LTRP Note: The following out-of-house article (after our comments below) is posted for informational and research purposes. Lighthouse Trails is a research ministry and does at times post articles by various news sources to bring light to events happening in our world and in the church. Regardless of whether the source of these out-of-house news stories is secular, Christian, or religious, we encourage our readers to always use discernment with everything they read—here on this site or elsewhere—and weigh all things against Scripture.

Regarding the new movie out in theaters, Jesus Revolution, our office has received numerous calls and e-mails asking if we are going to be making a statement about the movie. While there are several pro and con articles on the Internet about it, we do not at this time intend on writing a point-by-point critique of the movie. However, there is an aspect we want to address.

Since our inception, the mission at Lighthouse Trails has been to defend “truth” and “bring light to areas of darkness in the world and in the church.” Thus, it is increasingly troubling to witness the massive numbers of professing Christians (including pastors) who quickly follow after and embrace popular books, speakers, and movies without giving the slightest consideration for truth and biblical discernment. Millions of Christians have praised and do love The Shack,Jesus Calling, the Purpose Driven Life, The Passion of the Christ, Celebration of Discipline, and The Chosen (to name a few but significant examples). And it seems that so many Christians today are chasing after the next spiritual high, not caring if what they are chasing after is grounded in truth or not. If it makes them feel good, feel closer to God, feel happy, then they take it for granted that it must be from God. And, of course, top it off with the spiritually high esoteric experiences of contemplative prayer (so popular in today’s evangelicalism), it’s like we now have a bunch of addicts (not the drug kind, but rather the experiential spiritual kind) walking around in the church.

It is interesting to note that The Chosen’s director, Dallas Jenkins, said that 95% of The Chosen is not from the Bible (in other words not true but rather made-up stories about Jesus and the disciples)1 and then to note that in the article below, Lonnie Frisbee’s wife (during the Jesus movement) and an eyewitness to what took place says that 90% of the movie Jesus Revolution is not true. While what she said is somewhat subjective in that it is based on one person’s experience, it is sad to think that many Christians wouldn’t even care about these two statistics because they are enamored with another spiritually high, emotionally driven experience so much so that truth takes a back door.

In a review of Jesus Revolution, Mike Oppenheimer of Let Us Reason ministries points out numerous scenes in Jesus Revolution that contradict or are different than in both Lonnie Frisbee’s and Greg Laurie’s (the two major characters portrayed in the movie) own books on the Jesus movement. Oppenheimer states:

This movie does give a few general events accurately but does not portray certain other details of its real-life characters and instead invents other details. What we have are real names and partial or made-up stories to enhance the theme of the movie the Jesus Revolution, a movie that is presenting a Jesus revival to the public.2

Also worth noting here is Jonathan Roumie,* the actor who plays both Jesus in The Chosen and Lonnie Frisbee in Jesus Revolution. Our 2022 report on The Chosen documents Roumie saying he has “had personal interactions” with Padre Pio, a deceased Catholic priest and mystic; and now with Jesus Revolution, Roumie admits he tried to connect with the deceased Lonnie Frisbee at Frisbee’s graveside. John Lanagan of The Word Like Fire states:

In a recent interview about Jesus Revolution, Roumie spoke about his visit to Lonnie Frisbee’s grave: “I sat by his grave and I prayed a Rosary with him. . . . In fact, I sat down and I prayed with him.. . . At one point I even lied down because I just thought it would be kind of interesting to try and connect in some way. . . .I said, “Lonnie, I want to honor you with this film . . . have somebody give me a sign. Give me a sign, have God give me a sign.3

Sadly, many Christians and Christian pastors don’t care about this kind of thing (even though the Bible calls it necromancy and an “abomination”). And they don’t care whether movies like The Chosen and Jesus Revolution are based on truth or not. Apparently, in much of today’s church, truth is not a criterion to judge whether something is good or bad. But can lasting fruit come from something that is not based on truth?

In Warren B. Smith’s booklet, Truth or Consequences, he states:

Amongst many believers, it’s no longer “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). Rather, it’s “I just eat the meat and spit out the bones” as if lies and leaven are no big deal. Or if we don’t agree with what has been traditionally accepted as truth, we go along with others who “stretch the truth” or “enlarge the truth” to create a “new truth” that is no truth at all.4 

In 2 Thessalonians 2:11, it talks about God sending “strong delusion” (“that they might believe a lie”) to those who do not have a love of the truth (v. 10). As believers in Christ, let us love truth and thereby avoid strong delusion.

For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. (Psalm 33:4)

Now please don’t misunderstand us; we are not suggesting that if you go and watch Jesus Revolution, you are going to come under strong delusion. As you read the following article/interview with Connie Frisbee, keep the following in mind: Whether you choose to watch the movie or not, our greater concern than the lack of authenticity of the movie itself is the unhealthy lack of discretion and discernment common among so many of today’s Christians. Revival did occur during the sixties and seventies, but it happened when people (in this case the young people) became desperate enough to hunger after truth—until they got it. It was God’s response to genuinely seeking hearts. Perhaps, as Connie Frisbee explains, the greatest flaw of the movie is double faceted in that:

a) it may leave the viewer with the idea that the Jesus movement was largely the fruit and to the credit of Calvary Chapel when in fact “people were getting saved all over the place,” happening spontaneously throughout the world apart from Frisbee or Calvary Chapel. “There are a lot of people taking bows, and a lot of people taking credit,” Connie stated.

And b) it was whitewashed (Connie: “If the truth were known, I wouldn’t look so good. Lonnie wouldn’t look great. Chuck Smith wouldn’t look good. Greg Laurie wouldn’t look good. But who would look good? God would be looking stellar.”)

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4/5/23 Note: Based on certain comments made (on our research blog, on Facebook, and a few which we removed), we want to clarify that our posting the article below (as well as our own comments above) is not an attempt to throw the Calvary Chapel movement under the bus. From its inception, Lighthouse Trails has never tried to do that with any evangelical-type denomination. What we have attempted to do is bring light to dangerous and deceptive teachings within the church at large, and while we do name names (including the names of particular denominations and groups), we have never felt it to be our calling from the Lord to condemn entire denominations, including Calvary Chapel. Within many denominations, there are pastors and leaders who are trying to stay true to God’s Word. That’s why we have often said that finding a good church within any particular denomination has to be done on a church-by-church basis (and goodness knows, it’s increasingly difficult to do especially because many denominations are bringing in false teachings from the top leadership down to the individual congregations).

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Out-of-house article:

“Connie Frisbee’s Surprising Reaction to ‘Jesus Revolution’ Movie”

By Mark Ellis
God Reports

As Lonnie Frisbee’s former wife, she is perhaps the greatest authority about Lonnie’s life and his central role as the “hippie preacher” of the Jesus movement. An actress portraying Connie appears in Jesus Revolution, but inexplicably, the filmmakers failed to contact Connie or consult her about the movie.

They thought she was dead, or so they explained to her in an apologetic Zoom call a few weeks ago. . .

“I have to say it broke me,” she told God Reports. “For two days, I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t believe that as a Christian, you [the film makers] couldn’t reach out to me, you couldn’t reach out and find out. You couldn’t let me know that you were going to put a facsimile of me in a movie.”

When she went to see the movie, it provoked a strong reaction. “I can tell you that that 90% of the movie isn’t true,” Connie maintains. “The truth is that dealing with people is very messy. And they want to make it very tidy. They’ve tidied it all up so much that it just stinks to high heaven to me —and whitewashed it. That’s not how it was.” Click here to continue reading.

Endnotes:

1. A Candid Conversation with Dallas Jenkins, Director of The Chosen (Melissa Dougherty, 4/27/21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__-Yyq1FPQI), mm 25:11.
2. A Review of Jesus Revolution by Mike Oppenheimer: Part 1, Part 2.
3. https://thewordlikefire.wordpress.com/2023/03/29/jonathan-roumie-prayed-with-deceased-lonnie-frisbee-and-asked-him-for-a-sign.
4. https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/new-booklet-tract-truth-or-consequences.

*In the interview God Reports did with Connie Frisbee, she mentions how strange it seems that the Jesus Revolution film makers use a 48-year-old man (Roumie) to portray an eighteen-year-old teenager (Lonnie Frisbee). While we can only speculate why a near-fifty-year-old Roumie was used, the article suggests it was because of Roumie’s successful role as Jesus in The Chosen; and of course, we know this could convert into success for Jesus Revolution. It also could give Frisbee more credibility in the eyes of movie goers seeing an older mature-like figure instead of a teenager.

By Tony Pearce
Light for the Last Days

Israel’s opposition has held a number of large scale demonstrations against the government, involving up to 500,000 people. Israelis were shocked by the hatred expressed at these rallies, especially when prominent figures, including opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, began openly calling for civil disobedience. Some extremists even encouraged armed violence and the assassination of Prime Minister Netanyahu. This reaction to the new religious right-wing government and its proposed policies has shed a light on just how deep the rifts in Israeli society run. This is a new dimension to the strife within Israel, as Jew turns against Jew, adding to the tensions within the land caused by the conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs.

One of the main issues that has roused this anger is the government’s plan to reform Israel’s Supreme Court, the highest court in Israel. The proposed changes include limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down laws passed by the Knesset. This would alter the relationship between the Attorney General and the government, as well as changing the process by which judges are selected.

The left sees this as an attack on Israeli democracy, whereas the right sees it as a defence of the ability of the democratically elected government to get its laws passed in the parliament. The right claims there is a built in left wing bias in the Supreme Court as presently constituted which it wants to change. There are other areas in Israeli society where liberal left wing opinion is dominant, particularly in education and the media. This encourages liberal views on sex and sexuality, now expressed in the strong LGBT influence in Israeli society. The right wing of the current Israeli government wants to change this, comparing it to the Hellenisation process (the adoption of Greek / Gentile culture and life style which corrupted the Jews in the days of the Maccabees in around 170BC). They could also point out that idolatry and sexual immorality led to the collapse of Israel in Bible times.

The conflict has become so bitter that there is talk of civil war. Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo says “the country is on the verge of collapse.” He said “The current leadership is tearing us apart from within, bringing the state to the verge of extinction.” Knesset Law Committee chair, Simcha Rothman, appealed to the opposition to stop the unrest, saying, “You are burning a country in vain, you are boycotting an elected government in vain.”

Israel’s internal crisis is encouraging its enemies. Arab media around the Middle East now say it is time to pressure Israel, while it is vulnerable due to internal strife. In particular they have noted that that “soldiers have announced that they will not participate in military training,” and that fighter pilots in the Israeli Air Force have refused military service. This poses serious damage to the Israeli security system and especially to the Air Force, which plays key roles in Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has said that Zionism is bound to collapse on itself.

Unrest in the West Bank is growing with fears of confrontations being planned by Hamas against Israeli targets during Ramadan. The US Biden administration has planned an initiative to deal with this unrest which involves taking 5000 Palestinians to Jordan to receive commando training as security personnel, then returning them to PA controlled areas in order to combat terrorism emanating from Arab towns in the West Bank. Under this plan, the Israel Defence Forces would be restricted in their ability to pursue terrorists operating out of this area. Since these forces would be under the authority of the Palestinian Authority, who support terrorism against Israel, this would be disastrous for Israel’s security. 27% of Palestinians support the concept of the two-state solution which the West is holding up as the answer to the problem. 71% oppose it, supporting an armed struggle leading to the destruction of Israel. In the light of this, it is time for Israel to stop this madness and unite in the face of those who seek the destruction of the Jewish state.

Israel Today comments on this situation:

Talk of “civil war” is headlining nearly every media broadcast in Israel these days. And while it might have started as mere political rhetoric, some fear it could soon become a reality. The Jewish people are no strangers to civil war. Internal strife has torn Israel in two and led to its downfall more than once in the nation’s long history:

• During the times of the biblical judges, the Tribes of Israel fought numerous times against one another.
• Following the death of King Solomon, the nation was plunged into civil war resulting in its political division into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
• During the time of the Hasmoneans, a civil war resulted in the Kingdom of Judah effectively being absorbed into the Roman Empire.
• Internal strife between competing factions during the Great Jewish Revolt (66-70CE) crippled Israel’s ability to fight the Romans and resulted in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

What was the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple?

The issue of the destruction of the Second Temple mentioned here is an interesting one. This event happened when the Jews rebelled against Roman occupation, beginning in 66CE. To begin with they succeeded in forcing back the Romans, but when the Romans regrouped under Titus, they besieged Jerusalem and eventually took control, destroying the temple and much of the city in 70CE. Different Jewish factions ended up fighting each other, giving rise to the rabbinic explanation for this calamity as “sinat achim” (hatred of the brethren), which allowed the Romans to come in and destroy the city and the temple.

Jesus gives a different explanation in His prophecy of the coming fall of Jerusalem given around 40 years before the event happened. Luke 19:41- 44:

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

In His words, the coming catastrophe is because “thou knewest not the time of thy visitation,” meaning you did not understand that Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah visiting His people. In other words, God allowed this calamity to happen because of the rejection of Jesus’ claim to be Messiah by the Jewish religious leadership.

The prophecy of Daniel 9 focuses on the Messiah coming before the destruction of the Second Temple. This will be followed by a period of war and the “desolations” of Jerusalem.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26)

Jesus prophesied this event in Luke 21:20-24:

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

This literally happened in 70 CE when Jerusalem fell to the Romans and the great dispersion of the Jewish people to the nations of the world began. But it was not to be a permanent situation. There would be a return to the land of Israel, beginning with the restoration of the State of Israel in 1948. This began the process of returning Jerusalem to Jewish rule, no longer “trampled by Gentiles” or under the control of non-Jewish powers. The process is not yet complete but will be totally fulfilled when the Messiah returns to take up His rule from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14; Revelation 20).

We should also note that at the time of Jesus’ first coming, by no means all Jews rejected Him. The Gospels record that “the common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:37), that large crowds hailed Him as the Son of David/Messiah (Matthew 21, Luke 19), and that even many of the Pharisees believed in Him (John 3, John 12:42, Acts 15:5, 21:20). The early church was made up of Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus, and the disciples who spread the message to the Gentiles were all Jewish. The New Testament was written by Jews and contains a message of God’s love for His people Israel and desire for their salvation (Romans 9-11).

As we approach the end of this age and the second coming of the Messiah, the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is a major event fulfilling biblical prophecy. God’s goal for the Jewish people is a return to Himself through the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus who fulfilled the prophecies of the suffering servant Messiah (Isaiah 53). The same Messiah is coming again to save Israel and the world from destruction and set up His Messianic kingdom (Isaiah 2, Revelation 19-20).

As we see the strife within Israel, neither the left wing nor the right wing, neither the secular nor the religious, but only Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, can resolve it. As we approach the days of trouble that will precede His return, the only answer for Israel is to repent and turn to the Messiah:

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)

This prophecy speaks of one who has been pierced, died by crucifixion, wounded for our transgressions, upon whom the Lord laid “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). He is Yeshua the Messiah who will return to save His people and bring peace and safety to Israel and the world.

For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. (Isaiah 62:1)

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(Photo taken from Wikipedia; used with permission from AVRAM GRAICER (taken in 2009); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)

We want to bring our readers’ attention to numerous reports presented by John Lanagan’s blog, The Word Like Fire. The reports are documented exposés on the co-founder of the highly popular Bible Project, Tim Mackie.

The Bible Project began in 2014 and was created by Tim Mackie and his friend Jonathan Collins. The project consists of short animated videos about the Bible and currently has three and a half million subscribers on YouTube. Mackie studied at Western Seminary and is currently an adjunct professor there. Western has been on the Lighthouse Trails Contemplative College list for many years.

The first report The Word Like Fire did is titled “Tyler Staton, Ruth Haley Barton, and Contemplative Prayer” and highlights Tyler Staton and his book, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, of which Mackie wrote the foreword and who is closely connected with Staton. This report sets some groundwork on foundational beliefs to which Mackie holds.

The next report is titled “Tim Mackie’s (The Bible Project) Rejection of Key Biblical Doctrine” showing Mackie’s distorted views on Hell and the Atonement.

Next is “Bible Project’s Tim Mackie and Contemplative Prayer,” again providing documentation on Mackie’s significant contemplative propensities.

On March 16th of this year, The Word Like Fire posted “Bible Project’s Tim Mackie Believes Penal Substitutionary Atonement Stems From Pagan Sacrifice Rituals,” which reveals Mackie’s odd and emergent views on the Atonement. As we read this article, we are reminded of Roger Oakland’s work called “Atonement Rejected.” Oakland shows how emergent/progressive/contemplative figures such as Brian McLaren reject penal substitutionary atonement (the shedding of blood by Jesus Christ to take our place and died violently to save us from our sins). Many progressives in this camp say that if penal atonement were true, then it makes God an angry, vindictive, and barbaric God. It appears that Tim Mackie is one who believes this. And if this is the case, then millions who are being influenced by the Bible Project are potentially going to be introduced to this concept of the Atonement. Of course, millions of Christians were already introduced to the rejection of penal atonement through The Shack as Lighthouse Trails wrote about in 2009.

The Word Like Fire’s most recent exposé on Tim Mackie is titled “Altered States of Consciousness in Bible, Believes Bible Project’s Tim Mackie.” The article begins with a definition of altered states of consciousness (written by LT author Kevin Reeves):

Altered State of Consciousness: A meditative or drug-induced non-ordinary state of mind. In a religious context, a state where the seeker is drawn out of his normal thinking processes into “self-realization” or contact with what he considers the divine or divine wisdom.

The article concludes by saying:

[T]here are consequences for delving into contemplative practices. The contemplative-prayer-altered-state-of consciousness can open one to demonic deception. It alters and addles one’s theology. It is long past time to take a hard look at exactly what Tim Mackie believes and teaches and to determine which of Mackie’s sermons and numerous Bible Project videos and podcasts are in error.

If you, your church, or your loved ones are watching the Bible Project, we encourage you to consider what John Lanagan has revealed about the co-founder and co-creator of that project and pray for God’s discernment and wisdom regarding it. Please weigh everything that proclaims to be Christian against Scripture.

(photo: 2-second clip from the Bible Project from a YouTube video; used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act)

LTRP Note: The following is a response to our recent post, “Calvinism: Changing the Meaning of Words to Promote a Theory.”

By L.B.S. (Canada)

To me, as a former Catholic, Calvinism is just a “protestant” form of Catholicism.  Catholicism has the pope as the final authority—Calvinism has John Calvin to define and direct the supposed meaning of the Bible.  It is no different than Mormonism which has the book of Mormon, or the Jehovah Witnesses having the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, or the Seventh Day Adventists having Ellen White and her writings to form the backbone of that movement. 

When one researches each alternative form to Christianity, you will find not only another authority other than the Bible but also a false works-based way of salvation which will never save.

And for so many other religious groups, I would propose that RightNow Media, an online subscription-based media platform that provides a one-stop shop for all kinds of Bible studies, has garnered a huge audience through its aggressive and effective sales to churches of many denominations; and it is having a huge effect on delivering a mélange of Calvinist and Catholic contemplative doctrines to trusting congregations who have not yet learned to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

When I researched the background of so many of the Bible study leaders platformed by RightNow Media, many of them proved to have a Calvinist bent.  Francis Chan and Matt Chandler are examples of RightNow Media speakers who have a Calvinist bent, but Francis Chan, in particular, has also taken a deep dive into ecumenism [i.e., a move toward Catholicism]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bH4hpCB2VU

The previous video is just a sample of an unbiblical view held by Francis Chan but to me it is not the point that I want to make.  Heresy abounds around every corner – it is a given according to the Bible:

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:11)

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. (Deuteronomy 11:16-17)

Finding the Source of Truth

Things that are falsehoods are important to know about, but knowing they are false is fruitless unless you learn the truth.  And how to learn the truth is the point that I want to make.  It brings great freedom!

 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

My thoughts about various religious persuasions and belief systems, including Calvinism, came as a result of a conversation I had with my daughter.  She wondered why I read the King James Version of the Bible when false religions such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses use that version as well.  I showed her that the Jehovah’s Witnesses use the New World Translation.  (At one time I believe they also used the King James Version, but they still had their Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as “interpreter.”)  I told her that the Mormons use the King James Version, but they also have the Book of Mormon as their other and even main “authority.” It was at that moment when I said this out loud to my daughter that I more clearly understood it for myself—I could not put it into words before that. Many groups identifying as Christian have an interpretation, or a redefining of the Word of God through their books or their leadership. In particular, when I listened to many Calvinist preachers, they ended up talking about TULIP, or how many points they hold to; and their definitions about election and predestination troubled me greatly.   But when I read the Word and let it define itself, it cleared up my confusion.

So many passages of Scripture come to mind about how to understand Scripture, but reading other books or listening to preachers and teachers about how to understand Scripture is no longer my focus.  I no longer read commentaries as if they were the key to understanding, nor do I trust a Lexicon or even a dictionary (especially a modern one because even the definitions of words in them are being changed).  When I do not understand something in the Bible, I have learned to keep reading and seeking, and little by little understanding comes.

I still listen to pastors, and I still read many things, but the filter as to whether or not I am hearing or reading truth is no longer my own proud mind because “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Following is an account of when people heard and understood the Scriptures. What joy!

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.  Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (Nehemiah 8:5-8)

Another helpful verse is:

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27)

I have come to believe that God Himself will teach us if we truly seek Him.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chronicles 15:2)

And He has told us where to seek Him:

Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.  (Psalm 40:7-8)

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7)

And if we seek Him by faith, we will be rewarded:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

The Antidote for Deception

The Bible commends the Bereans in Acts 17 as being “more noble” because they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”  When one realizes that they were proofing the apostle Paul, it becomes a little more poignant.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)

Indeed, Paul himself also admonished people to be wary even of him:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1: 6-9)

We have the antidote for deception:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We have the antidote, and no other “authority” should escape its scrutiny.  Including Calvinism.

Other Articles by L.B.S.:

The “Great Reset”? Or the GREAT Reset!

The Fear Factor and the COVID Conundrum: One Canadian’s Perspective

(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission; design by Lighthouse Trails)

Photo: A 2013 photo of Rob Hoogland and his daughter.

Lighthouse Trails has been covering the story of Canadian father Rob Hoogland since first learning about it in 2020 (see links below). Below is a recent interview coming out of Canada. Because of Canadian laws and a gag order against Mr. Hoogland publicly speaking up, you will not hear his name mentioned or his face shown in this interview. A Canadian law firm fighting against Mr. Hoogland did contact Lighthouse Trails in 2020 and threatened us if we did not cease reporting on this story and this father, but fortunately, for the time being, the United States has not gone as far as Canada in stripping citizens of freedom of speech.

Incidentally, in January of 2018, Lighthouse Trails published the booklet, Transgenderism and Our Children. Shortly after releasing it, we were informed by Canadian customs officials that we were not legally allowed to send the booklet across the border. We told our Canadian readers at that time that since it was still legal for Canadian residents to have such a booklet in their possession (even though it is classified as “hate propaganda” by the Canadian government), we would freely e-mail a PDF of the booklet to any Canadian reader who would like to print and distribute it in Canada. That offer still stands, and we urge our Canadian readers to request the PDF and print copies to share with others. Or you may download a printable PDF of the booklet here.

To see a 2020 interview with Mr. Hoogland that was banned from Canada (but we posted it on our site), click here. The interview below is a recent one.

Related Articles:

Feb. 14, 2020 – BREAKING FROM CANADA: “Father Ignores Publication Ban by Psychotic Judge—Ends Silence on Daughter’s ‘Transitioning’”

Feb. 27, 2020 – “Heartbroken Dad Of Trans Teen Breaks Gag To Beg For End Of ‘State-Sponsored Child Abuse’”

Mar. 16, 2020 – “Father of Trans-identified Teen, Christian Broadcaster Facing Charges for Defying Court”

May 5, 2020 – “As Court-imposed Gag Order Expires, Canadian Parent Speaks Out About His Teenage Daughter’s State-Enforced Sex-change”

Aug. 13, 2020 – “Transgender Madness: One Man’s Fight to Save His Daughter”

April 5, 2021 – “Canadian Father Jailed For Talking About Court-Ordered Transgendering Of His Teenage Daughter”

Aug. 21, 2021 – “Update on BC Father Fighting Medical Transitioning of 14 Year Old Child”