Something to think about.

If love is blind, 

                           what does that make Jesus?

True love knows the heart of the Beloved.

Ani v'dodi; v'dodi li

Acts 12 - a different Easter Sermon. Christ in you, the hope of Glory

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

This is an Easter Sermon recast as a Bible Study. Do have a go at it. There are amazing similarities between Jesus and Peter as well as differences.

The differences are explained by the fact that Peter is not the Christ and Jesus is, also most of the events in Jesus' life take place before Pentecost.

The similarities are explained by the fact that Peter is a member of the Body of Christ and the Acts 12 events take place after Pentecost.

I pray that you will be challenged and encouraged by this study.

 

Acts 12 – Christ in you, the hope of Glory.

1.  Colossians 1: 24 – 27. Who is suffering?

2. What is his hope?

3. Back to Acts 12.

Acts 12	The Gospel Story
Death of James (brother of John) at the hands of Herod Agrippa I	Matthew 14:1
Peter arrested during days of Unleavened Bread.	Matthew 26:17 ff.
Intending to bring Peter out after the Passover. Note the difference in timing.	Matthew 27:15 - 23
Four squads (of four men) to arrest one man.	Matthew 26:55
Peter between two guards.	Matthew 27:38
Church prays for Peter.	Matthew 26:40 ff.
Sentries at the door.	Matthew 27:62 - 66
Angel of the Lord and a bright light.	Matthew 28:2 -3
Peter goes to the house of Mary, mother of John Mark	Matthew 28:1
Rhoda recognises Peter’s voice.	John 20:16
She does not open the door. Peter keeps knocking.	Revelation 3:20
You are mad – to Rhoda	Luke 24:11
It is his angel.	Luke 24: 36 - 37
Peter instructs them to tell the others. Which James is Peter referring to?	Matthew 28:10
Peter departs to another place.	John 20:17;  Acts 1:9;  John 16:5 - 7
How long from Peter’s arrest to his release?	How long from Jesus’ arrest to His Resurrection?
Death of guards.	Matthew 28:11 -15
Herod Agrippa I  acclaimed as a god.	Revelation 13:8
Death of Herod Agrippa I	Revelation 19:20
Herod’s plan failed. Acts 12:24	Revelation 21 - 22

4. The similarities and the differences are all instructive. Discussion question – What can we learn from these similarities and differences?

5. There are three Powers at work in Acts 12.           

The Power of Prayer

The Power of the Cross – which is implied by the timing and also the Prison. There is an allegorical interpretation which sees the Prison as sin entrapping the soul. Can you think of a hymn which takes a similar line?

The Power of the Resurrection – Romans 8:11; Who is the Power here?

6. See also Acts 5:30 and John 2:19. Who raises Jesus in these verses?

7. What does this tell us about the nature of God?

8. What does this tell us about Peter’s relationship with God? Is it just Jesus?

9. What does all this tell us about God’s plan for our lives?

10. Can you think of any instances where this pattern or some of it has taken place in your life or of someone you know?

Testify. Discuss.    

                                                                                          © G.I.G 15.04. 2015

Additional notes.

A.  Rhoda means rose.

B. Bernice/Berenice was Agrippa’s twin sister. She acted as Queen. Gossip, repeated by the contemporary historian Josephus but not by the Bible, has acting as Agrippa’s Queen in all respects.

C. Luke, the author of Acts and inspired by the Holy Spirit, has a very understated and dry humour, quite English in many ways. In Acts 12:18 we see an example of this understatement.

D. The Herod dynasty is confusing. Below is a simplified version. The complex version carries an adult rating.

Chanukah in John Pt.4. The Second Light.

Now I'm catching up with myself. Another re-posting from a year ago. Be blessed.

This is a passage packed with revelation.

The Second Light reveals three of the Titles of Jesus. To wit, Son of God, King of Israel and Son of Man. Two of them are revealed to Nathaniel by the Holy Spirit ( Direct Revelation) and then Jesus increases the blessing with the third. Not bad going for a man sitting under a fig tree.

John 1:43-51

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree’, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 Why was Nathaniel so privileged? According to Rabbinic teaching, a fig tree is a good place to read and meditate on the scriptures. Jesus told Nathaniel what Nathaniel had been reading. If you read Genesis 28:10 - 17 and compare it with the above passages you will see the references. Jacob was known, not entirely fairly, for his guile. Israel was his covenant name and the name of redemption. Jesus pays Nathaniel a great compliment by calling him a true Israelite. He then goes on to identify Himself with Jacob's vision. In short, Jesus is the LORD of Israel.

____________________

Another secret of the Chanukah menorah. The candles are placed from left to right, but are lit from right to left. This is to show that no one day is more important than another. I also take this to signify that no one witness is more important than another. God blesses and uses all His people. I also take it to mean that the Jew, who reads from left to right, and the Gentile, mostly right to left, will all be enlightened by the Messiah.

Copyright G.I.Goodson 2013.

Hanukkah is a time of miracles. The great miracle of God's provision at the Temple and the greater miracle of God's provision of the Messiah at the Incarnation. I hope and pray that you will be emboldened to seek a miracle of God's provision in your life. Not a 'name it and claim it' greedy prayer but a prayer of faith, humbly seeking more of God's grace to revealed to you as He may choose.

The LORD bless you.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Chanukah in John Pt.2 The Servant Candle, Light of the World.

The Chanukiah differs from the standard menorah as it has eight branches instead of seven. Yes, I know, it has nine but the ninth doesn't count. How did that happen? It all has meaning.

Copyright G.I.Goodson 2013

And now for the meaning:

The Servant Candle (Shamash) is separate from the others. It does not recall the miracle of provision ( See part one, link below). It can be used as an every day light and to light other things.

Some Chanukiah (Hanukkah menorah) put the servant candle to one side.

There are many designs for Chanukiah. Google them and see. It is all very creative.


The Servant Candle is two things.
Firstly, it does not count - despised and rejected, anyone? Isaiah 53.
Secondly, it provides light for the world. John 8:1

Jesus call Himself "the Light of the World" at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles (see John 7:37 ff).

The story of the woman caught in adultery ( John 7:53 ff) interrupts the narrative. Nevertheless, it shows clearly, why Jesus came into the world, to save sinners and not to condemn them. John 3:16 - 21. If you read the text, you will see that in verse 19 Jesus refers to Himself as the Light.

 As Jesus was born at Tabernacles, it follows that the Incarnation took place at Chanukah.

You may find the following links of interest:

http://thealmondrod.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/when-was-jesus-born-its-all-in-daniel.html

http://thealmondrod.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/chag-sameach-and-merry-christmas.html

http://thealmondrod.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/when-was-jesus-born.html


I will also be posting more on the birth of Jesus in the near future.

As Mary was remembering the rededication of the Temple, and possibly lighting the Chanukah lights, the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. Luke 1:26 - 38

As she dedicated herself to God's service, she became, for nine months, the dwelling place of the the Second Person of the Trinity, in other words, a living Temple.

Have you noticed that an Chanukiah has nine lights?

Copyright G.I.Goodson 2013

The Chanukiah has some more secrets to reveal, of which more later. Tomorrow, the first light of John's Chanukah menorah.
__________________________

Part One

Chanukah in the Gospel of John - Part One

My second re-posting, so this time I am a little behind but I will catch up.

It is my intent over the next couple of days, and during Hanukkah, to post on the the feast of Chanukah in the gospel of John. John is full of structures. The seven signs (and elsewhere) and the seven 'I AM' sayings are well documented (The links here are just to make the point. I hold no brief for them and there may be better ones lower in Google's listings). I hope to show that there is also another structure in John. and it is a Chanukah menorah, an Chanukiah of revelation about Jesus the Christ (Yeshua ha Moshiach).

Below is a picture of an Chanukiah. It is not in a window because none of the candles have been lit and thus it is not a witness to the world.

Copyright G.I.Goodson 2013

The Chanukiah differs from the standard menorah as it has eight branches instead of seven. Yes, I know, it has nine but the ninth doesn't count. How did that happen? It all has meaning.

For Jews, Chanukah remembers the rededication of the Temple after Judas Maccabeus had , temporarily, freed Israel from foreign rule. The Syrians had been overthrown, but the Romans were soon to follow.

Chanukah celebrates a miracle of provision and not a victory. When rededicating the defiled Temple, there was only enough oil for one day, but it lasted the full eight days needed for rededication, see here.

The gospel of John records sayings of Jesus during a celebration of Chanukah. Please note that the term " The Jews" refers to the Jewish Authorities of the time and should not be used as an excuse to persecute modern-day Jews. It is a similar usage to our "The Yanks" or "The Brits" etc.

John 10: 22 - 42

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

 Jesus makes some very big claims on this day, but that is hardly surprising as it is the day of His Incarnation - of which, more tomorrow.

The Tabernacle Part Two. The hidden ministry of Christ

In this presentation I  do a whistle-stop tour of the meanings of the various materials of The Tabernacle  and introduce you to the builder of The Tabernacle. He is called Bezalel and he is a picture of the hidden ministry of Christ. Just as the Messiah would be a Shepherd-King like David, a prophet like Moses, a Priest like Joshua (Ezra 3) or Melchizedek (Priest-king) and the Suffering Servant so He would also be a builder like Bezalel. The Greek word 'tekton' can mean carpenter, but it can also mean 'builder'.  In Hebrews 3:3 Jesus is called a builder and in Hebrews 11:10 God is called an 'architect and builder'.

I also include a recording of the sermon, but I am unable to synchronise it with the presentation.

Herod's Temple

Anyone interested in the Jerusalem Temples will find an assortment of videos available on the internet.

Of particular interest to Christians is Herod's Temple, as this is the one that was built after the return from Babylon and extensively re-vamped by Herod the Great. Herod the Great is the one responsible for the massacre in Bethlehem and 'his' Temple is the one that Jesus knew and visited on many occasions.

The video below is in Hebrew. The music was written by Eyal Ben-Hamoria who has tried to reproduce the sounds of that era. I think that it is well worth a listen.

The video has been produced by Yehuda Vinograd

There is also a longer video in English giving a tour of the Temple.

Published on 26 May 2013

Join us in a virtual tour of a 3D reconstruction of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as it looked 2000 years ago, at the conclusion of King Herod's expansion project. Based on Flavius' writings, according to the research of Dr. Joshua Peleg, Bar Ilan University.

An app. is available that gives the viewer the freedom to roam around the Temple. I am trying to find out more about that as it is not free.

God's Power and Compassion; Our Weakness and Mission

This PowerPoint presentation was the core of a sermon based on 1Kings 19: 1 - 18 and the gospel of Luke 8: 26 - 39. It shows how God works in the Tenach and in the New Testament. It shows how God works today and the challenge we have to pray and obey.

Gospel Partners Movement are a Church of South India evangelical mission working in the North-east of India.  

The PowerPoint has been modified for general use and now reads 'Our Church' when the sermon reaches the point of application.

If Jesus was so Jewish, why do Christians worship on a Sunday?

Actually, it's not anti-Semitism; although it became a distinguishing mark in the same way as the Sabbath was for Jews. 

Did you know that "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy" is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not repeated in the New Testament? That should keep some Christians busy for a little while. I have put the references below this post but without links.

And don't take this out of context, Jew or Gentile, and use this to have ago.

Nevertheless, it does seem strange that a faith that is certain that the Jew Jesus is the Christ (Yeshua ha Moschiach) doesn't worship on a Saturday. What happened to change things; when and why did this happen?

I will explain, but firstly, I want to deal with the Christian variations on this issue.

Sabbatarianism  

This has got to seem offensive to Jews, but it is about our attitude to God's Law and not about having a dig at Jewish custom and practice. It refers to those Christians, Jewish and Gentile, who are convinced that it is necessary for Christians/Messianic Jews to observe the Sabbath with varying degrees of strictness and, in some case, rivalling the ultra-orthodox.

The Seventh Day Adventists are the best known example of this, but recently there have been those who have made Sabbath Day observance a condition of salvation. They are no longer saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone but also by the addition of earning your place in Heaven through Sabbath day observance.

If we could perfectly keep the Law we could enter heaven freely and without hindrance. We cannot. In the Old Testament, God provides a whole system of sacrifices to deal with our sin and failure. In the New Testament, the Perfect Sacrifice has arrived. But we still need the sacrifice because we cannot keep the Law in this fallen body of ours. We still need the Grace of God, a true faith (read the prophets) and the Messiah.

They have forgotten that the Sabbath seems to be strangely missing from the New Testament.  

Some Sabbatarians focus on Sunday as the Sabbath! Yes, really.

Lord's Day Observance Society

The LDOS are not as misguided as the Adventists and others. When they argue for the blessings and benefits of observing a day for worship, rest, family and fellowship they do well. When they move towards a requirement of faith, albeit for Sunday, they are mistaken.

Keep Sunday Special  (Not an aberration)

Keep Sunday Special are arguing for a special day of worship, by custom and practice, Sunday. They are not legalists but advocate a practical application of Christian understanding and witness. They are witnessing to the need for worship, rest , family and fellowship. Many atheists and agnostics can support most of the aims of KSS - apart from the religious stuff.

Christians recognise that it is practical and godly to have one day in seven set aside for worship, rest, family and fellowship. 

So what happened to Saturday?

Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. It was the barley harvest on the 16th Nisan. Being a good Jew he rested on the Sabbath and began the New Creation on the same day as the old creation began. Sunday. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost/Shavuot; again, a Sunday. These are days of New Creation.

As He was the Perfect Sacrifice, all those who put their faith in Him, a believing and transforming faith, enter into the Sabbath rest. The New Creation is the ultimate fulfillment of ALL the promises and covenants in the Tenach. However, it is not yet fully realised. God has begun the process of forming His New and Perfect Creation from the Remnants of the Old. This is not to say that the Church is perfect, far from it. It is to say that the greater Sabbath Rest of which the Sabbath is picture, has been obtained for us by faith in Jesus, the Perfect and acceptable sacrifice Who rose from the dead.

Sunday is NOT the Christian Sabbath. The Sabbath day looks forward to the perfect  Sabbath Rest which is given to those who put their faith in God's Messiah. Sunday celebrates the new creation and the achievement of that rest by Jesus. All days are part of the Great Sabbath, but while we wait for the full establishment of the Kingdom, Sunday is a good day for worship, rest , family and fellowship.

There was also a practical matter for the nascent gentile church. A lot of its members were found among the poor, the outcast and the slaves.A day of rest on any day was never going to be easy. The churches met before or after work, sometimes in secret and in hiding, whenever they could.

How we got the weekend.

Over the course of time, as the number of Jews who were followers of Jesus dwindled, then Sunday turned into a quasi-Sabbath for the Church. It then served as a distinguishing mark and a means of separation from the very nation whose Messiah had won salvation for us and brought the light of the gospel to the gentile world. 

Sunday became a day of rest for the Christian world. 

Usury laws applied to the Christian as much as to the Jew. The work-around for this was to encourage the Jews to lend to the Christians, by fair means or foul. This form of casuistry worked for a Church that had lost sight of the gospel as well as for the Jew - at least some of the time. This gave rise to the banking houses such as the Rothschilds and others, as well as to the myth that the Jews ran everything. Of course, it didn't stay that way, but the banks closed on Saturday and that tradition continued until, eventually, we had a weekend for the upper classes which slowly, very slowly, percolated down to the masses, partly through the influence of schools. Of course, there were many other factors as well but this is where it all started.

This unwitting collusion by Jew and Christian gave us the great blessing of the weekend. How much greater would the blessing be if we could actively work together? It would mean life from the dead, according to Paul.

Where to find the Commandments in the New Testament.

The truth is 9 of the 10 commandments Ex.20:3-4 are repeated and incorporated in the New Testament epistles but the 4^th one is not.

The 1st and 2nd commandment- which prohibit the worship of other Gods (50 times) and idols are repeated (12 times) Acts 15:29, 17:16: Rom.1:25; 1 Cor.6:9-10, 10:14: 1 Jn.5:21: Rev.21:8, 22:15.
The 3^rd commandment of reverencing his name not to take it in vain (4 times ) Ex.20:7 is also repeated in the New Testament  Mt.5:33;  James 5:12.
The 4^th commandment- ? Where do the apostles teach to keep the Sabbath? Its missing even for the Gentiles who had no concept of the Jewish laws would need to be instructed.
The 5^th commandment- to respect your parents is also repeated (6 times) Mt.15:4-9: Eph.6:1-3 and Rom.13:1-7.
The 6^th commandment- of forbidding murder Ex.20:13 is in the New Testament (4 times). Rom.13:9; Mt.19:18 and the true intent is explained in Mt.5:21-22
The 7^th commandment- prohibiting adultery and any sexual sin Ex.20:14 is also found ( 12 times) in Acts.15:20; Rom.2:22, 13:13: 1 Cor.5:11, 6:9, 13,15, 18: 10:8: Eph.5:3,11-12.
The 8^th commandment- forbids one to be dishonest, stealing,Ex.20:15 is found in the New Testament (6 times) Rom. 2:21 Eph. 4:28: 1Thess.4:6: Jms.5:4; Mk.10:19; Lk.18:20.
The 9^th commandment- condemning a false witness, to lie Ex.20:16 is found in the New Testament (4 times) Mt.15:19,19:18; Lk.3:14 and 1 Tim.1:9-10.
The 10^th commandment- tells us not to covet Ex.20:17 is repeated (9 times) in Mk.7:21-23; Lk.12:15,33-34; Rom.1:29, 13:9 1 Cor.5:11; 6:10; Eph.5:3.

Iran, Jewish sorcery and the 'false god' Yahweh!

Jews and Christians alike will have problems watching this video if they have high blood pressure. In it a Saudi Cleric calls YHWH a false god. For his sake, I hope he did it out of ignorance. If he knowingly lied then his place in Hell is assured. I pray he was ignorant.

It also reiterates the blood libel. If it wasn't so serious we could laugh.

The video is part of an article in WND ( I know - they are a bit questionable, sometimes) where Iran accuses the Jews of sorcery!! OK, some Kabbalists go too far, but so do some Sufis, Christian mystics, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus etc. etc. It's an occupational hazard with mysticism. 

You wonder who believes this stuff, but there are witches who claim they used magic against Hitler to defend the UK. Honest Guv! When you wake up in the cold light of day with the mother and father of hangovers, you know this is wrong.

If anyone wanted evidence that Allah is not the God of Israel or of Jesus, now you have it. 

The devolution of 'Divinity' - or how to undermine a Christian education and Zionism

So what has a Christian Education got to do with Zionism? Once this would have sounded like a stupid question. Even anti-Semites would have recognised the connection between a Christian Education and a belief that Israel should be back in the Land. 

For US readers and others where religious education is not part of the curriculum, I will need to give a little background. For those looking for detail, I suggest Googling 'History of Education Acts UK'. For the rest of us, the UK was slow to take the education of all the nation's children seriously. The Churches had a played a large part, but  could not provide a universal system.

In 1902, an Education Act was passed as a result of the instigation of one Arthur Balfour. Yes, Israel, that Balfour! The argument over religion was between the denominations and not over the inclusion of Christianity. After all, the King James Bible had helped shape the English language.

"Most, however, accepted the argument that, with mass education developing fast elsewhere, Britain needed an educated workforce if it was to maintain its position in world trade. So Balfour got his bill.

Religion

But not before religion had once again reared its divisive head. The 1870 Act had taken 28 days to debate. The 1902 Act took 59, and most of that time was spent on the religious clauses.

Dissenters and Doubters objected to state funds being used to support denominational schools, including those of the Church of England but more especially those of the Catholic Church. 'Inside and outside Parliament there was outcry against "Rome on the rates"' (Gates 2005:19)." 

There have been Christians in the British Isles since Roman times. Although the Anglo-Saxons were, mostly, evangelised by Augustine sent from Rome, the Celtic Church already existed and had made substantial inroads in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the North of England. This latter area, being not only my place of origin but a producer of many saints and clergy even to this day.

The subject was often called 'Divinity' and would be taught by clergy or suitably qualified persons. It was, and is, the one subject protected by law. This gave rise to the belief that it was compulsory. Actually, it was not and is not. Parents could and can withdraw their children from the subject if they have sufficient reason.

When I started school in the late 50s, the subject was usually called Religious Instruction. All pupils had a 'Statutory' lesson of, at least, one period a week. This, although intended as a minimum, soon became a maximum. Getting suitably qualified RI teachers was always a problem.

Somewhere along the way, it became known as Religious Education. Certainly, by the time I left my secondary education in 1971 it was RE. It was also still Christian and automatically included teaching about the Old Testament (Tenach).

After Bible College, when I went to train as a teacher, something had begun to change the nature of the subject. It was now called Religious Studies. My education degree included that component. It was not automatically Christian, and many RS teachers were not Christian believers, or even believers in anything at all.

Religious Studies now included Comparative Religion. Moral Instruction began to pass to a new subject, often called PSME (Personal, Social and Moral Education). This was not Christian unless some of its teachers were Christian. 

Unless a school was denominational, RE departments were under increasing pressure to teach Comparative Religions even when there were no children of other faiths in the school. 

Immigration meant that in the cities more and more pupils were from non-Christian religions. We began to see mosques, gurdwaras, mandirs, viharas, etc. being built. For those not familiar with these terms, they are as follows: Mosque - Islamic and roughly the equivalent of a synagogue (Jewish); mandir - Hindu temple; gurdwara (door of the Guru) Sikh and again a meeting place not a temple; vihara - Buddhist depends on the form of Buddhism.

All the above faiths, together with Christianity and Judaism had to be covered in that one period a week. This was not fair to any religion and academically, so unsound as to be a serious challenge to the intellectual integrity of an educated and conscientious teacher. Most teachers were now trained in RS and were pretty ignorant of the basics of even one religion.

The result was a superficial study of the beliefs and practices of all religions without any real understanding of why and how these faiths worked. Pupils and teachers came to conclusion that all religions were the same, which is New Age thinking or Hinduism without the Indian culture. Unsurprisingly, Muslims are now setting up their own schools citing Jewish and Christian denominational schools as a precedent.

RS is rarely taught to any intellectual standard and without any academic rigour. 

We now have a generation of young adults who have no understanding of the Christian heritage of the UK, no knowledge of the Bible, no knowledge of the Jewishness of the Old and the New Testaments and no knowledge of the history of Israel before 1947.

They have no defence against the twisting of history and the Arab claims to rewrite history. When   Hanan Ashrawi first claimed that Jesus was a Palestinian, I laughed in amazement that she even thought any one would believe her. Surely her credibility as a sane person was destroyed? Apparently not. We get a little game playing with the term Palestinian for those of us who know that Jesus was, and is, Jewish. Anyone else, including the propagandised people of the West Bank and Gaza, assume it means that Jesus was an Arab and /or a Muslim.

By the way, I often had to teach children that Jesus was not a Christian but a Jew. That was ignorance, now they are deliberately lied to.

I no longer teach my subject in schools. I am a preacher and a Bible teacher.