5 April, 1998

Dear Children,

Before we get into the discussion of the week I’d like to make a correction in my book keeping. You see it’s tax time again and I have to file for the FMH Children’s Club International in 3 different states (South Carolina, Texas, and North Carolina), and it was in preparation for this yearly event that I noticed an error. You see it was way back on the 15th of February, 1998, that I published the 1997 Financial statement for the Children’s Club. And in that publication I stated the 1997 ending balance for the Club’s account was $1291.41, but, as I have so recently come to discover, it should have been $1291.49. I was $.08 off in the donation shown for the Hallman family (showed $1205.79 - should have been $1205.87) which in turn messed up the overall final balance. So please note the correction.

Now with that over and done with let’s get on with the important stuff... religion. You see the sermonet series we are now on concerning the Catholics has really been going on for a long time. In fact it all started on the 9th of November, 1997, with the sermonet on Promise Keepers. And in order to jog your memories here’s a sample of what I said: I’ll have to admit that this growing fellowship called the Promise Keepers (PK) is doing a phenomenal (extraordinary) job of preaching Jesus... but the question remains: can this ministry and will this ministry maintain it’s proper course (stay on track), accomplishing what Our Heavenly Father has intended for it to do?

Well the key to the success of any God called ministry is it’s ability to get the people to understand The Truth. You see it’s the same today as it was in the days of Jesus, just as it was written in John 8:31-32 so many years ago, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." And what might you ask are we going to be set free from? That one’s easy; it’s the freedom from Satan. You see the freedom that we can have from believing in Jesus is the supernatural ability to be able to "just say no" to Old Splitfoot himself. And before anyone can do this they have to first be able to "spiritually see" the difference between God and Satan.

So it’s this part about believing in Jesus that’s so very critical to our understanding the truth, and likewise for all those involved in PK. And in order for this organization of men to realize it’s full potential of doing God’s will in their lives they must not become tripped up by Satan’s tricks. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Light, and without Him we are all as lost as the white goose in the snowstorm. So once again, in order to be successful for Christ we must stay focused on Him through His Word.

Now what I’m about to tell you is all hearsay; in other words I wasn’t there but this information was given to me by another person. You see in an effort to help so many men of the world find The Truth, the leaders of PK movement have asked those attending the rallies to keep seven basic promises when they go back to their families and homes. Now I’m not going to tell you all seven of them because I don’t know all seven. But there is one that I am familiar with, and it just so happens that it’s the one I’m going to base this message on. This one of the seven promises that they have been asked to keep is for them to go back to their communities and become active members of a (their) local church. And of course this is understandably so.

You see it’s perfectly logical to assume that the place to learn and grow in the Lord is church. But the question is will the churches that these men return to bring them closer to God or further away from Him? What churches (religions) will they go back home to and what do these churches (religions) believe in? So before we get too deep in our discussion let’s first pay close attention to two very important words; church and religion.]

That was how it all started, innocently enough, 5 months ago. That was in the beginning... and now we are on the religion of the Catholics... and it has made quite a few people upset... in fact so upset that they are no longer on the mailing list. But just so you can feel the intense emotions please allow me to share a few of the letters. The following note came from a friend who goes all the way back to my college days (and that’s a long time ago). He wrote:

Bruster McCloud,

Need a good therapist? Call 1-800-PICKLES.

Clinging to reality yours truly,

RT

By the way "Bruster McCloud" was the nickname he gave me way back then. But as you can see he doesn’t agree with what I say the Word of God has to say. In fact I don’t think it’s too hard to read between the lines and figure out that he thinks I’ve gone off my rocker. But he was’nt’t the only one that made a comment. In fact it was another good friend from my previous job (who I’ve known since 1984) who wrote:

Dear Bruce,

I guess it was just a matter of time before I had to let you know that enough is enough on the religious letters. Take me off the list!

I appreciate the fact that you have your own feelings and convictions regarding religion. However, the stuff you have been writing is offensive to me and obviously to my wife (who is Catholic). You are entitled your opinions and so am I...

M__c

Now the question that I must ask is "why is it that what I write is so offensive?" I mean I’ll have to admit that the subject of vampires does tend to make one’s skin crawl, but so should the fact that the Catholic religion is going through a ceremony in which the priest changes the wine to blood, the bread to flesh, and then they offer it to the congregation to drink and eat for their salvation. Let’s get real!

You see it all goes back to the basic fact that most people tend to get extremely comfortable in what they believe in. I mean most people want to be told what to believe in so that they can kick back and relax. Just think about it. When someone else tells you what’s in this great big complex book called the Holy Bible then you don’t have to "waste" your time studying it. After all, there are so many other important things to do in life such as sports, videos, TV, computer games, or just getting laid back. Who needs all the mental stress that comes from digging deeply into the Word of God?

You see regardless of what "thus saith the Lord" (the Word of God) most people would rather continue to believe what they have been told... what they have always believed... because they are comfortable believing it. But that my friend does not change the price of eggs in China. God’s Word is forever and it’s Satan’s desire to get us believing that God’s Word is something that it ain’t. And what I’m trying to show you is that it’s Satan’s word that has gotten into the Catholic religion and has caused the Catholic people to believe a bunch of damnable lies (lies that will take you to Hell).

So once again, this week we will be continuing on with the message on Vampires In The Church; in fact we are all the way up to part IV. And just to bring you up to speed, it was the word’s from Mr. Gallagher’s Catholic Internet web site (Official Not A Jack T. Chick Tract) that gave me the reason to write what I have been writing in the first place. Because he said, "In the New Testament starting at John 6:22 and running through John 6:71, we see that Jesus says, not just once but four times, that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have everlasting life..."

And it was at that point that I went on to say (relating back to the book Lucifer Dethroned - A True Story): ...in order for them to come up with their very own plan of salvation (and might I add one that won’t work) they have invented this "salvation process" called vampirism. And it was Bill the "ex" vampire who went on to tell us the rest of the story: "The very cornerstone of the Satanic cult’s existence and survival lay in the central ritual of Orthodoxy and Catholicism -- the Eucharist (Mass) or "Divine Liturgy."... doctrine of Transubstantiation (that the bread and wine is LITERALLY turned into the Body and Blood of Christ)..."

And then last week we investigated two books of the Old Testament where we read:

"...Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Genesis 9:1-4)

"...It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood." (Leviticus 3:12-17)

"...Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people." (Leviticus 7:22-27)

"...For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls... Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17:1-14)

"Ye shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times... I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:26-28)

So the Catholics continue to eat the flesh of Jesus and drink His blood although the Scriptures plainly tell us not to eat, drink, consume, or take by mouth anybody’s or anything’s blood. And that brings us to the Scriptures for today. What we are about to read are the events of the Lord’s Supper as documented in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So reading it for ourselves, and starting with Matthew 26:17-30, "Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread... when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve... And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

Now notice that Jesus calls the drink "my blood of the new testament" one minute and the "fruit of the vine the next". And just in case you didn’t know it the fruit of the vine is grapes and the drink made from it is grape juice. So was this drink offering the disciples consumed His real life blood or grape juice? Well let’s not stop with just this one account, let’s see what Mark has to say about it. Reading from Mark 14:12-26, "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover... And in the evening... as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

Once again we see almost the identical wording as was found in the book of Matthew. So why not let’s see what Luke has to say about it? Reading from Luke 22:7-20, "Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed...And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

As you can see Luke adds a very important word to his account which resultantly sheds an enormous amount of light on the controversy with the Catholics. The word remembrance means: to affectionately call the person being remembered to mind through an awakening of the thought process. In other words Jesus was telling His disciples to eat the bread and drink the grape juice as a method of stirring up their memories of Him after He’s crucified and gone on up to Heaven. You see it was to be taken symbolically as a reminder of Jesus’ own flesh (bread) and blood (grape juice) sacrifice on the cross. Jesus did the only thing possible to save our souls from Hell (He gave His life)... and we should all be forever thankful for it... and that’s what this Lord’s Supper was all about.

But I’m sure most of you Catholics still aren’t convinced so let’s continue on digging. What I think we need to do next is get a better perspective (bird’s eye view) of what’s going on. In the Scripture we have just read Jesus talks about "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." So quite naturally if there is a new testament there had to be an old one too. And in order to fully understand what this whole thing is all about, let’s turn to Exodus 24:3-12 and read all about it: "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do."

So the Scripture we are reading comes from the Old Testament and it’s about the old testament. Now a testament is nothing more than a contract (a promise) between two people. And it just so happens that this contract (old testament) is between The God of the Universe and mankind. You see it was only four chapters earlier that God gave Moses and His chosen people The Ten Commandments, and it was only a few chapters later that God gives very detailed information on how to build both the tabernacle and the Ark. You see all of the things listed in this contract (old testament) were necessary tools for God’s people to be able to obtain salvation (escape the flames of Hell). It was The Ten Commandments with all it’s "thou shalt not’s" that were the rules and regulations (laws) of God’s plan, but they only gave the instruction on what not-to-do. So what happened if someone did what they shouldn’t do? Well there were just a few people who didn’t obey all the rules (everybody to be exact) and that’s where the sacrifice came into play. You see the sacrifice was an absolutely necessary part of the God’s contract because it took care of the people who couldn’t obey the rules... and that was everybody.

And that’s why the Scripture goes on to say, "And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words... And the LORD said unto Moses, come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them."

That was the old testament with it’s book of laws (thou shalt not’s) and it’s never ending sacrifices of the blood of innocent animals. That was phase I of God’s plan. That was the way He designed it and if the people followed it they were saved. Now as we continue on with our digging please remember that it was this blood sacrifice of the old testament that was only sprinkled on the people; they didn’t even think about drinking it!!!

So that was the old contract (testament), but what about the new? Well what we are about to read in Hebrews chapter 9 will not only tell us about the new testament but it will also draw a comparison between the two (show us the difference; old and new). So starting with verse 1, "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Arron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of Glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly."

Now I know that all this gets pretty deep but I’ll try and make it as simple as possible. In the beginning, because of the sin of the people, God made a deal with them that would keep them from dying and going to Hell (the old testament). And this deal that God made would only work if the people followed the rules that God had laid out. And it was these rules that said a tabernacle had to be made for God. Now in the true sense of the word this tabernacle was a house for God that was to be used to worship God. And not only did this house have to be built to God’s exact design, but He also gave very specific details on how to build His furniture.

And it was in this "house of God" that there was more than just one room. And it was because of the fact that each one of these rooms served a very special purpose that the Scripture goes on to tell us, "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priest went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without the blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of the reformation."

Now it was this first room of the tabernacle that related to the bread and wine part of the Last Supper. This was where the people could participate on a daily basis with the priest as he made the sacrifices for the people. And it was these sacrifices in the first room that really caught their attention because they consisted of food: lamb (meat offerings), and grape juice (drink offerings). That was what went on every day in the first room. But in the second room things were a little different. You see this room was only used once a year and likewise it was only the high priest who could go into it. And what did he do in this very special room? The high priest carried in the blood of a sacrifice which would be sprinkled as an offering for himself, and for the errors of the people.

And it was this second room that was an example of what Jesus was going to do in the future. Because the Scripture goes on to say, "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ; who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

You see it was in this second room that the high priest would enter into once a year, with the blood of a sacrifice, and offer it (sprinkling not drinking) to God Almighty... and it was all representative of what Jesus was going to do in their future (His death on the cross)... because it was Jesus The High Priest who finally, once and for all, offered His own blood to God the Father (through sprinkling) as payment for our sins. And it is this new contract (new testament) that replaced the old contract (old testament), because as the Scripture goes on to tell us, "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry."

Now this might be all very new to you, but if you are a child of God you are a "vessel of the ministry". In other words we as children of God are to be used as tools (vessels) of God in His ministry. And just as the old testament predicted, we too must be "sprinkled" by the precious blood of Jesus in order to be freed from the contamination of sin. And it was this process of sprinkling that would continue on from the old testament into the new. Because the Scripture goes on to say, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

You see the new testament is very much like the old testament with the exception of one very important thing: "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

So are you starting to see the picture of why it’s so easy to believe what people tell you instead of digging through the pages of the Holy Bible for yourself? It’s Hard!!! But even though what we have covered today will undoubtedly cause wrinkles on the forehead of a few, it will without a doubt also show you the truth.

And the truth that we have found today is that the Scripture found in Luke 22:19 ("And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.") does not mean what the Catholics say John 6:53-54 means ("Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whosoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.")

You see he key word in the practice of the Sacrament of the Eucharist has to be in that one word "remembrance". Because if the bread and wine is used in any other manner, other than as a reminder of what Jesus did, it becomes error and does not follow the teachings of Christ. And if we don’t follow the teachings of Christ we could get in hot water (lake of fire). And that’s where we will pick it up next week with Vampires In The Church Part V. [See Flesh And Blood Cannot Inherit The Kingdom Of God! (5/10/98).]

But until then, don’t get too lazy to take the time to find out the truth... because a little time studying is a whole lot better than forever in Hell.

Keep the faith!!!

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)