Posted on 04/10/2017 6:40:46 PM PDT by fishtank
Evangelical Apologist Hank Hanegraaff Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy
Posted by: Rob Bowman
On Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017, Hank Hanegraaff formally joined the Orthodox Church. Since 1989 Hanegraaff has been the President of the Christian Research Institute (CRI) and (since ca. 1992) the host of CRI’s Bible Answer Man radio program.[1] Hank, his wife Kathy, and two of their twelve children were inducted by a sacramental rite called chrismation into the Orthodox faith at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, near where CRI is based. In chrismation, a baptized individual is anointed with oil in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.[2]
(Excerpt) Read more at religiousresearcher.org ...
Actually, you only have a hypothesis there, and a very weak one at that. It would be tempting to guffaw at such a claim, except that it is so sad and unscriptural as to bring a true servant of Christ to tears in commiseration with the defrauded consituents coming under its control.
The context of Rev. chapters 1-3 says nothing whatsoever about "catholic" nor of any administrative factor linking the cited assemblies together into a conferring super-church entity, even though they were actually within hiking distance of each other, and not spread out over the globe. In a like proximity, but in contrast, all the synagogues of Israel were unified by, governed by, and reporting to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. But these Christ-centered synagogues of the Revelation were not administratively organized that way at all, and by design of the church planting missionaries, were never intended to be local chapters of an extra- or para-church central earthly authority.
The context clearly shows that they were independent autonomous local gatherings, each functioning under its own account, without any supervising officer called "priest" or "pastor", and only reporting to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Head of each church body. That status is not open to question.
However, what is obvious is that in each case, and for varying reasons, they got out of touch with their Lord Whose Will for them was to be made known by the Holy Spirit speaking to their consituents as a body, meeting in consensus to be of one mind relating to the conduct and progress of their ministry.
One must assume that the agreed local agenda-setting facilitator person was in each case the point of failure of communication. That is why Jesus chose the last living member of His selected inner ring of Personally certifiably trained teacher/organizers to communicate a message to each "angel" individually.
In this matter, Beloved John was not being appointed as an administrator over these "angels" and their ekklesia/church/synagogues (see Heb. 10:25, 2Thess. 2:1; G1997 επισυναγωγην episynagogue means that they were ensynagoguing themselves together as a democratic meeting that had been exemplified by the Company of the Committed that followed Jesus). He was not being appointed as an extra- or supra-church "Bishop", but rather a visible vocal communicator who still was linked to The Master directly, and who could bear to them, as a herald, a personal memo to each of the angels, and be believed without questioning His commission to do so.
But in fact, it very difficult to speculate just what kind of function the title of "star = angel" really describes. According to Marvin Vincent, in his "Word Studies" of the New Testament, he says this of "the mystery of the seven stars, and the seven golden candlesticks" (Rev. 1:20):
Stars
Symbols of pre-eminence and authority. See Num. 24:17; Dan. 12:3. False teachers are wandering stars (Jud. 1:13). Compare Isa. 14:12.
Angels (ἄγγελοι)
The exact meaning of the term here is uncertain.
The following are the principal interpretations:
1. The officials known as angels or messengers of the synagogue, transferred to the Christian Church. These were mere clerks or readers; so that their position does not answer to that of the angels presiding over the churches. There is, besides, no trace of the transfer of that office to the Christian Church.
2. Angels proper Heavenly guardians of the churches. This is urged on the ground that the word is constantly used in Revelation of a heavenly being; by reference to the angels of the little ones (Mt. 18:10), and to Peter's angel (Acts 12:15). It is urged that, if an individual may have a guardian angel, so may a Church. Reference is also made to the tutelar national angels of Dan. 10:21; Dan. 12:1. But why should the seer be instructed to write to heavenly messengers, with exhortations to repentance and fidelity, and describing them as "rich," "poor," "lukewarm," etc. (Rev. 2:4; Rev. 3:1, Rev. 3:16)?
3. The angels are a personification of the churches themselves: the Church being spoken of as if concentrated in its angel or messenger. But in Rev. 1:20, they are explicitly distinguished from the golden candlesticks, the churches.
4. The rulers and teachers of the congregation. These are compared by Daniel (Dan. 12:3) to stars. See Mal. 2:7, where the priest is called the messenger (angel) of the Lord; and Mal. 3:1, where the same word is used of the prophet. See also Hag. 1:13. Under this interpretation two views are possible. (a) The angels are Bishops; the word ἄγγελος sometimes occurring in that sense (as in Jerome and Socrates). This raises the question of the existence of episcopacy towards the close of the first century. (b) The word is used of the ministry collectively; the whole board of officers, including both presbyters and deacons, who represented and were responsible for the moral condition of the churches. See Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-5.
Dr. Schaff says: "This phraseology of the Apocalypse already looks towards the idea of episcopacy in its primitive form, that is, to a monarchical concentration of governmental form in one person, bearing a patriarchal relation to the congregation, and responsible in an eminent sense for the spiritual condition of the whole.... But even in this case we must insist on an important distinction between the 'angels' of the Book of Revelation and the later diocesan Bishops. For aside from the very limited extent of their charges, as compared with the large territory of most Greek, Roman Catholic, and Anglican Bishops, these angels stood below the Apostles and their legates, and were not yet invested with the great power (particularly the right to confirm and ordain) which fell to the later Bishops after the death of the Apostles.... The angels, accordingly, if we are to understand by them single individuals, must be considered as forming the transition from the presbyters of the apostolic age to the Bishops of the second century" ("History of the Apostolic Church").
========end of Vincent's discussion=======
The unspoken, but most likely actual case here is this: for any group beginning to be unmanageable without some form of human-induced coordination, the group will either drift toward a consensus accepting the guidance of a person or clique that effectively and efficiently directs its agenda; or on the other hand, and based on experience, a or some savvy individual(s) will take charge of finding a consensus of loosely organized leadership. Where the Holy Spirit is clearly sensed by and speaking toward spiritually mature constituents, the second alternative hints of a Godly outcome with a gathering that is not in, and does not promote disorder (1 Cor. 14:32-33). These "prophets"--may it be said those bringing the Word of God--spiritually applying it to the congregation corporately and individually to its constituents, will be like the ewe(s) that by clinging to the shepherd, lead(s) the more indecisive members of the flock as to how they should go. Yet in this concept, the matter of following--as well as how one should follow--is left up to the individuals. That would be the kind of plan that the Master Shepherd constantly referred to throughout his various tutorials and conduct.
Regarding this, one should also remember that the end of the age of writing the commands of Christ and the doctrines of the Holy Ghost was about to finish. As Beloved John was himself about to die off, a new paradigm of finding operating rules was surfacing. Instead of guidance by Apostles personally taught by the Master (who never attempted to institute the principle of visible catholicity as it has now been presumptuously instituted), the churches would now have to come under direct discipline by the authority inspired writings of the New Testament prophets alone, as well such segments of the Old Testament that would have to pass through the interpretive filter of deciding what parts of the Old were to inform the New; and to determine what rules from the Old were now to be abandoned, consigned to the past, and no longer applicable (i. e., moral law versus ceremonial ordinances).
Please again take note: Lord Jesus had John write these disciplinary letters to the various angel/facilitators individually, but the text of these letters was to be incorporated into a unitary document sent (not addressed as discipline of) the churches corporately for their instruction and to see that the discipline of each of the angels was carried through, lest the leadership of any church be taken from the current leadership and given to another by action of the Holy Ghost, who would figuratively be doing the speaking through the inscripturated Will of Christ.
One last note, but one of immense importance, is the error cited by Jesus that the "angel" of the church at Ephesus, or the individuals ensynagoguing there were NOT engaged in or tolerant of, and that was the horrible sin of Nicolaitanism, that sin being forming a two-class religious culture consisting of one controlling group of clerical officers--priests--to whom the remainder of "lay" people would submit and obey without questioning the Scriptural authentication of such intermediaries between them and the Head of the local church, Jesus the Lord and Christ.
In this system, certain humans would stand in the way of personal fellowship between the Creator and His created individual, inserting themselves as mediators who could then broker that relationship, causing both parties to hate the interlopers and their imposition of interference to and regulation of the flow, to their own benefit, and not according to the Will of The Master.
The Greek translated as Nicolaitanism comes from two words:
Strong's Number G3528
νικάω
nikaō
nik-ah'-o
From G3529; to subdue (literally or figuratively): - conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.
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Strong's Number G2992
λαός
laos
lah-os'
Apparently a primary word; a people (in general; thus differing from G1218, which denotes one’s own populace): - people
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This is very simple. A two-class religious system (or any master/slave system) consists of dividing the constituents into a preferred separated class of controllers, with an overwhelmed subjugated class of slaves captivated by their fear of death and hell if they disobeyed.
THE LORD HATES THIS KIND OF SYSTEM AND WILL NEVER APPROVE OF ITS EXISTENCE.
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:4-7 AV).
Those religions and denominations which practice this form of classification anfd government cannot be ones recognizing or serving the Christ of the Bible, Who detest such manipulation of the relationship between Himself and the sheep desiring to be in one of His flocks.
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities."
(Rev 18:4,5 AV).
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (1 Cor. 6:17-7:1 AV).
Be warned, sojourners, and be advised to get out while you can.
Meeting JESUS is what gives worth to every minute of your life.
You should try it some time because if meeting men is what does that for you, you've just demonstrated your own spiritual poverty.
You are being deceived by wolves in sheep's clothing.
Even the Holy Spirit points to Jesus and not Himself.
If you're so taken by men and whatever spirit is controlling them, you are in a very bad spot.
Honoring or respecting her is one thing.
Breaking the second commandment by bowing down to graven images of her, lighting candles to her, and praying to her are a whole different thing.
Honoring and respecting someone is no excuse for breaking God's laws concerning making images and bowing down.
“Honoring or respecting her is one thing. Breaking the second commandment by bowing down to graven images of her, lighting candles to her, and praying to her are a whole different thing.”
Except there is no violation of the prohibition. Remember the Temple itself - at the command of God - had “graven images” (1 Kings 6:23). And don’t forget the cherubim on top of the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18). Whenever the high priest offered incense to the Most High - he was doing it in front of the mercy seat - with its two “grave images” of cherubim. What the High Priest was NOT doing was worshiping the mercy seat, or the cherubim figures on top of it, but obviously Protestant anti-Catholics would have falsely accused him of doing so if they saw it (and happened to be people of integrity which they aren’t).
“Honoring and respecting someone is no excuse for breaking God’s laws concerning making images and bowing down.”
Tell that to God since He’s the one who essentially commanded that for the ancient Temple.
Christians accord to Mary what is note in the NT: she is counted as blessed for she was chosen to be the mother of Christ.
Oh?
LACK of works??
HMMMmmm...
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To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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To the Church in Smyrna 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
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To the Church in Pergamum 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
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To the Church in Thyatira 18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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To the Church in Sardis 3 “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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To the Church in Philadelphia 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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To the Church in Laodicea 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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Dangit!
If Rome cannot grab onto history and claim it as theirs; then just who can???
Oh; I forgot; Mormonism.
You’re argument fails on so many levels. We have no record of God commanding idols of Mary to be built.
“You’re argument fails on so many levels.”
No, actually it doesn’t. That’s probably why you’re not actually dealing with it.
“We have no record of God commanding idols of Mary to be built.”
And we have no idols. We do have statues, however. And God commanded some statues to be made. We have no record of God commanding Bibles to be printed. I bet you own one anyway.
And we have no idols.
You keep thinking that.
We do have statues, however. And God commanded some statues to be made.
Specifically for the Temple...but not of Mary.
We have no record of God commanding Bibles to be printed. I bet you own one anyway.
Catholic logic on display again. Major fail.
Face it Vlad...you're flailing away on this one.
Roman Catholicism cannot justify the worship of Mary without severely distorting the Word and ignoring specific commands against idolatry.
A Roman Catholic appealing to the silence of the Scriptures on a topic.
You can't make it up.
You just eliminated a great deal of Roman Catholic thought on Mary and a whole bunch of other stuff in Roman Catholicism.
Magic thinkers can do anything don’tchaknow!
Making statues to pray to and bow down before is making idols.
And for your Bible comment, that's laughable coming from a Catholic whose church brags on giving the world the Bible.
And owning one isn't printing one, in case that subtle distinction escaped your attention.
Their whole *sacred tradition* is based on that.
It goes like this.... *God didn't say we couldn't so.....* or *Scripture doesn't say it didn't happen so we can claim it did and peddle it as truth and you have to prove it wrong.*
And even when Scripture is clear about something, they will still disobey and justify it. As in bowing down to images of Mary and calling their priests *Father*.
.
Save your juvenile attacks for those down at your level.
.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
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