Helicopters whirled overhead, snipers were poised on the roof of the K Mart across the street and on the church roof, and the street was full of people and Indianapolis City Police cars. Wow, surely terrorists had taken over the church and the good guys came to rescue innocent Christians. No, afraid not. The terrorists were all in uniform charged with taking control of a Baptist Church. Inside, about 30 people had spent the night as they had for 92 days but many others had gone to work so only 8 people along with pastors and associates praying at the altar were taken out of the church by police officials.

For the first time in American History, the Federal Government, under color of law, put a large Baptist Church out of the Gospel business. Well, at least they tried.

It was February 13, 2001 when 85 federal officials (FBI, ATF, etc.) supported by Indianapolis Police Officers (doing crowd and traffic control) raided the Indianapolis Baptist Temple (IBT), known as the 11th largest church in America, according to Christian Life Magazine. Dr. Greg J. Dixon was the long time pastor but his son Greg A. Dixon was now the church leader. The church was being raided not for unpaid taxes as almost everyone declared, but for permitting their school teachers (my daughter was one), administrators, etc., to pay their own FICA taxes. Thousands of American churches have always followed that practice.

It is interesting that the Marion County Sheriff’s Department under Jack Cottey refused to participate in the raid. Jack was a principled man who had also served in the Indiana House of Representatives where I had served.

The Indianapolis church leaders refused to handle the withholding since the government cannot force a church to be a tax collector: the lowest, most hated position in New Testament times. However, no one refused to pay taxes and no taxes were owed. It was simply the Federal Government, then run by newly installed President George W. Bush, letting everyone know that churches must kowtow to Washington or they would be put out of the Gospel business. Federal Marshall Frank Anderson was in charge of the illegal raid and was elected Marion County Sheriff in 2003, serving until 2011. Of course, the Feds had declared the church’s action to be illegal; consequently, the raid was “legal.”

We were seeing the assertion and application of might at the expense of what is right. The IBT discovered that Voltaire was right when he said that it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. The church was right; the feds were wrong.

Some local media people were in the church having spent many nights sleeping on the floor and church pews along with pastors from across America. Some of the media had characterized the church people, especially the pastors, as being “patriots” (gasp!), “militia” etc. Some even spoke of guns even though the pastors had made it clear that no guns would be permitted and no violence would take place. But you can’t be too careful; these are Baptists—you know like John (the Baptist) or Jerry (Falwell) or Billy (Graham)—so an overwhelming force was ordered along with the snipers on the rooftops.

You can’t be too careful you know. Some of those Baptists might even thump their Bibles (KJV, of course) and that could be dangerous especially if the thumping were caught on television.
The raid was ordered by former two-term Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator and active Christian layman in the Assemblies of God and the now U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. John also wrote, “Let the Eagle Soar” and sang it after his speech at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2002—where both my son and grandson earned their doctorates. The song was satirically featured in Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11. While the lyrics are mediocre, and John’s voice is tolerable, I recommend that John not surrender his license to practice law.

The Christian school building, home to hundreds of students and the 2,000-seat auditorium on 20 acres of prime property, were padlocked and later bulldozed to the ground to make room for a new Charter School. Hundreds of Christian students and thousands of church members were now homeless—thanks to GOP President George W. Bush.

This case had been simmering for seventeen years when pastor Dr. Greg J. Dixon and his son and co-pastor refused to withhold FICA taxes on the church school staff. At the time of the raid, the younger Dixon was pastor and served as pastor until December of 2015 when Matt Roller was called to that position.

Ashcroft wrote a book after he was out of office and dedicated seven pages to the Indianapolis Baptist Temple tragedy. He alleged that the church was guilty of “tax evasion” but that is not true. He admitted in his book that the church employees paid their own taxes from funds “received from the church.” Ashcroft also alleged that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the church; however, that is another mistake: the Court refused to hear the case.

During the raid, Pastor Greg A. Dixon asked one of the marshals if he was not a member of a local Southside, Bible-preaching church that was not taking FICA out of the church staff’s salary—what the Indianapolis Baptist Temple was charged with. He refused to answer.

About that time, another marshal asked Dr. Dixon for the keys to his car that he promised to move to the K Mart lot so it would not be impounded. Dr. Dixon appreciated his kindness. The AP carried a story revealing that the church parsonage that had been the pastor’s home for 32 years had been taken by the feds. After the eviction, the media quoted Mrs. Dixon as saying “Wait until you see me in my new home.”

All the principal people involved with the church were highly committed and principled people—not the rebels and anti-government trouble makers as presented by most of the media. Paul Harvey led his national broadcast with a fair and positive report of the raid and most of the other national media dealt with it with their normal critical spin. Congressman Ron Paul wrote a wonderful defense of IBT in his Congressional Bulletin.

About sixty of those who served in the church ministry were audited by the IRS, and it was concluded that they had no tax liability of any substantial degree and all had paid their own tax liability including both shares of the Social Security Tax. This of course means that the valuable property, built and financed over many years by dedicated Christians, was seized to satisfy a bogus tax bill that had already been paid.

Why would our government be so vicious and unethical and illegal? Because government is in the control business and true churches refuse to permit secular control since every theologian is aware of the lordship of Christ over everything. Federal prosecutor Douglas Snoeyenbos was quoted as saying that the “higher ups in the U.S. Justice Department are out to totally destroy the pastor and the Indianapolis Baptist Temple.” He also expressed personal dislike for Dr. Dixon even though he had never met him according to the church attorney. Well, I’ve never met Snoeyenbos and I don’t like him or his name, but then he can’t help that.

The church has a memo from the Treasury Department in the mid-eighties (date illegible) signed by an IRS agent declaring that the pastor of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple “spoke out against the IRS and other government agencies in general” which shows the feds have no respect for freedom of speech, religion, etc. It is perfectly legal and ethical to speak out against various agencies. After all, one can abhor an administration or agencies without hating his nation.

I often spoke out on television and wrote about government intrusion in personal lives and into church matters. I even testified at a congressional hearing in Washington dealing with the IRS attempted takeover of Christian schools. I then published it in my first book, Liberalism: A Rope of Sand! I also wrote a scalding letter to the FBI about their treatment of Dr. Dixon regarding another incident. I wonder if the feds have a file on me. Or you.

U.S. Attorney Robert Metzler admitted in federal court in Indianapolis on August 23, 2001, that the Indianapolis Baptist Temple owes no taxes if they would only file for an exemption, which shows that this was not a tax issue—but who will control the Lord’s assembly, God or the IRS. He said the same thing in oral argument at the Seventh Circuit on May 11, 2000. U.S. Attorney Metzler said twice before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal on that same day that “an uncontrolled church is untenable” in America today. But then, thousands of churches in America conduct their affairs just like the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. Will the government begin closing those churches? Are the churches left alone because they are so docile?

Frankly, I am not concerned with an uncontrolled church but I am very concerned about an uncontrolled government. George Washington said, “Government is like fire, a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” Our founding fathers knew what current officials refuse to recognize about federal government: A government out of control is like a forest fire that destroys everything in its path.

So, our government planned a dangerous raid on God’s church against innocent people because the pastors had spoken against pornography, the IRS, and leftists in general and had done so for decades. Moreover, few local pastors, even Baptists, stood with the church much to their shame. Many of those pastors were and still are my friends but they showed cowardice rather than courage at that time.

Hundreds of students in their Christian school and thousands of church members had their rights attacked by their own government officials who had sworn to protect those rights. The large, expensive buildings were bulldozed to the ground. Students were no longer taught by committed teachers and hymns of praise no longer echoed along East Street. Alas, the enemy had won!

But that was the prelude. The story continues. Like the Phoenix (the pagan Greek myth), IBT rose from the ashes. The Indianapolis Baptist Temple is even stronger than before and has multiplied its ministries many times. After the raid, the church immediately moved services to a large new public high school auditorium about five minutes from the original church and school buildings.

The wounded church rented similar buildings for five and one half years. Finally, Pastor Greg A. Dixon led the church to lease a large sports building near Interstate 65, only five minutes from the interchange. The church renovated the complex and continued their work of world evangelism.

After serving as pastor until 2015, Pastor Dixon resigned to be followed by a member of the church, Matt Roller. The IBT is alive and well and the disgraced government officials responsible for the illegal raid are (mostly) now has-beens with a badly soiled record. Others have died.

Many will declare that the officials were only doing their job, a defense that is a non-defense. Principled people will never do wrong even if it costs them everything. Bush was wrong to permit the raid. John Ashcroft was wrong to authorize it and should have told Bush that he respectfully would not carry out the church raid. U.S. Marshal Frank Anderson should have informed Washington officials that he would not participate in taking a church away from its members. The 84 other federal agents should have refused to be involved. And the Indianapolis Police Department should have refused federal orders including individual officers. There is nothing wrong in resisting an authority to obey a higher authority. It’s better to be hated for being right than to be honored for being wrong.

Albert Einstein once said, “Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.” Every public official involved in the raid and the critical pastors disobeyed that principle.
After resigning as pastor of the IBT in December of 2015, the younger Dixon said, “International Church planting began in 2002 after our building was taken. What men meant for evil God meant for good! Just as the persecution of the Jerusalem church accelerated church planting in Antioch among other places, the persecution in Indy accelerated church planting again. I woke up the following day and God strongly impressed me to start churches. Not to quit or complain. Start churches.”

The tragedy of the federal takeover resulted in a much larger, more aggressive ministry of church planting in Mexico, Central America, Asia, and Africa. Starting with nothing, Dixon organized Advance, a facilitator that helps churches plant churches. Since resigning as pastor, he travels the nation raising money to start and support churches all over the world and every dollar raised goes to that work. He receives no salary, retirement, or any benefit from his service! 109 new churches have been started in Asia, Africa, and North America which includes inner city Indianapolis and Mexico. Another 100 new churches have begun in 2019 around the world. The goal for new church plants in 2020 is another 200 new churches in cities and remote villages of the world.

A little touted, but extremely effective outreach is Pastor Dixon’s Urban Youth Ministry Training whereby trained volunteers from the church community go into the Indianapolis Public Schools, as they have done for 13 years. The volunteers seek to impress upon students positive values to result in a successful life in a world of confusion. So, while the feds confiscated and destroyed their Christian school, the IBT is going into the public schools with a positive message.

Another ministry is the Transitional Housing Ministry that provides assistance to men in need of housing in the inner city of Indianapolis. Men who were converted in one of the city missions get counseling and a place to stay. Pastor Greg A. Dixon says, “A warm bed helps to make a warm and receptive heart to the Gospel.”

Their Trinity House work is a soup kitchen ministry that provides an evening dinner in three locations feeding over 700 people each month accompanied by a positive message of the Gospel.
Additionally, every July a medical mission trip is taken to Oaxaca, Mexico where 39 churches have been started over the last nine years. The medical team seeks to minister to the health needs of people who cannot afford or don’t have access to medical care.

What the enemy and casual critics thought was a massive tragedy and major failure turned out to be one of the most impressive victories in a hundred years. The victory—yes, victory—of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple over the feds and their critics is another reminder that there is nothing wrong in resisting an authority to obey a higher authority.

The character of a person is not seen in where he stands in a time of comfort but where he stands in times of challenge, controversy, and conflict. The Dixons and the membership of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple stood in the face of great odds and have not only survived but have thrived.

It was a shameful day when the federal government, under a GOP president, raided and bulldozed a very successful church, but what the enemy thought to be a fatal blow became a fabulous blessing. The IBT raid should be a warning to all Americans–government out of control is dangerous. Furthermore, pastors who are faithful to their calling will be a voice in the wilderness calling wayward government officials to repentance.

As to the “scandal” of pastors who are monitored by the feds, maybe that would be true of all pastors if they were fearless spokesmen for the truth. The real scandal is that very few pastors are so courageous to make the FBI and IRS keep a file on them.

(Publisher’s comment: Today we observe the 19th anniversary of the Federal Government’s raid on IBT. We want to thank our dear friend Dr. Don Boys for this excellent article that highlights the events of this bad day for our congregation. And yet from God’s viewpoint it was a victorious day. But from the standpoint of the loss of our First Amendment guarantees it was truly a sad, sad day for our nation. Unlessthis is somehow reversed the result of this decision will eventually affect every church in America.
One strange irony is that the U.S. rebuilt a Moslem Mosque in Iraq that we had destroyed at untold millions at the same time that they were demolishing our buildings and property worth $ six million dollars. But we believe what the Apostle Paul said, 2Th 1:5-7
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye
also suffer: 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels…)

THE UNITED STATES
and ISRAEL: A Pivotal
Time
By Gary H. Kah

During the month of December the Lord led my wife and I – along with several friends 0 into a time of fasting and prayer. We prayed over a number of matters, including the direction of our ministry and nation. We needed some clarity, as we long to be in the center of God’s will, doing exactly what He asks of us during these critical times So, we sought Him out – studying His Word and seeking answers, while trying to better understand this moment in history. The following are some of the thoughts that come to mind during my time of pause and reflection.

As we begin 2019, many Americans are hoping for a more peaceful year politically. After all the negativity and divisiveness of the last few years, people have grown weary and long for a “timeout” from all the political tension and chaos. I am among those. I wish I could say that things will become more civil. But truthfully, I believe just the opposite will happen.

By the time you receive this publication, the Democrats will once again be in control of the US House of Representatives. As a result of November’s election their Party has become more left wing than at any time in our nation’s history – including the tumultuous and rebellious Sixties. And with the globalist insider Adam Schiff taking charge of the House Intelligence Committee, there will be a more concerted effort to oppose the President and quite possible to impeach him.

The new world order crowd hates Trump with a passion because he has set out not only to oppose, but to undo, their global government plans and has had a measure

of success in doing so. Trump has become a much more formidable adversary than they ever imagined. Now they have a two-year window in which to stop the bleeding and deal the President a politically fatal blow.

One reason I believe they will “take off their gloves” in dealing with Trump is because they actually want to make an example of him. Their goal? To relentlessly and shamelessly attack him and any of his conservative appointees to such a degree that no true Conservative will dare to accept a position within his administration or run for office of Commander-in-chief in the future – lest they experience the same level of scrutiny and assault.

The message is loud and clear: Hillary Clinton, James Comey, John Brennan and others of their globalist deep-state clan can commit any outrageous crimes they want and remain unscathed because they have the most powerful (and corrupt) network of people in the world on their side; while pro-constitution Conservatives who seek to defend the sovereignty of our nation will be dragged through the mud and ferociously attacked from every angle by the far-left media and their accomplices in Congress, Hollywood, the United Nations, and their international stooges.

Even witches will be summoned to cast spells and place curses on Conservatives who are a serious threat to their socialist, one-world agenda. Faced with this type of over-the-top intimidation, who in their right mind would want to leave a lucrative private-sector job to work for Trump or run for a future office?

Unfortunately, persistent pressure and hon-stop intimidation will work in most cases, so there is no reason – politically speaking – for the Far Left to stop these practices. However, tens of millions of Americans are watching all of this play out and are growing increasingly frustrated with their own seeming inability to stop the corruption and forward motion of the leftist socialist movement.

They have observed the Left’s violence and lawlessness in the streets, set in motion by power players such as George Soros and his global allies, who rather than having their bank accounts seized and being thrown in jail, are celebrated by a bought-and paid-for-media.

My genuine concern – impressed upon me in a way during my time of prayer – is that we are quickly moving toward a tipping point where the Far Right, which has remained peaceful thus far, will begin to fight back in physical fashion. I believe we are closer to extreme civil unrest, and possible even civil war, than at any time since the 1860’s. Our nation stands divided, its citizens holding two completely different, diametrically opposing worldviews. The Left and Right cannot coexist within our country much longer, barring divine intervention, I fear that something is about to give. If law-abiding Conservatives believe that President Trump is their last chance to hold back the socialist tide politically, and if he is removed from office or rendered ineffective because of the onslaught of staged investigations, it could be the final straw that leads to physical conflict. My opinion: it seems as if God is allowing these tensions to come to a head, and He is using Donald Trump as a lightning rod to bring previously hidden political agendas to the surface. The battle lines are being drawn. The Far Left is becoming increasingly bold and provocative and is gaining strength each passing month, catapulting ultra-liberal Millennials into positions of leadership as the more-conservative, older generations gradually exit the public arena and die off. If we continue on this course, those Conservatives who remain will either have to fight, flee to another land or ultimately be placed in “Re-Education Centers” where their fate will be uncertain and could include death. I faced with these options, what will your response be? The Lord has graciously given our nation a reprieve from globalization for the past two years. And, Americans living in rebellion against a holy God have had ample opportunity to repent. While the final verdict and timetable of events rests in God’s hands, it does appear the curtain on our nation – as a peaceful constitutional republic – is about to close. The question is, will Christians and conservative Jews be ready for the hardship and persecution that is certain to result from the coming lawlessness? The time to seek the Lord and prepare our hearts for the tumultuous days ahead is now. Israel: A Mirror Image Recently, Audrey and I returned from Israel where we spent nearly two weeks attending pertinent, insightful meetings at Ramat Rachel Conference Center in Jerusalem. While there, members of the IDF who spoke at our conference were placed on high alert as rockets fired by Hamas began pouring into Israel by the hundreds. This assault, carried out from Gaza, lasted for several days. Predictably, there was no international media coverage of this attack. However, if Israel’s Prime Minister had given the go-ahead to retaliate, I have no doubt the media would have given full coverage to Israel’s “unjustified invasion” of Gaza. But, he did not take the bait. The fact is, President Trump and PM Benjamin Netanyahu are facing very similar circumstances. They are both devout nationalists trying to defend the sovereignty of their respective nations; and internationalist forces are at work in both countries trying to oust them from power. The United States and Israel have historically been the most fiercely independent nations on the planet. The US was formed mostly by Christian settlers who sought to escape the corrupt powers and religious impositions of Europe, while Israel was reestablished to give the Jewish people a homeland and safe refuge from their global pursuers. In each case, if our nationalist governments are brought down and replaced by forces loyal to world government, there will be no place to run from the emerging World Order. With the exception of a few very small nations and islands, the rest of the world is already firmly in the grip of devoted globalists. To the Power Elite, Trump and Netanyahu epitomize the nationalist resistance to their international socialist agenda. Therefore, the efforts of both men must be thoroughly crushed. If the globalists succeed, they will have removed the final two major political obstacles to their one-world plan. (Britain’s current Brexit scenario presents a new and unforeseen threat to the global powers, although I believe it may be short-lived as London and the overall culture of the UK seems to remain firmly in the grip of hardened Socialists. The real question is, how long can Conservatives hold on? We’ll see.” A Word of Caution I have on numerous occasions been asked how I can be so supportive of Israel and the Jewish people. Powerful globalists such as George Soros, members of the Rothschild banking dynasty, and socialist/liberal politicians like Bernie Sanders, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Dianne Feinstein are frequently cited as influential Jews who are proponents of globalization. Yes, it is true; there are some powerful Jews operating within the oneworld/new age movement. However, after more than 35 years of thoroughly researching and investigating this insidious movement, I can tell you that less than 5 percent of the leaders promoting the globalist worldview are of Jewish descent. Over 95 percent of advocates for world government in the western world are Gentiles, with a significant number of them coming from Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Methodist and Lutheran backgrounds. These and other member denominations of the World Council of Churches are generally supportive of the one-world agenda, with many of their leaders being quite outspoken in favor of globalization and interfaith religion while hurling regular insults at Israel. And, the top vicars of the Catholic Church, including Pope Francis, are diehard globalists who advocate Replacement Theology while supporting the UN’s continuous flow of anti-Israel resolutions and rhetoric, It is no coincidence that the influence of Freemasonry is very strong in these circles. This secret order and its affiliated global organizations consist almost entirely of Gentiles, and in the East are heavily stacked with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other anti-Semitic mystics, depending on the specific region of the world. On the other hand, I would estimate that fewer than 3 percent of Freemasons are Jewish. (This figure would vary based on the percentage of Jews living in any given area. For example, in New York City where over one-fourth of the population is Jewish, the percentage of Masonic Jews would of course be much higher. However, I believe the overall ratio of Jews to Gentiles in Freemasonry is comparable to the ratio existing within the general populace.) While a percentage of Jews are active in one-world/interfaith pursuits, it should be pointed out that some of the most prolific defenders of our US Constitution and biblical heritage are also Jewish. Two who immediately come to mind are Mark Levin, referred to by Sean Hannity as “the Great One,” and Ben Shapiro, who is doing his best to defend our freedoms among Millennials on college campuses. Charles Krauthammer, who recently passed, was another Jewish stand out when it came to defending our constitution and free enterprise system. There are many others. Some Jews use their talents to accomplish much good, while others use them for great evil. The same can be said of Gentiles. The fact is, the same dynamic of good versus evil and nationalism versus globalism exists among Jews and Gentiles. Both groups have the same fallen sin nature. So why are Jews constantly singled out as “the problem?” Jews, on the whole, are highly intelligent, industrious, determined and extremely creative. Because of this, they tend to excel in their fields – whether in medicine, technology, law, music, etc. They also have very recognizable names – like Rosenstein, Bloomberg, Goldsmith, Seinfeld, etc. These and other factors (such as their traditions and kosher cuisine) make them more noticeable than individuals from some of the other ethnic backgrounds. They also are descendants of the people of the Old and New Testaments – God’s Chosen. All of this makes them an easy and special target for the enemy. The Far Left has always been poised against Israel and hates the thought of the Jews being “God’s Chosen People.” But now there is a growing element of the Far Right that is turning against Israel and the Jewish people. The look at the Jewish names of some of the shady Hollywood producers, media moguls, and one-world bankers, and wrongly conclude – with the help of strategically-crafted propaganda – that the one-world quest is a conspiracy of the Jews. This should be of great concern to every God-fearing Christian. There seems to be a part of our sin-laden DNA that is prone to placing the blame for all of the world’s problems on the Jews. The devil longs to get back at God by persecuting the very people through whom His divine revelation came – first His law, and later the Messiah and His apostles. Every Gentile and Jew (as there are some who have turned against their own people), must guard their own heart so they do not fall for this sinister trap laid by Satan. We must all remind ourselves that God judges nations in part by how they treat the Jewish people and Israel. Both the Old and New Testament eras are replete with examples of what happens to empires and nations that persecute God’s people or divide their land. The fall and decimation of Nazi Germany is just one of the more recent examples. For this reason, a word of caution is in order for President Trump, as he has stated his intention of unveiling a Mideast peace plan early this year. If his plan involves dividing the land of the Jews, I sincerely believe that the Lord God will severely punish the President and America as a nation. The last thing a sitting US president should do is lay the foundation for the coming Antichrist. Making the right decisions concerning Israel and Mideast peace will require an incredible amount of discernment that only God Himself can provide. Therefore, we need to pray for President Trump as well as Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of whom are Christians and have the President’s ear. The President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also has his ear and may or may not have Israel’s best interests at heart. We will soon know where he stands as a Jew regarding his own people. Concerning outsiders meddling in the affairs of Jerusalem – the true capital of Israel – God issues a strong warning found in Zechariah 12:2-3. He declares, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding people reeling…I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. In other words, “Don’t Mess With Israel!” Every follower of Christ who takes the Word of God seriously should be fervently praying for the President to make the right decision. If he treats Israel fairly and delicately as a genuine friend and ally, I believe God will somehow shine favor on him and his presidency – despite all the attacks being directed his way by his adversaries. The stakes are very high. Donald Trump’s presidency, and our nation, may ultimately rise or fall based on what he does with Israel! Please take the time to read and familiarize yourself with the following relevant Scriptures. An awareness and understanding of these passages is extremely important to make sense of those events yet to unfold – possibly soon. *Romans 11:23-29. Which reminds us that God still loves the Jewish people and honors HIs covenants. *Ezekiel 36:16-38, which reveals that God will not rescue the Jews because of any good they have done to deserve His intervention, but because of His integrity and character – “for the sake of His holy name.” *Zechariah 12:9-11; 14:2-11, which prophesies that the Jews, at the very end of the age, will repent of their disbelief. And, Messiah (Jesus) will return to defeat the nations gathered against His people. Never again will Jerusalem be destroyed; it will be secure. *Joel 3:1-2, 12-21 and Revelation 19:11-21 (which mirror the events of Zechariah 12 & 14). These events clearly precede, and are a prelude to, the millennial reign of Christ on earth – from Jerusalem (described in Zechariah 14:6-21 and Revelation 20). *Published with permission.

NEW UNREGISTERED
CHURCH STARTING IN
FISHERS, INDIANA

Greg Dzula joined the pastoral staff of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple after Graduation in 1993 from the Temple Baptist College, which the church founded. He was ordained in 2001.

He is a 1984 graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

He accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in 1990 after listening to a local New Jersey Christian radio station known as Family Radio.

He learned about the Baptist Temple and their Unregistered position from the many articles written in the “Justice Times” newspaper published by A.J. Lowry in the 1980s.

He has had varying responsibilities over the years, but was primarily a junior & senior high school teacher at Indianapolis Baptist Schools 1992- 2001.

He planted his first work, Crown of Life Baptist Church, in the downtown urban eastside area of Indianapolis 2001- 2010. In 2010, he merged the work with Indianapolis Baptist Temple and had varying responsibilities with IBT since and continued with the church in his pastoral duties.

The new church, again called Crown of Life Baptist Church, has grown out of a Bible study that Greg A. Dixon had conducted in his home for twenty years.

Many of these have been attending the Temple but now are happy to have a church nearer to their side of the city. Fishers is a suburb on the far Northeast side of the city. They have had two trial services at the Cambria Hotel in Noblesville where they will be meeting until they find a permanent location. The church is an outreach of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple, Matt Roller, pastor.

THOMAS JEFFERSON,
THE BAPTISTS and
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The claim that Thomas Jefferson was influenced by local Baptist congregations in his ideas of democracy has appeared persistently in print throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The source of these claims may lie in an 1826 newspaper article. On July 14, 1826, just ten days after Jefferson’s death, the following article entitled “ANECDOTE OF MR. JEFFERSON” appeared in the Christian Watchman:

1. EDITOR,– The following circumstances, which occurred in the State of Virginia, relative to Mr. JEFFERSON, were detailed to me by Elder ANDREW TRIBBLE, about six years ago, who since died when ninety two or three years old. The facts may interest some of your readers —

ANDREW TRIBBLE was the Pastor of a small Baptist Church, which held its monthly meetings at a short distance from Mr. JEFFERSON’S house, eight or ten years before the American Revolution. Mr. JEFFERSON attended the meetings of the church for several months in succession, and after one of them, asked Elder TRIBBLE to go home and dine with him, with which he complied.

Mr. TRIBBLE asked Mr. JEFFERSON how he was pleased with their Church Government. Mr. JEFFERSON replied, that it had struck him with great force, and had interested him much; that he considered it the only form of pure democracy that then existed in the world, and had concluded that it would be the best plan of Government for the American Colonies.

This was several years before the declaration of American Independence. To what extent this practical exhibition of Religious Liberty and Equality operated on Mr. JEFFERSON’S mind, in forming his views and principles of religious and civil freedom, which were afterwards so ably exhibited, I will not say.

The article continues on to describe the persecution of the Baptists in Virginia at the time of Tribble’s encounter with Jefferson, and the article is signed simply, “A FRIEND.” In some sources, the “friend” to whom Tribble related the story and who, in turn, related it to the newspapers was James Fishback, another Albemarle County resident who later moved to Kentucky.

Fishback exchanged letters with Jefferson several times.2 Although there was a clergyman named Andrew Tribble in Albemarle County at the time in question,3 no record of any meeting or communication Tribble may have had with Thomas Jefferson has been found.

This does not preclude the possibility that they did meet, but it makes proving the veracity of the story that later appeared in the Christian Watchman difficult.

Regardless of whether the story is true or not, it has been remarkably persistent. It appeared in a number of newspapers in the months and years immediately following its first appearance in the Christian Watchman, and it was still appearing in newspapers as late as 1880.4 One notable recounting of the story claims that Dolly Madison had confirmed its authenticity: “…a gentleman of the highest respectability, and well known in North Carolina, told the writer that his attention having been called to the statement, and he knowing that the venerable Mrs. Madison had some recollections on the subject, asked her in regard to them. She expressed a distinct remembrance of Mr. Jefferson speaking on the subject, and always declaring that it was a Baptist church from which these views were gathered.”5

No corroborating evidence of Dolly Madison’s exchange with the “gentleman…well known in North Carolina” has been discovered. Another printing of the story adds that a Reverend Mr. Brice, on hearing the story, claimed that Jefferson had visited his congregation in Richmond, and had made the same comments to him as he had to Tribble. Reverend Brice’s story has not been substantiated, either.6 Still other instances of the story do not mention Tribble at all, but emphasize the purported influence the Baptist church had on Jefferson’s ideas of government and religious freedom. The story was appearing in religious histories by the 1850s,7 and was even repeated by Calvin Coolidge in a 1926 speech.8 As with the specific reference to Tribble, no mention has been found in Jefferson’s own writings of any influence the local Baptist congregation or the Baptist church in general may have had on his political and religious ideas.

– Anna Berkes, March 25, 2008; updated August 31, 2011

Further Sources
 McLean, Dr. Malcolm D.
“Andrew Tribble and Thomas
Jefferson.” Stripes: Texas State
Genealogical Society Quarterly
XXVIII no. 3 (1988): 3-5.
 Ragosta, John A. Wellspring of
Liberty: How Virginia’s Religious
Dissenters Helped Win the
American Revolution and Secured
Religious Liberty. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2010.
 Spencer, J.H. A History of
Kentucky Baptists: from 1769 to
1885, Including More than 800
Biographical
Sketches. Cincinnati, Ohio: J. R.
Baumes, 1885. See pp. 128-30 for
a biographical sketch of Andrew
Tribble.
 1. “Anecdote of Mr. Jefferson,”
Christian Watchman (Boston,
MA), July 14, 1826, 7, 32.
 2. See PTJ:RS, volume 1.
 3. Woods, Albemarle,
133. According to Woods, the
first Baptist congregation in the
county was established in early
1773; Tribble became their pastor
in 1777.
 4. “Congregationalism and the
State,” The Congregationalist
(Boston, MA), September 1, 1880,
pg. 4, Issue 35, col C.
 5. Thomas F. Curtis, The Progress
of Baptist Principles in the Last
Hundred Years (Charleston, S.C.:
Southern Baptist Publication
Society, 1856), 357.
 6. “Puritanism at the South,” The
Congregationalist (Boston, MA),
September 14, 1866, issue 27, col.
F.
 7. Joseph Belcher, The Religious
Denominations in the United
States: Their History, Doctrine,
Government and Statistics
(Philadelphia: Potter, 1854), 184;
Joseph S. Clark, A Historical
Sketch of the Congregational
Churches in Massachusetts from
1620 to1858 (Boston:
Congregational Board of
Publication, 1858), 120.

AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
TARGETS ISRAEL

Amnesty International is planning to target Israel with several “intense” campaigns early this year, a Jerusalem-based watchdog group said on Thursday, citing what it described as “leaked” documents.

“In this process, Amnesty will delegitimize Jewish historical connections to Jerusalem and elsewhere, as well as promote discriminatory boycotts (BDS) against Israel,” Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor said.

As part of its effort — according to the documents viewed by NGO Monitor — Amnesty will go after businesses that it believes are “profiting from human rights abuses by operating in the illegal Israeli settlements.”

“This language mirrors that used by UN bureaucrats preparing the UNHRC blacklist,” NGO Monitor said. “The list is aimed at economically damaging companies that are owned by Jews or do business with Israel, and is ultimately meant to harm the Jewish state. Amnesty’s campaign is timed to bolster this UN blacklist, for which Amnesty has been lobbying intensively, and to serve as an alternative should the UN not publish its list.”

Furthermore, the documents showed Amnesty intended to lobby governments “to ban Israeli settlement goods from entering your markets, and to stop companies based in your country operating in settlements or trading in their goods,” NGO Monitor revealed.

NGO Monitor accused Amnesty of ignoring rising in antisemitism in Europe and the US, while singling out Israel.

“Instead of recognizing the fight against antisemitism as a human rights issue worthy of attention, Amnesty has decided instead to ratchet up its targeting of the Jewish state,” NGO Monitor said.

Israel and Amnesty have long been at odds over the human rights group’s criticisms of Jerusalem’s actions and policies.

At the start of last year, it was reported that Israel was acting to enforce its anti-BDS law against Amnesty.

Around the same time, Amnesty drew the ire of UK Jews when it withdrew from an event in London it had organized with the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC). In explaining its decision, Amnesty highlighted its backing of a settlements boycott.

A Disturbing Anti-Israel Trend In Christian Churches

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2993#CyELxJjSSzrX8rOQ.99

(Publisher’s comment: This is a sad state
of affairs, but totally predictable based
on Bible prophecy that the entire world
will turn against Israel. One of the best
articles as to why this is happening has
been written by Gary Kah in Winter 2019
Newsletter Titled: The United States and
Israel: A Pivotal Time. We will publish
it on Trumpet on line as soon as we can
get it transcribed.”)

ENRAGED Yet ANOINTED?

D. Leesley.

“And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the

company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as

appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers

of Saul, and they also prophesied… And he went thither to Naioth

in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went

on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he

stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in

like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night.

Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Sam 19).

The question has come up. Can a man of God operate in the flesh

and yet have the blessing and anointing of God in their life? Can

they display the workings of the Holy Spirit one time and operate

like the devil himself at other times? Or worse yet, can the man of

God or teacher or preacher speak with the Holy unction and at the

very same time speak falsehood while under that unction?

King Saul was a man after the people’s own hearts. They had

refused God’s desire and divine purpose which was to be their King

and Lord personally. They wanted a man they could see and touch.

One they could lavish their love and praise upon. God told Samuel

to give them what they want. Give them their heart’s desire. But at

the end of the day, they’d wish they had made a better decision.

God even warned them about their folly in chapter 8.

Saul took his armies to battle and won victories right and left. God

surely must be pleased with the ‘new program’, right? Wrong. It

still wasn’t God’s perfect plan or purpose.

We have today, what I call, a ‘church gone wild’. Tithing, titles and

tiers, and might I add, tears. Tears of those who are suffering under

an abusive system of control, greed and arrogance. And yet God

does tend to His out of sync flock in spite of 1700 years of ignoring

the N.T. plan and mold for the ‘body elect’.

Even as Saul was NOT God’s desired program, yet His helping

hand remained upon Israel. In these few verses we read about a

very evil, arrogant and envious man who God appointed over Israel

only because of their rejection of God’s position in their midst.

The time did finally come when God said ‘enough is enough’. He

was about to replace Saul with David, a man after His own heart.

David was anointed and humble. Disinterested, only caring about

what God wanted. This drove Saul nuts with rage and jealousy. We

all know the story here.

But look at this. Saul sent his messengers to find David and take

him captive and bring him to Saul so he could destroy him. This

leader’s closest companions had no real problem with this. But

when they came upon Samuel and the prophets prophesying, the

Spirit of the Lord came upon them and they spoke under the

unction as well. They returned unto Saul and told him that the Holy

Ghost had come upon them and they had a mini revival. Saul sent

other messengers two more times with the same results.

Yet we do not read where these compadres had any change of

heart about their mission. Finally, Saul made the journey and when

he arrived the Holy Ghost came upon him as well and he

prophesied all night long. What a glorious time in the Lord. What

power displayed. Yet this man never reversed his plan to kill

humble David, to rid himself he thought, in so doing, of conviction.

David flees to Jonathan crying [my paraphrase] ‘ What have I done?

What’s wrong with me that God’s appointed leader doesn’t like me

or want me around? I have honored him. I have behaved myself in

humility around him. I have surrendered all to my God…I have…”

Uh Oh!! There it is. A sure plan of action for rejection by God’s

anointed leader.

This has not changed, trust me. I have witnessed this first hand

many times in the modern institution we call ‘church.’ The more

humble you become, the more surrendered to God you strive to be,

the more anointing you obtain, the more proof you make of your

ministry, the more cold shoulders from the hierarchy of organized

religion you will witness.

So the premise of this piece is, can the true anointing be in play

while a heart full of wickedness is still maintained? According to

what we just looked at in the story of Saul, the answer would be

yes. Can the same scenario exist today under the new covenant?

My opinion would be yes, definitely.

[Sad and tragic, yet manifestly true – Ed.]

(Publisher’s comment: The Editor of this Revival website is Andrew Strom, while we do not agree with all of his or all of the contributors to this website’s doctrinal positions, we do appreciate their thirst for revival and holiness for the evangelical and fundamental churches of America and around the world. This particular article, though we do not know the author, is quite intriguing. In that in our more than sixty years in the ministry we have never known anyone to tackle this passage in spoken sermon or writing, I therefore commend Mr. Leesley for taking a stab at it.)

DOES GOD WATCH BASKE

TBALL Dr. Greg J. Dixon

Does anyone think it strange other than me, that Matt Haarms, from Holland, scored the winning goal in the last seconds of Purdue’s win over IU this past Feb. 19th during the recent Big Ten season, after the IU student body chanted (****You Haarms) clap, clap, clap; clap, clap, clap, non-stop, the whole game?

Maybe God watches basketball after all. The writer of the Proverbs under divine inspiration said, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” {Pr 15:3}.

Purdue was behind by one point with scant seconds left in the game when Carson Edwards, the three point All-Big Ten guard, launched one of his famous three pointers, it missed, but Haarms the 7’3’’ Purdue center, reached over all of the IU defenders and batted the ball into the basket for a one point win for old PUPurdue was behind by one point with scant seconds left in the game when Carson Edwards, the three point All-Big Ten guard, launched one of his famous three pointers, it missed, but Haarms the 7’3’’ Purdue center, reached over all of the IU defenders and batted the ball into the basket for a one point win for old PU.

The “old book” is still right. “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him” {Pr 26:27}.

NEW IRS RULES FOR
CHURCHES

The following are thoughts gleaned from a March 28 article circulated by Start Church titled. “IRS increases 2019 Audit Focus” This is one of the most frightening articles that we have presented on the Church/State – 501 c 3 issue since we became aware of this imminent danger to churches nearly fifty years ago.

First it shows that Pres. Trump who is purportedly the “Savior” of the churches of America, in the real world of the IRS, has not slowed this beast in this instant matter of IRS encroachment on churches and other non-profit organizations.

He has only promised that he would not aggressively enforce the Johnson Amendment against the churches, but for them not to count on relief from the Civil Rights laws including discrimination of the LGBT community. Now let’s notice a few frightening facts from the above article.

• The IRS has increased their agents in the non-profit division with the expectation of increasing audits.
• The IRS would not be doing this if they did not believe this is an area in which they need to bring into compliance and also expect this activity will increase revenue including paying for the new agents.  Because
• Because of this the non-profit world should expect great pressure from these agents into their internal affairs over the next few years.
• As we have been saying for many years, the IRS makes no distinction between churches and other religious organizations, even though in some cases the courts have made a distinction between the two.
• The IRS wants to strengthen their position that non-profit workers are employees by having the church issue W-2 forms rather than 1099’s.
• Even though there has been some leniency in this area, the IRS considers the pastor, and the ministerial staff as employees, equal in status as other workers, i.e. secretaries or janitors even saying in their publications that the pastor should be ordained by the IRS
• Small churches will be targeted as well as large because they have filed for non-profit status and now find themselves out of compliance
• Many of these small churches having used volunteers to keep their records, will not be able to satisfy these revenue agents and will be forced to spend funds that they do not have on paid accountants.
• The church will no longer be protected under Section 7611 which Congress enacted to set a high bar for church audits.
• All kinds of methods will now be used to gather information on the churches, including any public activity of any manner by the church including information by members or non-members.
• The IRS is not required to ensure it has reliable information when they move on a church. So, what if a disgruntled employee or member of the church simply makes up information about the church? Too bad! The IRS will use the information unless it has proof that the informant is unreliable.
• Don’t expect one of the present “Christian” advocacy organizations to come to you rescue. In this arena of tax law the legal guru that the church has pinned their hopes on will simply explain that the church should comply with the IRS rules and site the words of Jesus: at Mt Ch 22 “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” They are not going to jeopardize their non-profit status by opposing the IRS.

In conclusion, we must understand that Start Church in this warning is not speaking to New Testament churches, but rather, non-profit religious organizations that have waived their First Amendment guarantees.

The Biblical Law Center is still helping churches to organize or reorganize to allow them to invoke all of their Biblical and constitutional protections.

But the hour is late, and time is running out. We would encourage all that are interested to clicking on to our web site at: http://biblicallawcenter.com/, http://jeraldfinney.com/.

ADVANCE REPORT

ADVANCE is taking 20 individuals to Oaxaca, Mexico July 16-22, 2019. VBS, medical missions along with touring and great eating for one week. A team of 5 doctors and nurses will meet and minster to the many medical needs of the Mexican people while two VBS’s take place simultaneously.

This will be a trip of a lifetime. Many new friends will be made. We will minister to the people of some of the 76 new churches started in the last 3 years.

We still have room for 5 more youth and adults to go. Contact me soon so we can order your plane ticket.

YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED! advanceglobal.net

A REPORT FROM A
MISSIONARY IN
CHINA

In China, I met with a sister from a previous city and she told me of a special training class where the believers gather together for 2.5 days, with special readers who read at 4x typical speed; they read through the entire Word in those 2.5 days, all only getting 3 hours of sleep a night.

That is right. This method is coming in from Korea. I hope to find out what some think after they go thru this experience