Respecting / Obeying “Authority”: What of the Prophets, et al.?

Thru the Prism
of Scripture

Further to the post “What Did Jesus Do?”* concerning “authority,” let us briefly consider what His prophets and other believers did through the ages. And if they, too, disrespected authority what is the common denominator? The corruption of peoples and their “authorities”? If we pay attention, almost every God-fearing soul in scripture disrespected corrupted authority? The following are just a few abbreviated accounts of accusation and exposure of that corruption:

Enoch
37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 6:37).

Noah
20 And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words;
21 And also, after that they had heard him, they came up before him, saying: Behold, we are the sons of God; have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men? And are we not eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage? And our wives bear unto us children, and the same are mighty men, which are like unto men of old, men of great renown. And they hearkened not unto the words of Noah.
22 And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually.
23 And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words;
24 Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 8:20-24).

Moses
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw that he was a peculiar child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years of discretion, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible (JST New Testament | Hebrews 11:23-27).
1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants (Old Testament | Exodus 8:1-4; see also 9 other plagues).

Abraham
5 My fathers having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathen, utterly refused to hearken to my voice;
6 For their hearts were set to do evil, and were wholly turned to the god of Elkenah, and the god of Libnah, and the god of Mahmackrah, and the god of Korash, and the god of Pharaoh, king of Egypt;
7 Therefore they turned their hearts to the sacrifice of the heathen in offering up their children unto these dumb idols, and hearkened not unto my voice, but endeavored to take away my life by the hand of the priest of Elkenah. The priest of Elkenah was also the priest of Pharaoh.
8 Now, at this time it was the custom of the priest of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to offer up upon the altar which was built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children.
9 And it came to pass that the priest made an offering unto the god of Pharaoh, and also unto the god of Shagreel, even after the manner of the Egyptians. Now the god of Shagreel was the sun.
10 Even the thank–offering of a child did the priest of Pharaoh offer upon the altar which stood by the hill called Potiphar's Hill, at the head of the plain of Olishem.
11 Now, this priest had offered upon this altar three virgins at one time, who were the daughters of Onitah, one of the royal descent directly from the loins of Ham. These virgins were offered up because of their virtue; they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone, therefore they were killed upon this altar, and it was done after the manner of the Egyptians.
12 And it came to pass that the priests laid violence upon me, that they might slay me also (Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 1:5-12),

Elijah
17 ¶ And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim (Old Testament | 1 Kings 18:17-18).

Elisha
32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? (Old Testament | 2 Kings 6:32)

Isaiah
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 ¶ Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment (Old Testament | Isaiah 1:4-6).
10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter (Old Testament | Isaiah 56:10-11).

Jeremiah
1 THE word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper? (Old Testament | Jeremiah 32:1-5)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Old Testament | Daniel 3:12-18).

Daniel
10 ¶ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day (Old Testament | Daniel 6:10-13).

Amos
14 ¶ Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16 ¶ Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land (Old Testament | Amos 7:14-17).

Micah
1 WOE to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil (Old Testament | Micah 2:1-3).

Lehi
18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.
19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 1:18-20).

Alma / Amulek
2 But the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek; for they were angry with Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges.
3 And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to put them away privily.
4 But it came to pass that they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before the chief judge of the land.
5 And the people went forth and witnessed against them—testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. Now this was done before the chief judge of the land (Book of Mormon | Alma 14:2–5).

Abinadi
20 And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.
21 And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
22 And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.
23 And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 11:20–23).
9 Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.
10 Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 17:9-10).

Captain Moroni
[Moroni mispreceived who was corrupt, but this expresses his attitude to corruption.]
1 AND it came to pass that he wrote again to the governor of the land, who was Pahoran, and these are the words which he wrote, saying: Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the city of Zarahemla, who is the chief judge and the governor over the land, and also to all those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the affairs of this war.
2 For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know that ye have been appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they should come into our land.
3 And now behold, I say unto you that myself, and also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind.
4 But behold, were this all we had suffered we would not murmur nor complain.
5 But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state.
7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren—
8 Yea, even they who have looked up to you for protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them, yea, ye might have sent armies unto them, to have strengthened them, and have saved thousands of them from falling by the sword (Book of Mormon | Alma 60:1–8).
24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of our country which he has regained, and that we may also recover the remainder of our possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our government.
25 And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them—(Book of Mormon | Alma 60:24–25).

Nephi₂
1 AND now it came to pass that when Nephi had said these words, behold, there were men who were judges, who also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton, and they were angry, and they cried out against him, saying unto the people: Why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done?
2 Why seest thou this man, and hearest him revile against this people and against our law?
3 For behold, Nephi had spoken unto them concerning the corruptness of their law; yea, many things did Nephi speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God.
4 And those judges were angry with him because he spake plainly unto them concerning their secret works of darkness; nevertheless, they durst not lay their own hands upon him, for they feared the people lest they should cry out against them.
5 Therefore they did cry unto the people, saying: Why do you suffer this man to revile against us? For behold he doth condemn all this people, even unto destruction; yea, and also that these our great cities shall be taken from us, that we shall have no place in them (Book of Mormon | Helaman 8:1-5).

Samuel, the Lamanite
29 O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?
30 Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity (Book of Mormon | Helaman 13:29-30).

Peter and the other apostles
27 And when they had brought them [Peter and the other apostles], they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 ¶ Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33 ¶ When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them (New Testament | Acts 5:27-33).

This is just a sample from prior millennia. In more recent times, we have the remarkable U.S. Constitution that was hammered out during resistance to corrupted authority.

In the next post, I intend to consider: What authority is worthy of respect and obedience, and why?

------------------------------------/
* https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/10/respecting-obeying-authority-what-did.html

Lukewarn*? Shortsighted?

Is it time to review the prophetic outline of our spiritual history as churches, (and perhaps, too, as individuals, peoples, and nations)? Two years ago, Deja Vu - Tiimes II quoted Clarence Larkin's view of that prophetic outline.¹ In speaking of the 7th church, Laodicea, he wrote:

The Church at Laodicea was not burdened with debt, but it was burdened with WEALTH.²

The trouble with the Church of Laodicea was that its "Gold" was not of the right kind, and so it was counseled to buy of the Lord "gold tried in the fire." What kind of gold is that? It is gold that has no taint upon it. Gold that is not cankered, or secured by fraud, or the withholding of a just wage. What a description we have of these Laodicean days in James 5: 1-4^[3]. But the Church of Laodicea was not only poor, though rich, it was blind. Or to put it more accurately--" Near-Sighted." They could see their worldly prosperity, but were "Short-Sighted" as to heavenly things, so the Lord counseled them to anoint their eyes with "Eye-Salve." Their merchants dealt in ointments and herbs of a high degree of healing virtue, but they possessed no salve that would restore impaired Spiritual Vision, only the Unction of the Holy One could do that.⁴

So, where are we in the prophetic outline?

In reviewing recent events (e.g., G20⁵ in Bali), we see how this lukewarm, shortsighted malady extends beyond churches to encompass our present government “leaders” and those who blindly accept their narratives. How many are familiar with the G20 declaration concerning the next (planned?) pandemic. We have become so lukewarm and shortsighted about constitutional freedoms that our leaders (with hardly a peep from the majority of their peoples) have all signed a G20 declaration for a unified, global (sovereignty-destroying) approach to keep the “obedient” safe. Such is the great, spoken promise of the great reset: “We shall keep you safe and well and happy.”⁶ However, the mostly unspoken, but mandatory corollary is: It shall be done through a certification strategy applicable to every human [meaning the implementation of SICO⁷ scoring]. Here is one man's view on the G20:

G20 and the next pandemic
(Dr. John Campbell | circa 19 Nov 2022 | Time 12:11 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVBcITMAqnM

For a stark comparison of awake and asleep, see also: G20 agrees on "shared technical standards" for proof of vaccinations.⁸

What better description can we find to explain the last three years than this?

23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning. (Book of Mormon | Ether 8:23-25; bold emphasis added.)

What is God seeing as He looks down upon us? Is He seeing a vigorous, courageous, unrelenting  defense of the rights and freedoms that He inspired men and women to enshrine in Constitutions and Bills / Charters / Declarations of Human Rights? Do we care that our governments have signed a declaration that shuffles our rights off to un-elected, agenda-driven “experts” and profiteers? Do we not already have sufficient witness in history and scripture⁹ of the conniving  nature of power, gain, and domination that we will be left without excuse for blindness? Once again, we are cycling into another oppressive serfdom like unto the Israelites in Egypt; like unto the end of king Solomon's reign; like unto the oppressive regimes of every tyrannical leader from tribal to vast empire.

Let us stand out with the likes of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, Abinadi, Peter, Paul, hundreds of others, and most important of all, the Savior himself.¹⁰

------------------------------------------/
* New Testament | Revelation 3:14–16
   14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
   15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
   16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-seven-ages-of-church.html
2. Larkin, Rev Clarence. The Book of Revelation (Kindle Locations 689). Kindle Edition.
3. New Testament | James 5:1-5
   1 GO to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
   2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
   3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
   4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
   5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
4. Larkin, Rev Clarence. The Book of Revelation (Kindle Locations 692-698). Kindle Edition.
5. G20: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and European Union.
6. Being the go-to justification for denying rights and freedoms. Just listen to Canada's Trudeau: his answer to every accusation is "My job is keeping Canadians safe."
7. ▪ https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2021/01/when-fico-becomes-sico.html
    ▪ https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-china-syndrome.htmlc
    ▪ https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2018/03/what-is-your-sico-score.html
    ▪ https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2022/11/campaign-sico.html
8. G20 agrees on "shared technical standards" for proof of vaccinations
(GBNews | circa Nov 19, 2022 | Time 5:28 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBRAR7jaz8E
9. Besides all the stories of oppressive periods in history, we have the clear warning:
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:39
   39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
10. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/11/blind-to-parallels.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/speaking-truth-to-power-new-testament.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2020/12/out-of-phocas.html

Response to Author / Cleric Michael(†)

(Michael is the author of a forthcoming book, The Rebel Jesus ~ October 2021; and of a highly critical article† concerning two Alberta pastors resisting COVID mandates. This was emailed to Michael, February 26, 2021, but I publish it here for the consideration of other Michaels who are trusting in the narrative.)

Dear Michael:

The irony of forecasting publication of a book titled, The Rebel Jesus, below a post condemning those who are resisting authority is quite amazing!! What did Jesus continually do when He was told: “It is not lawful ...”?* And do you not think that the Scribes and Pharisees might have written the same of Jesus and John the Baptist that you wrote of Tim and James? [Italics identify cleric Michael's words; square brackets [ ] mine.]

“[We] can't help thinking that [publicity] is precisely what these [two rebels, John and Jesus] want. ... these [rebels] who have a contrary, jarring interpretation of scripture. An extreme fringe. This is the view not just of [we, S & P,] ... but the Roman[s] ... and so many others. In fact, it's only an extreme fringe. ... It's those [rebel]s, however, that tend to make the noise and gather the attention. A case in point being, for example, [that locust-eating John and that Sabbath-breaking Jesus of Nazareth. (Can anything good ...?] The case has, predictably, attracted international attention. And, by the way, to embrace various conspiracy theories** ... [of plans to kill them and to] see the immoral hand of secular government ... and to regard resistance as some form of [divine] command. There's an element of ... martyrdom on display in these [two], because they know that their ... rejection of authority appears heroic to their base. Bombast and hubris: they can tell their supporters that they're being persecuted for their faith.”

And Michael, what of your “gentle rabbi Jesus”? You know, the One with the “scourge of small cords” (2X); the One who called the “authorities” hypocrites (7 times in rapid succession) interspersed with “ye blind guides;” “ye fools and blind;” “whited sepulchres;” “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers”? Not to mention “Tell that fox [Herod] ...”

As to your other comments [appended with my added perspective]:

... while the lockdown has certainly made life more challenging for all of us, clergy included, it certainly hasn't made it impossible [except for the escalation of suicides, the overdoses, the cruelty of isolation, extreme loneliness, extreme stress of sudden instability, the increasing child and spousal abuse and murders; etc. etc.. that are estimated by many to be far more catastrophic than the deaths attributed to COVID.]

In fact, it's only an extreme fringe within Christianity [except for the thousands on thousands of science, medical, mental health, legal professionals*** and others who know and understand the science and history of power and power abuse. To cast off conspiracy** as merely a theory is to be amongst those who “seeing, see not, and hearing, hear not” the reality of things as they are, as they have been, as they will continue to be unless we wake up to the reality of the power-obsessed prince of this world, and then act with discerning wisdom in defense of truth and justice.]

The essential difference between you, dear Michael, and the resisters (that you have judged as “extreme fringe”) is that you manifest as a believer in the narrative of “authorities,” whereas the resisters do not believe in that narrative (just as Jesus didn't believe in the power narrative of His day, including the rituals of washing, etc.) But this is different, you might say: “There is a terrible, novel virus.” Except, do you not know that long ago, the powers recognized the power potential of disease? (Remember the small-pox blankets?) Do you not know about decades of multi-national, gain-of-function research?

Yes, there are people sick or dying, but many resisters believe in Revelation 2:9 — that we are in an age of “lying wonders,” the like of which the world has never seen, aided by a technology and a bio-weapon industry devised and designed for total control. Many know that the power paradigm that killed Jesus and most of His Apostles, plus tens of thousands of His disciples in every age, even to this very day, is working feverishly to finally achieve what has been sought for millennia — the destruction of the world and of man as created by Almighty God. It will not end with a comfortable martyrdom for those who live by their conscience because the lines and divisions are being drawn more rigidly every day.

So, yes, some people are sick and some dying, as they always have and will, but the COVID death and case counts have been manipulated which can be clearly discerned if one can break out of indoctrination to look beyond the MSM and power narrative into the real data, even the revised WHO data.

Investigate the COVID deaths in your congregation (or personal knowledge) compared to deaths in prior years. Do COVID deaths deserve more compassion than other deaths like cancer, influenza, suicide, overdose, accident, etc.? What was the “test cycle threshold” that justified a COVID death report***? Whom should we believe? The powers pursuing and protecting more power, gain, and glory? or the whistle-blowers and truth-seekers who risk everything in pursuit and exposure of what is real?

The resisters see the deliberate fomenting of division; the destruction of people's lives, hopes, and dreams; the disparagement of rights and rights' advocates; and the obsessive pursuit of total control by the powers to be but a repeat of numerous attempts in the past as documented in history and prophesied in scripture. Remember Ephesians 6:12? John's Revelation?

As a Christian, this is all grimly difficult to watch, because it's so potentially dangerous. [Not potentially, Michael, IS, because the last-days' powers will not dis-empower themselves for as Harry Kissinger admits: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Thus the variants and fear-mongering by the powers and their MSM will proliferate, as needed till their Utopian (dystopian) WO is achieved. They are already telling us so.]

Also, frankly, because it makes the beliefs I hold so dear to appear crass, extreme, anti-science and hysterical [because you accept the power narrative that tells you so. The resisters are not anti-science. They are anti-corrupted, -manipulated science in the service of WO.]

This is, please believe me, not the church [that the powers want nor that Satan wants. He wants a compliant, unquestioning church, trusting in the arm of flesh to blindly accept experimental vaccines and anti-social, defacing, demoralizing, dehumanizing mandates under cover of love and sacrifice — till the Church is no more.]

That's because the most central teaching of Jesus is to love God, and love one's neighbour as oneself. That means love for community, a concern for the well-being of others, a selfless and sacrificial empathy for everybody. [But it also means love of rights and freedoms given by God. It means not trusting in the arm of flesh. It means to be awake to the reality of power abuse. It means that until we admit that the pursuit and protection of power gain, and glory have plagued every age of history, we will never understand the events of our time. It means standing for truth. It means knowing that even devils can quote scripture in furtherance of a control agenda.]

The Almighty was unavailable for comment [except that He and many of His followers already have commented and set the example to ignore “laws” that are not lawful or that are based in fear and exaggeration of purpose to support power agendas. And if you think “turn the other cheek” means placid submission to wrong or harm, read the works of Walter Wink.****]

This COVID scenario is a made-in-hell, nigh perfect scenario to perpetuate fear, blind obedience, and distrust in everything and everyone except the advocates of the narrative — the promising saviours.

So please, do not be a blind guide to your parishioners or the public. Study the science and history of power abuse, mind control, the 1960s Stanley Milgram Experiment, psychological warfare, and the adversary's agenda throughout history. Perhaps Jesus already gave us a clue? Count the sheep on the narrow way, then count the sheep on the broad way.***** Which has been the persistent way of history? Being led astray is why a persistent Gospel message is: repent, repent, repent. Trust in the Good Shepherd.

The powers and the crowd have almost never been a safe escort.

Sincerely,
SMSmith

CC: Fairview Baptist Church
GRACELIFE Church

----------------------------------/
† Michael's article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/road-ahead-covid-19-rules-ignored-churches-alberta-1.5923035

*/
Examples: “It is not lawful.”
New Testament | Matthew 12:1–4; Mark 2:24–26; Luke 6:2–4 ~ AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
New Testament | John 5:8–11 ~ Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
[Added March 3, 2021: Old Testament | Esther 3:2-4 ~ And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, ...]
Old Testament | Daniel 3:16–18 ~ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Old Testament | Daniel 6:10 ~ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed [in contravention of the law], and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
New Testament | Acts 16:20–21 ~ And [the masters of Lydia] brought [Paul and Silas] to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

**/
Conspiracy (theory??) in scripture (Bold emphasis added.)
Old Testament | Isaiah 14:13–14 ~ For thou [O Lucifer] hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Old Testament | Genesis 37:18 ~ And when they saw him [Joseph] afar off, even before he came near unto them, they [his brothers] conspired against him to slay him.
Old Testament | 1 Samuel 22:13 ~ And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
Old Testament | 2 Samuel 15:12 ~ And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
Old Testament | 2 Samuel 15:31 ~ And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.
Old Testament | 1 Kings 15:27 ~ And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
Old Testament | 1 Kings 16:9 ~ And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him,
Old Testament | 2 Kings 9:14 ~ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 10:9 ~ behold, I conspired against my master,
Old Testament | 2 Kings 12:19-20 ~ And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 14:19 ~ Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 15:10 ~ And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 15:15 ~ And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 15:25 ~ But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house,
Old Testament | 2 Kings 15:30 ~ And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 17:4 ~ And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
Old Testament | 2 Kings 21:23-24 ~ And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon;
Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 24:21 ~ And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.
Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 24:26 ~ And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.
Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 25:27 ~ Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.
Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 33:24-25 ~ And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house. But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon;
Old Testament | Psalms 37:12 ~ The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
Old Testament | Jeremiah 11:9 ~ And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Old Testament | Ezekiel 22:25 ~ There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Old Testament | Nehemiah 4:8 ~ And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
Daniel 10:10-14, 20 ~ invisible forces were clearly at work in Daniel's life and times, as also the conspiracy that got him thrown in the Lion's den.
New Testament | John 5:16 ~ And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
New Testament | Acts 23:12-13 ~ And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.
New Testament | Ephesians 6:12 ~ For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly?) places.

***/
Only a few of the counter-narrative voices out of many possible:
▪ PCR Testing Saga: Were We Duped? Were federal health officials and experts at WHO really unaware that the recommended high cycle count (CT) for PCR tests would produce an exorbitant number of false positives for COVID? by Dr. Joseph Mercola (Childrens' Health Defense | Feb. 23, 2021) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pcr-testing-incorrect-use/?utm_source=salsa&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b2c12bbb-ac81-4cb4-9987-6f4bd15c26f0
PCR Cycle Thresholds: (Bold emphasis added.)
“The FDA has given lab manufacturers a wide latitude in determining the cycle threshold cut-off number of their qualitative tests to determine positive versus negative. These tests were approved under Emergency Use Authorization and have not been subjected to typical FDA scrutiny. With this in mind, the state of Florida has required all laboratories doing COVID testing to report the cycle threshold numbers used in qualitative and quantitative tests.
“So how does a qualitative RT-PCR test work? Basically, the manufacturer sets the test to turn off the cycling or amplification process when a certain number is hit. For a qualitative test set at 40, after 40 amplification cycles, if any viral material is detected, it turns off and is reported as positive. If none is detected, it would be reported as negative. If the number of amplification cycles was really 15 or 25, it would still run until it gets to 40 and be reported as positive.
“With these type of tests, it's critical to use an agreed-upon cycle threshold value such as 33 (CDC) or 35 (Dr. Fauci) rather than setting it at a potentially misleading 40 or 45. Many of the current tests in use are preset by the manufacturer to these higher numbers.
“The World Health Organization issued a notice last week telling the labs "the cut-off should be manually adjusted to ensure that specimens with high Ct values are not incorrectly assigned SARS-CoV-2 detected due to background noise." Could this be a reason why many people test positive but remain asymptomatic? In that same memo, WHO said all labs should report the cycle threshold value to treating physicians.” at https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/90508

▪ Canadian Government Delays Mandatory Traveler Quarantine – #SolutionsWatch (James Corbett | 02/09/2021 | Time 36:25) at https://www.corbettreport.com/canadian-government-delays-mandatory-traveler-quarantine-solutionswatch/
▪ Canadian public health officials have no record of SARS-COV-2 isolation/purification performed anywhere, ever by Christine Massey, M.Sc., (exclusively for People for Justice Canada) at https://peopleforjusticecanada.com/2021/01/05/canadian-public-health-officials-have-no-record-of-sars-cov-2-isolation-purification-performed-anywhere-ever/
▪ PCR Pandemic: Interview with Virus Mania's Dr Claus Köhnlein (Sr. Sam Bailey | October 27, 2020 | Time: 35:45) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LToSnpz8A4
▪ COVID-19 panic more dangerous than the disease, say Catholic philosopher, doctor at https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/covid-19-panic-more-dangerous-than-the-disease-say-catholic-philosopher-doctor (PDF link to full article found in this link)
▪ Masks: The Science & The Myths (Dr. Lee Merritt) (Dr. Simone Gold | October 18, 2020 | Time 23:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RaBLKKXJt4
▪ The Truth About PCR Tests (Dr. Sam Bailey | Jan 12, 2021 | Time 17:42) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWNkJUDctdk
▪ Excess Mortality - What You Aren't Being Told (Dr. Sam Bailey | December 22, 2020 | Time 12:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5ldWr9QD0
▪ Dr. Simone Gold: America's Frontline Doctors (several videos) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnTNQG1_WkZ5h7go3B0Ntw/video
▪ Dr. Simone Gold 2020 Book: I Do Not Consent: My Fight Against Medical Cancel Culture
▪ Making face masks mandatory is not backed by science or law: Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms at https://www.jccf.ca/making-face-masks-mandatory-is-not-backed-by-science-or-law/
▪ Dr. Roger Hodkinson CEO & Medical Director – MA, MB, FRCPC, FCAP (Dr. Marco Caravaggio |November 17,2020 | Time 5:02) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvYzf0MqObg
▪ World Freedom Alliance Stockholm Part 2 (Street Trooth | November 24, 2020 | Time 24:01) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nwtHWaHYoU
▪ Huge Lawsuits Coming Against COVID Totalitarians and Con-Artists at https://thenewamerican.com/huge-lawsuits-coming-against-covid-totalitarians-and-con-artists/?fbclid=IwAR0dzvQxcJbaogNTRoJ15DA2LgAcY49P6OWUqNfdFU0kGotagYjfm64QG34 
▪ Coronavirus Fraud Scandal — The Biggest Fight Has Just Begun at https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/10/17/coronavirus-fraud-biggest-crime-against-humanity.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20201017Z1&mid=DM679632&rid=989570834 
▪ https://childrenshealthdefense.org/
▪ What NO ONE is Saying About the Lockdowns (corbettreport.com | November 24, 2020 | Time: 9:08) at https://www.corbettreport.com/lockdowns/
▪ THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW (February 4, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 28:00) at https://computingforever.com/2021/02/04/this-is-where-we-are-now/
▪ GASLIGHTING, UNENDING LOCKDOWNS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (February 12, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 29:24) at https://www.bitchute.com/channel/hybM74uIHJKf/
▪ DEAR IRISH PEOPLE, IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP (Computing Forever | February 23, 2021 | 16:02) at https://www.bitchute.com/video/uxpMddbwYQU/

****/
Walter Wink. Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (The Powers : Volume One) Kindle Edition. Fortress Press
Wink, Walter. Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence: 2 (Powers: Vol 2) Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.
Walter Wink. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination [Powers: Vol 3]. Fortress Press. Kindle Edition

*****/
New Testament | Matthew 7:13-14 ~ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.