Ranchfest Info

Ranchfest Info:

Greetings Brethren,

Ok, so we are quickly coming up to Ranchfest April 23rd through April 30th. I need to know in the next few days if you are coming or not, and where you intend on staying. The options are these:

You may camp or tent here at the ranch for free.
You may stay in a nearby motel

You may come up with your own option

If you plan on staying or camping here at the ranch, please contact me immediately to make arrangements.

Motels:

The closest is the Texas Ranger Motel in Santa Anna

Texas OWNED and OPERATED

For Reservations call 325-348-3150

The Budget Inn in nearby Coleman is also a great value. The rooms have recently been renovated. Contact info. is (325) 625-4194.

There is also a Best Western in Coleman which has recently renovated all the rooms. It is a tad more money, but it is easy to find and is very nice (325) 625-4176.

Ok, here is some more Ranchfest info and some answers to your questions. We usually have good weather (temperature wise) but I can't promise you anything about rain or not. Historically, we should have temps in the 80's with nights in the high 40's or 50's. When you check weather, use 76878 as the area code. The problem with the weather prognostications here is this... most of the weather guesses are based on Brownwood, and we are about 500-800 feet higher than Brownwood. So sometimes they miss it by 8-10 degrees in any direction. And.... this is Texas, so when it comes to weather, all bets are off. We easily see extreme changes of 40-50 degrees in a single day. So expect some heat and some cold.

Ok, dress code...

We believe in modest apparel. We do not wear shorts. You will not want to wear open toed shoes or sandals for a lot of reasons. In our community, the men wear pants and the women wear long skirts or dresses. The women in our community wear headcoverings - you may contact Danielle (mdbunk at yahoo.com) if you have questions about this. If you haven't been to Texas before, you should know that virtually everything here can scratch, poke, bite or sting. Some good walking shoes or boots would be a definite plus. We have first aid stuff, but you should bring whatever you use for bug repellent, etc. Camping here is awesome and you should enjoy it, but you must also be aware and look at where you are and where you are going. Not to scare anyone, but we have fire ants, scorpions, spiders, skunks, rattlesnakes, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, etc. The recent rains will likely bring out the fire ants. We will brief you all when you get here. Bring any weapons you might want or need. Those coming from Canada or any US socialist state will not be able to do this, so we will provide you with a weapon if you feel comfortable with one and know how to use it.

If you play an instrument you might want to bring it.

YOU MUST BRING CHAIRS IF YOU CAN. You will absolutely need them. If you cannot bring chairs, they will be provided. You will also want to bring study materials, pen, paper, etc. to take notes during lessons.

If you are staying here at the land, then you will not have access to running water. If you can bring some water containers, we can fill them up with rainwater, or people staying in hotels can fill them up for you. This will be your week "off grid" if you are staying on the land, so you will have no electricity. Flashlights, lanterns, etc. are really nice to have.

There is plenty of wood, deadfall, etc. for firewood so don't be concerned with bringing your own. We usually have several bonfires during the week.

We plan on providing lunch on most days, and we hope to plan for at least one and possibly more group meals - but all other meals will be on your own. We usually eat our kickoff breakfast on the Sabbath in town.

Just so you know, there will be alcoholic beverages available and consumed in moderation and many (but not all) of the men do smoke cigars or pipes on occasion.

Please contact me with questions.

Looking forward to it here at the ranch,

Michael Bunker

Blue Sky Update

3/09/10 - 3rd Day - Morning. Greetings y'all. It's a bright, blue, sunny day here in Central Texas and the prognosticators are calling for mid-70's later today. We're supposed to get back into the 30's in the mornings later in the week, so we have tentatively scheduled some butchering... 2 goats and our boar hog. We made Canadian Bacon this week from the rest of the lamb that got butchered a week or so ago. Today, the wife and children should be thin slicing it so we can start having it for breakfast.

For those of you who didn't read about it on Facebook, we had piggies born on the Sabbath. So far, 2 males and a female are surviving and doing well. We still have Bitty, our huge-mongous older female who is very, very pregnant and should be dropping in the next week or so.

I was glad to get Podcast #9 posted yesterday, and the word in the air is that Podcast #10, which is a special "topical" podcast, is going to be released today. The topic of #10 is: The Curse and Mark of Cain. Make sure to check in for that one later today. I still need you all to be emailing me your questions for the Podcasts, and if I haven't gotten to your question yet, please re-email it to: editor (at) lazarusunbound (dot) com, and make sure to put the words Podcast Question in the subject line, please.

We're still steaming towards Spring Ranchfest '10 and I need to hear from you if you are planning on being here, and if you have any questions, or information you need to relay about Ranchfest. Also, fundraising for the project is now officially underway. We're going to need to have a lot of participation this spring, so start your bake-sale early! Ranchfest is scheduled for April 23-30, and we are hoping to receive all donations by the first week of April so we can plan and buy our materials.

We finished Chapters 25 and 26 of Isaiah last night. I hope that many of you are keeping up with the Isaiah study, so that when I start up again teaching through the commentary, that you will be able to keep up with us. You can listen to all the lessons via free audio here:

http://www.lazarusunbound.com/audiosermons.shtml

***addendum*** Podcast #10 just went up as I was typing this: The Curse and Mark of Cain

Alright folks, I gotta run.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Podcast #9 is UP!

Podcast #9

This is the new podcast of Christian Agrarian writer, historian, and preacher Michael Bunker.

03-08-2010 (38.99 MB)

Duration: 56:47 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 96 KBPS - Frequency: 44100 HZ

Mostly Some Off-Grid Talk

• Michael Bunker takes answers questions about off-grid lighting, social security, modesty rules, precious metals, weaponry, and off-grid power.
  
  Download

  Keywords: Michael Bunker, off-grid, lighting, power, social security, modesty, gold, silver, guns, fat lamps, education, Agrarianism, Separatism

My Scandal

3/07/10 - The Lord's Day - Morning. Greetings y'all. I am scandalized! I'm not sure if that means I am appalled at some other scandal, or that I am the subject of a scandal, but still. No seriously, this is a very funny - but weird - thing that happened the other day. Quite often some, or sometimes all, of the people in the group will go out to eat together. One of the places we like to eat is a Mexican food restaurant in Coleman called "Hidalgos". Last week I was in there 2 or 3 times to eat. Several of us (the Breakfast Club) eat breakfast together on Sabbath morning, and lately we have been eating at Hidalgos. Anyway, one of the times I was in there last week I brought in the mail and I had received some kind of seed catalog or something, so I was looking at that while we were eating. Flash forward to yesterday (Sabbath morning breakfast). I was paying the bill at the register, and the lady says, "I saw you in here reading one of the magazines the other day." I said, "Yeah? Ok". So she points at a small shelf with a Seventeen magazine sitting on it, and says, "Yes, you were reading that magazine and I was wondering what your 'group' thought about it". I looked at the magazine and laughed, "I wasn't reading that magazine". She says, "Yes, you were here with a group and you were reading that magazine". I said, "No, I may have been reading, but I assure you it was not that magazine". So she says, "Ok".

What?

Seriously, that is what happened. So that is my scandal. It's not Ted Haggard or Paul Crouch, but I know hundreds of you have been just waiting for my big downfall, and finally it has happened. Apparently, I was reading Seventeen magazine in public with a bunch of people from our community at the table! The shame. I don't know what I will do, but y'all be in prayer for me. I didn't know how to make that woman know that I wasn't reading Seventeen magazine. I should have just gone along with it. I should have said, "I just read it for the articles". But you know, there are millions of people who read Seventeen magazine, and I don't think we need to marginalize these people with such moralistic condemnations. Can't we all just get along? And I didn't inhale. The group is putting together a "reconciliation and rehabilitation" schedule for me so I can lovingly be brought back into the fellowship of the brethren after my downfall. I knew this was going to happen some day, and I am sorry that I let you all down. I also sneak peaks at Tiger Beat when I go into Barnes and Noble. There, I said it.

On a less serious note, we had 5 piglets born yesterday! We are very happy about it for several reasons:

1. Meat

2. Because they are our 4th generation born here on the ranch.

3. Because the momma (Peggy), was a runt that we kept in order to try to breed to a smaller size, and we weren't sure if she would be able to give birth.

So anyway, we are excited about that. Oh, and Tracy made sour cream and yogurt and did extremely well with it. The sour cream, in particular, was excellent and delicious.

Hey, I have to run to fellowship,

Y'all be cool.

Michael Bunker

***Update***

Well, it took a slightly less funny and more interesting twist. As I was laughing about the scandal and telling the fellowship about it, Chris Woods admitted that it was him who was the culprit. Apparently he had picked up the magazine to show Bill some diabolical article that was mentioned on the front, and said something like "this is why children are so messed up". Bill confirmed the story. So here is what we learned from this:

1. We are highly respected in the towns, and this woman obviously thought that one of us looking at that magazine was incongruous. This also, apparently, happened two weeks ago. We are expected not to be petty and worldly, and I appreciate that.

2. Everyone has to be really, really thoughtful and careful when you are identified with a group, family, or fellowship, because everything you do affects everyone else. This woman now thinks I am not only a bit weird, but a liar, since I denied looking at the magazine. Chris W. was told he needed to go talk to her to straighten it out.

3. This woman is obviously a racist, since I have to conclude that she thinks that all big, white, bearded, Amish-looking people are the same person. Sheesh. I get so tired of the racism <---- Sarcasm font

Having been cleared of all wrong-doing, if everything goes according to history, I should have to defend myself and re-hash the story for years and years as new people hear it and only get part of the story. I still get regular inquiries about whether or not I sit around in a wife-beater drinking case after case of expensive beer while I force my children to drink dirt-water and use the restroom in a cesspool.

Wouldn't you like to be me?

M

An Update sort of Fing

2/04/10 - 5th Day - Morning. Greetings y'all. This blogpost will be more of an update sort of fing (as they say in some parts of England). We've had a few beautiful days of sunshine and nice spring weather, which has been nice - although the prognosticators say that rain is coming again for the weekend.

Yesterday was our First Wednesday Community Work Day for March, and it was an awesome one. Every First Wednesday we all (everyone in the community) gather at 8:30 a.m., then the men and women divide up and we all tackle some project. Yesterday's project was helping Elder David Sifford build beams for the foundation of his house. Here are a few pics:

For some reason Google Chrome isn't letting me move the pictures, so I gave up. Look at these in reverse order of time. I'll figure it out later...

This isn't everybody in the community, I didn't do a good job with the pictures. Anyway, my phone went dead and I was unable to take any more pics. So I hope you enjoyed them. We had a great time, then we wen't to Taco night over at the community center, which was also awesome.

I am scheduled to record Podcast #9 later today, so I really hope to get that done. I have to run to town for more garden stuff, but I will try to get right on the podcast after dinner some time.

One of the podcast questions was about Paypal, and why I cannot/will not take Paypal any more. I realize that this creates a hardship for some of you who would like to donate, and you should know that our donations are about half of what they would be without Paypal, but that is just the way it goes, and God is in charge of all of that. A good friend just was able to send us money via Western Union on a Western Union prepaid card, and the card allows it to be reloaded via WU - so it seems to me that this ought to work very close (but not exactly) to the way that Paypal works. Apparently you can call or go by (and you may be able to do this online) Western Union and send money to me. They will give you what is called a MTCN #. Then you send me that number (or Western Union does via email) and all I have to do is get online or call and the money is applied directly to the Western Union card I have. It seems pretty straight-forward and easy. I think all you need to give them is my name and email address (bunker (at) hotmail (dot) com). If they need more from you, let me know. Their website is WesternUnion.com and you can read about it and check it out there. The first transfer we got from our friend worked great, and I was able to take it directly to the store and it worked. So... everybody go try it out!

I am still behind on email, but hope to get caught up before the Sabbath this week.

We are expecting a large group for Ranchfest this spring, so be in prayer for that and that we would have good weather, a good showing, good participation, and get a lot of good work done.

I've got to run, but y'all be looking for the next podcast sometime tomorrow or this evening.

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

I've been to Missouri on a slow train, honey!

2/28/10 - The Lord's Day - Afternoon. Greetings y'all. We arrived home from our vacation up to Missouri on Friday in the late afternoon. It was an awesome trip, and again I want to thank everyone that made it possible. We have few supporters, but those we have are very generous to us, and we could never have made the trip without friends. Thank you all.

I hope to be posting a bunch of pictures soon, but I posted them throughout the trip on Facebook, and you can still go over there and check them out... along with all the comments and commentary that went with them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6856&id=1760938288&ref=nf

Ok, for you podcast listeners, here is the listening report so far... if yours is not included here, then you were probably too lazy to email me and tell me (99% probability), OR, I lost your email (1% probability). If I received two from the same area and maybe from the same family or group, I only listed it once:

Listening From...

Idaho

Central Texas

North Florida

Croatia

Robertsville, Mo

Bridgewater, VA

Victor, MT

Christchurch, New Zealand

Portland, Or

Iowa

South Florida

Gettysburg, PA

Clovis, NM

Academy, TX

Johannesburg, South Africa

NW Connecticut

Alaska

Missouri

Silverton, Oregon

Illinois

Washington State

Oklahoma

Michigan

Virginia

Tehachapi, California

Arkansas

Elton, WV

San Antonio, Texas

NW Pennsylvania

Kalama, Washington

Minnesota

Not too bad? If you listen and you haven't let me from where yet, please email me and put "listening from XXXXX" in the subject line. (Note to Chris Woods... No, it would not be funny to email me and put "listening from XXXXX", so don't do it)

Train Travel

Well, as most of you know, our friends purchased us a set of very nice round-trip tickets on Amtrak, which was a first for both Danielle and me. We really didn't know what to expect, but I have to tell you... the train is the ONLY way to travel. Seriously. I don't fly any more and I hate to drive, and the train is everything travel should be. There was virtually no security, which for me is not a bad thing. Nobody rifled through my bags or wanted to see me naked in a magic X-Ray box, or cared that I had personal items that could be used as a weapon (for me, my wit alone can be a dangerous weapon, much less a ball-point pen). Not only was there little to no security, but the people on the train all but unanimously announced and embraced the concept. Everywhere we went we heard people talking about that they rode the train because they loved freedom and hated paternal government stripping away their rights in order to supposedly keep them safe. It was a common topic on the train at any given time. I never once felt unsafe, nor did the train have the feeling of a sealed freight car full of scared bootlickers on their way to Dachau. We had a private "roomette", which was very nice, but we also moved around the train, used the dining car and the lounge, and talked to other travelers. The lounge/sightseeing car had wrap-over windows and was very comfortable and was kind of a gathering place for people from first-class to coach, where all men and women met as equals and talked and shared stories. In the dining car you are usually sat with others (no one really gets a private table unless maybe you have a party of four), which made things interesting and gives people more opportunity to meet and talk. The food was very, very good... and for us, since we had a roomette, the meals were all free! We really had the feeling of traveling through another time, when travel was leisurely and people were not scurrying about, their hearts full of covetousness and hate, angry and disappointed with the world. We had none of the stress of driving, none of the stress and indignities of flying, and were able to really relax and have a good time.

I have traveled all over America and the world, and I generally hated a good part of that time because of all of the junk that goes along with modern travel. I was always stressed, always out of sorts, and I never really liked it. Even a short drive now causes mental stress and angst. But we definitely enjoyed the train trip. The only bad side was that I did not sleep very well. I am a very, very light sleeper, and a light sleeper like me is not going to rest much on the train. Our seats folded into a bed, and then another bed folded down from above, and the beds were very hard - and the constant motion and noise made sleep difficult for me. I still rested quite a bit, I just never really got into a deep sleep. I think if I did it more, I would get used to it. As it was, on the way back I had a few celebratory scotches and it helped a bit.

Now I know why the Amish generally travel by train!

Anyway, for anyone traveling - or even for those of you planning on coming to visit us for Spring Ranchfest in late April, consider the train! Amtrak comes into Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin - all are between 2.5 and 3.5 hours from our ranch.

Anyway, make sure to check out the pictures. I hope to get a new podcast done soon!

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Heading Toward Home

Lord willing we are going to be catching the train Texas bound at 8pm tonight.  We have had a wonderful trip, we learned a lot, we accomplished what we wanted to, and we had great fellowship as well.

Our sincere and grateful thanks to the Millers, who bought our tickets, fed us, entertained us, and made the whole impossible trip possible; and to you few others - who know who you are - who sent us some spending money.  Our thanks to the folks in our community for helping out while we were gone - to make it possible; and to our children for working the farm while we are away.  There are darkened souls and minds out there that attack us and question everything we do - but there are also good friends and supporters who know that everything we do and learn goes to benefit others and the work we do... Thank God for them.

In the future, when we are able to help others get started with working horses, our friends who made this trip possible will be due much of the credit.

Typing on a phone... So will sign off.  Hope to be home tomorrow!

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

-- Sent from my off-grid life on my Palm Pre
...check out michaelbunker.com

Vacation In The Arctic Midwest

We are headed north from Liberty, MO towards Jamesport.  16 degrees this a.m.  I've uploaded dozens of pics up on Facebook and will post them here when I am able.

We're having a blast with Greg and Renee - and enjoyed meeting Stewart, Shannon, their children, and Dan from Iowa.

Visiting in Amish country today.

Y'all be cool.

Michael Bunker

-- Sent from my off-grid life on my Palm Pre
...check out www.michaelbunker.com

High Blood Sugar

2/18/10 - 5th - Morning. Greetings y'all. Quite nippy this morning, but it is supposed to be in the mid-60's for the foreseeable future around here. Good thing we are leaving (Lord willing) today to go to Missouri where it is Missouriable cold and expecting snow! Mid-30's there... as the HIGH. I can't wait. I think next anniversary we will have our friends meet us in South Texas, like maybe San Antonio where it is expected to be in the 60's and 70's next week.

Actually we are very excited and very much looking forward to our trip to Missouri. While I've traveled extensively and... "I've been everywhere, man", Danielle relishes every trip. I hope to take some pictures and post them for you, but to be frank (Don't call me Frank), you will get to see a WHOLE lot more of the trip - like, regularly updated - if you are on my Facebook. My phone automatically uploads photos to Facebook, so if you can get on Facebook you will be able to follow the trip via pics: http://www.facebook.com/offgrid

I am very interested in the experience on the train. This is one way I have never really traveled any long distances, so I am looking forward to it. Just to get in the mood, we watched JFK last night. No, there really aren't any trains in JFK, but Kennedy was killed in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, and if you remember the film, the train tracks ran right behind the wooden fence on the grassy knoll. Those tracks, only about a block away, terminate in the Dallas train terminal for Amtrak, and this is where we are boarding. See?

Here is a picture of Sugar, our Yellow Blackmouth Curr:

Sugar is in a weird position in this picture because she is in "pig" mode. Sugar is a pig dog. Full-on 100% pig dog. This means there is NOTHING that she loves more than chasing pigs. No food, no drink, no play, no scratch, no petting, no nothing... nothing measures up to chasing pigs. If she faintly hears the words "The pigs are out" on the breeze, she goes into full pig mode. This morning, the pigs got out and Danielle appropriately yelled "the pigs are out!". Sugar went directly into pig mode. We let her out and she is off like a light, and within about 45 seconds she had the pigs heading back into the pasture. The problem with Sugar, is that it is all over to quickly. She got into pig mode and then finished the job too fast. Then her blood is too high and she just has to get her some more pig-chasin'. So I finally let her out just to run around along the fence and bark at the pigs. In this picture, I asked her... "Do you wanna go get them pigs?". As you can see, she is ready. Don't play tricks on her like we do. Don't say, "All figs have gout", or "These cigs have gone out", because she doesn't think that stuff is funny, man. Sarah gets in trouble for saying, "I don't think the pigs are out", which sends Sugar into a frenzy.

Seriously, I think she needs some kind of psychological counseling.

Well, if the Lord wills we will be on the road sometime today. I should be able to be online tonight and then we board the train tomorrow afternoon.

Y'all be cool,

Michael Bunker

In Honor of Ash Wednesday

The Testimony of the Spirit Concerning Antichrist

Posted by Michael Bunker
editor@lazarusunbound.com

“And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” (Matt 10:18-20)

April 28, 2003 -- There is a principle laid out in this scripture that we would do well to heed. It is notable that most bible expositors neglect this series of verses, other than to use them to exhort their readers to not fear persecution. But I think that closer examination will show us a principle that will benefit us in our desire to understand Bible prophecy.

Let us start from the principle and work backwards to better understand it:

“…it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”

The Bible confesses that the words of God’s true martyrs, as they stand at the judgment seat of men, are to be understood as the Word of God speaking through them to us. In the scriptures, we are given the words of Jesus as He stood before judges and of the Martyr Steven as he testified against a perverse generation and of the words of Paul on trial – but these are not all the words of God’s faithful martyrs. Surely the Holy Scripture is our only rule, and the tool by which we measure all things – but these scriptures in Matthew exhort us to heed the words of all of God’s martyrs as He speaks through them to us. This is not to say that every man who is killed for his belief is a true Godly martyr. That arch-heretic Servetus and his entire like are to be ignored in their martyrdom as they should have been in their lives. But when God’s faithful servants, like the faithful William Tyndale, who preserved for us the Word of God in our own tongue, are martyred for Christ’s sake – we should pay special heed to the words they speak on God’s behalf at their deaths, for, as the scripture says:

“…when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.”

So we are to understand of God’s faithful martyrs that God Himself will give voice to wisdom and prophecy through the mouths of those who will suffer and die on His behalf.

The second principle we need to understand, is that these Martyrs, even today, testify to God against that Antichrist. As the scriptures says,

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (Rev 6:9)

So from this we can see this testimony against Antichrist from under the altar of God is CONTINUOUS throughout the age, until the coming of Christ in glory. Those who would throw these prophecies into the past alone, prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 a.d., or those who would tell us not to concern ourselves with the testimony of the Martyrs, since they believe that these prophecies will only have their fulfillment in the very end of time, need to listen to what the Bible says, continuing after verse 9:

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Rev 6:10-11)

This brings in an interesting concept. Although we know that there is no time in heaven, time being a construct of the creation, we also know that unto God there is a specific number of God’s servants who are to be martyred on His behalf, and that this number will continue to be added unto those previously martryed until the Lord returns to judge and avenge their blood on them that dwell on the earth. We know that this judgment, spoken of in Revelation chapter 6, could not have been the judgment that fell upon Jerusalem in 70 a.d., because the scriptures particularly mention that the number of the elect ones would include those “that should be killed as they were”. We know from history that almost all of the Christians escaped Jerusalem (because of their understanding of Christ’s warning in Matthew chapter 24) a year before the Temple was destroyed. They were not martyred because they fled to Pella on the Decapolis.

In fact we know that the largest number of Martyrs (tens of millions of saints in fact) that were to be added to the full number joined the ranks of martyrs during the Reformation time period.

One other crucial point that you would do well to note: Many Bible teachers and expositors today rightfully encourage their hearers and readers to read and study from the Authorized King James Bible. I have even heard some of these teachers go into great detail about how the King James Bible is the very Word of God, given unto us in our language by the Holy Spirit Himself. Wouldn’t these same Bible teachers do well to heed the King James (Holy Spirit Inspired) translators, who identified the Papacy as the seat of Antichrist?

“…the zeal of Your Majesty towards the house of God doth not slack or go backwards, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in the farthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of sin, as will not be healed)”(Introduction to the KJB, 1611)

So the principle holds true, and should be heeded. The word of the Holy Spirit agrees with itself in all parts, that the words of God’s martyrs should be held up to the rule of Holy Scripture – and if their lives, fruit, martyrdom and words are in accord with scripture – we ought to listen to God’s words spoken through their mouths and account it as wisdom bestowed towards us by God.

Let us hear them:

Mr. William Tyndale, who was strangled and burnt on the Lord’s behalf in 1536:

“Now, thought the Bishop of Rome and his sects give Christ these names, [Jesus, a savior, Christus, King appointed over all men, Emmanuel, God with us, Sanctus, that is, holy, that halloweth, sanctifieth, and blesseth all nations,] yet that they rob him of the effect, and take the significations of his names unto themselves, and make of him but a hypocrite, as they themselves be, they be the right ANTICHRISTS, and deny both the Father and the Son; for they deny the witness the Father bare unto the Son, and deprive the Son of all the power and glory that his Father gave him.”[Tyndale’s Works, vol. ii. p. 183 (Parker Ed)

One Mrs. Prest. This testimony is found in an excellent article by Mr. Rand Winburn of iconbusters.com (in which he quotes from Acts and Monuments by John Foxe) which effectively and powerfully refutes the futurist antichrist article put forth recently by Mr. Alan Morrison:

“Mrs. Prest was found guilty of heresy by the Roman Catholic Bishop Turberville, then burned at Exeter, in 1558:

“I will rather die than do any worship to that foul idol, which in your Mass you make a god…… If denying to worship that bready god be my martyrdom, I will suffer it with all my heart…. Upon Sundays and holy days I made excuses not to go to the popish church…but God gave me grace to go to the true church. Not your popish church, full of idols and abominations, but where three or four are gathered together in the name of God, to that church will I go, as long as I live…. Let [the Sacred Host] be your god, it shall not be mine; for my Saviour sitteth on the right hand of God, and doth pray for me. And to make that sacramental bread, instituted for a remembrance, the very body of Christ, and to worship it, is very foolishness and devilish deceit.”

[Then stepped forth an old friar and asked her what she said of the holy pope.]

“I say that he is Antichrist and the devil."

[Then they all laughed.]

“Nay, you have more need to weep than to laugh, and to be sorry that you were born, to be the chaplains of that whore of Babylon; I defy him and all his falsehood.”

[Then the bishop said the devil did lead her.]

"No, my lord, it is the Spirit of God which leadeth me, and which called me in my bed, and at midnight opened his truth to me."

[Then there was a great shout and laughing among the priests and others.] (John Foxe, Acts and Monuments, vol. 8, pp. 497-503.)

John Clark, the early reformer and Martyr of Jesus Christ, testified against the Papal Antichrist in writing in 1524:

“In the year 1524, at a town in France, called Melden, one John Clark set up a bill on the church door, wherein he called the pope Antichrist. For this offence he was repeatedly whipped, and then branded on the forehead. Going afterward to Mentz, in Lorraine, he demolished some images, for which he had his right hand and nose cut off, and his arms and breast torn with pincers. He sustained these cruelties with amazing fortitude, and was even sufficiently cool to sing the One hundredth and fifteenth Psalm, which expressly forbids idolatry; after which he was thrown into the fire, and burnt to ashes.” (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Chapter 4)

Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, Martyr of Jesus Christ, killed for Christ’s sake in 1555:

“And as for the Pope, I refuse him, as Christ’s enemy, and antichrist, with all his false doctrine.” (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Whitaker House edition, 1981, page 385.)

Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of Rochester and of London, martyred for Christ’s sake in 1555:

“The see is the seat of Satan, and the bishop of the same, that maintaineth the abominations thereof, is Antichrist himself indeed. And for the same causes this see (of Rome) at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelation “Babylon” or “the whore of Babylon,” and “spiritual Sodom and Egypt,” “the mother of fornications and of the abominations upon the earth.” (Farewell Letter, in Works of Bishop Ridley, p.415. Parker Ed.)

John Bradford, Prebendary of St. Paul's, and Martyr, A.D. 1555:

“Moreover, we certify your honours, that since your said unplacing of Christ's true religion and true service, and placing in the room thereof antichrist's Romish superstition, heresy, and idolatry, all the true preachers have been removed and punished” (from the Writings of Rev. John Bradford).

From a letter from John Bradford after his condemnation:

“This word of God, written by the prophets and apostles, and contained in the canonical books of the holy Bible, I do believe to contain plentifully all things necessary to salvation, so that nothing, as necessary to salvation, ought to be added thereto. And therefore neither the Church of Christ, nor any of his congregations, ought to be burdened with any other doctrine, that that which here-out has its foundation and ground. In testimony of this faith, I render and give my life, being condemned, as well for not acknowledging the antichrist of Rome to be Christ's vice-general and supreme head of the catholic and universal church, here or elsewhere upon earth. As for denying the horrible and idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation, and Christ's real, corporeal, and carnal presence in his supper, under the forms and accidents, (or appearance,) of bread and wine.” (John Bradford, Last farewell to the City of London)

I certainly could go on and on, filling books with such testimonies made by the true Church of God against the Papal Antichrist throughout his continuous reign. I will go into detail, if the Lord wills, about the Doctrine of the Papal Antichrist when I soon take that topic in hand during our Doctrines series of sermons. What we deal with here, specifically, is the Testimony of the Spirit as it pertains to Antichrist. We can now consider ourselves warned against grieving or quenching that Spirit of testimony that agrees with God’s complete and perfect Word. Having now examined the Testimony of the Holy Spirit against the papistical religion, we can now move forward to test this most sure word against the Word of God, using as a firm basis of study our desire to apply Prophecy NOT just to times long past, which ignore the words of God through his millions of faithful martyrs, nor do we apply ourselves only to study things still future (though much of Prophecy lies before us), which succeeds only to blind us to God’s sovereignty in our own day and also in days past, but to apply scripture to all of our history, as John and Paul, God’s great apostles did. Prophecy exists to prove God’s word, to glorify His Hand, to manifest His absolute power and sovereignty over events, peoples, Kings and rulers. We will not divorce God’s prophecy from all of history, but will apply ourselves to a deep and principled study, avoiding the Jesuitical errors of Preterism and Futurism, knowing for certain that the foul tree of Papist doctrine can never put forth good fruit.

May God guide our eyes, our thoughts and our words according to His perfect Wisdom.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Go to http://www.lazarusunbound.com for more articles by Michael Bunker.

Podcast #8 is UP!

02-16-2010 (35.41 MB)

Duration: 51:34 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 96 KBPS - Frequency: 44100 HZ

I'm Not Mad

• Michael Bunker discusses how to apologize; answers questions on Biblical Holidays, tattoos, wood stoves, women teachers, and catechisms.
  
  
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  Keywords: Michael Bunker, Christianity, Apologizing, Biblical Holidays, Legalism, Tattoos, Woodburning Stoves, Wood Stoves, Women Teachers, catechism