christ’s Spirit shall dwell in their souls assuring them of everlasting life.)

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. (Ezekiel 3:1, 2; Receive into your heart, internalize, and obey God’s Word.)

And I could go on and on with one example after the next. At one point Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The Jews thought He spoke of the literal temple in Jerusalem, but if we keep reading, we find that Jesus was referring to His body (John 2:20-21). On another occasion, Jesus said, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). Of course, we know that Jesus did not mean that He was a literal grape vine twisting around a post. When the Bible says God hides us under His wings (Psalm 91:4), we know that God is not a bird with feathers. God is the source of all life and our provider and protector, and these figures vividly illustrate this.

Throughout the Bible, figurative language is used to compare one thing to another so that the listeners can easily understand. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus regularly used parables to figuratively describe one thing as something else (Matthew 13:34).Jesus Himself stated, “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs” (John 16:25). The Bible should always be interpreted literally unless the context demands a symbolic explanation. So what does the context of John’s Gospel and the other Gospels demand?

John Chapter 6: The Bread of Heaven

If we read the entire sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, we not only get the context, but also some startling insights into what Jesus meant when He said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. John 6 begins with the account of Jesus feeding five thousand, followed by the account of Jesus walking on water. On the following day, people were seeking Jesus for the wrong reasons, which we understand from Jesus’ words in verses 26 and 27:

Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.

These verses begin to frame the context of the verses that follow, specifically, that Jesus emphasized the need for them to seek eternal life. Jesus goes on to explain to them how to obtain eternal life. And in verse 28, when the people ask Jesus, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus replies, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (vs. 29).

Here Jesus specifies only one work that pleases God, namely, belief in Jesus. Jesus reemphasizes this in verse 35 when he states: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Notice the imperative is to “cometh to me” and “believeth on me.” Jesus repeats the thrust of His message in verse 40 where He states:

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jesus could not be clearer—by coming to Him and trusting in Him, we will receive eternal life. At this point in the narrative, the Jews complained about Him because He said: “I am the bread which came down from heaven” (vs. 41). Jesus responds to their murmuring when He states that He is indeed the “living bread” and that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood to obtain eternal life (vs. 42-58). However, let’s remember the context of this statement. First, Jesus contrasts Himself with the manna that rained down on their fathers and sustained them for their journey. But their fathers have since died. But Jesus now offers Himself as the living, heavenly bread, causing those who eat of Him to live forever.

Jesus is not the perishable manna that their descendants ate in the wilderness—He is the eternal bread of life that lives forever. Only by partaking in His everlasting life can we hope to live with Him forever. This contrast strengthens His main message, where Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (vs. 47). Notice, Jesus said that as soon as we believe in Him we have—present tense—eternal life. It is not something we aim at or hope we might attain in the future, but rather, something we receive immediately upon accepting Him by faith.

When Jesus said these words, He was in the synagogue in Capernaum, and He had neither bread nor wine. Therefore Jesus was either commanding cannibalism, or He was speaking figuratively. If He was speaking literally, then He would be directly contradicting God the Father: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:4). Therefore, because Jesus Himself said, “[T]he scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), He must be speaking metaphorically. And that is exactly how He explains His own words in the subsequent verses.

The Flesh Profits Nothing

After this, in verse 60 (of John 6), we find that many of His disciples said: “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” Jesus was aware of their complaints and He responded saying:

Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. (vs. 61-64)

Wait a minute, the flesh profits nothing! I thought Jesus said we must eat His flesh? Yet, if the flesh profits nothing, Jesus must be speaking in spiritual terms. And that is what He says: “[T]he words that I speak unto you, they are spirit.”

Jesus uses the exact same Greek word for flesh (sarx) as He did in the preceding verses. Therefore, He is emphatically stating that eating His literal flesh profits nothing! If the Lord Himself sets the context of the dialogue, we would do well to hear Him. He said that the words He speaks are spirit and that the flesh profits nothing. In other words, Jesus has just told us He has spoken in a metaphor, so we need not guess at it.

If that isn’t clear enough, Peter’s words add further clarity. Immediately following the dialogue with the Jews, in which some disciples left, Jesus said to the remaining twelve apostles, “Will ye also go away? ” (vs. 67). Peter’s response is profound:

Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (vs. 68-69)

Amazing! Peter did not say we have come to believe that we must eat Your flesh to live. He said that we know You are the Christ, and we have come to believe in You as the Christ. This is the confession of faith that leads to eternal life, not eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood. It also agrees with the totality of Scripture.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)

[W]hat must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:30, 31)

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. (John 3:36)

 

The Ingathering: Operation Dove to Bring Home Last of Ethiopian Jews
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Ryan Jones
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israel this week officially launched "Operation Dove" to bring home the last of Ethiopia's Jews. The first flight in Operation Dove landed in Tel Aviv on Monday with 240 of Ethiopia's "Falash Mura."

The Falash Mura are part of an Ethiopian tribe that long went by the name of "Beta Israel" - the House of Israel. Sometime during the past two centuries, a large number of Beta Israel tribesmen converted to Christianity. For some the conversion was forced, for others adopting Christianity was the only way to gain full human rights.

But conversion notwithstanding, when Ethiopia entered a period of civil war in the 1980s, the Jews living there began to face increased persecution. Israel sprung into action, and in two dramatic airlift operations, one in 1984 and another in 1991, managed to transplant over 20,000 members of a previously "lost tribe" of Israel to the reborn Jewish state.

But a large number were left behind, and eventually moved into refugee camps. Some have been waiting there for over 10 years to be reunited with family and friends in Israel.

Between now and March 2014, Operation Dove will see the remainder of those Ethiopian Jews returned to the land of their forefathers.

However, touching down in Israel does not mean the end of troubles for many of these returning Jews. More than any other immigrant group, Ethiopian Jews have a difficult time adjusting to life in Israel. The language and Western-influenced customs are so totally foreign to them, leaving most Ethiopian Jews to scratch out a meager living.

Israel Today is honored to be one of the local organizations striving to make life a little easier for the returning Ethiopian Jews.

More than providing food and clothing, an Israel Today "Bundle of Love" package provides comfort and demonstrates to these immigrants that there are Christians out there who love them and are rooting for their success as part of the Nation of Israel.

PM: Strike on Iran – Good for Arabs
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Netanyahu tells French magazine that attack would benefit Arab states by removing potential threat, easing tension in Mideast; 'Iran isn't popular in Arab world,' he says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Tuesday to convince Arab states that an Israeli military strike on Iran would benefit them, removing a potential threat and easing tensions across the Middle East.

Netanyahu has made a number of veiled threats to attack Iran's nuclear program and has appealed to the United States and the United Nations to set a limit for Tehran on its further development.

In an interview published on Tuesday with French magazine Paris Match, Netanyahu said such a strike would not worsen regional tensions, as many critics have warned.

"Five minutes after, contrary to what the skeptics say, I think a feeling of relief would spread across the region," he said.

"Iran is not popular in the Arab world, far from it, and some governments in the region, as well as their citizens, have understood that a nuclear armed Iran would be dangerous for them, not just for Israel," he said.

Netanyahu in Paris, Iranian Nukes Top Agenda
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsINN - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in France Wednesday for two days of talks with President Hollande on the Iranian nuclear threat and bilateral ties.

It is Netanyahu's "first opportunity to talk with President Hollande, and he hopes to build a good working relationship with the French leader," a source close to the Israeli leader told AFP.

Since taking office five months ago, Hollande has only spoken to Netanyahu by telephone but has already met Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas twice -- both times in Paris.

The last time Netanyahu visited Paris was in May 2011 when he sought to drum up French support to head off a Palestinian Authority initiative to seek full state membership at the United Nations, which eventually stalled at the Security Council.

This time, their talks were expected to focus squarely on the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, Israeli officials said.

A diplomatic adviser to the French president said Netanyahu's visit would also focus on deepening bilateral ties, relaunching the Middle East peace process and the upheavals in the Arab world.

Talks with the Palestinians have been on ice for more than two years, and a source close to Netanyahu confirmed the two men would also touch on ways to revive it. However, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has rejected any chance for talks unless Israel accepts ahead of time his territorial and political demands.

Netanyahu is due to have a working lunch with the French leader after his arrival Wednesday.

Later in the day, he will also meet Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in what is his first visit to Paris since Hollande took office in May.

On Thursday, Netanyahu is to travel to Toulouse to attend a memorial ceremony for three children and a French-Israeli teacher at a Jewish school who were shot dead by a gunman who also killed soldiers of North African origin.

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

UN peace envoy urges China to play 'active role' in Syria crisis
Greeting Yang at the foreign ministry in front of reporters, Mr Brahimi said he hoped "China can play an active role in solving the events in Syria" without elaborating further. China is generally suspicious of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations. Both China and Russia have exercised their veto in the UN Security Council to block resolutions aimed at putting more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Palestinians launch diplomatic blitz in hopes of securing European support in statehood bid
Palestinians have launched a diplomatic blitz aimed at garnering a strong majority for a vote granting them non-member statehood at the United Nations slated for next month, officials said on Tuesday.

Syria's UN envoy holds talks with China, as air raids target Damascus suburbs
The Foreign Ministry gave no immediate details of the talks, which took place following the death of more than 70 people in Syria on Tuesday, according to Syrian activists.

Quarter-billion-dollar stimulus grant creates just 400 jobs
Battery maker A123 Systems vowed thousands of new jobs when it received a nearly quarter-billion-dollar stimulus grant in late 2009, but federal job-tracking figures show only a few hundred positions were created before the company joined a growing list of federally backed energy businesses that ended in bankruptcy.

Mexican national pleads guilty in killing of Border Patrol agent
The first-degree murder plea on Tuesday by Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, of El Fuerte in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, marks the first conviction in the December 2010 death of Agent Brian Terry. Osorio-Arellanes faces up to life in prison. Two rifles bought by a gun-smuggling ring that was being monitored by the government's botched investigation known as "Operation Fast and Furious" were found at the shooting scene.

Syrian air force on offensive after failed truce
Syrian warplanes bombed rebel targets with renewed intensity on Tuesday after the end of a widely ignored four-day truce between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and insurgents.

Facebook Censors Navy SEALs to Protect Obama on Benghazi-Gate
Over the weekend, Facebook took down a message by the Special Operations Speaks PAC (SOS) which highlighted the fact that Obama denied backup to the forces being overrun in Benghazi.

Haiti fears food shortages after hurricane hit crops
Fears are growing of food shortages in Haiti, after the strong winds and heavy rain of Hurricane Sandy caused extensive crop damage. Aid workers and officials are also warning that flooding could lead to a sharp rise in cholera cases. Sandy is blamed for some 70 deaths in the Caribbean. Of these more than 50 were in Haiti.

Germany makes case for British EU membership
Germany has told the UK it is an important and needed member of the European Union, just days after London spelled out its deep ambivalence about its EU future. "Britain is an important partner in the European Union," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a meeting of her centre-right CDU party on Monday (29 October), adding that she would travel to London next week to meet Prime Minister David Cameron.

Guess who U.S. Muslims are voting for
Nearly half of 600 Muslim-American citizens polled who plan to vote in the 2012 presidential election believe parodies of Muhammad should be prosecuted criminally in the U.S., and one in eight say the offense is so serious violators should face the death penalty.

Millions in US Northeast struggle after Sandy
The northeastern United States battled epic flood waters and lengthy power outages on Tuesday after the massive storm Sandy pummeled the coast with a record storm surge, high winds and heavy rains that killed at least 45 people and caused billion of dollars in losses.Millions of people in New York City and other hard-hit areas will spend days or weeks recovering from a storm already seen as far more destructive that Hurricane Irene, which slammed into the same region a year ago.

Russian Report Cites Obamacare, Drone Strikes and ‘Xenophobia’ as U.S. Human Rights Violations
In its now-annual report on human rights in the U.S., the Russian government of Vladimir Putin lists a host of alleged violations, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, of which the report says: “Human rights organizations considered this Act to be a violation of human rights and freedoms as it obliged the citizens to buy insurance policy.”

Syrian rebels bring fight to pro-Assad Palestinians
Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had formed a brigade of sympathetic Palestinians in a Damascus district to fight armed Palestinians aligned with Syrian President Bashar Assad. About 150,000 Palestinian refugees live in the Syrian capital's Yarmouk camp, a sprawling area of concrete apartment blocks, where some residents support the 19-month-old uprising against Assad and others fight alongside Syrian soldiers.

Last call for values voters
Pastors have just one more Sunday to encourage their congregations to vote their values -- and a Republican congressman is imploring those pastors to discuss the election's implications for Israel.

Amazing New Space Photo Shows Sandy Rolling Inland
GOES-13 weather satellite captured the photo of the storm moving inland at 6:02 a.m. EDT (1302 UTC). At that time, Sandy's giant swirl of clouds was covering most states east of the Mississippi River and north of Georgia.

Early Snow Pummels West Virginia
The thick blanket of snow at higher elevations across the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains, including in parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania, also brought concerns that rivers and creeks in low-lying areas could flood later in the week as the snow melts, with temperatures expected to reach 60 degrees. Falling trees and storm-related traffic accidents claimed the lives of three people in Maryland, three in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia, state officials said Tuesday.

Experts Confirm Bibi’s D - Day: Iranian Bomb in Several Months
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsINN - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Experts confirm Netanyahu’s warning: Iran can have enough enriched uranium in 4 months to produce a nuclear bomb next year.

Barak: Israel Almost Attacked Iran 8 Months Ago
Oct 31st, 2012
Daily NewsINN - David Lev
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

In an interview Tuesday with the Daily Telegraph, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel almost attacked Iran eight months ago – but that the “moment of truth” was postponed after Iran redirected part of its enriched uranium to civilian uses. Without that decision, a confrontation with Iran would have almost certainly developed, said Barak.

When asked why he thought Iran made this decision, Barak said that there are at least three explanatioms. One was the public discussion about a possible attack on Iran. It could also be the result of diplomatic pressure not to make things more tense before the U.S. presidential elections. It could also be an attempt by Iran to show the International Atomic Energy Agency that it can comply with international requets when it wishes, Barak added.

When asked about future Israeli plans to attack Iran, Barak said simply that “Israel reserves the right to defend itself, by itself. An action against Iran will be much safer than an attack against an Iran that achieves nuclear capability.” Sanctions and diplomatic pressure have not worked, said Barak, and he warned that as a result, Israel and its allies will have to deal with the decision on whether or not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities “in the coming year.”