Who is this following scripture talking about? In the highlighted writing.

Revelation 2
9 I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 3
9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

Hi Snorch,

When the church was young, persecution was rife. Both the Romans and the Jews scapegoated the church by villifying Christians, both Jew and Gentile. Many Jews were converting or had converted already to the spiritual walk in Christ. The ones who resisted the Holy Spirit among the Jews, are called the synagogue of satan. Christ will vindicate his church before these rebellious ones. Being in a time of grace meant that these would not die of plague etc...rather the Lord reveals the spiritual condition of these as following satan and his temporal regime. We do see judgment against natural Israel for rebellion against both God (and the Romans) in the 70AD uprising and the Bar Kochba revolts. The same theme repeats itself over and over again when the nation displeases the Lord. A chosen nation must bear an exemplary punishment. How different history would be if natural Israel had received their Messiah. What turmoil it has experienced due to it's resistance to the Holy Spirit. It is our duty as Christians to live in such a way as to make our witness an undeniable light to the world in general and natural Jews in particular.

Maran atha

<><

John

Genesis 3:15 "And I [God] will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed and her Seed It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel."

As it clearly shows there are 2 seeds....

A seed of the woman Eve,,,,And a seed of the Serpent [satan] So what does seed mean???

The "seed" in the Hebrew is called "zirmah", and in the Greek it is "sperma". We in the English call it "sperm", and in Strongs Hebrew Dictionary # 2233; "Posterity, carnally, child, fruitful".

So what God said was "I will put enmity between the children of Eve and the children of satan"...

The children of satan are the fake jews......God is not talking about worship here,,, This is literal Eve had literal children Cain and Abel...

Isn't it far more biblical to see the division as a spiritual one? How can people be divided in the same household if it had anything to do with genetics?

Luk 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:


Luk 12:52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.


Luk 12:53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

do a word study on Pergamos...

Believe me friend my spiritual eyes are wide open... God could have said "I will put enmity between believers" or something to that effect, but He didn't... God said "seed" --children, offspring, we cant change the word we must except what God said.... And as soon as those seeds(children) come of age you see that enmity very clearly, as the Tare(Cain) murdered the wheat(abel) this is also made clear in the parable I referenced....

Revelation 2:12 "And to the angel of the church in Per'-ga-mos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;"

"Per'-ga-mos" is the type of another church existing in these latter days; compare it now to your Church. The reference to the "sharp sword with two edges", is because Jesus Christ is preparing to do some cutting on some dead wood. A pruning is going to take place. He is going to discipline the Pergamos church.

Revelation 2:13 "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Sa'-tan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein An'-ti-pas was my faithful martyr [my witness, my faithful one], who was slain among you where Sa'-tan dwelleth."

The Pergamos Church is a very high-minded church. This church had a special high authoritative person they called "savior" [not Christ], and this church believed that you had to go through him, and please him to be saved and approach the Heavenly Father. The symbol of this "savior" was the serpent. This is because of his identification being related back to Ancient Babylonian worship. He was a follower of the serpent [Satan], even though the things he did and said appeared to be good. Sound like any churches today???

So what you are saying Adullam is that The scripture is talking about Jews who reject Christ? They claim that they are jews but they are not because they reject Christ and persecute Christians?

This is diametrically backwards thinking above

Those who are ethnic "Jews" ..... are ethnic Jews

They would not claim to be what they "already are"

This idea makes no sense

The Lord is communicating to the "professing" church and does not refer to christians as "Jews"

It is the Gentile component of "professing" christianity who claim to be ethnic "Jews" that the Lord hates

He does because these claim to replace His brethren ..... national Israel

Notice that He labels them as followers of Satan

This behavior is anti-semitic and is a practice of many who claim to be christians

These two mind sets do not mix .... oil and water

The Lord will not tolerate replacement theology

June 28, 2005 The new deicide libel A report in the Jerusalem Post provides further evidence of the visceral theological anti-Jewish hatred of Canon Naim Ateek, the Palestinian cleric who is honoured as a 'peacemaker' in the Anglican Peace and Justice Network report (see posts below) and who is lionised among Anglican clerics in Britain and the US. As the Post makes clear, although liberals excoriate evangelical Christians for a profound theological animus against the Jews, it is liberal Christians who lap up Ateek's every word.


His influence in turning the Christian world against Israel cannot be overstated. Yet Ateek, president of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre, is a Jew-hater out of medieval central casting:

'Ateek is regarded as a "peacemaker" in the US even as he recycles the deicide charge against the Jews and directs the hostility it arouses against the Jewish state. For example, in December 2000, Ateek wrote that Palestinian Christmas celebrations were "marred by the destructive powers of the modern-day "Herods" who are represented in the Israeli government." In his 2001 Easter Message, Ateek wrote: "The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily. Palestine has become the place of the skull." And in a February 2001 sermon, Ateek likened the Israeli occupation to the boulder sealing Christ's tomb. With these three images, Ateek has figuratively blamed Israel for trying to kill the infant Jesus, crucifying Jesus the prophet and blocking the resurrection of Christ the Savior. The use of such images is not the language of peacemaking, but part of an inexcusable effort to breathe new life into Christian theological hostility toward Jews and focus its vile energy on the Jewish state…

'Through its Global Ministries Board, an institution it shares with another Protestant denomination, the Disciples of Christ, the UCC [the United Church of Christ which is considering three anti-Israel motions at its synod next month] broadcasts Ateek's message to Christians in the US by reprinting many of its anti-Israel press releases on the Internet and thereby giving credibility to pro-Palestinian propaganda. In 2003, Ateek was invited to speak to the UCC's General Synod, where he compared modern-day Israel to ancient Rome, which of course, killed Jesus and oppressed his followers. His speech, posted on the UCC's Web site, includes the following passage: "Most Palestinians today are born under occupation as Jesus was. In his day it was the oppressive Roman occupation. Today it is the oppressive Israeli occupation."'

Ateek has fused the political cause of Palestinianism with medieval supercessionism to produce a 'liberation theology' which rewrites Scripture to cast the Palestinians as Jesus and the Jews as the Romans so that Israel's defence against Arab mass murder is represented as deicide. And guess what - the heirs to the perpetrators of the original deicide libel have taken up this re-run of the oldest hatred with undimmed enthusiasm. A history which ended in tragedy is being repeated - as tragedy.



http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/?p=903

Abraham's Knife: The Mythology of the Deicide in Antisemitism
[Reviews of Abraham's Knife] [Read Excerpts] [Buy the book] [About the author]






Reviews of Abraham's Knife

• Dr. Jeffrey Tigay, Ellis Professor of Hebrew & Semitic Languages & Literatures, Graduate Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania
• Jack Fischel, Hadassah Magazine, March 2005, p. 68.
• Dr. Bernard Kaplan, M.B. B.Ch., F.A.A.P. Laffey-Connolly Professor of Pediatric Nephrology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania
• Rabbi James Rudin, the American Jewish Committee's senior interreligious adviser, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Saint Leo University.
• The Jewish Book Review

Dr. Jeffrey Tigay
Ellis Professor of Hebrew & Semitic Languages & Literatures, Graduate Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania Abraham's Knife is a remarkable work that traces the background and history of the anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews as "Christ-killers." Judith Civan explores the relationship of this myth to ancient child sacrifice and the Biblical tale of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac and, in an eye-opening chapter on "The Merchant of Venice," she follows its perpetuation down through the evolving portrayal of Shylock in Shakespeare's time and since. Based on solid historical and literary scholarship and psychological insight, the book is learned without being ponderous, and the author's style makes reading it an esthetic as well as intellectual experience.



Jack Fischel, Hadassah Magazine, March 2005, p. 68 Having weathered the storm emanating from Mel Gibson's incendiary The Passion of Christ, it is perhaps time that Jews educate themselves on the history behind the centuries old libel that the Jews killed Jesus. The problem is that many of the books that deal with this canard have been written by scholars for an academic audience and are not easily digestible for the general reading audience. Fortunately, Abraham's Knife is different. A journalist by profession who studied Hebrew language and literature at Gratz College and the University of Pennsylvania, Civan has written a thoughtful and readable book about the formative events in the early history of Christianity that led to the deicide or "Christ-killer" charge.

Civan relates that she decided to write about the deicide slander when she came across a letter written in 1919 by the French premier George Clemenceau to Chaim Weizmann, who had sought the premier's support for the Zionist effort, and was rebuffed by Clemenceau with the remark that " We Christians can never forgive the Jews for crucifying Christ." It is apparent that despite the subsequent efforts of the Catholic Church during Vatican II to eliminate the deicide charge, it remains alive and well among too many Christians, as evidenced by the success of the Gibson film and the support he received from large segments of the Christian community. Drawing on primarily secondary source material, Civan has written a book geared to a lay audience, but which also has the merit of filling a gap in the historiography of the subject.

Civan finds the source of the deicide charge in the Akedah. Using Abraham's aborted attempt to sacrifice Isaac as her starting point, Civan argues that the Church fathers found themselves in a conundrum in their efforts to link the Akedah ( the basis for the covenant between God and the Jews) to the the Crucifixion ( the justification for the "New Covenant" between God and Christianity). According to Civan, if Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son was a test not only of his faith in God, but also God's signal that human sacrifice must come to an end, then how were they to explain God's willingness to sacrifice his only son ? Civan contends that instead of grappling with this difficult theological question, the Gospels placed the blame for the Crucifixion on the Jews by inventing the words, "his blood be upon us and our children,"thus deflecting responsibility away from the Romans, as well as to " absolve the beneficiaries of the sacrifice, the Christians, and their God.".

Civan concludes her important book by proposing that in the post-Holocaust era, there is no longer room to tolerate the deicide charge within Christianity, and it is time for the churches to examine its theology. If Christianity wants to be a religion of love and morality, Civan argues, it must "confront the consequences of its teaching and actions."



Dr. Bernard Kaplan, M.B. B.Ch., F.A.A.P.
Laffey-Connolly Professor of Pediatric Nephrology
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The University of Pennsylvania On a trip some years ago, we had a distressing conversation with an Austrian acquaintance who treated us to Wiener Schnitzel and Sacher Torte at the Hotel Sacher Wien in the Judenrein city of Vienna.

This educated gentleman wondered why Jews are so upset with Austrians. What about Hitler, what about Kurt Waldheim, what about the Judenrein city of Vienna, we asked. Where are Mahler and Freud and Zweig and all those other famous and ordinary Jews? He opined that Hitler was born in a part of Austria that had once been German, that the Jewish attitude to Kurt Waldheim was Zionist plot, that post-war Austria had a Jewish prime minister - Bruno Kreisky. But he had to admit that Vienna no longer had any Jews. Our visit to Austria left a bitter taste.

Judith Civan had similar reactions but transmuted them into a work of great depth, erudition and interest. While looking at a painting by Hieronymus Bosch she began to think quite logically about Auschwitz in the Judenrein city of Vienna. The sweetness of all the sachertortre in Vienna could not over-ride, for her, the bitterness of countless depictions of Jesus in agony. The brilliance of her subsequent analysis is based not on the agony of Christ per se, but on the countless acts of wanton cruelty that have been carried out against his own people by his so-called followers. She discusses in detail one of the most important events in Jewish history, the Akedah (binding of Isaac) that led to the aborted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. Her analysis leads quite logically from the Akedah to the annihilation of European Jewry.

With many fascinating digressions and meanderings, she takes us on a journey through the history of western thought, and lingers at the way-stops of Greek mythology, Paul and Shakespeare. The Akedah is a turning point in the history of sacrifice – this may be the first time that a god gave a man permission [once it was clear that the man was willing to obey the god] to substitute a sacrificial animal for the man's son. This substitution of an animal, by God, for a son of man was turned on its head when God substituted his own Son, the Son of Man, the Christ, as the sacrificial object. God substituted a ram for Isaac thereby ushering in the Jewish practice of temple sacrifice. Judith has gotten me to thinking that at almost the precise moment when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans, Saul/Paul substituted the sacrifice of God's only begotten son, Yehoshua as the sacrificial lamb. Jews substituted Torah for sacrifice; the Pauline Christians substituted the sacrifice of Jesus for Torah.

The Akedah may also be a turning point in the history of infanticide [for a more detailed discussion of this appalling subject please refer to an article by William L. Langer, The New York Review of Books, April 28th 1977]. It is impossible to summarize Judith Civan's careful and gentle attempts to explain how all of this came about.

It is even more difficult to summarize the complicated paths that she negotiates in her attempts to understand why the Christians who worshipped a Jewish rabbi, began to hate, and then to kill Jews.

Many roads lead to Auschwitz, Babi Yar and the mass grave in Krok, Lithuania where my family was murdered by the Einzatsgruppe in 1941.

Judith Civan provides so much food for intellectual thought in this dense oriental carpet of interwoven facts, fancies and ideas [please forgive the mixed metaphor!]. Like the greatest oriental carpets, her account also has its abrashes or imperfections. The book is very dense and requires patience and thoughtful study, it is sometimes repetitive, and it is really three books in one. However, it is a labor of love and a tour de force, with excellent notes and an extensive bibliography, that will reward the reader with information and insights.



Rabbi James Rudin
American Jewish Committee's senior interreligious adviser, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Saint Leo University France's World War I premier, Georges Clemenceau warned, "War is much too serious a matter to be entrusted to the military." Similarly, some religious issues are too serious to be entrusted solely to professional theologians and scholars whose main concerns are frequently the number of footnotes and the length of the bibliography.

But Judith Civan's new book, "Abraham's Knife: the Mythology of the Deicide in Antisemitism" (Exlibris) is different. Although Civan holds a graduate degree from Columbia University and is knowledgeable about Christianity and Judaism, her book was not written to score academic debating points.

Instead, Civan directly confronts an issue that has plagued Western culture and civilization for centuries: the deicide or "Christ-killer" charge.

The belief that the Jews murdered Jesus, and because of their infamous actions are forever condemned by God to be a cursed people provided theological justification for centuries of physical assaults. During the Nazi regime, two bishops confronted Adolf Hitler on his virulent anti-Semitism. In response, the German dictator told his clerical visitors he was only putting into effect what Christianity had taught and practiced for 2,000 years.

Civan is dismayed that the deicide charge still remains embedded in the hearts and minds of many Christians today despite the best efforts of church authorities, especially the Second Vatican Council, to eradicate it. Ironically, it was another Clemenceau quote that sparked Civan's interest in the deicide charge.

In 1919 the French premier met the Jewish leader Hayim Weizmann, who 30 years later would become Israel's first president. Weizmann sought Clemenceau's support for the Zionist effort, but was rebuffed. Clemenceau remarked: "We Christians can never forgive the Jews for crucifying Christ." Weizmann quickly replied: "Monsieur Clemenceau, you know perfectly well that if Jesus of Nazareth were to apply for a visa to enter France, it would be refused on the grounds that he was a political agitator."

Civan was stunned that Clemenceau had used the "Christ-killer" epithet. After all, Clemenceau had battled two decades earlier in behalf of the falsely accused French Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus, and the same Clemenceau had fought reactionary and anti-Semitic elements within the Catholic Church and the French Army.

Civan wondered if Clemenceau, a "rational person," truly believed the deicide charge. But if people like Clemenceau accepted the ancient anti-Jewish calumny, Civan was forced "to begin afresh ... to revise my worldview ... it would all be turned inside out."

In her closely reasoned 352-page book, Civan plumbs the depth of the "Christ-killer" canard, reaching back to the origins of the church. She asserts that in the "early Christian centuries Jesus was represented not only as a living but also a youthful figure." However, by the time of the murderous Crusades in the 11th and 12th centuries, Jesus was transformed into a bearded, suffering and bloody figure familiar to us in medieval paintings.

Civan believes that along with this profound change in the Christian perception of Jesus, also came an escalation of anti-Jewish teachings and increased physical attacks on the people who, it was believed, forced Jesus to endure intense pain and suffering on the cross. She believes the failure of Jesus to return to Earth in the millennium year 1000 created new Christian emphasis on his anguish.

Civan's book concludes with a comparison of two Jerusalem holy sites: Moriah and Golgotha. Moriah was where Abraham raised his knife to kill his beloved bound son, Isaac, before God intervened and stopped the sacrifice of a child. Golgotha was where another "child," Jesus, was killed this time without God intervening.

Was the Crucifixion the completion of Abraham's aborted attempt to sacrifice Isaac or was the death of Jesus part of God's plan?

Civan believes the Crucifixion was a form of child sacrifice so traumatic that it required a scapegoat, an entire guilty people, to blame for such an abhorrent act.

Civan is unblinking in her radical conclusion: Christians were taught, "the sacrificer (of Jesus) was actually not God Himself, but the Jews, the descendants of that Abraham who almost wielded his knife at the near sacrifice of Isaac. The love could be ascribed to God and the anger and blood to the Jews."

"Abraham's Knife" is sure to create controversy because it compels Christians and Jews to re-examine long-held beliefs about child sacrifice, the Crucifixion, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Christian-Jewish relations.

Finally, scholars of religion: not to worry. There are 25 pages of footnotes and nine pages of bibliography in "Abraham's Knife."



The Jewish Book Review Judith Civan seeks to trace a thread linking child sacrifice and the fear of infanticide to the charge of deicide in the legacy of Christian anti- Semitism....In her view, both Jews and Christians need to confront the fear of child sacrifice that is at the root of the religious traditions, and find a way to promote reconciliation of children and parents, that is, between Christians and Jews. As she puts the case, "The myth of deicide, dangerously entwined with the fear of infanticide, reaching into the unconscious recesses of parents' and children's hearts and minds, is what we all, Christians and Jews, have to confront."...

http://www.abrahamsknife.com/reviews.shtml

In our day and time, they that say they are jews [Gods chosen people] are really not, but satans people...

rev 13:

8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Professing christianity, all denominations say they are Gods people..

they are exactly who the Lord say that they are!!

who in these last days call themselve Jews? In Revelation the Last book of the bible we have a people who call themselve Jews.

why not say thet who say they are levites or the danites

whatever happen to the other 11 tribes?

Jesus addressed the church as Israel.

Just something to consider

Natural Israel has "received their Messiah," or at least part of natural Israel, the house of Israel. It is the house of Judah that has not yet done so.


The "synagogue of Satan" is not the house of Judah that has not converted "when the church was young." Rather they are those that "say they are Jews and are not."


Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan.

10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faitful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.


The time frame in those scriptures was not in the past but is yet future so the "synagogue of Satan" is future too.


Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not INTO TEMPTATION; but deliver us from evil.


8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in TIME OF TEMPTATION fall away.


That is Satan's "hour of temptation" when the elect will be delivered for a testimony.

Matthew 24:24 for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Home > Antisemitism > The Deicide Libel

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Jews and Deicide

The accusation of Deicide (God-killing), which has been held against the Jews for nearly 1900 years, has been a major cause of hatred and persecution in Christian societies.

In order to understand the origins of this charge it is necessary to examine the execution of Jesus, as described in various narratives in the Gospels. These provide the basis to apportion blame for the arrest, trial and sentence of Jesus on the Jewish Sanhedrin and then on the Jews in general. Archetypal statements can be taken from Matthew (27:20- 27:25) – “Good News Bible”

The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death. But Pilate asked the crowd, "Which one of these two do you want me to set free for you?" "Barabbas!" they answered. "What, then, shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they all answered. But Pilate asked, "What crime has he committed?" Then they started shouting at the top of their voices: "Crucify him!" When Pilate saw that it was no use to go on, but that a riot might break out, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am not responsible for the death of this man! This is your doing!" The whole crowd answered, "Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children!"

In addition to this, it is necessary to appreciate that mainstream Christian theology regards God in terms of a trinity of persons, each of whom share a single Divine nature. Jesus, as part of this trinity, is regarded as divine and by being responsible for his death the Jews have committed deicide. (killing God -if that is actually possible)


Another significant contribution of Christianity is the idea that the world is a battleground between God and the Devil (Satan) a powerful yet evil demon, for the souls of all. It then follows that as the Jews have committed Deicide, they must be on the side of the Devil. Thus, any objectionable characteristics and actions applicable to the Devil must also be relevant to a description of the Jews.







It is not surprising then that during the Middle Ages, the Black Death was blamed on the Jews (for poisoning wells) and that verbal and physical attacks on Jews invariably increased around Easter. As society become more complex and insecure, Jews were consistently blamed for destabilizing society – only a truly demonic group could achieve this. Whether we consider the French Revolution, the rise of large scale Capitalism, the rise of Communism, the increasing secularism of society, invariably the Jews were to blame. The classic work which emphasizes these myths is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

By the twentieth century these ideas were so pervasive that the prominent American-English Christian poet and Nobel Prize winner T. S. Eliot could write in “Burbank With a Baedeker: Bleistein With a Cigar”





Hell, the residence of the Devil is “underneath us” and symbolically from this place the demonic Jew plots to undermine (the foundations of) and corrupt (with money) Western Civilization.

It is not then surprising that during the Holocaust that the common response to the fate of the Jews (with a few notable exceptions) was as best indifference.







In 1965 the Vatican issued the declaration Nostra Aetate, in which Jews are absolved of Deicide and any form of anti-Semitism is condemned.





The mainstream Protestant Churches have also condemned anti-Semitism and accusations of deicide.





However, various non-mainstream Christian groups still maintain and propagate these long-established prejudices..

Although the concept of Deicide is generally absent from the mainstream Conversation, notions of Jews as secretly manipulating society still persist. The ongoing discussions on the power of the “Jewish/Zionist Lobby” to influence governments and media attest to the force of these ideas.

http://www.antidef.org.au/www/309/1001127/...le/1001956.html

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"His blood be upon us…"
— Matthew 27:25 and the Jewish People By Todd Baker, Th.M. Rev. Todd Baker is a Staff Theologian at Zola Levitt Ministries.

This article appeared originally in the June and July 2002 issues of the Levitt Letter.

Part 1 — the following portion first appeared in the June 2002 Levitt Letter.

Todd's brilliant article below details the beginning of the Jewish "blood libel" accusation. The old story of Jews using blood (which they are forbidden to eat) in baking their Passover bread has been resurrected recently by the Saudis. These friends of ours truly rival the Nazis in their hatred of the Chosen People. Rev. Baker deals with the whole question from Scripture to the Saudi telethon. — Zola

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this Just person. You see to it." And all the people answered and said, "His blood be upon us and on our children." (Matthew 27:24–25)

Matthew 27:25 arguably stands out as one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted passages in all of Holy Scripture. Of the proposed interpretations for Matthew 27:25, the anti-Jewish interpretation is the oldest and most frequently cited in the history of the Church. This view says the Jewish people are permanently guilty and condemned in the eyes of God for their murder of Jesus Christ. As such, the cry of "His blood be upon us" means that the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem admitted full guilt for killing the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby invoked God's curse upon themselves and their descendants until the end of time. This interpretation first surfaced in the writings of the early church fathers in the second century AD. It became universally accepted by the Middle Ages. The result, among other things, was the slanderous accusation that all Jews were "Christ killers" and "murderers of God." Sadly, this is still a widespread belief in the Church today.

The anti-Jewish interpretation of Matthew 27:25 provided a convenient excuse for outright persecution and slaughter of the Chosen People and the unwarranted replacement of Israel in God's plan with the Church by Replacement Theology. Jewish historian Haim Cohen painfully observes the terrible judgment wrongly made against the Jews because of the prevalence of the anti-Jewish interpretation of Matthew 27:25. He writes:

None of the many charges leveled at the Jews… has held so obdurately against them as unassailable proof of guilt and responsibility for the crucifixion as has this exclamation of theirs "His blood be upon us and our children." (The Trial and Death of Jesus of Nazareth, p. 171)

Furthermore, it can be said without fear of exaggeration that the devastation imposed and inflicted on the Jewish people by the Church's anti-Jewish reading of Matthew 27:25 has shed oceans of Jewish blood issuing into a ceaseless stream of misery and desolation that horribly culminated in Hitler's Holocaust. In light of this it is extremely important that the true meaning of Matthew 27:25 be obtained so that the Chosen People can be free of the false accusation of "Christ killers" that is constantly imputed to them, resulting in the inevitable persecution and murder of the Jews that follow.

The true meaning of Matthew 27:25, like any other Bible verse, is found within the context in which it is written. When looking at the context of Matthew's Gospel (specifically, chapters 26 and 27) it is quite obvious that the entire Jewish race was not totally responsible for having Jesus crucified. Matthew 26 and 27 informs the reader that one individual and three distinct groups were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. They are (1) Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Jewish authorities (Matt. 26:14–16; 47–50); (2) the Jewish leaders. This group was made up of Caiphas the High Priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. They united to form the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem which tried Jesus on the charge of blasphemy (Matt. 26:47, 57–67; 27:1–2, 5, 18, 25); (3) the Romans, comprised of the Procurator Pontius Pilate who handed Jesus over to be crucified and the Roman soldiers who actually nailed Jesus to the cross (Matt. 27:11–37); (4) the Jewish mob of Jerusalem. Though their role in Matthew 27 seems passive and subordinated under the control and influence of the chief priests and elders, their guilt in the death of Christ cannot be overlooked. They had the opportunity afforded them by Pilate to have Jesus released, but they chose instead a criminal named Barabbas (Matt 27:17, 20–26).

From the context of Matthew 26–27 Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus applies only to Judas, the religious leaders of Jerusalem, and the mob of Jerusalem before the judgment seat of Pilate. It was the unbelieving Jews of Jerusalem and Israel, not all Jews in general, whom Matthew and the New Testament indict for their failure to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and their complicity in His death.

In part 2 we will look in depth at how Matthew's words themselves tell us exactly who "our children" are.

Part 2 — the following portion first appeared in the July 2002 Levitt Letter.

Last month we examined the various interpretations of Matthew 27:24–25 and how the misunderstanding of these verses in their context has often led to anti-Semitism through the course of Church history. But what does this passage actually say? Are all Jews forever cursed because of this incident? Let's take a look at the Scripture itself.

The meaning of "children" in the cry of the crowd in Matthew 27:25 does not mean all the subsequent descendants of those Jews who rejected Christ in Matthew 26 and 27. The word in the Greek text of Matthew can also mean a child of parents. In the context of verse 25 it refers to the offspring of the unbelieving Jews of Jerusalem who shouted for Christ to be crucified. This at once limits the meaning to only one generation and corresponds with the judgment of Jerusalem in AD 70.

The same word and meaning for "children" used in Matthew 27:25 is also used in Luke 23:28 where Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem that would fall on them and their "children" for the city's rejection and mistreatment of Him. In Matthew 23:37–39 Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem for not letting Him take them and their "children" under His protective wing. The scope of God's judgment for the crucifixion of His Son applies and was limited to the city of Jerusalem and certain inhabitants among the religious leaders and common people who orchestrated the plot to have Jesus killed. It does not extend to their Jewish descendants or national posterity in Israel today.

To read the cry of Matthew 27:25 as an eternal curse on the Jewish people is therefore to press the language beyond its Biblical context. Jewish guilt for the death of Christ in Matthew rested upon a small number of the nation who were there, and to read into these words a curse on all Jews forever is ludicrous (after all, Matthew and his fellow apostles were Jews). Like everyone else in the present age of grace, Jews will not be judged corporately, but judged individually on the sole basis of their acceptance or rejection of Jesus as Messiah and Lord (John 3:36).

The cry of Matthew 27:25 was not a bloodthirsty wish, curse, or prophecy, but rather a cultural idiom of the ancient Near East used to verbally express individual or group responsibility for a solemn action taken. The use and meaning of this expression goes back to the Old Testament (see Deut. 19:10; Josh. 2:19; 2 Sam. 3:28–29; I Kings 2:33; Jer. 26:15; Ezek. 18:13). Pilate's unwillingness to condemn Jesus prompted the Jerusalem crowd to take responsibility for it themselves, hence the cry "His blood be upon us…." The guilt for the murder of Christ belonged to these Jews alone who stood before Pilate demanding that Jesus be crucified. It was not passed on to all Jews born after them.

The blood of Jesus that was cried out for by the Jerusalem crowd in Matthew 27:25 did not bring the Jews eternal condemnation, but was instead the divine means of their eternal redemption and the forgiveness of sins, even for the sin of killing the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's prayer from the cross to God that He would forgive those who killed Him not only included the Romans but also the very Jews in Matthew 27:25 who wanted Him crucified (see Luke 23:34)! Later, on the day of Pentecost, the remission of sins through Christ's shed blood was offered to these same Jewish conspirators by Peter as recorded in the book of Acts. God had not already condemned them, or for that matter all Jews, for the death of Christ. The offer of God's pardon through Christ was in fact extended to all of them and their "children" if they chose to repent (Acts 2:22–39; 3:13–26; 4:4–15). Since Jesus was willing to forgive His own people for their complicity in His death, Christians should realize God can easily save and forgive their Jewish descendants, who played no direct role in the crucifixion of the Messiah.

If indeed Matthew 27:25 meant the Jews are in fact condemned as a race for killing Christ, should not the Italian descendants of the ancient Romans also be condemned for nailing Jesus to the cross? Those within the Church who have favored the anti-Jewish interpretation of Matthew 27:25 would do well to at least be consistent with their racist interpretation. The reason they are not is because they are exclusively biased against the Jewish people.

The anti-Jewish interpretation of Matthew 27:25 is simply false because it plainly contradicts the general teaching of Scripture regarding the present and future reality of the Jews being God's Chosen People (Romans 9–11). This kind of misinterpretation of Scripture is dangerous because such a meaning has helped spawn and stimulate Christian anti-Semitism via the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Russian pogroms, the Holocaust, and more subtly, Replacement Theology.

Christians must repent and ask for forgiveness from the Jewish community for the long historical mistreatment of the Jews done in the name of Jesus Christ. This can start with the Church's theological abandonment of the reckless anti-Jewish meaning of Matthew 27:25 that condemns and labels all Jews with the infamous stigma of "Christ killers."

http://www.levitt.com/essays/bloodlibel.html

Amen Stephen.

I don't believe that John was anti-semetic or a self-hater here. Far from it! He faithfully recorded the words of Jesus as he heard them. There are hard sayings in the letters to the churches to be sure. We have references to Jezebel, the Nicolaitans (whose deeds He hates) as well as the reference to the synagogue of satan. There is enough here to get the flesh of many in a big snit, as it were. Seeking to avoid the truth by scapegoating is a common tactic among those who persist in their rebellion. The whole point of Jesus' words is to evoke a repentance. We should ask...Lord, is it me? Remember that Judas neglected to ask this...so sure he was that it was somebody else. But this is a big mistake. Jesus has spoken. Let us measure ourselves against His words. There is certainly a church of satan as well. All who make themselves an adversary of the Lord are of satan. Satan means "adversary." There is nothing new here. Do the clergy realize they are Nicolaitans? Nico-laitans comes from 2 Greek words... nikao (victory, conquer, overcome, dominate) and laos (people as in laity) Like I said, there is enough in these letters to digest for all.

A Jewish remnant will be saved, just like a Gentile remnant will be saved. There is no partiality with God. God has no prejudice. He is far above any sentimentalities. Would that we became wise and asked....Lord, is it I?


<><

John

that 'John' wasn't, this one is ... rewording the revisionism -
There is not enough here to get the flesh of many in a big snit, as it were. Only those who hate the Jewish people seek to avoid the truth by scapegoating them, and it is a common tactic among those who persist in their racist rebellion.

QUOTE

(Stephen @ Jun 29 2008, 06:14 AM) This is diametrically backwards thinking above

Those who are ethnic "Jews" ..... are ethnic Jews
They would not claim to be what they "already are"

This idea makes no sense
The Lord is communicating to the "professing" church and does not refer to christians as "Jews"

It is the Gentile component of "professing" christianity who claim to be ethnic "Jews" that the Lord hates
He does because these claim to replace His brethren ..... national Israel

Notice that He labels them as followers of Satan
This behavior is anti-semitic and is a practice of many who claim to be christians

These two mind sets do not mix .... oil and water
The Lord will not tolerate replacement theology

Amen

I have moved this thread to the debates section because it is only going to generate heated debate.


In all of our bible study, we should always strive to let the bible speak for itself and not read into it what we want it to say, no matter how painful.

Perhaps we need a Greek specialist.

I don't think the blasphemy is to do with being an Ersatz Jew.

Falsely claiming to be Jewish or a believer is not blasphemous.

The blasphemy must be something else.

Suggestion 1: denying that Jesus is the son of God.

There were some pretty diversionary heresies doing the rounds at the time of the early Church.
Subtle attempts to pervert the Gospel.

Is Replacement Theology actually blaspemous though?

vacant as in empty.

Luke.1
[53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Luke.20
[10] And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
[11] And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

We are not talking about replacement theology at all. There is really no reason for anyone to obsess here! Jesus was talking to the ekklesias (churches)....and mentioned the synagogue of satan in passing. A short study in a concordance or interlinear bible will reveal that "sunagoge" (synagogue) is not referring to the church (ekklesia) in this case. If it referred to a church, then Jesus would have written a letter specifically to it. He was, after all, writing to the churches. No, it refers to the Jews who had made Christ and Christians their adversary. These will be made to see the love that God has for those who are in Christ.

Jews are not infallible, any more than the Gentiles. Pay no heed to fables and hate propaganda. This is not a race issue, as race obsessed people would have you think. It is the word of the Lord, like it or not. We are just people after all! The ears are meant to hear and listen, and not to be tickled!

Maran atha!

<><

John

Just a thought...instead of trying to figure out who it is that is being spoken of in Revalation, let's just go back to the OT to find out what would become of the nation of Israel. As we will read, God is very specific with what would happen to the nation of Israel if they did not obey Him. Let's see if the people in Revalation fit the description.


Deut.28

[15] But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

[16] Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

[18] Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

[19] Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

[20] The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

[25] The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

[30] Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

[31] Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine --- shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

[32] Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

[33] The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

[36] The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

[37] And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

[41] Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

[43] The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

[44] He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

[45] Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

[46] And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

[47] Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

[48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

[49] The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

[50] A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

[51] And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

[54] So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:

[58] If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

[59] Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

[64] And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

[65] And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

[66] And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

[67] In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

[68] And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Please pay close attention to the above verse.

And again, just how long did God say this would happen to this people and their seed? Let's read it again:

[45] Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

[46] And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

Here are a few more;

Isa.42

[22] But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

[23] Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?

[24] Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.


Now this is the will of God for the nation of Israel and her seed forever, if they did not obey the commandments and laws of God.

I now present this challenge: Go back and re-read these curses carefully. Find the people that ALL of these things has happened to and continues to happen to even until this day and you have found Israel.

If these ALL of these curses apply to the people that call themselves Jews today then you have found the Jews spoken of in Revalations. If not.......well then, you may have to serach elsewhere for a people that meets ALL of the curses described above.

synogogue of satan who are they




There destiny revealed in scripture


Jesus christ himself prophesied that all who ally them selves with the synogogue of satan including those millions of deceived evangelicals who foolishly reject or disregard Jesus warnings about this evil luciferian cult group some day shall see their zionist ambitions go down in flames on that day the butchers of history wil be forced to grovel at the very feet of those whome the synogogue of satan have so viciously and cruelly robbed persecuted and killed


this is what i believe the verses that are given are saying




Revelations 3

9 Behold i will make them of the synogoge of satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold i will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that i have loved thee




almost no where in the established christian church can be found a pastor or evangelist today who has the spiritual wisdom or even the common sence to ask the hard questions who is the synagogue of satan that God warns about in the book of Revelations


here is my question can this be cracked just who are these wicked imposters



Revelations 2


9 i know how you are suffering how poor you are but you are rich i also know that those who claim to be Jews slander you They are the synagogue of satan


10 Don t be afraid of of what you are going to suffer . The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested your suffering will go on for ten days Be faithful until death and i will give you the crown off life



Revelation 3

10 Because you have obeyed my command to endure i will keep you safe during the time of testing which is comming to the whole world to test those living on the earth



heres my question where is this topic going wil we learn and draw together or will this topic split us appart to where we have only one person saying listen to me

so far i have not seen the serpant seed idiotic theology thrown into this topic


one thing for sure the bible regards these false lying Jewish imposters as dangerouse murderous vessels in the hands of there infernal lord satan



hay i could be way off track but this is my 0 cents worth to this topic




this is going to be intresting dig the trenches get the bullet proof vests out and plenty off coffe



God bless from damo

I can agree with that,,but people can name many cities and countrys that resemble what you have posted....

one thing for sure the bible regards these false lying Jewish imposters as dangerouse murderous vessels in the hands of there infernal lord satan

I agree,,,and the bible has shown us who these people are.... The church of Smyrna and of Philadelphia knew who these fake jews were....

We should know who those people are also,,,,but if you dont know what really happen in the garden then you will not understand who these fake jews are, because there origin began in the garden......

I agree with Damo7, keep the Serpent Seed drivel out of the story.

We can do without that.

I'm wearing a sky blue flak jacket, I just don't know who to support....

Revelation 2
9 I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 3
9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

These scriptures speak to me in this way.

It says "they call themselves Jews but are Liars".

It does not say that they know that they are Liars.

But there is a truth that belongs to someone higher and more important that makes them liars.

To me that someone would be their Judge or God.

They have done something to not be considered a Jew in the Judges opinion.

It sounds to me like they have rejected the Judges ruling on what constitutes being a Jew.

That would most likely be believing in the Son of God, The Judges Son.

Rev 2
[8] And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
[9] I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Rev 3
[7] And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
[8] I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
[9] Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Note that Philadelphia represents America and Smyrna Russia.

The synagogue of Satan:
After world war 2 many german nazi's were smuggled through Switzerland and with help of the Vatican to the USA, and also given a NEW IDENTITY.
It is a fact that many took on german jewish names.

The same went on for the germans who fell in Russian hands.

that's not true

there is only one people on this earth that fits Deuteronomy 28.

that people curses was put on them by God.

so these curses are unique.

and no other nation, city, goverment or people can lay claim.

because it came from God

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2...v%3DYsvTFmss9bY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKZEo6d-ypc

no curse - search elsewhere

QUOTE (Justice @ Jun 29 2008, 12:13 PM)

vacant as in empty.

Luke.1
[53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Luke.20
[10] And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
[11] And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. Philippians 2:7

Matthew 5:22 but I -- I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.

repent

QUOTE

name='Adullam' post='204524' date='Jun 29 2008, 12:18 PM']

QUOTE (Simple @ Jun 28 2008, 10:57 PM)

Perhaps we need a Greek specialist.

I don't think the blasphemy is to do with being an Ersatz Jew.

Falsely claiming to be Jewish or a believer is not blasphemous.

The blasphemy must be something else.

Suggestion 1: denying that Jesus is the son of God.

There were some pretty diversionary heresies doing the rounds at the time of the early Church.
Subtle attempts to pervert the Gospel.

Is Replacement Theology actually blaspemous though?

We are not talking about replacement theology at all. There is really no reason for anyone to obsess here! Jesus was talking to the ekklesias (churches)....and mentioned the synagogue of satan in passing. A short study in a concordance or interlinear bible will reveal that "sunagoge" (synagogue) is not referring to the church (ekklesia) in this case. If it referred to a church, then Jesus would have written a letter specifically to it. He was, after all, writing to the churches. No, it refers to the Jews who had made Christ and Christians their adversary. These will be made to see the love that God has for those who are in Christ.

Jews are not infallible, any more than the Gentiles. Pay no heed to fables and hate propaganda. This is not a race issue, as race obsessed people would have you think. It is the word of the Lord, like it or not. We are just people after all! The ears are meant to hear and listen, and not to be tickled!

Maran atha!

<><

John

(Stephen @ Jun 29 2008, 06:14 AM)