BILLY GRAHAM IS NOT IN HEAVEN... YET

BY PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR

There is voluminous evidence in the Bible that the Kingdom of God will reign on this earth!

"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the House of the Eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people [physical human beings will still be alive on the earth during that day!] shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, and to the House of the God of Jacob and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Eternal of Hosts has spoken it" (Micah 4:1-4).

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God [meaning, 'God-breathed'], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16)

Major footnote: When Paul wrote his letter to Timothy there was No "New Testament". Paul is talking about the Tanach (what christians call the old testament)

The divinely-revealed Word of God is the ultimate source to which we must go to discover the real truth about the reward of the saved, about what happens at death; about the promise of "heaven," or the threat of "hell."

Wouldn't it seem logical to you that if heaven is the reward of the saved; that if hell is the reward of sinners; that if the saints are raptured away to heaven—there would at least be one scripture somewhere in the Bible plainly saying so?

Jesus was a Jew. I know, shocking to some, he would most definitely been versed in the thirteen principles of faith, one of which is the belief in the resurrection of the dead.

"The Christian idea of rapture is another such idea, which has little or nothing to do with Jewish tradition, which has always believed in the notion of the resurrection of the dead.”

Belief in the eventual resurrection of the dead is so fundamental to Jewish thought that it is one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith. These 13 basic Jewish beliefs were compiled in the 12th century by the one of the greatest codifiers of Jewish law, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (also known as Maimonides or Rambam).

I believe with perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.

"Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise–awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust–for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades.” Isaiah 26:19

"When Christ returns, the false prince—Satan—will be judged and cast out (John 16:11)" ~Pastor Doug Batchelor

Christian, what are you going to say to G-d of Israel when your god Jesus doesn’t return?

Worshiper of Jesus, Christian/Messianic, what are you going to say when you stand before G-d after the false man-god Jesus whom you worship and to whom you pray doesn’t appear? What are you going to say to your Maker when you knew all along (and I am merely reminding you here now) that worshiping anyone or anything other than Him is a grave sin and betrayal? How will you justify your worship of a mortal creature to whom billions bow their knees? Will you deny that you knew that He has warned you that He was neither a man nor a son of man (Numbers 23:19), that He had no visible form and that He can’t be compared to anything He created? Will you try to defend yourself that you only followed your leaders or will you admit to G-d your sin of idolatry? Will you appeal to the polished literary character from the pages of your New Testament? Will you tell G-d that Jesus paid for your sins by his blood when He explicitly warned that He doesn’t approve of human sacrifices (Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 12:31) and that no man can punished for the sins of another (Ezekiel 18:20)? Will you point to the [Greek] Testament in your defense and claim it to be the “word of G-d”? Will you claim that you have put your faith in Jesus, Paul, apostles, the church scribes, church fathers, pastors and evangelists? Will you attempt to boldly walk into the Holy of Holies as the author of Hebrews exhorts you to do (Hebrews 10:19) and demand to be allowed in since you placed your trust in a “son of man”, despite the fact that G-d has told us in Numbers 23:19 not to do just that? What will come out of your mouth? Do you know?

The Bible already knows what you are going to say. Indeed, it gives us a glimpse of your very words and it tells us in the Jewish scriptures, the writings that you call “the Old Testament”, the words all of the nations will utter before the G-d of Israel in the end of days:

“To you (Hashem) shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” (Jeremiah 16:19-20)

Today, however, the choice is still yours. Today, you can still either choose to continue worshiping Jesus as you god, to proclaim him as your “lord and savior” or you can choose to discard your idolatry and turn to the living G-d of Israel and Him alone. Make no mistake – you DO have a choice whom you will serve – if a man Jesus whom Christianity has deified to seat him on G-d’s throne is your ba’al (Hebrew word for “lord”), serve him. But if the G-d of Israel is the L-rd, then you know what you need to do. If you choose idolatry over the Living G-d of Israel, do not think that there is safety in the great numbers among the nations that Christianity and other religions can boast. As G-d said:

“Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing. To whom, then, will you compare G-d? What image will you compare him to?” (Isaiah 40:17-18)

Source: https://dailyminyan.com/2014/12/15/christian-what-are-you-going-to-say-to-g-d-of-israel-when-your-god-jesus-doesnt-return/

Messianic groups condemn Torah ceremony - Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Messianic groups condemn Torah ceremony

February 7, 2012

(JTA) -- Two Messianic Jewish organizations condemned a self-styled Messianic rabbi for conducting a church service in which a Baptist bishop was wrapped in a Torah scroll and called a king.

The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America said in a statement that "we join our voices with the wider Jewish community in condemning" Ralph Messer, who conducted the ritual in which Bishop Eddie Long of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., was wrapped in a scroll and lifted up on a chair bar mitzvah-style while he held the Torah scroll, which was identified as being rescued from Auschwitz.

"Messer is not recognized by any major branch of Messianic Judaism and, under the standards of the UMJC and the MJAA, is not even considered part of our community, let alone a rabbi," the statement said. "He is operating entirely outside the mainstream Messianic Jewish community. Furthermore, his claim to be acting on behalf of the Jewish people is outrageous and without merit."

The organizations also condemned what it called "Messer's flagrant disrespect of the Sefer Torah in this ritual and his misrepresentation of Jewish tradition."

"We assure the rest of the Jewish community that this ceremony would seem as bizarre and offensive within our congregations as it would within yours," the statement said.

Long apologized for the ceremony in a letter sent over the weekend to Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

"The ceremony was not my suggestion, nor was it my intent, to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community," he wrote.   

Source: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/02/07/3091566/messianic-groups-condemn-torah-ceremony

Ralph Messer's Messianic Christian group posted a response video

Here is the link: New Birth Crowns Eddie Long as King - Full Sermon and Response   http://youtu.be/YnOzHpqTuaA 

Ralph Messer Message on Paula White's TV Program being wrapped in a Torah Scroll:

Today on Super Bowl Sunday, I was invited to preach at Cathedral of Power International Church in Clermont, Florida. As the former chaplain of the Minnesota Vikings, It was my intention to focus on a sports/biblical theme for this special service. However, I was asked to address an encounter I had with Reggie White and Ralph Messer ten years ago. In memory of my friend, the late Reggie White and in honor of Black History month, I took some time to respond to the firestorm surrounding Ralph Messer and the crowning of Pastor Eddie Long as a king. It is my position that Pastor Long was unaware of the planned "ceremony" and was another high profile African-American used to promote Messer's agenda. I am calling for Ralph Messer to cease and desist from the dangerous and unbiblical teaching that he is directing toward African-American congregations around this country. It is also my hope and prayer that he will add the African-American community to his list of those whom he has offended and will sincerely ask for forgiveness for the damage he has caused.

Here is the public statement I made BEFORE I watched the entire message Ralph Messer presented at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday January 29th 2012.

People around the world have been shocked by the Messianic "rabbi" who crowned Eddie Long king. Newsflash: Ralph Messer has been exploiting African-Americans and making a mockery of the Hebrew roots of the faith for years. I first encountered Messer eleven years ago when my friend the late Football Hall-of-Famer Reggie White paid him an inordinate amount of money to learn Hebrew under his tutelage as a "rabbi." A year went by and Reggie never received even a single Hebrew lesson. I decided to confront Messer with Reggie and Pro-Bowler Hardy Nickerson as witnesses. In their presence "Rabbi Ralph" admitted he had never formally been ordained as a real rabbi. I then challenged Messer to read from my Hebrew Bible and he responded by making excuses for an hour about why it was "dangerous" to learn the language. I continued to insist he read from my Bible in Hebrew and with great effort Messer managed to slowly sound out the first verse of the Bible one syllable at a time. It was obvious to everyone present that Messer did not possess the knowledge to read the Hebrew language let alone to teach it. For the past ten years, I have seen Messer continue to throw around Hebrew terms he does not fully understand and misuse holy objects such as Torah Scrolls to manipulate people and bring them under his authority as a "rabbi" and a supposed "representative of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel." As a United Methodist pastor who believes in the importance of the Hebrew roots of our faith I am deeply offended by what he did this past week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. It is my sincere hope and prayer that by speaking out others will be spared from falling prey to his manipulative practices that offend both Jew and Gentile alike.

Keith Johnson
Founder of Biblical Foundations Academy
Former chaplain of the Minnesota Vikings

_________________________________________________________________
Rabbi Ralph Messer on Pastor Paula White's TV Program being wrapped in a Torah Scroll: Note @1:14 in this video you can clearly see that Ralph has ripped the Torah scroll by doing this. That alone should speak volumes.

FROM THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF: Daniel Beirute, attorney for Florida-based televangelist Paula White, unconditionally denied that White would be 'coronated' as was Bishop Eddie Long in a widely ridiculed ceremony in Lithonia, Ga.’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church that went viral on YouTube. He also denied that White had ever been previously ‘crowned’ by erstwhile ‘rabbi’ Ralph Messer.

White is now pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, founded by the late Zachery Tims. New Destiny is one of Central Florida’s largest churches. She is also pastor of Without Walls International Church, one of Tampa’s largest churches.

Beirute denied a rumor that started in Orlando that White was somehow affiliated with Messer, who made Long a ‘king’ according to what Messer alleged was Jewish tradition. West Orlando News Online reported  "rumors that Messer will be in Orlando over the week-end to crown pastor Paula White, new leader of the New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC), queen."

"There is not a single shred of truth in it, and we cannot fathom where such ridiculous fantasy may have come from. Pastor White has no ties or affiliation with Mr. Messer. She does not endorse him in any way, and she would never consider participating in any so-called coronation under any circumstances, whatsoever," Beirute said in an email to Florida Courier Publisher Charles W. Cherry II.

Allegations of a Messer-White connection was mentioned on local talk radio, corroborated by a local rabbi, reported on the Florida Courier website – then went viral.

Harsh criticism

On Friday, Orlando’s WEUS-AM 860 aired a live episode of “The Don Miller Show” that harshly criticized both Long and Messer. Featured guests on the show were Rabbi Ira Michaelson of the Beth Tefillahcongregation in Clermont, just outside of Orlando; Keith Johnson, a minister and author; and the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, an associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

Gafney wrote a blogpost entitled, “Christian Zionist Messianism Run Amok: Eddie Long's Torah Coronation,” that was reproduced on the Huffington Post. In it, after viewing the video of Long, Gafney cited 26 ways in which the ceremony misrepresented Jewish thought and practice.

‘Deeply offended’

Johnson, in a news release, had told of his previous experience with Messer.

"Ralph Messer has been exploiting African-Americans and making a mockery of the Hebrew roots of the faith for years," Johnson, who says he is a former NFL Minnesota Vikings chaplain, wrote.

"I first encountered Messer eleven years ago when my friend, the late Football Hall-of-Famer Reggie White, paid him an inordinate amount of money to learn Hebrew under his tutelage as a 'rabbi.' A year went by, and Reggie never received even a single Hebrew lesson. I decided to confront Messer with Reggie and Pro Bowler Hardy Nickerson as witnesses.

Couldn’t read Hebrew

"In their presence, 'Rabbi Ralph' admitted he had never formally been ordained as a real rabbi. I then challenged Messer to read from my Hebrew Bible, and he responded by making excuses for an hour about why it was “dangerous” to learn the language. I continued to insist he read from my Bible in Hebrew and with great effort, Messer managed to slowly sound out the first verse of the Bible one syllable at a time. It was obvious to everyone present that Messer did not possess the knowledge to read the Hebrew language, let alone to teach it.

"For the past ten years, I have seen Messer continue to throw around Hebrew terms he does not fully understand and misuse holy objects such as Torah Scrolls to manipulate people and bring them under his authority as a ‘rabbi’ and a supposed 'representative of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel.'

"As a United Methodist pastor who believes in the importance of the Hebrew roots of our faith, I am deeply offended by what he did this past week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. It is my sincere hope and prayer that by speaking out others will be spared from falling prey to his manipulative practices that offend both Jew and Gentile alike," Johnson wrote.

Fever pitch on radio

Messer’s coronation of Long was the sole topic of discussion for the hour-long radio show. About 10 minutes into the broadcast, host Don Miller confirmed that rumors were flying around Orlando that Messer was coming to town.

“I just heard he’s going around the country doing this...I just heard he’s heading to Florida and he’s going to do this at another church,” Miller said.

In response, Michaelson said, “He actually already did this to Paula White some years ago...this was after she was divorced from Randy White and before the scandal with Benny Henn came out. He took her and wrapped her in a scroll and said the same thing - ‘She’s wrapped in the Word of God.’”

For the remainder of the hour Miller, Michaelson and Johnson gave strong opinions about the meaning of Long’s coronation, calling it “blasphemy” and symptomatic of a “slave mentality” within some Black churches.

Denies it happened

When asked directly about whether Michaelson’s charge was true, Beirute, Paula White’s attorney, wrote to the Florida Courier, “I don’t know where Rabbi Michaelson gets his information, but my client categorically and unequivocally denies that that ever happened.”

Johnson expects that this is not the last word about Long’s coronation.

“Both heaven and earth now have the attention of what happened,” he said on the broadcast.