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| Pastor Mathias | | Ms. Brunell - Executive Director | | Mr. Gaffney - Managing Director | | Ms. Helmers - Managing Director | | | |
| Mr. Flynn - Senior Director | | Mr. Bolton - Director | | Ms. Irwin - Director | | Mr. James - Director | | Mr. Levine - Director | | Ms. Radewicz - Director | | Mr. Rodgers - Director | | Mr. Shea - Director | | Mr. Widmyer - Director | | | |
| Ms. Avery | | Ms. Baird | | Ms. Baker | | Ms. Bray | | Ms. Burns | | Ms. Coffey | | Ms. Crane | | Mr. David | | Ms. Drew | | | |
| Mr. Dunlap | | Mr. Ewing | | Mr. Farley | | Ms. Finley | | Mr. Friedman | | Ms. Gay | | Ms. Hahn | | Ms. Hobbs | | Ms. Holder | | | |
| Mr. Horton | | Ms. Lee | | Mr. Maddox | | Ms. Perez | | Ms. Rollins | | Ms. Smith | | Ms. Smith | | Ms. Weslin | | Mr. Wilkerson | | | | | | M.R. Mathias - Ambassador |
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| | | | | Giving & Sharing Online Library | Bible Home Instructor, by A.N. Dugger and others. Family home Bible Studies in question and answer format.
Bibles, KJV English + other language versions.
Botkin Cartoons, by Daniel Botkin. Zany cartoons by nationally-acclaimed Sabbatarian artist.
Catholic Encyclopedia Online, the definitive source for Catholic teaching, more than 11,600 articles published from 1907-1914. Check the site for ordering a computer CD.
Is Christianity a Fraud?, by Eric V. Snow. Rebuttal of Darryl Conder's book, Mystery Babylon and the Ten Tribes in the End Time. Pdf file.
Companion Bible Appendices, by E.W. Bullinger.
Daniel and Revelation, by A.N. Dugger.
Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong. Public Domain articles written from 1928-1953.
Easton's Bible Dictionary. [More] | |  |
| |  | | | Bible Sabbath Association Website | | Its beginnings can be traced to the outcome of correspondence in late 1943 between a few Sabbath-keepers of various beliefs and affiliations who felt the need for a closer cooperation between various Sabbath-keepers. Although the home office is located in Fairview, Oklahoma, the Bible Sabbath Association now has a branch with offices in Australia as well as members located in several countries around the world. | | |
| | | | | Yahshua son of Yahweh | THE NAME OF THE SON
THE SAVIOR, THE MESSIAH
The name of the Messiah, in Hebrew-his own language, is Yahshua (Hebrew), which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh saves". The name "Jesus" is the result of a series of changes from Hebrew to a Latinized Greek. The word is not a transliteration, and it cannot be translated, since it is a hybrid word.
Hebrew names can be translated; they make a statement, such as, Yahshua = "Yahweh is salvation". The word "Jesus" does not deliver the message that Yahweh is salvation. [and, of course, "Jesus" was never actually his name.]
The pronunciation of Yahshua (Hebrew) varies among different groups. Since the Hebrew spelling is exactly the same as "Joshua", the son of Nun, some people pronounce it as "Joshua" with a "Y" sound - Yahshua; the "Y" would be the correct sound since the "J" sound does not exist in Hebrew. In fact, because of the same spelling, the King James Version mistranslated Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 using "Jesus" instead of "Joshua" (other versions like the NIV have corrected this). In reality, the name of Joshua and the name of the Messiah were the same name.
Stong's Concordance states that #2424 - Iesous is of Hebrew origin #3091 - yeh-ho shoo'-ah; and that this is also the name of Joshua, the Jewish leader. Some people state that the ancient pronunciation of this name is Ya-HO-shu-wa, and that by the time of the Messiah, the "HO" had been dropped; I have seen no written study of this. Strong's has obvious errors, "Yeh" instead of "Yah." His vowel points are of more modern Hebrew usage; he uses a sheva instead of a pattach and thus gets "Yeh." And, he uses "Jehovah" instead of "Yahweh."
We can understand, now, that "Jesus" would not have been the name that Miriam (Mary) was told to give her son. The "J" sound didn't exist then, and doesn't exist now, in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages. In fact, it didn't exist in English until 500 years ago.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Yahshua (means: Yahweh is salvation): for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Master by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, Elohim with us [means: a mighty one is with us].
"Yeshua" is the name used by today's Jews and messianic believers when referring to the Messiah. The "Ye" was a replacement of "Yah" to avoid pronouncing the Father's name even in its shortened, poetic form [a traditional Jewish restriction that began at the time of the Babylonian exile]. Using Yeshua does not honor Yahweh as intended in Matthew 1:21 above. By pronouncing Yahshua, we state that Yahweh is salvation.
It is to be expected that people would have slightly different pronunciations, but the "Yah" portion of the name is well documented. An honest attempt to pronounce this Hebrew name from the Hebrew letters shows respect to the Messiah and to Yahweh, even if we may not be saying it quite correctly. This is more respectful than replacing the name with something else that is not a translation or a transliteration. [More] | | |
| |  | | | A Voice In The Desert - YouTube | | A Voice in the Desert is anonymous. Its purpose is to point people to the message, rather than the messenger. Most modern day prophets promote themselves mor... | | |
| |  | | | Chiang Kai-shek: J: By Person: Stories: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity | When Chiang sought to marry Meiling, the strong Christian identity of the Songs meant that their daughter could not be joined to a non-believer.
It was also doubted whether Chiang had been properly divorced from his first wife, and there were persistent rumors about Jennie, whom Chiang had sent off to America without divorcing. Chiang produced proof of his divorce and discounted all stories about Jennie, claiming publicly that he did not know the woman who was calling herself “Mme Chiang.” (When Jennie returned from America after five years, Chiang provided housing and a living allowance for her until the 1960s, when he learned that she was planning to publish her memoir. Agents of the KMT succeeded in preventing publication of what would have been a damning expose of Chiang’s terrible temper, impetuosity, grandiose ambition, ruthless self-promotion, and callous treatment of her.)
When Meiling’s mother asked Chiang whether he would become a Christian, he replied that he would not change his religion just to marry Meiling, but he would read the Bible and pray for God to show him what he should do. Permission was granted, but Methodist church law forbade a church wedding between a Christian and an unbaptized person. Methodist Bishop Z.T. Kuang went to the Songs’ house to pray for the couple and pronounce a blessing upon them after a lavish civil ceremony on December 1, 1927.
Thenceforward, Chiang read his Bible daily (starting with the Old Testament), prayed privately, and knelt with his wife to pray. He resisted her efforts to persuade him to become a Christian, since he still had doubts and was not yet committed. Bishop Kuang answered his many questions, but did not press him to make a premature decision to follow Christ. In the midst of a campaign against a rebellious general, Chiang found himself surrounded, with capture and death imminent. He found a local Christian chapel, entered it, and told God that he would become a follower of Christ if he survived. A heavy snowstorm impeded his enemy’s advance, and Chiang’s forces gained the victory. He was baptized by Bishop Kuang in 1930. When asked why he had become a Christian, he replied, “I feel the need of a God such as Jesus Christ.”
In addition to his wife’s impact, he had perhaps also been influenced by the Christians in his government, since seven out of ten high officials in Nanjing were believers.
Quickly, Song Meiling became an essential source of strength and support, as Jennie had been. She helped Chiang keep up with world news, reading and digesting English publications daily; introduced him to Western literature, music, and culture; served as personal advisor, ambassador, and interpreter; and taught him English well enough so that he could both understand and speak the language, though this was not known by more than one or two Westerners until long after his death. Pretending to wait for the interpreter to finish before he responded, he could actually use that time to reflect on what he had heard and prepare his reply.
At the same time, his marriage, though outwardly harmonious, was wracked at times by conflict and tension, aggravated by Meiling’s extravagance and domineering personality, as well as by his intense emotions including a very bad temper. Later, however, the two became very loving towards each other, often holding hands in public despite traditional Chinese strictures against such an open display of affection.
Though he indulged Wei-guo, he was quite stern towards his natural son Ching-kuo, constantly exhorting him to improve his calligraphy and exercise strict self-discipline. During the brief alliance of the KMT with Soviet Russian communists, Chiang had allowed Ching-kuo to go to Moscow to be educated. The young man became known for his hard work and his utter devotion to the Marxist-Leninist revolution.His public denunciation of his father as a traitor after the purge of Communists in 1926 was sincere, and led to a deep split between them for several years. Upon Ching-kuo’s return to China, however, he rapidly became his father’s most trusted aide and second-in-command, especially after the retreat to Taiwan.
Close friends and associates have borne abundant testimony to Chiang’s daily Bible reading, prayer, and open affirmation of his faith in Christ. Some contemporaries say they noticed that after his baptism he seemed to believe less in force and more in conciliation. After gaining his release from his captors in Xian, he stated that he had been strengthened during his ordeal by reading the Bible and entrusting himself to God’s care, so that he did not fear death and thus would not give in to their threats and demands. He wrote in his diary, “The greatness and love of Christ burst upon me with new inspiration, increasing my strength to struggle against evil, to overcome temptation and to uphold righteousness…” He further claimed that he forgave the two main perpetrators b [More] | | |
| |  | | | About Us: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity | One hundred fifty years later, Chinese Christians numbered about 1,700,000. During the Chinese Martyrspast fifty years, Christians in China have not merely survived severe persecution, but have multiplied themselves many times, with estimates ranging from fifty to a hundred million. Christianity has spread its influence in Chinese communities around the world, where Chinese churches are growing rapidly.
Who are the persons who have played important roles in this tremendous growth? In the early modern era, Western missionaries carried the Gospel message throughout the land of China. But what are the names and stories of Chinese indigenous church leaders and lay persons who embraced the Gospel, pioneered and nurtured the churches, led independent Christian movements, and applied biblical values to Chinese social and political challenges? Incredibly, the majority of them are virtually unknown. Other than a few dozen church leaders, theologians, and evangelists, their stories have been lost even to Chinese Christians, as well as to the rest of the world. [More] | | |
| |  | | | Robert Morrison (missionary) - Wikipedia | Robert Morrison, FRS (5 January 1782 – 1 August 1834), was an Anglo[1]-Scottish[2] Protestant missionary to Portuguese Macao, Qing-era Guangdong, and Dutch Malacca, who was also a pioneering sinologist, lexicographer, and translator.
After twenty-five years of work he translated the whole Bible into the Chinese language and baptized ten Chinese believers, including Cai Gao, Liang Fa, and Wat Ngong. Morrison pioneered the translation of the Bible into Chinese and planned for the distribution of the Scriptures as broadly as possible, unlike the previous Roman Catholic translation work that had never been published.[3]
Morrison cooperated with such contemporary missionaries as Walter Henry Medhurst and William Milne (the printers), Samuel Dyer (Hudson Taylor's father-in-law), Karl Gutzlaff (the Prussian linguist), and Peter Parker (China's first medical missionary). He served for 27 years in China with one furlough home to England. The only missionary efforts in China were restricted to Guangzhou (Canton) and Macau at this time. They concentrated on literature distribution among members of the merchant class, gained a few converts, and laid the foundations for more educational and medical work that would significantly impact the culture and history of the most populous nation on earth. However, when Morrison was asked shortly after his arrival in China if he expected to have any spiritual impact on the Chinese, he answered, "No sir, but I expect God will!" [More] | | |
| |  | | | Hudson Taylor | Missionary to China | James Hudson Taylor (Chinese: ???; 21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools[1] and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.[2]
Taylor was known for his sensitivity to Chinese culture and zeal for evangelism. He adopted wearing native Chinese clothing even though this was rare among missionaries of that time. Under his leadership, the CIM was singularly non-denominational in practice and accepted members from all Protestant groups, including individuals from the working class, and single women as well as multinational recruits. Primarily because of the CIM's campaign against the Opium trade, Taylor has been referred to as one of the most significant Europeans to visit China in the 19th Century.[3][page needed] Historian Ruth Tucker summarises the theme of his life:
No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor. [More] | | |
| | | | | Zhang Lisheng: Z: By Person: Stories: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity | He was a believer in materialism in the years 1922-24. While studying at Shanghai Baptist University, he hated compulsory chapel and “read the Bible with hatred,” so he later left the school. He eventually was graduated from Fudan University. At the time he identified Christianity with Western culture and imperialism, and sympathized with the anti-Christian movement, so much that he joined in the general attack on the church by writing articles for newspapers.
While a student in college, he published The Land Problem of China, an exposition of the teachings on national reconstruction of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China. For this reason, and on the basis of his other writings, he became Peking’s youngest professor at age 21 after receiving the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The President of China sometimes audited his classes.
From 1925 - 32, he was a “legalist, believing that better laws would create a better
nation, “to maintain peace and order, and to safeguard righteousness and justice.” Zhang thus went to France for doctoral studies in Law at the University of Paris, and on to further research on political and legal sciences in Belgium, England (London, Oxford, and Cambridge), Germany and Switzerland, 1927-29. Upon his return to China, he became a professor of the National Central University in Nanking [More] | | |
| |  | | | Zhang Kai Back in Police Custody - Christian Newswire | Zhang Kai Back in Police Custody
Contact: ChinaAid Media Team, 432-553-1080 cell, 888-889-7757, 432-689-6985, media@chinaaid.org
HOHHOT, Inner Mongolia, Dec. 28, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- A prominent Christian human rights lawyer who was released on bail earlier this year has not been seen since he was summoned to the police station yesterday morning.
At 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 27, human rights attorney Zhang Kai responded to a summons to a police station in Hohhot, and his mother claims that he has not yet returned. During this time, personnel from public security bureaus in Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia came to her house to have a "conversation." Her daughter also received a visit from the Beijing Municipal Public Security at her work place, and she refused to let them video her. They asked the women to urge Zhang to quietly cooperate with officials and said his ability to return home depended on his attitude.
Zhang was previously taken into police custody on the night of Aug. 25, 2015, after he legally represented 100 churches affected by a cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang. After spending six months in an unofficial "black jail" in an unknown location, he resurfaced on a television broadcast on Feb. 25, where he was forced to confess his to disturbing public order and endangering state secrets. He was criminally detained a day later, and then released on bail.
A full translation of a statement from Zhang's mother can be read below.
China Aid will write additional reports when more information becomes available.
China Aid exposes abuses, such as those experienced by Zhang Kai, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom and human rights.
Message from Zhang Kai's Mother
Emergency: My son, Zhang Kai, was summoned by the municipal police station at 10:00 a.m. on December 27 and has not yet returned, and now it has been more than 36 hours! During this period, staff from the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Bureau, the Guizhou [Provincial] Public Security Bureau, the Wenzhou [Municipal] Public Security Bureau, and the Inner Mongolia [Provincial] Public Security Bureau have been to my house to have a "conversation." The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau went to my daughter's work place to have a "conversation" (they wanted to take video, but my daughter stopped them). They urged us to persuade Zhang Kai to keep quiet and cooperate with them! Whether Zhang Kai can go home or not depends on his attitude! Our family is in the midst of waiting anxiously ? I hope Zhang Kai returns safely. Please pay urgent attention! [More] | | |
| |  | | | China Televises Christian Rights Lawyer's ‘Confession’ | Christian rights lawyer in China has become the latest to have his “confession” to alleged crimes aired on state television. The confession comes after six months of being held in seclusion, denied access to his lawyers and family, and even before he has been indicted or tried in court.
Last August, Beijing-based attorney Zhang Kai was seized by police on suspicion of “gathering and disturbing social order” and “endangering state security,” after he had provided legal support to Christian churches in Zhejiang province who have been battling a controversial government decision to remove crosses from churches since late 2013.
Zheng appeared on the Wenzhou News Network late Thursday admitting to his alleged crimes, which include instigating church goers to protest the government’s demolition of crosses and accepting funds from China Aid – a U.S. non-profit group promoting religious freedom and rule of law in China - while defending more than 100 churches there.
“I felt remorseful for what I have done. I plead guilty. And I hope that the government can give me a chance to correct my wrongdoings,” Zhang said. He added, “I will repent sincerely, be committed to abiding by national laws and thoroughly break off relations with overseas [forces],” Zheng said.
It isn’t clear if the televised confession was made freely and without coercion.
In the confession, Zhang said that fortune and fame was the true reason why he participated in the fight against the removal of more than 1,200 crosses and some churches in Wenzhou. He urged his legal peers not to follow his bad example.
“I’d like to warn those so-called rights lawyers to not to collude with overseas [forces]. Don’t accept overseas money and don’t engage in any activity that will endanger state security and benefits,” he said.
In the name of religious freedom, foreign forces were meant to smear the human rights record in China and attack the Chinese government, the lawyer said in the video confession. [More] | | |
| |  | | | Who is CSW? | CSW-USA was founded in 1997 as the United States partner organization of Christian Solidarity Worldwide's international network (originally founded in the UK in 1981). CSW-USA and its various partners exist to serve the persecuted Christian Church through advocacy, aid and prayer.
We seek to mobilize the many members of the free Church to "remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:3)
CSW-USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. [More] | | |
| |  | | | Nabataean Kingdom friends of the Maccabees | Nabataeans and Hasmoneans
Temple of Avdat in the Negev, built by the Nabataeans to commemorate king Obodas I and his victories against the Hasmoneans and the Seleucids.
The Nabataeans were allies of the Maccabees during their struggles against the Seleucid monarchs. They then became rivals of their successors, the Judaean Hasmonean dynasty, and a chief element in the disorders which invited Pompey's intervention in Judea.[7] The Port of Gaza was the last stop for spices that were carried by trade caravans before shipment to European markets, and so the Nabataeans had considerable influence over the Gazans.[2] The Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus, besieged the city of Gaza around 100 BC, on the grounds that the Gazans had favoured the Ptolemies over the Judaeans in their recent battles. Gaza was occupied and its inhabitants put to the sword by Jannaeus.[2]
The Hasmoneans, under Jannaeus, launched a campaign that captured several territories in Transjordan north of Nabataea, along the road to Damascus, including northern Moab and Gilead. The territorial acquisitions threatened Nabataean trade interests, both to Gaza and to the Seleucids in Damascus.[8] The Nabataean King, Obodas I fought to restore the areas. Obodas managed to defeat Jannaeus in the Battle of Gadara around 93 BC, when he ambushed him and his forces in a steep valley where Jannaeus "was lucky to escape alive".[2]
After the Nabataean victory over the Judaeans, the former were now at odds with the Seleucids, who were not impressed with the increasing influence of the Nabataeans to the south of their territories.[9] The Nabataeans were again victorious over the Greeks, and this time over the Seleucids. During the Battle of Cana, the Seleucid king Antiochus XII waged war against the Nabataeans and the king himself was slain during combat. His demoralized army fled and perished in the desert from starvation. After Obodas's victories over the Judaeans and the Greeks, he became the first Nabataean king to be worshipped as a god by his people.
Avdat was a temple built in the Negev desert by the Nabataeans to commemorate Obodas. He was buried there and inscriptions have been found referring to "Obodas the god".[2]
During the reign of Aretas III (87 to 62 BC) the kingdom seems to have reached its territorial zenith, but it was defeated by a Roman army under the command of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. Scaurus' army even besieged Petra, but eventually a compromise was negotiated.
Paying a tribute, Aretas III received the formal recognition by the Roman Republic.[10]
The Nabataean kingdom saw itself slowly surrounded by the expanding Roman Empire, which conquered Egypt and annexed Hasmonean Judea. While the Nabataean kingdom managed to preserve its formal independence, it became a client kingdom under the influence of Rome.[10]
Roman annexation
A map of the Roman Empire, at its greatest extent, showing the territory of Trajan's Nabataean conquests in red.
Main article: Arabia Petraea
In 106 AD, during the reign of Roman emperor Trajan, the last king of the Nabataean kingdom Rabbel II Soter died.[10] That might have prompted the official annexation of Nabatea to the Roman Empire, but the formal reasons and the exact manner of annexation are unknown.[10]
Some epigraphic evidence suggests a military campaign, commanded by Cornelius Palma, the governor of Syria. Roman forces seem to have come from Syria and also from Egypt. It is clear that by 107 AD Roman legions were stationed in the area around Petra and Bostra, as is shown by a papyrus found in Egypt. The kingdom was annexed by the empire to become the province of Arabia Petraea. Trade seems to have largely continued thanks to the Nabataeans' undiminished talent for trading.[10]
Under Hadrian, the limes Arabicus ignored most of the Nabatæan territory and ran northeast from Aila (modern Aqaba) at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. A century later, during the reign of Alexander Severus, the local issue of coinage came to an end. There was no more building of sumptuous tombs, apparently because of a sudden change in political ways, such as an invasion by the neo-Persian power under the Sassanid Empire.
The city of Palmyra, for a time the capital of the breakaway Palmyrene Empire (fl. 130–270), grew in importance and attracted the Arabian trade away from Petra. [More] | | |
| |  | | | Early centers of Christianity - Wikipedia | Early Christianity (generally considered the time period from its start to 325), spread from the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, reaching as far east as India. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers, in the Holy Land and the Jewish diaspora. The first followers of Christianity were Jews or biblical proselytes, commonly referred to as Jewish Christians and Godfearers.<br>
The Apostolic Sees claim to have been founded by one or more of the Apostles of Jesus, who are said to have dispersed from Jerusalem sometime after the Crucifixion of Jesus, c. 26–36, perhaps following the Great Commission. Early Christians gathered in small private homes,[1] known as house churches, but a city's whole Christian community would also be called a church – the Greek noun ?????s?a literally means assembly, gathering, or congregation[2][3] but is translated as church in most English translations of the New Testament.
Many of these Early Christians were merchants and others who had practical reasons for traveling to northern Africa, Asia Minor, Arabia, Greece, and other places.[4][5][6] Over 40 such communities were established by the year 100,[5][6] many in Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor, such as the Seven Churches of Asia. By the end of the first century, Christianity had already spread to Rome, India, and major cities in Armenia, Greece and Syria, serving as foundations for the expansive spread of Christianity, eventually throughout the world.
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M.R. Mathias 
