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ITS LITERARY AND HISTORICAL INTEREST. On the western coast of Scotland, near the “bold juttings of the Ross of Mull, lies a little island, only two and one-half miles long, by one and one-half broad, with but a few hundred acres of arable land,and nothing in its scenery or position to arrest the attention of the traveller. And yet of that bleak islet, Dr. Johnson, who never spake any thing good of Scotland that he could avoid, was constrained to write, “That man is little to be envied, whose patriotism would not gain force on the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona”.[1]

There must have been something very marvellous in the history of a Scottish island, which would compel the burly dictator of English literature to place it, in relation to religion, beside Marathon in relation to patriotism. We may be very sure that only the undeniable truth of history could have extorted such a tribute from such a man.

What then has woven such a spell of interest around this storm-swept island in the Atlantic?Johnson himself gives it in the same passage when he says, “We were now treading that illustrious island, which was once the luminary of the Caledonian regions, whence savage clans and roving barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge and the blessings of religion.” Wordsworth also gives it, in his sonnets on this island, which he calls the “Glory of the West.”

SINCE THE EARLY 1930’S THE SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE HAS BEEN PROMOTED AS THE SOURCE FOR INTERPRETING REVELATION AND THE END TIMES. Almost all the current Dispensationalist theology is derived from his teaching and his Reference Bible.  Following is a transcript of a speech about Cyrus I Scofield by Rev. Nord Davis. (Most grammar and spelling errors that may occur are most likely on the part of the transcriber so forgive it’s form.)

The Pope of Prophecy Perversion

I am going to talk about a certain man everybody knows. His name is Cyrus I. Scofield. The man who wrote the Scofield Bible. The Bible that Christian brethren read so frequently and with which they have made up their current doctrine. Which has changed the thrust of America since the middle 1800’s.

This is going to be of controversial content and because it is controversial in content I will pick one of the Bibles most controversial characters to quote – the prophet Jeremiah. He preached, he warned, he exposed false preaching of his day and all to no avail. And he and his Israel people went right into captivity. The very captivity about which he had been warning

LYNCHBURG IS A CITY OF CHURCH STEEPLES. THIS IS THE WAY IT HAS BEEN SINCE IT RECEIVED ITS CHARTER IN 1786, and the way it has been described by travellers over the last two centuries. Churches everywhere with a God-fearing population to fill them.

There is also another Lynchburg. In the 1920’s, Lynchburg was said to have had more whorehouses, gambling joints, and booze establishments than any other city east of the Mississippi.

Billy Sunday Comes To Town

Billy Sunday came to town. He couldn’t believe what he saw. He vowed that he wouldn’t leave Lynchburg until it changed.

Putting action to his words he rented the fairgrounds near where Timberlake Road and the Airport Road meet, set up a tent, put sawdust on the ground, and started to preach – sunny days, rainy days, cold-wet-snowy-winter days, sweltering hot summer days – Billy Sunday preached under that big tent. He preached all the things the establishment churches didn’t preach. Sometimes he preached to a handful, at other times he preached to overflowing crowds.

One at a time, non-establishment Lynchburgers (and some establishment ones) walked the sawdust trail and accepted God’s Commandments to rule their lives. Gradually people stopped going to whorehouses, saloons, and gambling joints. One at a time these establishments closed up for the lack of customers. When Billy Sunday left Lynchburg, Lynchburg had changed. While “establishment Lynchburg” was the same, the rest had changed. Lynchburg was different.

THE ORIGINAL TWELVE APOSTLES ARE NAMED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT as Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Levi (or Matthew), James (the less), Jude (perhaps also named Thaddeus or Lebbaeus), Simon (the Zealot or Cananean) and Judas Iscariot. It is obvious that they fall into two main groups: those who were former disciples of John the Baptist and those who were members of Jesus’s extended family. Of the former group are Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, Philip, and probably Bartholomew and Thomas. Family

3 members are Jesus’s brothers James (the less), Jude, Simon the Zealot and Matthew/Levi, along with his cousins, James and John the sons of Zebedee. Judas Iscariot could be in either group as he is described as the ‘son of Simon’ and it is not clear if this means that he is a son of Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot (Cananean) or some other Simon that we don’t know about.

Thus at least six, possibly seven, of the original twelve were family members. However, there is one important name missing from the list of apostles and this is Jesus’s other brother Joses (or Joseph) who, like James the less, is definitely named as being a son of both Mary and Alpheus. Why should he alone not have been included in the twelve?

It seems to us that the answer to this question is hinted at in several places in the New Testament, most specifically in the Crucifixion story. When Jesus is being tried by Pilate, the latter is clearly willing to release him, making use of an alleged custom among the Jews that a prisoner of their choice should be freed at the Passover. However, the crowd shout out for someone called Barabbas, with the result that he, instead of Jesus, is released.

IN THE ARTICLE “THE EARLY CHURCH IN BRITAIN” OF 30 SEPTEMBER 1992, on pages 6 and 7, the author referred to the report by Frederick Haberman, (Ref 1 p. 141), which tells of the twenty ninth chapter of Acts which is in the Turkish Archives at Istanbul.

Several paragraphs from the twenty ninth chapter of Acts give indications that St. Paul went to Britain. These are quoted below for conveniences:-

“And Paul, full of the blessings of Christ, and abounding in the Spirit, departed out of Rome, determining to go into Spain; for he had a long time purposed to journey thitherwards, and he was minded to go from thence into Britain. For he had heard in Phoenicia that certain of the children of Israel, about the time of the Assyrian captivity, had escaped by sea to the “isles afar off” as spoken by the prophet, and called by the Romans Britain”.

“And they departed out of Spain, and Paul and his company finding a ship in Armorica sailing into Britain, they went therein and passing along the south coast, they reached a port called Raphinus”.

“And on the morrow he came and stood on Mount Lud; and the people thronged at the gate, and assembled in the Broadway, and he preached Christ unto them,and many believed the word and the testimony of Jesus Christ”.

I AM A CHRISTIAN. I MUST ALSO STATE THAT I AM TOLERANT OF OTHER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, and I am committed to the right of people to have and practice whatever religious belief they so choose. Freedom of thought, conscience, belief and speech is fundamental to traditional European communities. I oppose religious intolerance, just as I oppose political tyranny and the suffocating encroachment of world government. Although Europe has suffered from times of political and religious oppression, Western civilization from its classical roots in Greece and Rome to modern Europe has been the most ardent defender of freedom of thought and conscience. It is no accident that the most isolated pocket of ancient Europeans, Iceland, has the longest standing parliament in the world.
I seldom delve into religious matters, as I don’t have the honour of being a pastor or priest. However, policies of the Christian churches are critical to the well-being of European Americans as the overwhelming majority of Europeans are Christian as I am. Organized Christian churches have dramatic influence on our society, especially in America. On some matters, I feel I must speak out both as a Christian and as a European American.

LAODICEA ON THE LYCUS, LOCATED AT THE CROSSROADS OF IMPORTANT TRADE ROUTES, WAS ONCE A PROSPEROUS CITY, famous for its black wool, banking services, and medical achievements. In the times of late antiquity, it had a large Jewish community and a significant congregation of Christians. St. John mentioned Laodicea as one of the Seven Churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation

Geography

Laodicea is situated on a hill between fertile valleys irrigated by the waters of Asopus (tr. Gümüşçay) and Kapros (tr. Başlıçay) streams. They are the tributaries of the Lycus River, now known as Çürüksu Çayı, which flows on the north-eastern side of the hill. This river gave Laodicea its cognomen – ad Lycum – meaning in the River Lycus. It distinguishes this city from other Laodiceas founded by Antiochus II.

Laodicea was founded on an important trade route, leading to this city from Sardis through Philadelphia. In its neighbourhood, there are many important ancient cities. Just 10 km to the north of Laodicea, there is the famous Roman spa of Hierapolis. Colossae, known from the Epistle to the Colossians written by St. Paul, is 14.5 km to the east. The city of Tripolis on the Meander is located on the road to Sardis, 26 km to the north-west of Laodicea.

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1. The Church of Arimathea and its Roman offshoot

JULIUS CAESAR RAIDED BRITAIN IN BC 55 AND BC 54 and then the Islanders were left in peace by the Romans until they came again in AD 43 during the reign of Emperor Claudius, . th is time to conquer Britain.

Joseph of Arimathea arrived in Marseilles about AD 35 with Lazarus, Mary, Magdalene, Martha, her handmaiden Marcella and Maximin, a disciple. From there they travelled to Britain where Joseph preached the Gospel.

The Bible gives us the following information about Joseph of Arimathea. He was a rich man, a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews, a good man and righteous person , a respected member of the Jewish Council (Sanhedrin) who had not consented to the purpose and deed of the Council in condemning Jesus to death. He went to Pilate secretly after the death of Jesus and asked that he might take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him leave to do this. With the help of Nicodemus, who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, they took the body of Jesus and bound it in cloths with the spices, as was the burial custom of the Jews. The body was placed in the unused tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The Talmud confirms the eastern tradition that Joseph was the uncle of Mary, the mother of Jesus.(Ref 12).

According to Whitehead (Ref 6), Cornish tradition states that Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy tin merchant shipping tin from the Isles while a resident of Judea.

Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, his sister Mary, who wiped the feet of Jesus with ointment and her hair, and their sister Martha, were loved by Jesus.

DID YOU KNOW the Pope titles himself “the Good Shepherd”? Since Jesus pro-claimed he was the Good Shepherd, (John. 10:11 and 14) we recognize this as a blasphemy that Our Lord will not take lightly. Zech. 11:17 warns:
“ Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” (Compare Matt. 6:22-23, Luke. 11:34-36)

DID YOU KNOW Daniel prophesied: “…the ROBBERS OF THY PEOPLE shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.[?]” (11:14) Jeremiah identified them in 23:30: “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that STEAL MY WORDS every one from his neighbour.” (Emphasis mine)

DID YOU KNOW Jesus said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites![?] for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Mat. 23:27)

DID YOU KNOW when the high priest, Ananias, commanded the apostle Paul to be struck in the face, Paul answered, “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall….”[?] (Compare with Eze. 13:10-16)

DID YOU KNOW Job censured the arrogant pretensions to superior know-ledge of his friends and advisors in 13:4-5? His advice?
“But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value. O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom. (What’s interesting here is that “forgers” means “plasterers,” see p.472 of the Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Do these kind of men comprise part of the group that build the “wall” with “un-tempered mortar”?)