Empowered Arbitrators
Tom and Joe were partners in a business. When it came to disbursement of profits a small dispute arose between them so they decided to go to a third party to arbitrate between them. Joe was not familiar with the arbitration process; to him all arbitrators were the same. But Tom insisted on going to a specific arbitrator. Joe had no preferences so he submitted to the terms of the arbitrator that Tom chose.
After hearing both sides of the argument and examining the pertinent details of the case, the arbitrator ruled in favor of Joe.
Imagine if Tom were now to argue that this particular arbitrator is incapable of rendering fair judgment in their case and that they should have used a more competent arbitrator. Joe will surely respond by pointing out that it was Tom who insisted on using this particular arbitrator and that it was he who effectively empowered this arbitrator to resolve their dispute. By appealing to this arbitrator; Tom has implicitly validated the competence and the authority of this arbitrator.
Christianity insists that you should accept the claims of Jesus because he allegedly fulfilled certain prophecies in the Jewish Bible. By presenting their claim in this format, Christianity has submitted itself to a particular system of arbitration and it has acknowledged the legitimacy of that particular system to judge her case.
By telling you to accept Jesus on the basis of his alleged fulfillment of prophecy Christianity has admitted that the Jewish Bible is an authoritative book, it has acknowledged that you are capable of reading and understanding that book and it has acknowledged that you are perfectly capable of making decisions with cosmic ramifications on the basis of your understanding of the book. By claiming that its validity rests on the fulfillment of prophecy Christianity has empowered you to arbitrate and to render judgment concerning her validity or lack thereof.
If you read the Jewish Scriptures honestly and innocently and you conclude that the doctrines of Christianity are not supported by this text then it is your solemn responsibility to reject those doctrines as false. If the Church has a problem with your decision it cannot invalidate you as an arbitrator in this case. It was the Church itself who sanctioned this system of arbitration.
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Thank You
Yisroel C. Blumenthal
1000 Verses - a project of Judaism Resources 
Exactly! Well said.
That’s why such people are punished by the church as happened to the Protestants. Here in the Netherlands we waged 80 years of warfare to Spain and the Catholic church led by prince William of Orange, giving people freedom of religion in the 17th century. When, just to note, Amsterdam was called the Jerusalem of the West by the Jews. Also jewish relationship improved.
Unfortunately, the protestant churches went the same way as the catholic’s, church power rules unjustly over the arbitrary power of the, let I say of Jesus and his original source: the tenach.
Agreed, but if we’re talking history, remember that Rome usurped control of the Church in the 4th century and the Church was corrupted into a Roman Catholic blend of Paganism/Christianity. Thus we suffered directly under occupation by the Romans for hundreds of years. Of course the Roman Church is still with us today and even outside of the Roman Church we still suffer the legacy of their rule. In other words we still hold to some corrupted hand me down beliefs from our time under Roman rule/occupation. The challenge is not to throw out the baby with the dirty bath water.
As a “Christian” or believer that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and therefore a believer in scripture as well, I fully support your conclusion in the last paragraph. I would say it a little different especially the last sentence, but I can accept it never the less.
Of course that means the corollary of what you wrote is also true which is:
If you read the Jewish Scriptures honestly and innocently and you conclude that the doctrines of Christianity are supported by this text then it is your solemn responsibility to accept those doctrines as true. If anyone has a problem with your decision it cannot invalidate you as an arbitrator in this case. The Church itself confirms and continues this system of arbitration contained in scripture.
Great Point—“”
By telling you to accept Jesus on the basis of his alleged fulfillment of prophecy Christianity has admitted that the Jewish Bible is an authoritative book””.
By agreeing that the Jewish Bible is an authorative book you must then learn what the scripture means, from the time it was written and taught for hundreds of years BC.
David
Actually not – the Church has a right to endorse an arbitrator that invalidates her doctrines – it has no right to speak on behalf of Judaism. Teh bottom line of Judiasm is that your soul is not yours to give away – it belongs to the One who created it and to no one else
Not that I beleive that Scripture supports Christainity in any way shape or form – but I don’t believe that God gave us Scripture in a vacuum – He gave it to us AFTER He firmly established the belief system known as Judaism
There is a hint here of claims based on some law of “finders, keepers” & “possession” is determined by who yields power. But one party holds to placing total value on an original object, that was in possession of their people. Other parties make various claims of “ownership” of the original object, however, admittedly, they place less value on it. Some claim they are “direct heirs”, others as heirs of the original “finders” of what the original owners “supposedly lost”, and others who are indirect heirs based on placing value on the “new rules” of a “new” or “value added” product of one who personally claimed ownership of the original.
This claimant was a self-appointed arbitrator, and one who declared he was “owner over all owners” and self-proclaimed himself as having authority over all authorities, even, or more so, after his death. But his fellow stockholders were not able to maintain control of “the company”, despite his “self-professed authority beyond the grave”. This so-called takeover was not a “hostile takeover from the outside”, but from within the ranks of those who expressed the greatest live and loyalty to their beloved founder. For if his authority “beyond the grave” was real, no “mere men” nor no “corrupt co-conspirators” could wrongfully wrestle control away from the other co-owners. Therefore, all actions within the company were “executive actions” of the highest order approved by the founder of the company. Of the new object or new property supposedly built on top of the “old property”, those in power are the true arbritrators of the the new property, which virtually makes obsolete the old property which can be discarded. Of the new, it is “finders, keepers” and those, who were either unwise or “spiritually weak” and who lost control (& perhaps, confidence of the founder) of the company are “weepers”.
Those who held & hold fast to the original are the true arbitrators of the original. They are the true “owners”. They have not forsaken the old for new or “value added” property. To them the original was complete, wholly holy & did not need to be added to. Expounded on & loved, yes. They may have been considered “legalistic”, but all good & arbitrators are, in order to be just, to handle disputes fairly, and to dismiss wrongful or fraudulent claims. They place the highest value on the original & have no use for anything which counteracts (contradicts) or devalues the original. Those who place higher value in new objects, need to base it’s value on it’s inherent, internal worth, in order to be able to stand alone or, just to stand. If it cannot stand on it’s own, it is not complete. And if it is in basic conflict & largely incompatible with what “was before”, it’s foundation is shaky, subject to dispute and conflict with the other “owners”, and it adds less than it enhances. So far, the “new company”, under various management teams, has been poor at conflict resolution, largely because it seems unable to listen to the assigned arbitrators or to those “whistle blowers” who point out error in their policies & procedures.
naaria…what is the verdict?….a counterfeit?…a valued ( or not ) copy-cat ?…
Quotations>>>as follows
“The Christian myths were first related of Horus or Osiris, who was the embodiment of divine goodness, wisdom, truth and purity…This was the greatest hero that ever lived in the mind of man — not in the flesh — the only hero to whom the miracles were natural because he was not human.” Gerald Massey, author of “The Natural Genesis,” 1
“None of the attempts made by sceptics [sic] to demonstrate that Christianity is false because it contains alleged pagan elements is credible or convincing.” Unidentified historian. 2
Hosea 13:4:
King James Version. “…I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.”
Young’s Literal Translation: “And I [am] Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, And a God besides Me thou dost not know, And a Saviour — there is none save Me
OVERVIEW
Some skeptics have suggested that there was, in ancient times, a shared supply of religious myths spread throughout much of the Mediterranean area, the Middle East and beyond. They suggest that ancient and modern religions have adopted material from this common source of stories about heroes, saviors and god-men.
One of the more controversial theories — sometimes called the “copycat thesis” — suggests that many of the miracles, other life events, and beliefs about the supernatural status of Horus, an ancient Egyptian God, were incorporated into stories about Jesus as recorded in Gospels and other books in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).
The copycat thesis is strongly rejected by the vast majority of Christians but accepted by many skeptics.
Most conservative Christians look upon the Bible as a “top-down” document: one revealed by God to humans. Since fraud, deceit, and lying are not attributes normally associated with God, they believe that the Bible — as God’s Word — is truthful and accurate.
Many skeptics view the Bible as a “bottom-up” document: one written by human authors to promote their religious and spiritual beliefs. Such authors are quite capable of adopting religious concepts of other cultures and incorporating them into their literary works.
On this topic, we are faced with a stalemate. Skeptical commentators claim that there are many parallels between the lives of Horus and Jesus; Christian commentators tend to deny the existence of most or all of them.
Some skeptics may lose objectivity because they are motivated by a desire to weaken the claims of Christianity; Christians may lose objectivity because they don’t want to admit that there such parallels could exist and throw doubt on the accuracy of the Bible. We have not yet found a reliable source.
A “verdict” means something that is “truthfully said”. But that can be subjective. Skepticism is a good thing, because if “you seek you will find”. If one wants a “verdict”, then what is said or claimed is subject to analysis, evidence, rules, logic, etc. And one can’t truly complain about the “skeptics” when really it might be that your argument is weak. Eventually each person makes their own judgment or decision. A person who has already found truth, need not examine any “new truths” or claims of truth that arise. It is up to the ones who present new “naturally unbelievable” claims, to erase all doubt to the acceptance of their new claims. If the new claims sound much like the old claims, which are called “pagan”, it is hard to not be skeptical about the new claims as not “being pagan”. If one wants to believe in pagan ideas, that is ok. Neo-paganism is rising in popularity today, partially because certain concepts of God have long been acceptable.
But, there are those who see that these “new claims” about God or these “new truths” contradict the “original truth”, the original Bible, that they have known. As I wrote, “one party holds to placing total value on an original object, that was in possession of their people”. But, “other parties make various claims of “ownership” of the original object, however, admittedly, they place less value on it” (less on the original and much greater value on the “replacement of” or “addition to” the original). Some value the “original”, while others value it “not so much”, except as needed and then mainly selectively. In this case, the original was Holy, clear, and complete, for it was from God. Nothing major needed to be replaced nor added to it. Nothing was taken from the people & then “given to others”. So, as we see in Isaiah 50, even though the people and also their enemy thought that God had forsaken the Jews, God asked in essence “where are the divorce papers”? Isaiah spoke in the 1st person here, because both the prophet and the nation, the Jews, had and still have a prophetic mission. As long as one (or the nation) does not reject the “old covenant” with the God of Israel, the eternal covenant is still in effect and the Jews, the people of Israel are still the children (or “spouse”) of the God of Israel. The arbitrators given by God are in place until they “quit” or “get fired”. And no “outsider”, no humans, can nullify that, no matter what books that they have that say that the original plan was “replaced”. What God has brought together, no man should attempt to bring asunder.
You mention “conservatives”, the true conservatives would have conserved the original. Those you called “conservative Christian” have accepted a “radical” and new theology, which they might conserve, but what Jews might say are beliefs based on “bottom up documents”, on the traditions of mainly non-Jewish pagan man. As some Rabbis have put it, “what is old in the new testament is good and what is new is not so good”. One need not be a skeptic to see that there are major differences between what is taught in the NT and what appears in the OT. If there were no differences, the NT is redundant and one can discard it or use it as only additional religious reading material. If one believes the NT is different, one has good reason to reject it because of how it contradicts the OT in several key points or basic principles (God is not a man; one does not drink blood or eat flesh as some type of “remembrance”; etc., etc). Actually, if you look at what the “early church fathers” wrote, these modern “Conservative Christians” are far from conservative. Some early Christians didn’t believe in a concept of a “trinity”, some believed Jesus was not Jewish (nor was his mother or father), some believed Jesus was “not a man” but only a spirit, while others believed Jesus was only an ordinary man until he was resurrected,etc. Part of the best evidence against Christianity (or Jesus or Yeshua) is Christian writings.
There were skeptics about Jesus (as a historic) person over 1900 years ago (by Jews and non-Jews alike, including Christians). Pagan philosophers said Jesus’ life and teachings were modeled after the pagan gods; one of the problems that they seen was just that he was a “new god” who had no history. A “modern” fiction and not an ancient myth. Some Christian fathers admitted the “paganism”, but they believed Jesus’ story was the “oldest story” since Jesus existed before “the foundations of the world”. So, their theory or argument was that Horus and most of the pagan gods & their stories were the “copy cats”. That doesn’t really matter; the similarity is there, sort of an A = B vs a B=A argument. It is highly likely that many “skeptics” once were “believers” and their arguments were what convinced them to re-examine (or examine for the 1st time) what they earlier accepted without any thought, one way or the other.
But what we see in the OT, is that there is story after story which tries to show that the God of the Hebrews, of Israel, of the Jews, is a rejection of the idolatry and of the pagan gods of most of their neighbors, from Egypt to Babylon. On the other hand, pagan scholars and leaders or emperors, like Titus, Vespasian, Hadrian, Epiphanes, etc. considered Jews “atheists” because the Jews God was “invisible” and Israel’s concept of God was so different from the concept of gods of most people in the world at that time. Israel said we were once like you, but no longer. Except for that part of Israel that thinks that the “other folks” have got a new and better idea than God of the Hebrew or Jewish Bible.
Somewhat right . Keep researching . fact is that the translations most people read exclude a very important book which states some startling texts look up the book of enoch . Also nwo in education. A secret society has had its hand in every cause and religion you can imagine. This is all for a cause to enslave man by tricking him into giving up his rights. I am sure you have heard of this but what’s interesting is reading / studying the book of enoch / genesis / and the new testament where Jesus warns about kabalah and these secret societies. It blew my mind. Dig dig dig dig and dig you have to
Dont tease me, what’s the secret society name? What book do you speak of? Is it Enoch?
The secret society isn’t a secret anymore. The name boils down to one near the beginning of creation. But if you want to know the secret societies throughout history…. look no further than college fraternities, masons, shriner’s, kabbalah, New ager’s , Luciferians, skull n bones, Illuminati, etc .. Some of these believers don’t even know exactly what they getting into,some do..Don’t hate these people, Hate the evil behind it. They cut the pie of truth and divided it , and shipped it off around the world. YouTube these societies and also NWO and the book of Enoch then go back and read the bible (genesis / new testament) and prepare to be mind blown. I wont tell you what to believe. But I will tell you… you can not be divided in your belief . You can not reject Jesus and still have God. Because the proof is out/in there. But for some of us we must find the truth ourselves. There is my piece of the pie.
@Daily. “look no further than college fraternities, masons, shriner’s, kabbalah, New ager’s , Luciferians, skull n bones, Illuminati, etc .”
Would that include “secret society’ers?? So, check You Tube, NWO, who ever that is, read the old testament then the new testament and my mind will be blown? That’s a tall order with a bunch of modern day mis information thrown in. Do you have anything direct to look at? There should be scripture your pointing to along with You Tube videos.
The NWO = New World Order. Some are not even aware of this . Some even think the NWO is a good idea. Here are some of the scripture references/videos you asked for.
Matthew 24:4-6 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFfdOkwyuL0&list=9F62CA11C9B32EEA)
2Corin. 11:13-15 ( masonic teachings – their false belief that lucifer is an angel of light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q1hnkp5Zqw)
1Tim. 4:1 1Tim 6:10 (Illuminati and their puppets of the music industry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8Fzmyp2TdA&list=9F62CA11C9B32EEA)
2peter 2:1-2 ( corruption in our education system teaching ie evolution)
2 Thess 2:1-12 Rev: 12:9 ( Story of the fallen angels mention in the book of Enoch)
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 2peter 3:3-5 . Psalms 2:1-3 Ephesians 6-12 .
I’m going to cut it off there It’s late . I have tons more.
But I think after looking into this you will get the idea. What they are doing is corrupting God’s people and doing so by corrupting Judaism/Christianity. How are they doing this? by claiming to be of Jewish faith and others claiming to be of Christian faith and others claiming to be of catholic… etc. . They are turning man against man and creating wars so they can achieve their ultimate goal. And keep us divided and distracted. Their objective? the NWO by claiming all pathways to God are equally acceptable. But anyone who accepts this New world religion will be sentenced for believing the deception for their faith was not strong enough in God to notice this. Jesus warned us of this and he Loves his Father God. Stop the fight/war against brothers and sisters and start the War against the evil one. This is not ultimately directed toward you. But to the puppets of these societies.
Did you realize that you are promoting their philosophy and are part of the NWO network. You are one of their dupes; their plants? You are furthering the goals of the true secret society, because your anger is directed at the “not-so-secret secret societies” which are the “decoys”. You are now promoting a war between brother & sister for the NWO. You are promoting “one world religion”. They are trying to “unite us by dividing us”. Promoting “order through disorder”. You are calling for a war – just what they want. You are dividing and distracting. Did you know that before Jesus, there was a couple of thousand years of God without Jesus? The original plan of God? But, Jesus said he came to distract & divide; he admitted that he came with a sword. Not against the wealthy power brokers. Not against the pagan & dictatorial powers in Rome & Caesar, but among the decent, God loving, ordinary people of the land. War between fathers & sons, brothers and sisters. And many believers did the work of “the devil” by persecuting and even killing in his name. They will lead by no secret society, but the beliefs that were in “their hearts”.
You may not have signed on a dotted line and you may not be paying dues, but you seem to have bought the NWO’s propaganda and are ready to fight, not think?
I see why you would think it sounded that way but I am not saying that .
I’m sorry if you detected anger toward you in any of my comments.
My anger is meant to be directed toward the evil one. Lucifer/Satan.
If i use caps it is to provide emphasis .
Let me make this clear. I am NOT for the NWO . I am AGAINST the evil works behind it.
they are confusing man by tricking him into accepting lucifer .. by saying it is the same as God’s law . But its not Godly because in their ceremonies they are going against God’s commandments! including swearing oaths.
these societies are painting a pretty picture of lucifer in order to tick God off and enslave man. Because they feel God is enslaving man. They are taking God and his gospel and mutilating it among unsuspecting people. This needs to stop. And if we can’t stop this corruption then maybe we can save more God’s people in the process.
What is interesting is what lead me to this website in the first place.
You might think of me as some kook but I will share this with you.
Sunday night I fell asleep and I dreamed..
There was a man giving a presentation with a projector,
he was showing a picture/illustration of a temple or government building.
The roof was like a dome and it had pillars.
the man that was giving the presentation was talking about Israel & Egypt came up.
The man giving the presentation says ” truly they are lost” and points to the building at the top and runs his hand down the picture in a slash movement. As if he was saying it was divided.
then right after that in the same dream i saw a website there was an article mentioning Jesus and the word arbitrate was the overall topic. someone wrote ” arbitrate this!” the person who wrote this didn’t like the idea.
the feeling was that one man believed in Jesus the other did not.
I woke up shortly after.
Whats interesting/embarrassing to admit is i had no idea what the word arbitrate meant . I looked it up and the definition was
(of an independent person or body) Reach an authoritative judgment or settlement: “the power to arbitrate in disputes”.
I didn’t know that this website was on a Judaism vs Christianity until my second comment. to be completely honest with you. I was half asleep and wondered about the word arbitrate. And how it concerned Jesus.
So I woke up sleepy eyed looking to further explanations on this topic or see if one existed just out of pure curiosity.
I told several members of my church about this dream they all said it was about the separation of America & Israel.
They said..
Israel Needs our support . And we can’t do it by division They said you are being called to pray on behalf of the division of Israel and America. And the evil spirit of Egypt. strange thing is no one in my church knows I have been studying Egyptians and why these societies worship them and the conspiracy’s behind them.
I think that’s long enough for this comment.
Ok I looked around at the videos and people involved with them. I stopped at the video “Aliens and Armageddon”. She also made the second video link you posted. She has more on aliens if you look and are interested. Thanks for the heads up.
@Daily
The first video link you post by Leonard Ulrich, he list on his web site that his videos are broadcast on Al Jazzera TV. It’s is also said to be the most powerful voice of the Muslim brotherhood?
Interesting Larry very interesting. To me it looks like the relationship could be that both parties are aware of this and this does not mean we should discredit either. I am very curious I am going to ask them both about this I hope I get a reply 😀
Thanks for sharing
@Daily–go ahead-I prefer to find out for myself. You can to. Just search their name and what they say. I do hope you get a reply.
Daily (28 Aug 12). What? I didn’t detect anger in you, (but you are willing to “fight” without really knowing what or who you are fighting) which suggests that your emotions lead you, not careful thought. You are willing to fight or bring about division and that is what “they” want. Especially i sensed no anger to me, but I did sense a tendency in you toward gullibility. So, I know you believe you are not FOR the NWO, but it appears you “joined their network” unknowingly. Without people like you, “they” have no power; no one to carry out their plans.
You “have accepted lucifer”. Originally, in the OT, there was no spiritual being called a “lucifer” – it refers to a “star”, a planet, and then it was used for an king who was an enemy of Israel. Study how the term “lucifer” got corrupted and became a part of some folk’s theology which contradicts God’s Word. Satan or haSatan? Originally in the OT, it meant an adversary (usually a human) and controlled by God. Study how the term “satan” was misunderstood, how it became corrupted, and how the modern idea of satan contradicts God’s Word in the OT. There were no “fallen angels” in the OT and they only were invented in much later texts which contradicts God of the OT in several ways. The idea of an spiritual “evil one” is not found in the OT; it is an unbibical concept spread by those 2000 years or more who turned away from or rejected the God of the Hebrew or Jewish Bible. There were some writings found at Qumran, like the book of Enoch, whiose authors had a connection to Hellenism Plato, gnosticism, and to Egyptian theology. That is one reason northern Afican churches considered Enoch scripture. But it was a part of the “new age” religion, “new world order” of 2000 years ago and why parts of that theology of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, & Rome are embedded in the New Testament.
Those who reject the arbiters appointed by God also reject or have a hard time with the “law”, which is really God’s Word in the OT. Some people just wanted to have religion “their way” and to follow man’s traditions, (new age, modern ways) & not follow God’s word that some dividers and detractors taught was old and obsolete.
By ceasing to be subject to this and ceasing to do evil no matter who tells me to. I am fighting the battle my friend. This battle this war is a spiritual one. And not the one “they” tell you is in your head.
You and I can agree on the fact that the truth has been made into several versions. But that is just to make the actual truth appear as a lie. In order to deceive man and trick him into rejecting God and accepting this NWO.
That is why this NWO I am talking about is sheer evil. the evil behind them all is the one i am against.
All who seek God and the truth will have it. For those, hang on to your faith because there are turbulent times ahead. But do not be afraid .
Matthew 10:16
Daily: From what you have wrote so far, it is difficult to see you as “innocent as a dove” or as “wise as a serpent”. It appears to me that you have already turned from God’s law in several ways and have accepted man’s traditions and “lies” as truths. You may have already “lost several key battles to your enemy” and they “have not really begun to fight”.
My pastor always said that “you can speak things into existence”. What you speak controls you; what you focus on is what you value. You read the words of a small number of people and that takes you away from reading God’s Word. What you obsess about at day, enters your dreams at night. Then you use the dreams to “validate” the “truth” of what you want to believe. But you are not a prophet (at the spiritual level of the Biblical prophets), nor are your friends who you tell your dreams to. I don’t agree with you on the “fact” “that the truth has been made into several versions”. Rather, there are several versions of what people call “truth”. Everyone wants to do religion their way, and each calls their way “the Truth”.
It was “believers in Jesus” who split “Jesus’ One Way” into tens of thousands of “one ways” or “one & only true churches”. You can’t blame the division on atheists, “enemies of God”, or a small number of people in so-called “secret societies”. You can’t blame it on an “evil one”, because “Jesus has some power”, some concerns. If not, God is still in control and always has been.
Many have begun the “slide downward” or away from God, because
they reject what they call “the law”. And then, when they have the necessary disputes, since they have also already rejected God’s system of arbitration & His appointed, they can not resolve their differences (within their “family”), so they separate & go their own way, not God’s way. Blame no outsiders for that.
There is no “devil” in the OT, yet you read corrupt texts where man mistranslates terms such as “lucifer” and “satan” and corrupts biblical concepts of God. You (like millions of others) split God’s power and divide God’s Glory between Almighty God and some “enemy”, “evil one”, or “devil”. God’s glory is not shared by any “gods created in the image or mind of man”. Many people diminish God because of their acceptance of pagan ideas of gods. Speaking into existence the pagan concept of an “anti-God” is worse than those who are truly ignorant of the Bible and have come to “worship” the “evil one” and/or “try to make ‘lucifer’ acceptable” to society. Since you have already accepted a “lucifer” as a reality and as a major part of your theology, you are one step closer to being a disciple. Several versions of the NT already identify Jesus as being “the morning star”, aka lucifer. They become one & the same in some people’s mind, without promotion by any “evil one”, but by reading & studying the NT.
Matthew 10 is not about a “spiritual war” but a physical battle. Nor is it the type of struggle, from where the word or name of Israel, came from. If one truly has faith (or better yet, knowledge of God), one need not have your “type of concerns”. Use of terms like “lucifer” or “secret societies” makes all this seem scarier, but fear not Man; this fear is self-defeating. That is not the “sign of a true warrior” and definitely not one who will last long in battle. Nothing to fear but fear itself. If you “have” God. Perhaps, this fear of people’s beliefs or ideas, is because one find their ideas sort of attractive or, perhaps their ideas appear truer. If one’s faith is already waning in “times of relative calm” and “peace”, one really may have to fear the truly “turbulent times”. That is not the wisdom of Matthew 10’s serpent (unless perhaps serpent really does mean “satan”, like some interpret John 3:14).