T H E   E N D - T I M E S   T I M E S            August 27th, 1998
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Dear friends,

  Many thanks for your interest in my activities and writings.
I appreciate your interest and support, and trust that this
latest issue of the End-Times Times will be a blessing to you.
  Please feel free to write to me at davidmwilliams@geocities.com
and visit my Web site at http://geocities.datacellar.net/Athens/Forum/5951
  This newsletter is being sent to you at your request, and your
name will not be made available to any other person or
organisation.  You may request to be removed from this list at
any time by simply writing to me.

Regards,

David M. Williams

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FREE INTERNET RESOURCES

  There is certainly a lot of free material available on the
Internet, although usually with a catch - whether vast
amounts of unsolicited junk mail, an expiry date, or even
just simply a 'virtual' free gift - namely, an 'online' book.
  However, here are some quality Web sites that offer real
free goodies, which are of interest to all of us, being
Biblical Christians, interested in holiness, missions,
countering the cults, and fulfilling God's will.

 - Christian Community Network radio
   http://www.icrn.com

   This Web site provides online radio broadcasts for fine
   Christian speakers, as well as Christian music.  If you
   scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find the audio
   archives for Chuck Colson, Chuck Swindoll and others.
   Clicking on each of their pages will allow you to provide
   your mailing address for an actual free book or other
   publication.  For instance, Chuck Swindoll's page will
   allow you to request a free study guide to accompany his
   current radio broadcast.  By selecting Josh McDowell's
   page, you can request his excellent "More than a carpenter".
   As you might imagine, some of these resources are very
   useful and valuable for yourselves and your friends, and
   these organisations are doing a wonderful work and being
   very generous in giving away these materials.

 - Fire-Fighters for Christ
   http://pw1.netcom.com/~bldatn/ffc.htm

   Fire-Fighters for Christ is a wonderful collection of
   Christian firemen, who fight fires in both the natural
   and the spiritual!  Stop by their Web site for a large
   collection of tapes on world religions and cults by
   quality speakers such as Robert Moray and Tony Campollo.
   The collection of tapes is very wide, and will inform
   you on many topics, which all serve to prepare you to
   provide a ready defense when speaking with
   counter-Christian movements.

 - According to Prophecy Ministries
   http://millennianet.com/atpro4se

   This is the Web site for Donald Perkins, who I have
   never personally met, but whose teaching is warm and
   Biblical, and encourages holiness and faith and obedience
   to God.  Visit his web page, and you can request a free
   tape, "Understanding the book of Revelation".
   While there, remember to fill in the little form on the
   main screen that asks where you found his site - be sure
   to specify "Theological Essays" :)

 - Evangel.Com Bible trivia
   http://www.evangel.com/cgi-shl/Evangel_Quiz.pl

   Well, this site doesn't really guarantee you will receive
   something for free, but it is an ever-changing set of
   Bible trivia questions.  Submit the correct answer and go in
   the draw to win a free prize.  It's fun, and encourages you
   to test your Bible knowledge :)

  However, having just said these resources are free, why not
consider sending a donation if you are able, for encouragment and
to allow these good people to continue in the work that they do.


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BELARUS AND THAILAND TRIP NEXT MONTH

  Next month, I will be on a short-term missions trip to Belarus
in Eastern Europe, formerly one of the states of the USSR.
I will be working with a local missions organisation called
Liberty for the Nations.  Their Web site is at
http://www.pastornet.net.au/liberty
  The country of Belarus remains severely affected by the
Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe which occurred in 1986.  The land
and water, and therefore the people's food and drinking supplies,
were poisoned with high doses of radiation. The tragic incident
continues to affect the people's lives. Couples are afraid to
have children because of the high incidence of abnormalities in
babies being born.  
  Children die without any pain relief, from cancers caused by
breakdown in their immune systems.  
  Pastor Leonid Biriouk in Minsk reports that the population of
Belarus decreases by 60,000 people every year, as a direct result
of the catastrophe. For the world, the Chernobyl disaster is over.
For us, it is just the beginning he says.  
  When Liberty for the Nations first visited Belarus three years
ago, the team found the Pinsk Hospital's (southern Belarus) medical
supplies cupboard almost entirely bare. The situation, typical in
Belarus, has not changed since.  Basic supplies are impossible to
obtain; prices are too high for anyone to afford.  Our team, this
September, will take medicines, and money for purchasing more
supplies.
  Please pray for the four of us - Pastor Steve, Grant, Chris and
myself.  We will be ministering in local Churches in Belarus over
September 13th to 25th.  I will also be teaching in a seminary in
Minsk.  
  We will spend some small time in nearby Frankfurt, Germany,
before continuing in different directions.  I was hoping to travel
to nearby Estonia (across the Baltic from Finland) to speak at a
Pastor's conference, but this has not eventuated due to time and
financial constraints.  I will be returning to Australia through
Thailand.  My ticket permits me to spend a few nights in Thailand
at no additional charge, and with regular flights out, and so I
am presently looking to perform some work with Assemblies of God
missionaries there.  I expect to be back in Australia by the
1st of October.
  Please do pray for our work, and do contact me if you would
like to send donations towards the purchase of medicines or
theological resources.

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NEW JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES GREEK TRANSLATION

  I am sure we have all dealt with Jehovah's Witnesses at one
time or another.  A very sad thing is that it is difficult to
reason with members of this organisation, because their Bible
- the New World Translation - is very different to our Bibles.
This is primarily because the New World Translation is not
a translation, but rather a version of the Bible that has been
deliberately modified to support their peculiar doctrines.
Of course, we know that one should rather base their doctrines
on the Bible's teachings, rather than the other way around.
  However, one thing I have found useful is that the Jehovah's
Witnesses have used a Greek interlinear of the New World
Translation, which provides the Greek text of the New Testament,
along with the New World Translation.  Interestingly, the Greek
text used is Nestle's 26th edition; precisely the form of Greek
text used as the basis for reliable translations like the New
International Version.
  This meant it was possible to show a Jehovah's Witness that
the Bible really did say 'God purchased the Church with His
own blood' in Acts 20:28, rather than 'with the blood of His
own son' as the New World Translation reads.  Of course,
'of His own son' is not to be found in the Greek text.
  This is the case for many other passages that demonstrate
the deity and primacy of Jesus Christ, which have been altered
in the New World Translation.
  I was therefore rather disappointed to read that on August
23rd, the Jehovah's Witnesses have released a new version of
their Greek text, which is allegedly "more accurate".  It seems
to me that "more accurate" to the Watchtower organisation is
not really going to be "more accurate" in any sense except that
it will now agree with the New World Translation.  Hence, this
particular avenue for witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses may be
lost, which is very disappointing.

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MAILBOX

  I appreciate the mail I have received from you all.
Unfortunately I am not always able to respond personally to every
item, but I do try.  Here is an (edited) collection of items
that I received this week.  Please include these people
in your prayers.

  TOY, a shift-worker from Arizona, wrote a wonderful email
where he described the call of God on his life to the music
ministry.  Toy was lacking in confidence that he had such
skills and talents, and has come to realise that God does not
call someone to do a task, without supplying them the ability.
In fact, Toy, the Bible explains to us in I Thessalonians 5:24
that God is faithful when He calls, and He will strengthen
us and act with us.
  Toy would like our prayers concerning his ministry and
marriage, particularly the demands his shift-work has on his
music, and being used of God according to His will.

  Kendall and Pam wrote to me, saying

    Thank you for your web article on the KJV debate.  Do you
    have any easy to access info on the kjv's use of "through
    his blood" in Col. 1:14?

  This is an interesting email.  Firstly, my article on the
King-James Only debate is available at
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Athens/Forum/5951/kjv.html which
explains some informal perceptions and views I have about this
very extreme viewpoint.
  The question Kendall and Pam have raised is very interesting.
We see in the King James Version for Colossians 1:14 the
following -

    in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the
    forgiveness of sins:

  In the New International Version, we read -

    in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

  Clearly we have a little discrepancy here :)  Firstly,
I must point out that there are many people who would read
a verse like this and immediately claim that the New
International Version does not uphold the importance of
Jesus' blood sacrifice.  However, this is not the case,
because the New International Version refers to it in
Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; John 6:53; Romans 3:25; 5:9;
I Corinthians 11:25; Ephesians 1:7; 2:13; Colossians 1:20;
Hebrews 9:12; 9:20; 9:22; I Peter 1:19; I John 1:7;
Revelation 1:5; 5:9; 7:14; 12:11 and other passages.
  It must be pointed out that, firstly, if a particular
phrase does not appear in a specific translation, it cannot
be automatically deduced that the translation does not uphold
a certain doctrine.  Further, if a passage appears in one
translation and not in another, it is not automatically the
case that the second translation has ommitted the passage.
It could well be the case that the first translation has actually
added it.
  In fact, it certainly cannot be the case that the reference
to Jesus' blood has been ommitted in certain translations such
as the New International Version due to theological prejudice,
because a reference to Jesus' blood follows immediately, in
Colossians 1:20.
  As things so happen, the greater majority of New Testament
manuscripts support the New International Version here; with
only fewer manuscripts including "through his blood" in
this passage.  However, Ephesians 1:7 is very similar, and
does contain this wording - in all translations.
  What textual scholars believe to have happened here is that
"harmonizations" have occurred.  For example, Mark 6:47 reads
that the boat was "in the middle of the lake".  In the parallel
in Matthew 14:24 some manuscripts read "in the middle of the
lake" while some read "many furlongs distant from the land".
The meaning of the two readings is, really, the same and no
theological issue is involved here.  If Matthew originally had
the same phrase as Mark, there is no reason for a scribe to
later change it, but if Matthew originally had a phrase that
differed from Mark, it is likely that a scribe has changed it
to bring it into closer agreement from Mark.
  Here we have an example of harmonzation where a scribe has
brought the Colossian text into harmony with the Ephesian text.
This may have occurred intentionally, or unintentionally -
the scribe may have unintentionally confused the Colossian
passage with the Ephesian parallel, and inserted it, thinking
the phrase was actually missing from the text he was copying.
  I do not believe the presence of harmonizations raise doubts
about the accuracy and inspiration of the Holy Bible.  I have
confidence that we have an accurate Greek Bible today, and that
most modern translations use this reliably.  The King James Bible
does use a less preferable Greek base (The Textus Receptus),
but please note that no variation between any translation of the
New Testament is doctrinally significant.  In the above example,
it is true that the New International Version did not contain the
phrase "through his blood", but it cannot be claimed in any way
that the New International Version does not teach this doctrine.

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THE PRODIGAL SON - IN THE KEY OF F

  Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced
his fond father to fork over the farthings and flew to foreign
fields and frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with
faithless friends.
  Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine, he found
himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard.  Fairly famishing,
he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from
fodder fragments.
  Phooey!  My father's flunkies fare far finer, the frazzled
fugitive forlornly fumbled, frankly facing facts.
  Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled
forth-with to his family.  Falling at his father's feet, he
forlornly fumbled,  Father, I've flunked and fruitlessly
forfeited family favour!
  The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching,
frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the
flock and fix a feast.
  The fugitive's faultfinding brother frowned on fickle
forgiveness of former folderol.  But the faithful father figured
filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found!  What forbids
fervent festivity?  Let flags be unfurled! Let fanfares flare!
  And the father's forgiveness formed the foundation for the
former fugitive's future fortitude.


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T H E   E N D - T I M E S   T I M E S            August 27th, 1998

davidmwilliams@geocities.com