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An Assyrian Orthodox Church bishop who was stabbed during a livestreamed church service in Sydney had spoken critically about Islam in a video recorded four months ago. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west just after 7pm on Monday when a 16-year-old boy walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times. On a separate video of the aftermath of the alleged terror attack, the boy said in Arabic 'If they didn't insult my prophet, I wouldn't have come here. If he didn't involve himself in my religion,...

“The state of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace in the spirit of the visions of the prophets of Israel,” is what it says literally in Israel’s Declaration of Independence from 1948. What were Israel’s politicians and rabbis thinking back then when they appealled to the prophets and mentioned their prophecies in the declaration of the founding of the Jewish state? The biblical promise was the political trigger for the founding of the State of Israel. So someone must have perceived the visions of the prophets, and that is not something that can be taken for granted,...

One of the more delightful aspects of being a dissident from the absurd apocalyptic climate doom cult is the ability to laugh at the decades’ worth of failed, yet quite specific predictions of disaster from purported “experts” that the media has gleefully trumpeted. The track record of the failure of previous predictions matters not in the least, as if mass amnesia has infected not just the media, but government, academia, and the corporate world. Yet, all of these commanding heights of our political economy are united in pushing forward with ruinously expensive schemes that cannot work to substitute unreliable intermittent...

ROME — Pope Francis warned of false “prophets of doom” Sunday while simultaneously threatening a looming climate change “crisis” that could wreak untold damage on humanity. The pope sent out a series of mixed messages in his yearly homily for the World Day of the Poor, spreading intense fear of possible climate change disasters yet cautioning against “prophets of doom,” the “sirens of populism,” and self-interested “false messiahs.”

When you open the Bible to read the books of the Prophets, you will notice they are not listed in chronological order. I have stated time and time again that while I believe every Word in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, I do not believe the divisions of chapters nor verses are inspired. Like the division of chapters and verses, I also do not believe the placement of where all the books themselves are located was inspired. With the exception of Job, the Old Testament books from Genesis through to 2 Chronicles are pretty much placed in...

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.( I kings 19:1-3)For a brief moment, after the showdown at Mt Carmel, and the humiliating defeat of...

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.I Kings 18: 17-19)After a three and a half year drought, which had brought the once prosperous nation...

So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead. And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son...

Turn on your T.V., and you are bound to come across a religious show with someone declaring they speak for God. Go to your local bookstore, and there I'm sure you will find several books written by people who say they have received divine revelations from God. Jump on YouTube, and you will definitely see videos of preachers proclaiming, "Thus saith the Lord."This barrage of "prophetic words" from thousands of voices has undoubtedly caused many Christians to become confused. In one camp, you have Christians who get caught up in the sensationalism of prophetic words espoused by the Word of...

For several weeks now, 2 Chronicles 20:20 has been quoted repeatedly, urging us to believe God’s prophets when they say that Trump will serve a second term while also rebuking those who question what the prophets say. That is a very serious misuse of that scripture. Please allow me to explain. But first, understand this. I fully affirm prophetic ministry today and have been teaching on it since the 1980s. I have worked with New Testament prophets for years, I have been asked to be a mentor to some prophets, and at times, I have been used prophetically as well....

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ( Matthew 4)I hope the President of the United States is among those who actually denounce the incomprehensibly foolish...

Posted on January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 by Msgr. Charles Pope What is a Prophet? – A Homily for the Second Sunday of the Year The first reading today from Isaiah 49:3-6 speaks of some of the qualities of a prophet. Since, by our baptism we are called to be prophets, we do well to look at these qualities and seek to imitate them. Since it is also the national observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I will also supply some quotes from him that help to illustrate the qualities taught by Isaiah. As a pastor of a...

Posted on September 3, 2019September 3, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope Who Was Jeremiah the Prophet? God called Jeremiah a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall (Jer 1:18); a tester and refiner of metals, a tower and fortress (Jer 6:27); a man through whom He would speak against false prophets and shepherds who mislead their sheep. Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jer 23:29) Jeremiah would be the voice of that word. Hated and feared by many, yet secretly sought by the king,...

Who Was Jeremiah the Prophet? Msgr. Charles Pope • August 6, 2018 • Jeremiah, Santa Maria in Trastevere, RomeGod called Jeremiah a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall (Jer 1:18); a tester and refiner of metals, a tower and fortress (Jer 6:27); a man through whom He would speak against false prophets and shepherds who mislead their sheep. Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jer 23:29) Jeremiah would be the voice of that word. Hated and feared by many, yet secretly sought by...

Reluctant Prophet – The Story of Jonah Msgr. Charles Pope • October 11, 2017 • Jonah, Michelangelo, Sistine ChapelOf all the prophets, Jonah is perhaps the most reluctant; his struggle with sin is not hidden. We are currently reading Jonah’s story in daily Mass. In the story we see a portrait of sin and of God’s love for sinners. Psalm 139 says, beautifully,Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell, thou art present. If I take my wings early...

Everything you ever wanted to know 
about your favourite Torah characters, 
and the ones you’ve never heard of Urriah the Hittite was an outstanding soldier in David’s army. While away fighting, David noticed Uriah’s wife Bathsheba bathing on a roof. He asked about her and invited her to his palace. David was apparently reassured that she had bathed from her menstruation. Get The Jewish News's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories FREE SIGN UP! Our rabbis teach that the ancient Israelite practice was that husbands officially divorced their wives before leaving for war in case they...

Beware the Deception of False Prophets Msgr. Charles Pope • July 31, 2016 • In today’s first reading (Monday of the 18th Week) the Prophet Jeremiah denounces the false prophets of his day, who promise all sorts grand visions for Israel despite its sin. Jeremiah says to the people, By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke! (Jer 28:13) In other words, by failing to repent (breaking the wooden yoke) you shall know an iron yoke. (Think about the addiction to sin of many who do not show restraint earlier in life.) To the false prophets of...

Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? Zechariah 1:12Zechariah was a prophet in the time of the restoration of Israel, being one of the meager company of Jews who came back into the land after the seventy year Babylonian Captivity had ended.He began prophesying about the year 520 BC. It is interesting to note that currently we are approaching another 70 anniversary for Israel, for in our day,...

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.(I John 1:5)The Apostle John’s ministry is one of restoration. The faith of the saints had been confused, distorted, tangled and blurred by the pseudo spirituality of those who claim a mystical, direct knowledge of God, which is above and beyond the experience of “normal” christians. These “gnostics”, ie “knowing Ones“, undermined the simple faith of christians, causing them to doubt the integrity and depth of their own experience. Therefore John sets out to...

I rarely write about American politics. Here in Israel, existential national threats prevent me from dwelling on America’s problems. In Israel, Arabs butcher our thirteen-year-old daughters in their bedrooms and gun down our brothers and fathers, and the impotent leadership responds in typical fashion— with powerful speeches to comfort the bereaved. So naturally the demise of America cannot take up much of my time. But that doesn’t mean I’m disinterested. I am concerned with America’s welfare. As a Jew with a sense of history, I appreciate the haven America provided us throughout the last few centuries, when most countries offered...