Friday Church News Notes
Volume 24, Issue 29 - July 21, 2023
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, though this does not imply an endorsement.
Red Heifers
SHILOH’S NEW RED HEIFERS (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - This month, the first red heifer arrived in Shiloh in Israel in further preparation for the Third Temple. Numbers 19 describes the purification water made from the ashes of “a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.” Hundreds of Israelis and tourists gathered in Shiloh for the Binyamin Temple Conference marking the occasion. Five red heifers arrived in Israel in September 2022 and have been kept in an undisclosed location. Two more of them will be brought to Shiloh next month. The heifers will be the central attraction of a new research center in Shiloh, the location of the Tabernacle and the Levitical sacrifices for nearly 400 years. Up to a million visitors a year are anticipated to view the heifers, though they won’t be allowed to touch them. The Temple Institute has attempted to produce pure red heifers from Red Angus stock for many years. According to the famous 12th century rabbi Maimonides (Rambam), only nine red heifers were sacrificed in Israel’s ancient history, and the Messiah will offer the 10th (“Biblical Red Heifer,” Israel365 News, July 16, 2023). A plot of land on the Mt. of Olives has been purchased for the sacrifice of the heifers, and priests have been prepared. The Temple Institute has nine Levitical priests who have never touched a dead body or visited a cemetery or hospital (they were born at home) (“The Red Heifer Ceremony,” CBN, Mar. 17, 2023). The sacrifice of the red heifer is tentatively planned for Passover 2024.
TUCKER CARLSON READING THE BIBLE (Friday Church News Notes, July 21, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Tucker Carlson, former Fox News commentator, told the 2023 Family Leadership Summit, that he has been reading the Bible since February, and it has been “like the most interesting thing I think I’ve ever done.” He described himself as a “not particularly faithful” Episcopalian. He has read through the New Testament and is now in Deuteronomy. He said that one thing that stuck out to him is God’s sovereignty over human history. “While they [people] have free will, of course, they can make decisions, and they live with the consequences of those decisions--they’re not really in charge of the arc of history at all. They are being acted upon a lot. And I never really appreciated that because I’m American. And so I grew up with this feeling that we’re the sum total of our choices. Well, that’s not what I’m reading at all. Yes, people’s choices matter. You need to do certain things and not do other things. But on the other hand, you’re not in charge. You are being acted upon by a world you can’t see. And that, by the way, is consistent with my life experience. Like, I’ve seen that, I’ve lived that. I’m 54. And so I feel like it’s really important to approach politics with that in mind...” That is a true and important lesson, but we pray that Carlson will see the main theme of the Bible, which is God’s eternal plan in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10) and redemption through His vicarious atonement on Calvary. The third chapter of the Gospel of John would be a good place to camp. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ... For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ... He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:3, 16-18, 36).
ANOTHER REJECTION OF “TRANSGENDER” MEN COMPETING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On July 14, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced that trans cyclists will be banned from competing in all international women’s events. The rule change is “necessary to protect the female class and ensure equal opportunities” (“Cycling’s governing body bars transgender,” Fox News, July 14, 2023). Trans “women” can enter the men’s category “Men/Open.” On May 30, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that prohibits transgender “women” from participating on female sports teams in college. “The state had previously banned transgender athletes from participating in female youth sports from grades K-12. Under the law, students are prohibited from playing under a different gender identity even after undergoing hormone treatment” (“Alabama bans,” Fox News, May 30, 2023). On May 26, British Cycling banned transgender “women” from competing in the female category of competitive events to “safeguard the fairness” of the sport. Female races will be “for those whose sex was assigned female at birth” (“British Cycling,” BBC Sport, May 26, 2023).
POPE SAYS EUCHARIST IS “CHRIST HIMSELF” (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Speaking to an audience at the Vatican in June, Pope Francis said the Eucharist or Mass is not a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice; it is Christ Himself as living bread. This is Rome’s false gospel of salvation through the sacraments. Speaking to the organizing committee of the United States Eucharistic Congress that is scheduled for July 2024, the Pope said, “It’s more than a symbol, it’s the real and loving presence of the Lord. ... We must recover the sense of silence, of Adoration. ... as Saint John Paul II said, ‘Without the Priesthood there is no Eucharist’” (“Pope to American Catholics,” Zenit.org, June 19, 2023). This confirms official Catholic doctrine. The host (wafer) of the Mass is consecrated by a priest and becomes the very body and blood of Christ. It is eaten as Christ and is the object of worship (adoration). The Eucharistic Congress aims to “revive faith in and love for the Most Holy Eucharist.” When I visited a cloistered nunnery in Quebec some years ago, a sign at the entrance of the chapel said, “You are entering to adore the Jesus-Host.” The following is from Vatican Council II, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery” - “Hence the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, is at the same time and inseparably: a sacrifice in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated ... For in it Christ perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the cross, offering himself to the Father for the world’s salvation through the ministry of priests” The Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965 was attended by 2,400 bishops and issued the most authoritative doctrinal pronouncements of the modern Roman Catholic Church. Its doctrines are as heretical and blasphemous as they were in the darkest ages of the Inquisition. In contrast to Rome’s doctrine, the Bible says, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ... For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:10, 14).
MONTANA WITHDRAWS FROM AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OVER ‘MARXIST LESBIAN’ PRESIDENT (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Montana State Library Withdraws,” Christian Headlines, July 14, 2023: “The Montana State Library Commission voted to disaffiliate from the American Library Association after ALA’s new president identified herself as a ‘Marxist lesbian.’ On Tuesday, MSLC voted 5-1 to separate from the ALA in response to comments made by the organization’s president Emily Drabinski, who was elected last April and took office this month. ‘Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist,’ the commission stated in a letter sent to ALA. ... Elsie Arntzen, the commission superintendent of public instruction in Montana, supported the decision, arguing that ‘Marxist ideologies directly oppose our Montana values.’ ‘Ms. Drabinski is a supporter of Critical Race Theory, which Montana rejected as discriminatory, and other far-left-leaning ideologies that have no place in our schools and libraries,’ Arntzen told Fox News. ‘Montanans embrace honest and accurate views of history while understanding that our country, at times, has fallen short of its goals. However, common citizens have rallied together to overcome those shortfalls,’ she added. ‘Our parents are our first teachers; they have an absolute right to determine what is best for their children. By electing a declared Marxist as their president, the ALA has not only turned its back on families, parental rights, and American values--it has turned its back on America itself.’”
MIRACLE SMELL (Friday Church News Notes, July 21, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, June 26, 2023: “It’s commonly known that many animals are able to detect extraordinarily weak odors. The real mystery is how they can smell scents that are 1,000 times too weak to produce the chemical reactions necessary to make a scent signal. From the chemist’s point of view, our sense of smell shouldn’t work as well as it does. When you smelled that wonderful dinner a few days ago, a marvel of chemical reactions was taking place in your nose. Scientists still aren’t sure how we sense such a wide range of smells. It was while investigating this question that scientists may have stumbled across the answer to another question. The receptors in our noses have to detect a certain number of scent molecules before they can trigger the chemical response that makes the signal that tells us we have smelled something. When air is drawn into your nose, an organ called Steno’s duct sprays a fine mist. Scientists always thought this mist simply humidified the incoming air. Now they’ve discovered that the duct also makes proteins that grab onto odor molecules. Sprayed into the incoming air, the proteins collect odor molecules. Then, with their load of odor molecules, they settle onto receptors that trigger your sense of smell. As a result, even scents that are too weak to smell are concentrated by this ingenious system so that we can sense them. Our sense of smell helps protect us, gives our food flavor, and adds richness to the experience of living. It’s truly a marvel of our Creator’s design. REF.: Vaughan, Christopher. ‘Molecular odor‑eaters,’ Science News, 1990, v. 133. p. 348.”
“How good is the God we adore, Our faithful, unchangeable Friend! His love is as great as his power, And knows neither measure nor end!” (Joseph Hart).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
TUCKER CARLSON READING THE BIBLE (Friday Church News Notes, July 21, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Tucker Carlson, former Fox News commentator, told the 2023 Family Leadership Summit, that he has been reading the Bible since February, and it has been “like the most interesting thing I think I’ve ever done.” He described himself as a “not particularly faithful” Episcopalian. He has read through the New Testament and is now in Deuteronomy. He said that one thing that stuck out to him is God’s sovereignty over human history. “While they [people] have free will, of course, they can make decisions, and they live with the consequences of those decisions--they’re not really in charge of the arc of history at all. They are being acted upon a lot. And I never really appreciated that because I’m American. And so I grew up with this feeling that we’re the sum total of our choices. Well, that’s not what I’m reading at all. Yes, people’s choices matter. You need to do certain things and not do other things. But on the other hand, you’re not in charge. You are being acted upon by a world you can’t see. And that, by the way, is consistent with my life experience. Like, I’ve seen that, I’ve lived that. I’m 54. And so I feel like it’s really important to approach politics with that in mind...” That is a true and important lesson, but we pray that Carlson will see the main theme of the Bible, which is God’s eternal plan in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10) and redemption through His vicarious atonement on Calvary. The third chapter of the Gospel of John would be a good place to camp. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ... For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ... He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:3, 16-18, 36).
ANOTHER REJECTION OF “TRANSGENDER” MEN COMPETING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On July 14, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced that trans cyclists will be banned from competing in all international women’s events. The rule change is “necessary to protect the female class and ensure equal opportunities” (“Cycling’s governing body bars transgender,” Fox News, July 14, 2023). Trans “women” can enter the men’s category “Men/Open.” On May 30, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that prohibits transgender “women” from participating on female sports teams in college. “The state had previously banned transgender athletes from participating in female youth sports from grades K-12. Under the law, students are prohibited from playing under a different gender identity even after undergoing hormone treatment” (“Alabama bans,” Fox News, May 30, 2023). On May 26, British Cycling banned transgender “women” from competing in the female category of competitive events to “safeguard the fairness” of the sport. Female races will be “for those whose sex was assigned female at birth” (“British Cycling,” BBC Sport, May 26, 2023).
POPE SAYS EUCHARIST IS “CHRIST HIMSELF” (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Speaking to an audience at the Vatican in June, Pope Francis said the Eucharist or Mass is not a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice; it is Christ Himself as living bread. This is Rome’s false gospel of salvation through the sacraments. Speaking to the organizing committee of the United States Eucharistic Congress that is scheduled for July 2024, the Pope said, “It’s more than a symbol, it’s the real and loving presence of the Lord. ... We must recover the sense of silence, of Adoration. ... as Saint John Paul II said, ‘Without the Priesthood there is no Eucharist’” (“Pope to American Catholics,” Zenit.org, June 19, 2023). This confirms official Catholic doctrine. The host (wafer) of the Mass is consecrated by a priest and becomes the very body and blood of Christ. It is eaten as Christ and is the object of worship (adoration). The Eucharistic Congress aims to “revive faith in and love for the Most Holy Eucharist.” When I visited a cloistered nunnery in Quebec some years ago, a sign at the entrance of the chapel said, “You are entering to adore the Jesus-Host.” The following is from Vatican Council II, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery” - “Hence the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, is at the same time and inseparably: a sacrifice in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated ... For in it Christ perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the cross, offering himself to the Father for the world’s salvation through the ministry of priests” The Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965 was attended by 2,400 bishops and issued the most authoritative doctrinal pronouncements of the modern Roman Catholic Church. Its doctrines are as heretical and blasphemous as they were in the darkest ages of the Inquisition. In contrast to Rome’s doctrine, the Bible says, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ... For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:10, 14).
MONTANA WITHDRAWS FROM AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OVER ‘MARXIST LESBIAN’ PRESIDENT (Friday Church News Notes, June 9, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Montana State Library Withdraws,” Christian Headlines, July 14, 2023: “The Montana State Library Commission voted to disaffiliate from the American Library Association after ALA’s new president identified herself as a ‘Marxist lesbian.’ On Tuesday, MSLC voted 5-1 to separate from the ALA in response to comments made by the organization’s president Emily Drabinski, who was elected last April and took office this month. ‘Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist,’ the commission stated in a letter sent to ALA. ... Elsie Arntzen, the commission superintendent of public instruction in Montana, supported the decision, arguing that ‘Marxist ideologies directly oppose our Montana values.’ ‘Ms. Drabinski is a supporter of Critical Race Theory, which Montana rejected as discriminatory, and other far-left-leaning ideologies that have no place in our schools and libraries,’ Arntzen told Fox News. ‘Montanans embrace honest and accurate views of history while understanding that our country, at times, has fallen short of its goals. However, common citizens have rallied together to overcome those shortfalls,’ she added. ‘Our parents are our first teachers; they have an absolute right to determine what is best for their children. By electing a declared Marxist as their president, the ALA has not only turned its back on families, parental rights, and American values--it has turned its back on America itself.’”
MIRACLE SMELL (Friday Church News Notes, July 21, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, June 26, 2023: “It’s commonly known that many animals are able to detect extraordinarily weak odors. The real mystery is how they can smell scents that are 1,000 times too weak to produce the chemical reactions necessary to make a scent signal. From the chemist’s point of view, our sense of smell shouldn’t work as well as it does. When you smelled that wonderful dinner a few days ago, a marvel of chemical reactions was taking place in your nose. Scientists still aren’t sure how we sense such a wide range of smells. It was while investigating this question that scientists may have stumbled across the answer to another question. The receptors in our noses have to detect a certain number of scent molecules before they can trigger the chemical response that makes the signal that tells us we have smelled something. When air is drawn into your nose, an organ called Steno’s duct sprays a fine mist. Scientists always thought this mist simply humidified the incoming air. Now they’ve discovered that the duct also makes proteins that grab onto odor molecules. Sprayed into the incoming air, the proteins collect odor molecules. Then, with their load of odor molecules, they settle onto receptors that trigger your sense of smell. As a result, even scents that are too weak to smell are concentrated by this ingenious system so that we can sense them. Our sense of smell helps protect us, gives our food flavor, and adds richness to the experience of living. It’s truly a marvel of our Creator’s design. REF.: Vaughan, Christopher. ‘Molecular odor‑eaters,’ Science News, 1990, v. 133. p. 348.”
“How good is the God we adore, Our faithful, unchangeable Friend! His love is as great as his power, And knows neither measure nor end!” (Joseph Hart).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
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Distributed by Way of Life Literature., publisher of Bible Study Materials and reports for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY (REPORTS AND FRIDAY NEWS) IS NOT DEVOTIONAL. IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR.
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
The Way of Life Literature preaching and publishing ministry is based at Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. A mail stop is maintained in Port Huron, Michigan.
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