BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you. This time, we tackle tattoos, smoking, drugs, and comparing sin- is any of it really so bad?

                                       Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

1. Is getting a tattoo a sin?

This question grows in popularity as the “art” of self-mutilation grows. It has become easier and more acceptable to get tattooed. Many are even risking infection and disease by having them done with needles and pen ink in their own homes. The danger there goes without saying, but is it a sin? The Bible mentions tattoos specifically one time. That is in the book of Leviticus.

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28 NIV)

Now, some people have argued against this statement, despite it being perfectly clear. Among the series of commands that this verse is in, we are also told not to eat bloody meat, not to practice divination or sorcery, not to cut our hair at the sides or trim the edges of our beard, and not to make our daughters prostitute. Out of these, the only one we don’t follow nowadays is the trimming of our hair and beards. This command was for the Jews (some of whom still practice it), and was “overturned,” so to speak, later on. Still, some have said that since we cut our hair, we can cut our bodies and tattoo ourselves. This is not a fair comparison at all. We must look at what a tattoo really is, and what it does to our body.

We need to be extremely careful of what marks we put on our bodies. If, for no other reason at all, then for the following.

He [the Antichrist] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that none could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17 NIV)

That is what we commonly call the “Mark of the beast”. It is something that most people will actually want to get, because they are blinded by the convenience and commonality of the world. Still, we can look even deeper into a tattoo’s function. How do you get a tattoo? You let someone stab you with a needle, and while the wound is fresh, they inject foreign ink into your body. Despite some of the beautifully artistic pieces, my view has always been “Hang it on a wall”. So tattooing is not really more than a clever way to mutilate the flesh with a pleasant-looking after effect. What does the Bible say about that?

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are living for God, and your body in fact belongs to Him, what authority do you have to cut, poke, mutilate, inject ink, etc.? Jesus paid a price for your body, for your very life, and God asks that in return you use your body to honor Him. Paul warns in his letter to the Philippians,

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Philippians 3:2 NIV)

So let us take to heart the words of Scripture that plead with us to offer ourselves wholly to God, body, mind, and everything that we are. Don’t allow an inch of the devil’s work to touch you or taint you. Allow yourself to be put to unadulterated service, in every capacity, to the Lord. Since God is in control, let His glory be your decoration, and supply yourself to Him.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

What about those who already have a tattoo?

Don’t worry if you have one. Many people have gotten tattoos before becoming a Christian, or maybe just didn’t realize the way God felt about it. While the tattoo is difficult to remove, the sin isn’t. Cutting yourself or tattooing is NOT the unforgiveable sin. God will forgive you if you repent sincerely. Many Christians who were previously tattooed use the mark as a part of their testimony of the life they left behind when they accepted Christ. It is never too late.

                               Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

2. Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?

This question has a lot of similarity to tattooing, since it involves harm to the body. However, there are a couple other reasons that smoking and drugs are sinful.

One of the biggest excuses is that God made it, so it’s okay to smoke it. This isn’t further from the truth. Although the Bible does declare that God made everything for good, (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11a) you must also remember that the earth is not now how God originally made it. Because of the sin of mankind, the earth was changed. God allowed thorns and thistles to grow, plants that were not for our practical use; plants that were not in God’s perfect Garden.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18 NIV underline added for emphasis. See also Hebrews 6:8)

Another reason is that it is illegal to do drugs, and to smoke until a certain age. Ask yourself, “Why would such a law be in place unless it was somehow harmful to smoke?” The truth is, the law allows you smoke at such an age because they believe that at that age, you can decide whether or not you want to harm your own body and health. The Bible demands that we not only obey God, but also our governing authorities, i.e. the police, courts, judges, laws, etc. If it is illegal, and harmful to our bodies, you are really committing two sins at once if you smoke.

            Obey your leaders and submit to their authority… (Hebrews 13:17 NIV)

One other thought is this: God has made everything, but for a good purpose. Marijuana plants can be used to make hemp, which is useful and safe. God never said that should smoke the plant. That was sinful man’s idea.

Remember, your body is made in God’s image and is designed for worship. Jesus died to give you life, not so you could slowly destroy yourself. Keep in mind what the Bible teaches about your body:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

                 Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

3. I try to be good, but I keep making mistakes. Since everybody sins, is really such a big deal if I do once in a while? 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

To you, it might seem like no big deal. It might even seem that way to the person you sinned against. To God, however, it’s a very big deal; the BIGGEST! Sin is the one factor that separates us from God, even if its what we call a little sin. The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

This is a HUGE problem for us. Even just one little lie; or if we steal a candy bar; or if we misuse God’s Name; all of these make us imperfect. God is absolutely perfect, and so is heaven. If heaven had just one sinner in it, it would no longer be a perfect place. Because of this, we have only two options: Be perfect or go to the only other place we can go- hell. “But,” some would ask, “What about all the good deeds I do?”

            For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;… (Isaiah 64:6)

All your good deeds are wonderful, and please God, but compared to our sin, every good deed is like a dirty garment. What value is a filthy, robe? Absolutely none. God doesn’t measure your sins in one pile and your good works in another to determine if you make it. You are either perfect, or you aren’t. The problem is, everyone has sinned,, and there is a price to pay for sin:

            For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23)

Because we sin, we die. The punishment for sin is that death, and if we die with that sin still covering our lives, the death continues in hell. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin. We are instructed in how we can have our sin erased, as though it never happened!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Jesus has paid the price for us, but we can choose to accept or ignore this gift. To accept, all we need to do is confess our sins to Him, and He will faithfully forgive us. That is how we can be made perfect! Once God forgives our sin, we have a new start; a perfect record! Of course, we need to try our best to avoid sin in the future, but should we slip up, God is still faithful to His Word. The apostle John continues to urge us on by saying:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Jesus paid the price for the entire world. That includes you. The prophet Joel records God’s words as He urgently calls us to go back to Him in repentance. God beckons us to Him.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to Me with all your heart,

And with fasting weeping and mourning;

And rend your heart and not your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,

And relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

When you go to God with your sin, it’s serious, yet He is slow to anger. He loves to be gracious and kind to us; He loves to defeat the evil in us. God would be more than thrilled to forgive you of your sin. He wants to erase the sin and one day welcome you into His Heavenly Kingdom. If you need to, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer.

            He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

            But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

 What are your thoughts on any of these questions? Do you have questions of your own? Let me know below!

BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you.

 

1. If God made everything, then who made God?

“To whom then will you liken Me

That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

(Isaiah 40:25-26)

God is not something that we can compare to anything. That includes time. God created “time” for us; something measurable by which we can gauge our life. God is not limited by time, space, distance, etc. He is limitless with few exceptions: He can do no wrong, and He cannot be out-done. Other than that, God is limitless. To ask where God came from, you have to assume there was a “where” to come from. If we ask who made God, we are falsely assuming that there was someone to make God, and that God was made. He was not. Before God made the earth, there was no billions and billions of years; there was no time, as we know it.

 

We usually picture time as a line, because it simplifies our explanation. To God, time is more like liquid. Imagine a big bowl of water. You live in one drop of that water; that’s your “time” on earth. Other drops are the Creation of the world, the great flood, the Tower of Babel, the Crucifixion of Jesus, the 1980 U.S. Presidential elections, the moon landing, the last world war, the future rise of the antichrist, the Battle of Armageddon, the final trumpet sounding, the new earth, etc. In that bowl of water, God can see everything clearly, and it is all fluid to Him. He holds the bowl in His hands, and can touch any event or era at once. God can see your sin at the same “time” He is judging you, at the same “time” He watches His Son, Jesus, die on a cross for you. God is not limited to time as we are.

 

So, who made God? No one. He’s always been, for as long as time as we know it has existed.

Where did God come from? There was no “where” for Him to come from, until He made it.

 

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

 

I realize that this is a concept that is very hard to understand. We think about everything using time. Hours, minutes, dates, ages, anniversaries, and the list goes on and on. You can’t understand God fully; just accept that much- its okay. What is important is that you have faith that God is. Just believe in Him to be in control over time, and over your life.

 

 

2. What does God look like? Why doesn’t He show Himself to us?

So many kids have asked me this question, and “No one knows” is never a satisfying answer. That is the short answer, because we cannot stand face to face with Him and get details, but the Bible does offer us an idea of how God would look. Our first clue comes from the first chapter of Genesis.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

So if you want to see God, you can look in a mirror. Since you and I are made in His image, we are a reflection of Him. God looks like us, each and every person who ever has, is, or will live is made in God’s image.

Daniel had a vision of God, although he did not physically see God, this is the image in Daniel’s vision:

“As I looked,
       “thrones were set in place,
       and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
       His clothing was as white as snow;
       the hair of his head was white like wool. (Daniel 7:9)

 

The truth is that we cannot see God; no one has, except Jesus. John 1:18 says,

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.( NIV)

 

Jesus affirmed these words in John 6:46, and John wrote again in 1John 4:12 that “no one has ever seen God”.  There was also a time when Moses found favor with the Lord. Moses asked God to show His glory. He didn’t want to continue on without the presence of God.

 

Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you…” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”(Exodus 33:19-23)

 

Following this experience, Moses’ face shone so much, the Israelites put a veil on his face. Just the passing glory of God has such a dramatic effect on a person, it is no wonder we cannot see His face and live. The beauty and glory is far too powerful for our human bodies to stand.

Others have had occurrences with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden before their fall into sin. (see Genesis 3:8-13)  God appeared to Abraham (see Genesis 18:2-33), to Jacob (see Genesis 35:7, 9), to Solomon (see 1 Kings 3:5; 9:2; 11:9; 2 Chronicles 1:7; 7:12), to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-5), and to Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1:26-28)

The Lord has also appeared as a symbol or sign, such as the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), as fire (Exodus 19:16-24) and clouds; He has shown himself by miracles, such as stopping the sun in the sky, setting a rainbow in the sky, tearing the temple veil, parting the Red Sea, providing food where there is none, writing on a wall, earthquakes, and much, much more.

One of the main reasons for God appearing symbolically is established in the first letter to Timothy:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV Underline added for emphasis)

God has what we would consider a physical appearance; He does look like something, but the invisibility is in respect to an audience of humans. God’s invisibility toward us is by His choice. It encourages faith. Rather that showing up and forcing belief, God chose to remain at a visual distance so that we can choose to seek Him and believe. It allows us to decide whether or not we will follow Him, or the ways of the convenient world.

 

 

3. Who wrote the Bible?

Many people who are critical of Christianity or religion in general, argue that we don’t know who wrote the Bible. A little studying goes a long way, as we now know almost every author. Some continue to argue that the Bible is written by mankind, so we cannot trust it as being “from God”. We know, however, that:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

So without further ado, here are the authors who penned the words of God-

BOOK	WHO WROTE IT
Genesis	Moses
Exodus	Moses
Leviticus	Moses
Numbers	Moses
Deuteronomy	Moses
Joshua	Joshua
Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Esther, Job	Debated or unknown authors
Lamentations	Jeremiah
Psalms: A composite of many authors’ work. Of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title
Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145	David
Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87	Sons of Korah
Psalms 50, 73-83	Asaph
Psalm 72, 127	Solomon
Psalm 88	Heman the Ezrahite
Psalm 89	Ethan the Ezrahite
Psalm 90	Moses
Psalm 119	Ezra
Psalms 120-134	Hezekiah
Psalm 137	Jeremiah
Psalms 146-147	Haggai and Zechariah
Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.
Proverbs 1:1-24:22	Solomon
Proverbs 24:23-34	Attributed to “the wise”
Proverbs 25:1-29:27	Attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.
Proverbs 30:1-33	Agur
Proverbs 31:1-31	Lemuel
Ecclesiastes	Solomon
Ezra-Nehemiah	Author unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person.
Song of Songs	Solomon
The following were written by the person whose name they bear.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai
Zechariah	Chapters 1-8 written by Zechariah; Chapters 9-11 by Jeremiah; Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.
Malachi	Some believe Malachi was the name of a specific prophet, but it is also the Hebrew term (mal´aki) for “my messenger”, used for priests and prophets alike. Thus, based on Mark 1:2-3, Malachi may have been  written by Isaiah
Matthew	Matthew
Mark	Mark
Luke	Luke
John	John
Acts	Luke
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon	Paul
Hebrews	Possibly Paul
James	James
1 Peter	Peter
2 Peter	Peter
1, 2 & 3 John	John
Jude	Jude
Revelation	John

 

Government to Chip People with 666 Code

I have noticed a gain in the interest of two particular topics, both of which are related quite closely. The topics of which I speak are UPC codes and their connection to the number 666, and the use of small electronic chips implanted in people.

 Share your comments below!   

Let me briefly bring up to speed the issues of each. In barcodes, there is a hidden “666” in each one. These are not in the actual bars that represent the digits, but in the “guard bars”, which are at the ends and middle of the barcode, and usually extend down slightly further than the others. There is a left side parity and a right side parity of each digit, 0-9, making 20 bar and space combinations. The guard bars are patterned “bar-space-bar”, which is what the number six reads, in the “right side parity”. So, to the human eye, they read as a clear 6-6-6. You can read more about that in detail at Mark of the Beast- Part 1- Barcode 666.

The chips are called RFID chips, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification. They are able to hold all of your vital information, including bank account info, SSN, Date of Birth, medical records, and they are able to work with programs that control door locks on cars and homes, turn on your computer, etc. They will be marketed as convenient and safe, and people will buy them, having doctors implant them into their skin. While on the surface, this seems harmless, and in fact terrifically impressive, there are a great number of hidden dangers. To read more specifics on the production of RFID chips, read Mark of the Beast- Part 2- RFID Chip.

 

So, what is the connection? How can something that would eliminate identity theft and provide vital medical information be bad? Each and every RFID chip is assigned and associated to a barcode number. That is its, or your, identification number (Yes, you will be a number). That means that every person will have a tiny “666” imbedded in their skin. To add insult to insult, RFID chips are radio-frequency, which means that they are remote. Obviously, you can’t just plug it in. International governments will then be able to track them by satellite. You will have a built in GPS that tells anyone watching where you go and what you do. The same technology already lets your cell phone be tapped, even when you aren’t on a call. 

Share your comments below! 

Okay, so you have a chip that’s traceable and the barcode equals 666. What does that mean? Why are we making a big deal about it? The Bible warned us some 2,000 years ago, in speaking of the Beast, or Antichrist:

 “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” –Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB)

Share your comments below! 

 

So the number and the “mark” are clearly associated with the beast, and it is widely believed by theologians and Biblical scholars that the RFID chip, in some capacity, will be interpreted into the mark. The Bible says that the mark will be put into the right hand or forehead. Remember that the “666” in the barcodes’ guard bars is the “right hand parity”. The mark will also be forced, not just an option for the rich. The only thing that needs to happen is an occasion for the government to feel the need to take control, forcing people “for their own good” to get a chip implant. Maybe that will be a massive earthquake, volcanic explosion, tsunamis or floods. Maybe it will be one global catastrophic event. We learned a few years ago that a great tsunami could realistically wipe out tens of thousands of people. The Bible prophesies such a disaster.

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After the event, the governments will combine, forming an alliance. After all, with so much destruction and death all over the world, what better time to lay aside differences and claim peace? We know that an alliance will be formed particularly with Israel, for seven years, and be broken at 3 ½ years. When the international community forms such a union, (and by the way, the US, Canadian and Mexican governments have been planning a North American Union, scheduled for 2010 at the earliest) they will mass produce these chips. Currently, they are down to about 35¢ each. That will most likely become even lower. They will then decree that everyone will have to get one, because all monetary systems are going to be converted. (Reminiscent of the switch from analog to digital TV)

Share your comments below! 

Since everyone will have a RFID chip, stores, banks, military police and hospitals will need to know where to scan people. The fatty tissue in the palm of your hand just below your thumb is a primary spot. It is easily accessible and you can point it anywhere you need to. The other place is likely the squishy part between your eyebrows. They will all be in one of those two places for conformity and efficiency. 

Without one, you cannot buy or sell. They are imbedded with a hidden 666 code. (Remember, it takes wisdom to discern the mark of the beast, this coming from the guy who wrote and fully understood Revelation.) Taking this mark will turn you over to Satan, and seal your fate in a fiery hell. Whether you believe this or not, play it safe and take no marking whatsoever on your hand or your head.

 

If you have questions, please post them below, and I will reply to you.

If you would like to comment, please do that also. I enjoy receiving comments on my pages.

The Origin of The BIBLE

ORIGINS of the BIBLE

 

All right, I know! Someone is going to say that I haven’t recorded everything about every book. Then I’ll hear that there are all these secret societies that chose these writings and altered them for just their own causes. Phooey! There are too many people watching these hell-ywood movies like DaVinci Code and, although it was a great adventure story, National Treasure. Sorry, but as cool as it would be that there are hidden secrets and the one guy who no one would suspect as a hero is about to discover them all as he brazenly escapes certain doom!- That’s all for the movies. In the Bible, many did not escape their doom. Disciples were killed for what they preached. If they were going to take out the things that made the church look bad, they missed a few things. The truth is, the Bible is a history book, and its events actually happened.

 

Moses is believed to have written Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (although there is some question to his authorship of Deuteronomy). These were written approx. 1500 years before Jesus.

David wrote 500 years later, or 1000 years before Jesus (approx).

The written Hebrew alphabet is proven to be at the very least 3000 years old.

(More on Biblical authors below.)

 

One of the greatest confusions stems from the fast that, in the days of the Old Testament, authors didn’t write chronologically. They would instead tell story by story, not in a “day by day” arrangement. That’s why it seems to be out of order sometimes. Let me give an example. I’m Justin, my dad is Tom and my grandpa is Dave. Back then, they would tell Dave’s entire story, from beginning to end, possibly including the birth of Tom. Then they would tell Tom’s story. After writing about Tom from birth to death (or current), they would go back and write about Justin’s birth and life. Since I’m still alive, the story would bring us up to the end of the point the author wants to make. So if you just read along line by line, you’d think quite often that you missed something, like the fact that Adam and Eve had other kids than Cain and Abel. Genesis 3 is about Adam and Eve’s life. Genesis 4 is about Cain and Abel. Then in chapter 5, we learn (verse 4) that they had “other sons and daughters”. Later in the Old Testament, it gets even more confusing if you don’t know how to look at it.

 

 

 By Jesus’ day, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. In the Hebrew, there were no vowels. You would have had to know what to put where. For example, “Shlm” would be the way to write “Shalom”. The writings were copied carefully, and were put into the area’s common language. As a result, the one copying would often take notes. Quite often these notes or commentaries would accompany the actual letter or scroll. These commentaries are believed to be responsible for the few typographical errors or slights when someone from the New Testament quoted the Old Testament. The New Testament writers and speakers often had to go by the four different common languages/ dialects in which the scrolls were written. In each respective language, they were VERY careful to write l-e-t-t-e-r by l-e-t-t-e-r.

 

In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. One of them was the entire book of Isaiah. This was an opportune time to test what so many critics had claimed. Was the Bible changed over the years? Had we bent the stories to suit the church’s desire? Was there a massive conspiracy to cover up a secret religion? When comparing the newly discovered treasure to the Holy Bible in every church pew, there were only 11 differences. Seven of them were a different way to spell a word. The other four were minor typographical errors that didn’t change the meaning of a single thing. All the years of accusation would be put to rest. (At least until the next generation of blind-hearted deceived unbelievers.)

 

Joshua is traditionally, thought by many scholors, believed to have authored his own book. There are, however, other possibilities. Considering that the book describes Joshua’s death at the end, and includes in the middle (specifically Joshua 15:13-19; cf. Judges 1:1, 9-15) an incident the occurred after Joshua’s death, we need to explore other options. There are references to “we” and “us” in Joshua 5:1 and 5:6 perhaps suggests an eyewitness to the events was the author of the book, such as a close companion or scribe- something to that effect. The book would thus date to either the 15th or 13th century BC, depending, again, upon exactly when the Exodus from Egypt occurred. Either someone close to Joshua wrote for him, thereby they would know the events of his death, or Joshua was co-authored, and someone else filled in the pieces after Joshua’s death. The only other possibility is that Joshua prophecied, or was shown, the events of his demise prior to their occurrence.

The following are widely debated or simply unknown:

Judges (c. 10th century BC)

Ruth (c. 10th century BC)

1-2 Samuel (8th-6th century BC)

1-2 Kings (6th-5th century BC)

1-2 Chronicles (400 BC would be the earliest possible date for composition)

Esther (5th century BC)

Job (c. 10th century BC at the earliest)

Lamentations traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah the prophet. There is, however, little in the book itself suggesting who the author might be, other than that he is obviously an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (c. 586 BC).

Psalms, the longest “book” of the Bible, is actually a compilation of many authors’ work. A conglomerate written by numerous people, the authorship of individual psalms, as attributed by their titles, breaks down as follows (of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title):

Moses – Psalm 90

Heman the Ezrahite – Psalm 88

Ethan the Ezrahite – Psalm 89

Solomon – Psalm 72, 127

David (73 times) – Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145

Asaph (12 times) – Psalms 50, 73-83

Sons of Korah (9 times) Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87

Author unknown – (49 times) the remainder

The Septuagint (an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from around 200 BC) gives some additional authorship identification, as follows:

Jeremiah – Psalm 137

Haggai and Zechariah – Psalms 146-147

Ezra – Psalm 119

Hezekiah (15 times) Psalms 120-134

Though the titles prefaced to the Psalms clearly date back before 200 BC (since they appear in the Septuagint, along with the extras that translation gives), how authoritative they are is subject to much debate.

The psalms, based on the authorship attributions, would then date between the 15th century (or 13th, depending on the time of the Exodus) and the 5th century, by which time the book probably took the form it currently has.

Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.

1:1-24:22 is attributed to Solomon (thus dating to the 900’s BC)

24:23-34 are attributed to “the wise”

25:1-29:27 are attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.

30:1-33 is attributed to Agur

31:1-31 is attributed to Lemuel

Ecclesiastes is attributed to Solomon by some. If that is the case, the book dates to the 900’s BC. Others would argue for an unknown author, and put the date of composition around 390 BC.

Ezra-Nehemiah. They are treated as a single book in the Talmud, Josephus, and the Canon of Melito (AD 171). They are also treated as a single book in the Masoretic Text (traditional Hebrew Bible).

The author of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah is unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person. The account in chapters 1-6 is compiled from records, including decrees (1:2-4; 6:3-12), genealogies and name lists (2), and letters (4:7-22; 5:6-17). There are two sections that have been preserved in Aramaic (4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26). Aramaic was the diplomatic language during this period. Sources for the section labeled “Nehemiah” in our text include what appear to be memoirs of Nehemiah, written in the first person: Nehemiah 1:1-7:73a; 11:1-2; 12:31-43: 13:4-31. The date of the final composition of the book is generally accepted as being sometime during the 4th century BC.

Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon, which would place its date of composition in the 900’s BC.

 

The following are attributed to the person from whom they are named:

Isaiah; it consists several oracles given by him over several years (740-690 BC). Its final form as we have it (assuming a single, unitary authorship to the book) would thus be sometime during the 7th century BC.

Jeremiah, who lived from about 627 to 580 BC.

Ezekiel, who was born around 622 BC. Based on internal dating, the book covers the time from about 593 through about 570 BC.

Daniel, and thus would have been written sometime between 605 BC and about 530 BC.

Hosea. His prophesies cover the period from 753-715 BC.

Joel. The date of the book is uncertain, with dates ranging from the early pre-exilic (800’s BC) to late post-exilic period (500-400 BC).

Amos. Dates between 767 and 753 BC.

Obadiah. Dates between 847 and 841 BC.

Jonah. Dates to the 700’s BC.

Micah. Dates between 740 and 695 BC.

Nahum. Two different dates are generally accepted as possibilities for Nahum’s ministry: 661-612 BC or 722-701 BC.

Habakkuk. Dates to sometime between 612 and 587 BC.

Zephaniah. Dates sometime during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC)

Haggai. It is possible to date his prophesies very exactly (since he gave us the precise day he uttered his prophesies):

1:1 August 29, 520 BC

1:15 September 21, 520 BC

2:19-20 December 18, 520 BC

Zechariah. Chapters 1-8 are attributed to Zechariah and can be dated precisely.

1:1 October, 520 BC

1:7 February 15, 519 BC

7:1 December 7, 518 BC

Chapters 9-14 were not written by Zechariah and cannot be easily dated. That they were not written by Zechariah is clear from both internal and external evidence. 9-11 were written by Jeremiah, according to Matthew 27:9-10, which quotes Zechariah 11:12-13 and attributes it to Jeremiah. The date would then be sometime between 627 and 580 BC. Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.

Malachi. Based on Mark 1:2-3, the book called “Malachi” was apparently actually written by Isaiah, since there the author of Mark quotes from “Malachi” but attributes it to Isaiah. The title “Malachi”, taken from 1:1 is simply the Hebrew phrase “my messenger”, and the word is so translated in 3:1. The date of the book would then be sometime between 740 and 690 BC.

 

 

The New Testament:

All four gospels were written by the person whose name they bear.

Matthew was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek as much of the rest of the New Testament. Also by Jewish tradition, the vowels were still excluded from Lord or God, and still today many orthodox Jews write those words as “L-rd” and “G-d”. This practiced was continued so as not to desecrate His name. Jesus died by 32 (possibly 33) A.D. By 50 A.D., Matthew had been translated at least three times, into three different languages.

Mark’s gospel was written and copied so much that it was often included in non-Christian collections, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. This all happened within 18 years.

Luke was the author of his gospel and the book of Acts. Since the book of Acts was written afterward, and since Acts was apparently written before Paul’s execution during the reign of Nero, the book of Luke is apparently relatively early, perhaps before AD 60. Luke does refer to his gospel account in the book of Acts.

John- Attributed to John, the apostle of Jesus. Probably composed between AD 85 and 90, though some scholars have suggested dates as early as AD 66 and as late as AD 110. John’s gospel, along with his 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd letters, as well as the book of Revelation (all attributed to him), are probably the only books of the Bible not written by 66 A.D.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon all written by Paul between 50 and 67 A.D.

Hebrews – Traditionally Paul has been given credit for the book, though there is little in the book to suggest that he is the author, since it was written anonymously. Written as early as AD 60, but certainly written before the destruction of Jerusalem AD 70.

James, Peter and Jude all wrote the books that contain their names.

 

Notice how many of these writing recount first-hand knowledge. These aren’t campfire legends that someone’s great-great-grandkids decided would be “neat” to have in writing. These were testimonies from the hands of the people who experienced it. So many overlooked facts could only have been recounted by those who were present. For example, in John 12:3 “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John was obviously present when this occurred, or how would he know the strength of the perfume’s fragrance?

 

Many historians hold to the belief that it was the Christians who first used books. They had many writings from different sources. Some, like the letters o John and Jude, are very short and would only contain a small page, not enough for an entire scroll. Christians bound the paper together on one side, using yarn or string or some kind of lacing. Thus was born the book.

 

Before 100 A.D., all churches shared the attitude to what was considered Scripture. There were four gospels. This is the earth number (see my post, Numbers in the Bible- What do they mean? ) There are four “corners” of the earth, four seasons, four winds (north, south, east, west), four faces on the creature in Ezekiel. It made sense that there should be four gospels.

 

In the terror of a book-made-movie, The DaVinci Code, the characters mention a meeting between church officials, who decided what the Bible would or wouldn’t say. That’s half true. The meetings that took place, there were actually several, were usually to discuss doctrinal interpretations. How do we define the gift of tongues? Baptism of water, or of Spirit, or both? Can we eat pork or has that law been eradicated? True, the discussion of books to be included was at first an important part of the dialogue. When it did come up, there were rules in place to determine that no false information was entered into Holy writings.

To be considered a part of the Bible, the writing had to be from either 1.) A direct disciple of Jesus, or 2.) A direct disciple of a direct disciple of Jesus. This way, the author would always be able to honestly say, “I saw it,” or “My teacher saw it.” No one would be able to say, “My neighbor’s cousin heard from a friend that Jesus could fly.” That wouldn’t be good enough. It HAD to be a 1^st hand experience, or learned from the one who had the 1^st hand experience. That is why so many other books were not included in the Bible. No conspiracy, just an issue of credibility.

 

The only books not accepted into the collection by 100 A.D. were Hebrew, 2^nd Peter, 2^nd & 3^rd John, and Jude. All but Hebrews because they were so little. The church leaders wondered, “Why would God say so little at once?” They were all ultimately accepted, despite their sizes, because God can deliver a message of any size He wants. Hebrews was accepted because they believed it to be from Paul.

 

There are 14 books called Apocrypha. These are books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. These are not in the Christian Bible, only in Catholic editions. None of these books were referenced or quoted by Jews, apostles, or any other early church leaders before their induction. They are considered by most to be extra-Biblical, and therefore not considered as Holy Scripture.

 

Jude and James are the only exceptions to the “1^st hand apostle” rule. James was a leader of the Jerusalem church. He is actually mentioned earlier, in Acts 15:13, which says, “After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me.’” And in verse 20, James even suggests to his fellow council that, instead of troubling Gentiles who turn Christian, they write to the Gentiles about the things of God to encourage them. Thus, he was familiar to both Paul and Barnabas, and had already been mentioned in other Scripture.

Jude, a form of the Hebrew name for Judah or Judas, was quite a common Jewish name. There are generally two possibilities considered as author of the short letter. They are 1.) Judas the apostle (not Judas Iscariot; See Luke 6:16). 2.) Judas, the brother of the Lord. (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) The latter is more likely. So, while Jude was not a disciple of Jesus Christ, he was probably his brother, born of Mary and Joseph.

 

By AD 500, the Bible was translated into over 500 languages. By 600, only 1 was allowed by the “official” Catholic church, and that was the Latin Bible. Anyone caught using any other translation, not ordained by the Roman Catholic church, was subject to death.

 

Needless to say, but there were many who did not follow the Catholic Church’s teaching, and so went their own ways. They continued to use other Bibles, but it remained that the Latin was by far the most common. It wasn’t until the 1500’s that the first official English Bible was translated. Whatever translation, whatever language, the Bible had remained in tact for centuries. Its text endured for at least 2,500 years. Sadly, there are many “newer religions” that have translated the Bible for their own purposes, agendas and doctrines. This is one thing I beg you to beware of. Do not take the words of Holy Scripture lightly, but instead meditate on their meaning and prayerfully endeavor to understand what the Lord is speaking to you.

Happy reading. Be blessed.

 

The Mission- What will you do?

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Now, wasn’t that worth Scrolling down here?

Politics. Stand for someting.

Politics. So many of us are just sick of it. Neither candidate has been telling the whole truth. Neither of them has a perfect voting record. Both of them love to sling mud. Its part of the job. One has to wonder, though, if being in the position of a presidential candidate requires such, let call it cruelty, and a heartlessness that you can publically attack another in front of millions, what else must that person have done to be in that position? Did they have to lie? Cheat? Break IRS tax codes and commit mass corporate deceptions? I’m sure that they did. You can’t get all the way to the top without stepping on a few toes.

 

He taxes too much. If you vote for him you’ll be homeless. If you vote for the other one, your children will starve. But if you vote for the first guy, they’ll lose all their education and become stupid rejects, begging for day-old scraps behind the ghetto bakery. But the other guy will take your job. And the other one will tax your new raise so you actually come home with $5 less every week. One of them will date your mom. The other will shut down her nursing home. One will have dinner with terrorists at Arby’s while the other just sends him a check at Christmas, even though they don’t celebrate Christmas.

 

Here’s what I’m saying: There are bigger issues than whose face is on the front page. Every day 6000 kids are killed by mid-term or later abortion. They refuse to allow Bibles in schools, so Christian parents teach home school, allowing their children to learn math and moral values at the same time. While the schools are taking a massive dump when it comes to value and ethics and crime and teaching self-worth, the state of California just outlawed Christians from their God-given right to teach their own kids. Now they have to send them to the cesspool of a school that will teach anti-creation science, thereby infringing on the rights of students to practice their own religion freely (but don’t worry, they won’t attack Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, pagans, wiccans, Scientologists, etc. Just the Christians.)

 

Let’s see, what else? Lets talk about gay marriage. I’m all for gays to have the right to choose their lifestyle- its their choice. (Just like my kids schooling used to be.) But I’m not for the whole gay-marriage thing. Sure, they can practice it, but that doesn’t really make it a marriage. I know, I know, they’ve redefined what “marriage” is, but it used to be a union before God between a man and a woman. Since most homosexuals don’t believe in or care for God, they can’t really have a union before Him that He will honor. But, what they hey, they ignored my right to practice my faith (only if it’s from the Christian Bible) by ignoring the 1^st amendment, why not ignore the other principals too.

 

So who is going to do what to help me out? Am I personally going to benefit from either party being elected? Maybe, but probably not. There aren’t a whole lot of things that are going to actually make a difference in the way I daily live my life. I could be wrong, but here’s how I look at it:

If one side is accused of overtaxing and the other of allowing abortions, I will sacrifice a couple bucks, even a couple hundred, per year to vote for the sanctity of life.

If one side is accused of sending jobs overseas and the other of limiting free speech, I’m probably going to have to go for free speech. There will always be a need for jobs on the US. They may not be the best, but we have too many people not to need a ton of jobs. We also have a lot of politicians going after free speech, even though the ones attacked are the churches and the right. Hmm.

If one side wants to build a thousand mile fence at the borders and the other wants to let gays marry, I will go for the fence. Those guys are great climbers and if they can get in through, over or under a military fence, then they deserve to stay. For those that can’t, they can still come here, but have to go through the legal process. Meanwhile, I stand up for what I believe regarding gay marriage. I’m not anti-gay, but I’m not pro-gay. I’m just ok-gay; they can do their thing, but I don’t want tax dollars going toward something I find immoral.

Bottom line, I can’t do anything about the politicians. But, then again, I will probably never have to answer to them. I will, however, have to answer to God. I will stand before Him and be able to say that I voted for the things and the principles that are on His side, His Law, and His eternal purpose. I will say that I stood up for hundreds of thousands of innocent children and supported their right to life. I will say that I voted against the activity that led to His destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, the activities that He calls an abomination. I will be able to say that I stood up for His Word, His teaching, for the right to exhibit by faith, to speak freely the gospel. I will say, “Jesus, I stood up for you.”

What do you stand for?

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 9- SELF-CONTROL

SELF-CONTROL

 

 

 

 

-Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

 

The last mentioned of the Fruit of the Spirit, self control is the one most people would probably prefer to leave out. It can often be the hardest to practice, and it encompasses all the preceding Fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps that is why it was mentioned last; to leave it afresh in your mind. We know that a lack of SELF-CONTROL has a detrimental effect on us, but it also affects our relationships; those we come into contact with.

 

~Proverbs 25:28- Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

 

Without self-control in our lives, we become vulnerable to all kinds of problems. Anything out of CONTROL in your life can harm others and cause damage in relationships. Including (but not limited to):

-Uncontrolled anger

-Uncontrolled lust

-Uncontrolled spending (The #1 cause for divorce is financial stress & money problems)

-Uncontrolled drinking

-Uncontrolled ambition (The workaholic who’s never at home with the family)

-Uncontrolled tongue

~How do we obtain self-control? Here are 9 key ways that will help in maintaining your self-control:

1) Master your moods– Keep you attitude in check, do what’s right even when you don’t feel like it; live by commitment, not by emotions

 

2) Watch your words–Put your mind in gear before you talk.

-Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

 

3) Restrain your reaction– How much can you take before you lose your cool?

-Proverbs 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

 

4) Stick to the plan– If you don’t determine how your time is spent, others will; Remember though, we are to follow God’s will & His plan 1^st. Have control enough to be in it.

-Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

 

5) Manage your money– learn to live on less than you make; invest the rest. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go, instead of wondering where it went.

-Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

 

6) Maintain your health– (to the best of your ability) Thus, you can accomplish more & enjoy your achievements.

-Psalm 38:3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

 

7) Avert your eyes– This one’s tough. You can’t control everything you see, but you can control how much you look at it

-Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (I’m pretty sure the same standard applies to ladies looking at men; sorry, you’re not off the hook)

 

8.) Don’t allow anger to bring sin– like it plainly says in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin” God let us know that we will get angry, but we must release the pressure before the top blows, no matter how we’ve been wronged.

-1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

 

9) Know when to “Cork the Bottle”– The Bible doesn’t specifically say that we can never drink, but it’s clear that we are not to get drunk.

-Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

 

~Now, where do you need self-control?

 Discipline today will help you determine success tomorrow. We must realize that we cannot accomplish this on our own, but we need Holy Help.

 

–2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 

The key to self-control, is giving up control to God. With Him in the driver’s seat, you’re sure to get where you need to be. The more our progression, the further He’ll take us.

 

–Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 

 There is tremendous potential to be used in positive ways that honor Christ. In reality, we are still subject to sin and death. Although we are not totally evil ourselves, we are still susceptible to weakness & fleshy desires. Our body can be used for good if the flesh is not in control.

 

-Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship..

 

~How can we be living sacrifices?

 

-Self-discipline isn’t in our nature. Spirit-Control, not self-control, makes the difference. The Holy Spirit can control the things I can’t. Ask God to help you, through the Holy Spirit, to help you do right in His eyes.

 

-Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

-Open the door to let the Holy Spirit fill you, and close the door of flesh to Satan by confessing sin & claiming Christ’s crucifixion.

 

-Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

-Renew your mind with God’s word

 

-Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

-Allow the Holy Spirit to help you master your emotions (with the fruit of the Spirit); Present yourself as an instrument of righteousness.

 

  -Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

 

  -Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, & strength.

 

 -Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

-The key to self-control is surrendering control. Surrender your control to God; allow Him to move in your life. Who better to run your life, than the One who made your life?

 

 

 

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Self-Control” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info lines, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 8- GENTLENESS

Gentleness

Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.

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Gentleness is described as: compassionate, delicate, sensitive, merciful.

Exhortations to be gentle-

~2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

~Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.

~James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.

~Acts 24:4 But‑‑not to be tedious‑‑I beg you, with your accustomed fairness, to listen to a brief statement of our case.

-Why do you think wisdom is 1^st pure, then peaceable, gentle,…(James 3:17)?

 

-Why might listening to the gospel be “tedious”?

 

–We are to be gentle toward unbelievers, not to force them into an uncomfortable obligation, not to be rude, or too forward, but with sensitivity of the Spirit, discern the need delicately, tactfully, and explain to them that Christ is the Answer.

~1 Thessalonians 2:6-8 …nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

~2 Corinthians 10:1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ‑‑I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!–

-Why is it important not to be self-seeking or a “glory-hound” in our evangelism?

-Why might Paul have been more timid in the presence of the Corinthians, and bold when away?

~Galations 6:1 Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

~1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

-We are also to be gentle toward other believers, as well; our brothers and sisters in Christ. As such we are called to greater peace. (Hebrews12:14 Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord; Romans 12: 18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.) If an issue arises, talk about it, carefully, and not too hastily. We are permitted to anger, but it should be “known not shown”. ( Eph 4:26 Be angry but do not sin;..) If the issue is regarding them, how might Jesus Himself talk to the person, knowing the importance of the problem better than we would? (In short, W.W.J.D.?) If we shout “Repent or DIE!!” or “Stop screwing up all the time!”, we will get a poor response more often than not.

 

~Ecclesiastes 10:4 If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

 

~1 Corinthians 4:20-21For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

 

-These verses show us that these are spiritual battles.

-What place should we not leave? (Eccl. 10:4)

-What power is there in the spirit of gentleness?

~James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

 

~Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

 

Gentleness of the Lord

~2 Samuel 22:36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

 

~Psalm 18:35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

 

~Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

 

-Is this verse literally talking about sheep? What does it mean by “carry them in his bosom”?

 

~Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

 

-What is an easy yolk to you?

 

-What can we learn from Christ about gentleness?

-How can gentleness give us rest?

-What can YOU be gentler with/ about?

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Gentleness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info lines, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 7- Faithfulness

 

Faithfulness

-Galatians 5: 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control; against such there is no law.

-Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

– What do you hope for?

 

-James 1: 5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

 

We see that the essential component of faith is trust. In order to have faith in God, you must first believe that He exists, and that He rewards you when you seek Him. (Heb. 11:6)

– Where do you think your faith would be if you trusted God completely in everything?

There are 3 main acts of faith in this passage from Luke 5:1-11:

      1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

 5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

   Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

-Luke 5: 1-7 -1^st act of faith in this passage- lowering the nets

-Luke 5: 8-10a -2^nd act of faith in this passage- bowing and confessing Jesus as Lord

-Luke 5: 10b-11 -3^rd act of faith in this passage- leaving everything to follow Him, at His Word.

That they would leave their entire lives, careers, families & possessions behind and follow this man would say that they completely dismissed any possibility of the great catch to be a coincidence. Jesus calls us, as He called the apostles then, to follow after Him, not just see a marvelous work and say, “Wow. That was neat.” He has called us into a lifestyle of keeping faith; we are called to faithfulness.

 

-2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

 

– What things have you had to leave behind in order to walk by faith?

 

-Exodus 15: 22-24 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

– When you face hardship, or painful experiences, how is your attitude toward God affected?

 

-Exodus 15: 25-26 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
      There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

 

– What does it cost you to be faithful to the people you love and care for?

 -When is it most important to be there for them?

 

– Joshua 1: 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea ^[a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

 6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

Moses is dead, and Joshua is now in charge of a wandering nation. Recall a task you took on that seemed to large to handle.

– How did you feel when you took that task on?

 

 

In verse 5, God promises Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you”.

– How can it be a comfort just to have someone by your side during challenging times?

 

-Romans 10:17- Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

 

So faith, then, comes from the word of Christ. Scriptural faith must be according to God’s Word. It is also a condition of the heart, not the mind; it is present, not future, and, if we look back to vs 10 of that chapter, “For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.” Thus, verbalizing our faith in Christ leads to justified salvation.

Even Jesus, faithful to the call of His mission, quoted scripture three times against Satan in the desert.

-Are you strengthened/ supported by scripture?

 

– 1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 

 

We know that one who is saved through faith is sanctified by the sacrifice of Christ’s blood, but what does it mean to “be sanctified”? “sanct-“ comes from the word saint, or holy one. “-ication” means ‘to make’. For example: purification= to make pure; clarification= to make clear; so sanctification means to make saintly, or more literally, to make holy. So, then, one of the outcomes of faith is holiness.

 

In verse 9 of Joshua 1 (above), God commands us to be strong and courageous.

– Why is this command necessary?

 

Simon could’ve said, ”You’re nuts! We won’t catch a thing.” Moses could’ve said, “A piece of wood? That can’t be right.” Joshua could’ve said, “This is too much. I can’t handle it.” They could have, but they didn’t. They were faithful to the call on their lives. In response, fish were caught, water was made pure, and a lost people were shown the way home. However, if they had said these things, they would have been right. Simon didn’t fill the nets, the Lord did. The wood didn’t purify the water, the Lord did. Joshua didn’t deliver the nation, the Lord did. And all that the Lord required was an act of faith.

 

– Habakkuk 2:4- … but the righteous will live by his faith

 

– Romans 14:23- But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

 

– 1 Corinthians 16:13- Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

– What are some of the resources Christ has given you to live faithfully?

-What does Christ expect of you?

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Goodness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 6- GOODNESS

Goodness

Discussion-

– Do you consider yourself to be a pretty good person?

 

-Proverbs 14:14 A perverse man will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man with the fruit of his deeds.

-What do you think you would be like if God withdrew goodness from you entirely?

 

 

-Psalm 107 can be divided into 5 illustrations of God’s goodness- verses 4-9, 10-16, 17-22, 23-32 & 33-43

 

 

Psalms 107

 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—
       those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

 3 those he gathered from the lands,
       from east and west, from north and south.

 

-How do verses 1-3 intro the theme of this Psalm?

 

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Psalms 107

 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
       finding no way to a city where they could settle.

 5 They were hungry and thirsty,
       and their lives ebbed away.

 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he delivered them from their distress.

 7 He led them by a straight way
       to a city where they could settle.

 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men,

 9 for he satisfies the thirsty
       and fills the hungry with good things.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

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Psalms 107

 10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
       prisoners suffering in iron chains,

 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God
       and despised the counsel of the Most High.

 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
       they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he saved them from their distress.

 14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
       and broke away their chains.

 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men,

 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
       and cuts through bars of iron.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

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Psalms 107

 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
       and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

 18 They loathed all food
       and drew near the gates of death.

 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he saved them from their distress.

 20 He sent forth his word and healed them;
       he rescued them from the grave.

 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men.

 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
       and tell of his works with songs of joy.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

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Psalms 107

 23 Others went out on the sea in ships;
       they were merchants on the mighty waters.

 24 They saw the works of the LORD,
       his wonderful deeds in the deep.

 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
       that lifted high the waves.

 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
       in their peril their courage melted away.

 27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
       they were at their wits’ end.

 28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he brought them out of their distress.

 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
       the waves of the sea were hushed.

 30 They were glad when it grew calm,
       and he guided them to their desired haven.

 31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men.

 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
       and praise him in the council of the elders.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

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Psalms 107

 33 He turned rivers into a desert,
       flowing springs into thirsty ground,

 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
       because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

 35 He turned the desert into pools of water
       and the parched ground into flowing springs;

 36 there he brought the hungry to live,
       and they founded a city where they could settle.

 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
       that yielded a fruitful harvest;

 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
       and he did not let their herds diminish.

 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
       by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

 40 he who pours contempt on nobles
       made them wander in a trackless waste.

 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
       and increased their families like flocks.

 42 The upright see and rejoice,
       but all the wicked shut their mouths.

 43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
       and consider the great love of the LORD.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

 

-What do these illustrations have in common?

-What needs do the people have in each of these sections?

vv. 4-9

10-16

17-22

23-32

33-43

-What needs do you most relate to?

 

-In each situation, the people call to God for help. Is this your first reaction to distress? If not, what is?

 

-Repeatedly, the psalmist tells us to thank the Lord. Why do we need this reminder?

 

-What are some ways we should give thanks to God for His goodness and love? (vs. 21-22 & 31-32)

 

-Verse 43 says to “heed these things”. What things are we to heed?

 

-How does seeing God answer people’s cries for help make the fruit of goodness more real to you?

 

-In what ways can we imitate the goodness of God displayed in this psalm?

 

Mark 10:17-18 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18″Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

 

-If no one is good but God, how can we be called to be good?

 

 

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Micah 6: 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
       To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:15-20 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 

–Personal reflection– What kind of fruit are you bearing? What kind of seeds have you sown?

 

Luke 6:27-36 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32″If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 

 

Here we have a lesson in how to be of good character. What are some of the more difficult commands from this passage to follow?

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Goodness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 5- KINDNESS

Kindness

 

Galatians 5:22-23- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control. Against such things there is no law.

      

Kindness is the language that the mute can speak and the deaf understand. Kindness lives in open hearts and opens hearts to live. It’s a message we can all comprehend; the message is timeless.

 

-1 Cor. 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

-Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers

-Titus 3:3-6 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

 

-What is kindness? How would you define it?

 

 

 

-Why is it a kindness to “let a righteous man strike me”?

 

 

-Proverbs 12:25 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

-Proverbs 11:16-17 A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. 17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

-How does it benefit us to be kind?

-Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

-Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

This serves as a reminder that God is the Maker of all, including the needy, poor and oppressed.

-Ruth 2:19-20 (after Ruth had worked serving a kind Boaz) 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. 20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

 

-Is Ruth & Naomi’s response typical? Should it be?

 

 

-How might the Lord bless/reward us for obeying this command?

 

 

-Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

-Titus 2:1-5 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

-Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

 

– What are some things we need to correct about ourselves to be kind?

 

 

-Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

-1Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

-Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

 

-How can we boast in the Lord’s kindness?

 

 

-Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

-Acts 14:17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

-Genesis 39:20-21 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

 

-These are some specifics of God’s kind nature- What are some today?

 

 

-Isaiah54:8 (re: the future glory of Zion) In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

-Genesis 32:9-10 (note that God’s kindness isn’t failing, it is everlasting, even though we’ll never deserve it) Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.

-Ephesians 2:6-9 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

-Notice the similarities between 2 Samuel 22:50-51 & Psalm 18:49-50. Words worth repeating.

-2 Samuel 22:50-51 Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 51 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

-Psalm 18:49-50 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. 50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

 

-Psalm 106:7-8 When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.

 

Though the kindness of God was forgotten/ ignored, He showed another kindness, by sparing them again and again in the desert place. When we are without kindness, we can be in a spiritual “desert place”, a dry place of emptiness.

 

– What is the difference between kindness and brotherly love?

 

 

 

– What are the similarities between kindness and brotherly love?

 

 

 

– What is the difference between kindness and mercy?

 

 

 

– What are the similarities between kindness and mercy?

 

 

 

-How can/ will YOU practice kindness?

 

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Kindness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 4- Patience

…Patience…

 

*Job 6:11 What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?

*Proverbs 14:29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

*Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

Are you patient? Here’s one way of knowing: I believe it was Pastor John Hagee who said this of patience: “Do you find yourself in front of the microwave oven screaming, ‘Hurry up!’?”

 

*Romans 8: 24-25 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 

-What things are we patient for?

 

-How can being patient seem different depending on the situation? For Ex: Lets say you had to wait a week sitting alone in a jail cell.  Seems like a LONG time. You also have a week before school starts after a great summer. Doesn’t seem like long enough. So how can patience be compared to the situations?

 

*Proverbs 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

*Proverbs 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

*Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

 

-What does that mean to you, when he says, “a gentle tongue can break a bone”?

 

*Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

*Psalm 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

*Habakkuk 3:16 heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

*Romans 12:10-12 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

 

-Contrast the difference between momentary and long-term patience. i.e.: waiting for popcorn vs. waiting for the right spouse.

 

*Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

*Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

* 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

* 2Timothy 4: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

 

-Who should we be patient with? Why do we need patience in preaching the Word?

 

 

*Romans 9:22-25 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
   “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

 

-Answer the questions asked in the verses in your own words.

 

 

* 1Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

* 2Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

* 2Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

 

– What is the ultimate source of patience?

 

 

* 2Timothy 3:10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,

*Hebrews 6: 12-15  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 13When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

*James 5:7-11 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 

-Why is it important to have patience during times of suffering?

 

*Revelation 3:10 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

*Revelation 14:11-12 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

 

-What promises might we inherit with patience? What will we avoid with patience?

-What will YOU practice patience with?

“Fruit of the Spirit- Patience” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Mark of the Beast- Part 2- RFID Chip

Before you read this: Did you read Part 1? See that article at: Mark of the Beast- Part 1- Barcode 666

Also, since writing this page, I have written a brief explanation on the connection and plans to initiate the chips into people in the article  Government to Chip People with 666 Code

Wht is the RFID chip? Its a tiny microchip, the size of a grain of rice (and getting smaller). They cast less than 50¢ apiece, as low as 30¢, depending on who’s reporting. Many stores are already requiring them in product’s shipments. Why is that a big deal? Sounds useful, right? It may be useful for tracking shipments, but there are other applications. This chip is being implanted in pets, snd in some people. There are thousands of imprisoned felons who are tracked with this method. Soon, all people will be required to have one. Without it, you cannot buy or sell, open an account, etc. All aspects of life may soon be controlled by your chip, which will be assigned YOUR own number, based on barcode technology. If you are unfamiliar, please read “Mark of the Beast- Part 1” first, then this. Following is an article by Scott Granneman, about the basic fundamentals surrounding the use and implications of the RFID chip.

From RFID Chips Are Here by Scott Granneman, 2003-06-26, http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/169

RFID 101

Invented in 1969 and patented in 1973, but only now becoming commercially and technologically viable, RFID tags are essentially microchips, the tinier the better. Some are only 1/3 of a millimeter across. These chips act as transponders (transmitters/responders), always listening for a radio signal sent by transceivers, or RFID readers. When a transponder receives a certain radio query, it responds by transmitting its unique ID code, perhaps a 128-bit number, back to the transceiver. Most RFID tags don’t have batteries (How could they? They’re 1/3 of a millimeter!). Instead, they are powered by the radio signal that wakes them up and requests an answer.

Most of these “broadcasts” are designed to be read between a few inches and several feet away, depending on the size of the antenna and the power driving the RFID tags (some are in fact powered by batteries, but due to the increased size and cost, they are not as common as the passive, non-battery-powered models). However, it is possible to increase that distance if you build a more sensitive RFID receiver.

RFID chips cost up to 50 cents, but prices are dropping. Once they get to 5 cents each, it will be cost-efficient to put RFID tags in almost anything that costs more than a dollar.

Share your comments below!

Who’s using RFID?

RFID is already in use all around us. Ever chipped your pet dog or cat with an ID tag? Or used an EZPass through a toll booth? Or paid for gas using ExxonMobil’s SpeedPass? Then you’ve used RFID.

Some uses, especially those related to security, seem like a great idea. For instance, Delta is testing RFID on some flights, tagging 40,000 customer bags in order to reduce baggage loss and make it easier to route bags if customers change their flight plans.

Three seaport operators – who account for 70% of the world’s port operations – agreed to deploy RFID tags to track the 17,000 containers that arrive each day at US ports. Currently, less than 2% are inspected. RFID tags will be used to track the containers and the employees handling them.

The United States Department of Defense is moving into RFID in order to trace military supply shipments. During the first Gulf War, the DOD made mistakes in its supply allocation. To streamline operations, the U.S. military has placed RFID tags on 270,000 cargo containers and tracks those shipments throughout 40 countries.

On a smaller level, but one that will instantly resonate with security pros, Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia placed RFID tags in 80,000 employee uniforms in order to put a stop to theft. The same idea would work well in corporate PCs, networking equipment, and handhelds.

In all of these cases, RFID use seems reasonable. It is non-intrusive, and it seems to balance security and privacy. Other uses for RFID, however, may be troublesome.

Visa is combining smart cards and RFID chips so people can conduct transactions without having to use cash or coins. These smart cards can also be incorporated into cell phones and other devices. Thus, you could pay for parking, buy a newspaper, or grab a soda from a vending machine without opening your wallet. This is wonderfully convenient, but the specter of targeted personal ads popping up as I walk through the mall, a la Minority Report, does not thrill me.

Michelin, which manufactures 800,000 tires a day, is going to insert RFID tags into its tires. The tag will store a unique number for each tire, a number that will be associated with the car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Good for Michelin, and car manufacturers, and fighting crime. Potentially bad for you. Who will assure your privacy? Do you really want your car’s tires broadcasting your every move?

Share your comments below!

The European Central Bank may embed RFID chips in the euro note. Ostensibly to combat counterfeiters and money-launderers, it would also enable banks to count large amounts of cash in seconds. Unfortunately, such a move would also makes it possible for governments to track the passage of cash from individual to individual. Cash is the last truly anonymous way to buy and sell. With RFID tags, that anonymity would be gone. In addition, banks would not be the only ones who could in an instant divine how much cash you were carrying; criminals can also obtain power transceivers.

Several major manufacturers and retailers expect RFID tags to aid in managing the supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping to stocking store shelves, including Gillette (which purchased 500 million RFID tags for its razors), Home Depot, The Gap, Proctor & Gamble, Prada, Target, Tesco (a United Kingdom chain), and Wal-Mart. Especially Wal-Mart.

The retail giant, the largest employer in America, is working with Gillette to create “smart shelves” that can alert managers and stockboys to replenish the supply of razors. More significantly, Wal-Mart intends for its top 100 suppliers to fully support RFID for inventory tracking by 2005. Wal-Mart would love to be able to point an RFID reader at any of the 1 billion sealed boxes of widgets it receives every year and instantly know exactly how many widgets it has. No unpacking, no unnecessary handling, no barcode scanners required.

RFID Issues

Right now, you can buy a hammer, a pair of jeans, or a razor blade with anonymity. With RFID tags, that may be a thing of the past. Some manufacturers are planning to tag just the packaging, but others will also tag their products. There is no law requiring a label indicating that an RFID chip is in a product. Once you buy your RFID-tagged jeans at The Gap with RFID-tagged money, walk out of the store wearing RFID-tagged shoes, and get into your car with its RFID-tagged tires, you could be tracked anywhere you travel. Bar codes are usually scanned at the store, but not after purchase. But RFID transponders are, in many cases, forever part of the product, and designed to respond when they receive a signal. Imagine everything you own is “numbered, identified, catalogued, and tracked.” Anonymity and privacy? Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication, betrayed by your very property.

But let’s not stop there. Others are talking about placing RFID tags into all sensitive or important documents: “it will be practical to put them not only in paper money, but in drivers’ licenses, passports, stock certificates, manuscripts, university diplomas, medical degrees and licenses, birth certificates, and any other sort of document you can think of where authenticity is paramount.” In other words, those documents you’re required to have, that you can’t live without, will be forever tagged.

Consider the human body as well. Applied Digital Solutions has designed an RFID tag – called the VeriChip – for people. Only 11 mm long, it is designed to go under the skin, where it can be read from four feet away. They sell it as a great way to keep track of children, Alzheimer’s patients in danger of wandering, and anyone else with a medical disability, but it gives me the creeps. The possibilities are scary. In May, delegates to the Chinese Communist Party Congress were required to wear an RFID-equipped badge at all times so their movements could be tracked and recorded. Is there any doubt that, in a few years, those badges will be replaced by VeriChip-like devices?

Surveillance is getting easier, cheaper, smaller, and ubiquitous. Sure, it’s possible to destroy an RFID tag. You can crush it, puncture it, or microwave it (but be careful of fires!). You can’t drown it, however, and you can’t demagnetize it. And washing RFID-tagged clothes won’t remove the chips, since they’re specifically designed to withstand years of wearing, washing, and drying. You could remove the chip from your jeans, but you’d have to find it first.

That’s why Congress should require that consumers be notified about products with embedded RFID tags. We should know when we’re being tagged. We should also be able to disable the chips in our own property. If it’s the property of the company we work for, that’s a different matter. But if it’s ours, we should be able to control whether tracking is enabled.

Share your comments below!

Security professionals need to realize that RFID tags are dumb devices. They listen, and they respond. Currently, they don’t care who sends the signal. Anything your companies’ transceiver can detect, the bad guy’s transceiver can detect. So don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.

With RFID about to arrive in full force, don’t be lulled at all. Major changes are coming, and not all of them will be positive. The law of unintended consequences is about to encounter surveillance devices smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

 

 

The size of a grain of rice, these take only a couple minutes to implant. Its just like getting a regular shot, except they leave this chip in for life.

Share your comments below!

Please visit:

http://www.oilempire.us/rfid.html & http://www.spychips.com/

 In short, Each RFID Chip is associated with a barcode number. That would be YOUR barcode, if you were to get a chip. Barcodes are broken into sets. Between these sets is a “101” code, at the beginning and at the end are also “101” codes. These are the lines that stick out a little further at the bottom of the barcode. There are 2 sets of numbers, 0-9, called “Left Side (Odd Parity) Codes” and “Right Side (Even Parity) Codes”. Out of these 20 codes, only the “Right Side” 6 has this 101 combo. Therefore, those three sets of lines that stick out on a barcode can be read as 666.

The RFID chip, using a barcode, will allow you to buy, sell, get into the places you want, be monitored by whomever, control your car, computer, etc.  Now read this, from the book of Revelation:

 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. –Revelation 13:14-18; 14:11

 

Share your comments below!

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 3- PEACE

Peace

 

-Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control; against such there is no law.

 

-Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

 

Peace is not only a fruit of the Spirit, but an important part of the armor of God.

–What’s up with God and all this talk of peace; why not just let us fight it out?

 

-Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

 

-Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

-John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

 

Peace I leave with you; as my parting gift. The allusion is to the Hebrew form of benediction, which is, “Peace be with you.” My peace; that which resembles his own, and which he alone can give: “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”

 

 -John 16:33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.

 

–Did Jesus leave in a peaceful way, or a violent way?

–Why did He experience such pain, while giving us complete peace; don’t we deserve even a  little punishment for our sin? 

 

-Psalm 85:10-11 Mercy and faith have come together; righteousness and peace have given one another a kiss. Faith comes up from the earth like a plant; righteousness is looking down from heaven.

 

 -Ecclesiastes 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity

 

-What things will accompany peace? Or… What things will peace accompany?

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

-Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as rests with you, live peaceably with every one.

 

-2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers  rejoice. Be perfected, be comforted, be of the same mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

-1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the assemblies of the saints…

 

-Who is the job of spreading peace left to?

 

-Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

 

-Phil. 4:6-7 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

 

-Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

 

 My holy mountain; mount Zion, which here represents the kingdom of Christ.

 The gospel has power to subdue the fiercest hearts, and tame the most savage.  When all nations submit themselves to the power of God’s peace, violence will cease, and humanity will live together in harmony and blessedness.

-In what ways do you think the peace of Christ will work its way into humanity?

 

– Ephesians 2:14-16 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

 15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

 

– 1 Thess. 5:12-14 But we beg you, brothers to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13 and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.  14 We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all.

 

-What good is our example of Christ’s peace if we ourselves are not living in peace?

 

-How can we conduct ourselves better to show the world that the peace of Christ is in us?

 

 

 

  *VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS

“Fruit of the Spirit- Peace” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

 

Mark of the Beast- Part 1- Barcode 666

 

 *note: Be sure to check out Part 2 at https://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/mark-of-the-beast-part-2-rfid-chip/ . The barcode theory is only a piece of the puzzle. In part two, I show you how it is going to be, and already starting to be, put into practice. Also, since writing this page, I have written a brief explanation on the connection and plans to initiate the chips into people in the article  Government to Chip People with 666 Code  One more thing- comment on this for me. I like to know what people think about it. Thanks!

666-  Its Here- The Mark. Read this and watch the video and tell me if you don’t agree. (If the videos become disabled by Youtube, please leave a comment, so I can replace them. Thanks.) With this mark and this code, we won’t be able to buy or sell, we will be monitored by our government, and it will only get worse. This page is about barcodes and the hidden 666 in them. I will post a “Mark of the Beast-Part 2” about the RFID chip and how it is using barcodes. As you read this keep in mind the verses, written 2000 years ago, which state that the number of the beast (or Antichrist) is “man’s number” and is the “number of his name”, or 666. The article below refers to computers not reading the numer as we do, but to man, it is 666. Also, notice the barcode’s creator’s comment, about his own name. One more thing, we cannot buy or sell without the mark, but it will have to be in the right hand or the forehead. That’s where most are getting the chip. More on that in Part 2. So here are a few verses, then my article.  Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.  And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. –Revelation 13:14-18; 14:11   A single barcode number is actually seven units. A unit is either black or white. A unit that is black would display as a “bar”. A unit that is white would display as a “space”. Another way of writing a barcode unit is “1” for a single unit “black bar” and “0” for a single unit “white space”. For instance, the number “1” is composed of the seven units, “0011001” or “space-space-bar-bar-space-space-bar”. Remember, a single barcode number requires seven units. Also, on a UPC barcode the same numbers on the left-hand side (the Manufacturer Code) is coded different than the numbers on the right-hand side (Product Code). The left side numbers are actually the “inverted” or “mirrored” codes of the right side numbers, for instance what is a “bar” on the right-side, is a “space” on the left-side. The right-side codes are called “even parity” codes because there is an even number of “black bar” units. For instance the right-side “6” is “101000” – 2 even-numbered “black bar” units. The left-side is called “odd-parity” because there is an odd number of “black bar” units. For instance, the left-side “6” is “0101111” – 5 odd-numbered “black bar” units. Having different coded numbers for each side allows the barcode to be scanned in either direction. The following tables are the left and right side codes matching the corresponding numbers, separated into the seven single units Notice, a few things about the codes: As previously mentioned, the left and right numbers are “inverted” or “mirrored”. Every barcode number is equal to “four” different marks. A “mark” can be either “black” (bar) or “white” (space). The “marks” vary in width, but there is always four different marks, 2 “bar marks” and 2 “space marks”. For instance, the left code number “one” is “3 spaces (mark 1), 2 bars (mark 2), 1 space (mark 3), 1 bar (mark 4)”. The left side codes always begins with a “space” or “0” and ends with a “bar” or “1”. The right is just the opposite, it begins with a “bar” or “1” and ends with a “space” or “0”. Share your comments below!   Note: The computer does not read the numbers underneath the barcode. These Human Readable (HR) numbers are printed so a “human” can easily read the barcode, if necessary. Share your comments below!   Is the number 666 “hidden” in the UPC barcode? One of the most popular and shocking accusations concerning the number “666” is that the number “666” is quietly “hidden” in every UPC barcode. Mary Stewart Relfe’s book, “The New Money System 666”, published in 1982, is the “pioneer” of the “666 in the UPC barcode” teaching. Relfe’s book contains over 50 pages of excellant doumentation on the UPC barcodes. Relfe’s discovery is repeated in many publications touching the mark of the beast, within the last fifteen years. Including tracts published by this author. Here’s a few samples: Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order, 1996: “. . . the entire system [UPC barcode] is very deceptively designed around the infamous numerical configuration, Biblically known as 666, the mark of the Antichrist or devil (Revelation 13:16-18). . .” (Terry Cook, The Mark of the New World Order, 1996, p. 376) Bob Fraley, The Last Days in America, 1984: “The interpretation of the Universal Product Code marks is most revealing in that the three numbers ‘666’ are the key working numbers for every designed Universal Product Code. Every group of Universal Product Code marks has in it three unidentified numbers. All three of these numbers are 6, making the use of the numbers ‘666’ the key to using this identifying marking system. . . There is no deviation. Every Universal Product Code has three unidentified marks whose number equivalent ‘6’ encoding it with the code number ‘666’. ” (Bob Fraley, The Last Days in America, 1984, p. 225, 228 )   Here’s how to “discover” the “hidden 666 in the UPC barcode”.   Notice the three “guard bars” (colored RED) at the beginning, middle and end. Now, notice the same bar pattern (“bar-space-bar” or “101”) for the number 6 (colored BLUE). By “looking” at the above barcode, the number “666” clearly, appears to be there. . . But is it? Share your comments below! Is the number 666 TRUTHFULLY “hidden” in the UPC barcode? Technically, no it is not. Here’s the “technical” truth. . . The number 6 and the three guard bars are NOT the same. They do “appear” to be identical, but they are different. GUARD BARS AND THE NUMBER 6 Notice. The beginning and ending guard bars are “bar-space-bar” or “101” (the B in the above table). The middle guard bar is “space-bar-space-bar-space” or “01010” (the M in the above table). The number six is “1010000” (the 6 in the above table). Remember, technically a barcode number consists of seven units. The beginning and ending guard bars are only three units, and middle guard bar is only five units. So, technically, from a computer’s perspective the number “666” is NOT in the UPC barcode. Share your comments below!   But. . . Look again. . . All three guard bars contain the pattern “bar-space-bar” or “101”. There is only ONE number, in TWENTY numbers (remember right and left numbers have different patterns) that contains the “101” pattern and that number is the right code SIX. Not the number one, or two, or three, etc. — but ONLY the right code SIX. I do seem to remember something about a mark on the RIGHT hand (Rev. 13:16). Technically, from a computer’s perspective the number “666” is NOT in the UPC barcode. . . but from a human’s perspective — YES, the “appearance” of 666 is there! What does the inventor of the UPC barcode say about the number “666” in the UPC barcode? The inventor of the UPC barcode is George J. Laurer. In 1971, while Mr. Laurer was an employee with IBM, he was assigned the task “to design the best code and symbol suitable for the grocery industry”. In 1973, Mr. Laurer’s UPC barcode entered the world, and the rest is history. On Mr. Laurer’s web site, he has a “Questions” page, where he answers various questions about the UPC barcode. On the “Questions” page, Mr. Laurer answers the “666” question, as follows: Question 8 – Rumor has it that the lines (left, middle, and right) that protrude below the U.P.C. code are the numbers 6,6,6… and that this is the international money code. I typed a code with all sixes and this seems to be true. At least they all resemble sixes. What’s up with that? Answer- Yes, they do RESEMBLE the code for a six. An even parity 6 is: 1 module wide black bar 1 module wide white space 1 module wide black bar 4 module wide white space There is nothing sinister about this nor does it have anything to do with the Bible’s “mark of the beast” (The New Testament, The Revelation, Chapter 13, paragraph 18). It is simply a coincidence like the fact that my first, middle, and last name all have 6 letters. There is no connection with an international money code either. (From website) Even, Mr. Laurer, the inventor of the UPC barcode admits, “Yes, they do RESEMBLE the code for a six.” In fact, as we’ve documented — SIX is the ONLY number they could RESEMBLE. Share your comments below!   How does a computer-scanner reads a barcode?

Summary: Barcodes are broken into sets. Between these sets is a “101” code, at the beginning and at the end are also “101” codes. These are the lines that stick out a little further at the bottom of most barcodes. There are 2 sets of numbers, 0-9, called “Left Side (Odd Parity) Codes” and “Right Side (Even Parity) Codes”. Out of these 20 codes, only the “Right Side” 6 has this 101 combo. Therefore, those three sets of lines that stick out on a barcode can be read as 666.

 

The barcode fits the revelation warning in this:

It is man’s number (computers cant read it as 666)

The number is found in the code’s creator’s name

You cannot buy or sell without a code. (getting more and more true, but a few places still sell without them)

It is the “Right Side Parity”, or right hand, although I believe it WILL be ordered to put them into our own hands.

There is quite a bit more, perhaps you’ve picked up some things on your own. More will be uncovered in Part 2, at https://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/mark-of-the-beast-part-2-rfid-chip/!!!  Share your comments below!

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 2- JOY

Joy

*Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

*Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

 

-Joy is defined as “A very glad Feeling; happiness; delight”

 

*Joel 1:12 “The vine is dried up
       and the fig tree is withered;
       the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—
       all the trees of the field—are dried up.
       Surely the joy of mankind
       is withered away..”

*Matthew 13:20-21 “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

*Lamentations 5:15-16 “Joy is gone from our hearts;
       our dancing has turned to mourning.

 16 The crown has fallen from our head.
       Woe to us, for we have sinned!”

 

–What are some of the ways we can acquire an absence of joy?

 

*Nehemiah 8:10 “…This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

*Psalm 116:3-5 “The cords of death entangle me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

–What happens to our trouble when we call on the Lord?

 

*Psalm 6:6-9 “I am worn out from groaning;
       all night long I flood my bed with weeping
       and drench my couch with tears.

 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
       they fail because of all my foes.

 8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
       for the LORD has heard my weeping.

 9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
       the LORD accepts my prayer.”

 

 

-What are some effects that lack of joy has on us?

 

*Isaiah 60:20 “Your sun will never set again,
       and your moon will wane no more;
       the LORD will be your everlasting light,
       and your days of sorrow will end.”

 

 

*Jeremiah 31:12 “They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
       they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—
       the grain, the new wine and the oil,
       the young of the flocks and herds.
       They will be like a well-watered garden,
       and they will sorrow no more.”

-What happens when we give the Lord control, and He takes over?

 

 

*2 Corinthians 7:7-10 “and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

 8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

 

–When does God want us to have sorrow?

 

-What is the difference between godly and worldly sorrow?

 

 

*Luke 10:21 “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.’”

*John 3:29 “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”

*3 John 3-4 “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

*Acts 14:17 “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

-Where does joy come from?

 

*1 Thessalonians 1:6 “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

*1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

*John 15:9-11 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

-How do we acquire this joy from the Lord?

 

 

*Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud
       and there are no grapes on the vines,
       though the olive crop fails
       and the fields produce no food,
       though there are no sheep in the pen
       and no cattle in the stalls,

    18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
       I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

–Can we have joy in the midst of our drama?

 

 

*Luke 1:14 “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth”

*Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”

–How should we react to joy/ What do we do with it?

 

-What do you have joy in?

 

-Testimony time!!! Tell of a sorrowful, sad or depressing time that was washed away by the joy of the Lord.

“Fruit of the Spirit- Joy” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

 

 

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 1- LOVE

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Read:

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

-1 John 4:11

-1 John 3:18

-What are some examples of how we can love one another with action and in truth?

 

Read:

-1 John 4:16-19

-Do we deserve God’s love?

-Why do think He still loves us?

 

Read:

-John 3:16

-Psalm 145:20

God loves us. We love God. God loves others. We love others. All is well in this big circle of love.

-What does it mean to have God watch over us?

 

Read:

-Mark 12 :28-34

-Deuteronomy 6:5-6

–Why do you think this commandment is greater than “Thou shalt not steal” or “…kill”

 

-How can this verse (Mk.12:31) relate to 1 Peter 4:8 (Love covers a multitude of sins)?

 

–Let us compare for discussion-

   -How is physical love (from “sex” to “significant others” love) different from spiritual love (brotherly/sisterly; as Christ loved; as God loved)?

-How can we obtain stronger ability to love others as Christ loves?

 

Read:

-Luke 23:32-43

 (After reading) His love was patient, kind, not envious, boastful, or proud. He was not rude and certainly not self-seeking; nor was He angered and He kept no record of wrongs; He, in fact, erased them. Christ did not delight in evil, yet He rejoiced in truth. He protects us; He’s trustworthy, He is our hope and He perseveres. Jesus Christ never fails.

 

-1 Cor. 13:13 Says, “These three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

-Why is love greater than hope or faith?

 

Read:

-1 Thess. 4:9

-Jn 13:35

-1 Jn 2:10

-1 Jn 4:7-8

 

–The Lord brings us together, makes us into a family, teaching us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are His Church. Yet, we are all different in countless ways. We are rich, poor, man, woman, some are leaders, some are followers, each according to the talents and guidance given to us by God through the Holy Spirit, as well as the needs of the community. In many ways, we are more different than alike, l yet God’s love knows no boundaries. We are family.

At times, we can get caught up with others’ doings and feelings. The only way to love one another wholly is to keep our eyes focused on the One who loves all, unconditionally; regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, history, physical condition, offences, opinions, attitudes, wrongs,…etc. God loves. God is love. To love like God is to be more like Christ.

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Love” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

 

 

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Secret Agendas- Articles that read ‘between the lines’

Source: http://www.infowars.com/?p=4771

 

Army Awards Contract for “High Speed Portable Portal Iris Capture Solution”

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

September 23, 2008

Sarnoff Corporation today announced it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop and demonstrate a high speed biometric capture technology solution for iris-based identification. The system will be designed to be ruggedized for field use and quickly deployable.

The new iris recognition system will leverage Sarnoff’s patent-pending Iris on the Move(R) (IOM) technology for fast and reliable identification. IOM is a proven biometric identification system that quickly captures the iris image of a person in motion. The technology is ideally suited for force protection, civil-military operations, and combat situations.

Other iris scanning technologies require users to stop, line up their eye properly, and stare directly into a scanner for a period of time. IOM technology verifies identities at speeds of up to thirty people per minute, allowing subjects to walk through the system at a standard pace, without stopping. In addition, Sarnoff’s design will automatically adjust for subjects’ height without slowing throughput.

“Current biometric ID systems take too long to identify people in high traffic areas and cause long lines to form at checkpoints,” said Dr. Don Newsome, President and CEO of Sarnoff Corporation. “This is inconvenient and poses a security risk. The IOM technology makes it easy to set up iris scanning checkpoints that are as reliable as other biometric-based options but quick enough to keep lines moving rapidly.”

The IOM system delivers accurate identification regardless of whether the subject is wearing prescription glasses, most sunglasses, or contact lenses. In addition, IOM technology can capture iris images from farther distances than any other commercial iris scanning technology.

Sarnoff has delivered IOM technology to several secure government facilities and private corporations. The technology can be used for a broader range of applications including banking ID verification, border crossing initiatives, event security, payment systems, and employee access.

Video clip example of iris scan in ‘Minority Reeport’. Gov’t embedded idea into movies to “get people ready”.

Article URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6607757.stm

   

 

 

US and EU agree ‘single market’

The United States and the European Union have signed up to a new transatlantic economic partnership at a summit in Washington.

The pact is designed to boost trade and investment by harmonizing regulatory standards, laying the basis for a US-EU single market.

The two sides also signed an Open Skies deal, designed to reduce fares and boost traffic on transatlantic flights.

But little of substance was agreed on climate change.

However, EU leaders were pleased that the US acknowledged human activity was a major cause.

Richest regions

Economics rather than the environment or politics was the focus of the summit, says the BBC’s Europe correspondent, Jonny Dymond, from Washington.

The two sides agreed to set up an “economic council” to push ahead with regulatory convergence in nearly 40 areas, including intellectual property, financial services, business takeovers and the motor industry.

            Without the US there can’t be any success in coping with a globalised world

European diplomat

 

The aim is to increase trade and lower costs.

Some reports suggest that incompatible regulations in the world’s two richest regions add 10% to the cost of developing and producing new cars.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said last month that if the US and EU could set business norms today, they would “secure the markets of tomorrow”.

Since she came to office 18 months ago, she has made repairing damaged relations with the US a top priority.

Emission cuts

The Europeans said they were pleased that the US now officially acknowledged that climate change was happening and that human activity was a major cause of it.

“We agree there’s a threat, there’s a very serious global threat,” said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

“We agree that there is a need to reduce emissions. We agree that we should work together.”

But behind the scenes, says our Europe correspondent, officials were saying that not much had changed.

Ms Merkel will try to nudge the US towards a global approach to climate change before a G8 summit Germany is chairing in six weeks’ time, says our correspondent.

But the US has consistently rejected the European approach of imposing national limits on greenhouse gas emissions, saying they would harm the international economy.

Visa hope

The Open Skies agreement will take effect on 30 March 2008 and will allow EU carriers to fly to anywhere in the US and vice versa.

The deal promises to lower airfares and widen choice for passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The EU hopes to go further and create an “Open Aviation Area” between the two sides “in which investment can flow freely and in which European and US airlines can provide air services without any restriction,” said a EU statement.

The EU is also hoping that the US will agree to withdraw its visa requirement for travellers from a number of EU states.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6607757.stm

Published: 2007/04/30 23:21:16 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

 

Secret Bilderberg Agenda To Microchip Americans Leaked

Elitists want to microchip Americans in name of fighting terrorism, Europeans universally opposed to attack on Iran, Globalists fear oil prices rising too quickly

Paul Joseph Watson

Prison Planet

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Sources from inside the 2008 Bilderberg meeting have leaked the details of what elitists were discussing in Chantilly Virginia last week and the talking points were ominous – a plan to microchip Americans under the pretext of fighting terrorist groups which will be identified as blonde haired, blue eyed westerners.

Veteran Bilderberg sleuth Jim Tucker relies on sources who regularly attend Bilderberg as aides and assistants but who are not Bilderberg members themselves. The information they provided this year is bone-chilling for those who have tracked the development of the plan to make the general public consider implanted microchips as a convenience as routine as credit cards.

“Under the heading of resisting terrorism there were points made about how the terrorist organizations are recruiting people who do not look like terrorists – blonde, blue eyed boys – they’re searching hard for those types to become the new mad bombers,” said Tucker.

As we have documented, the blue eyed blonde haired Al-Qaeda line is a familiar talking point that has been pushed on Fox News and within other Neo-Con circles in an attempt to turn the anti-terror apparatus around to target dissidents, protesters and the American people in general.

Ominously, Tucker’s source also told him that Bilderberg were discussing the microchipping of humans on a mass scale, which would be introduced under the pretext of fighting terrorism whereby the “good guys” would be allowed to travel freely from airports so long as their microchip could be scanned and the information stored in a database.

Tucker said the idea was also sold on the basis that it would help hospital staff treat a patient in an emergency situation because a scan of the chip would provide instantaneous access to health details.

Tucker underscored that Bilderberg were talking about subdermally implanted chips and not merely RFID chips contained in clothing. The discussion took place in a main conference hall and was part of the agenda, not an off-hand remark in the hotel bar.

Such a bizarre concept may seem unbelievable to some, but over the last ten years there have been dozens of examples of people accepting implanted chips for a variety of different reasons.

In 2004, Mexico’s attorney general and 160 of his office staff were implanted with tracker chips to control access to secure areas of their headquarters.

The Baja Beach Club in Barcelona and other nightclubs around the world are already offering implantable chips to customers who want to pay for drinks with the wave of a hand and also get access to VIP areas of the club lounge.

Bilderberg skeptical of attack on Iran

Tucker’s source told him that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did attend Bilderberg despite him not appearing on the official list.

Tucker said that his sources told him Gates was in attendance to present his case for war with Iran, but that the majority of Bilderberg members were against an attack at this time.

“The Europeans were generally opposed to an invasion of Iran – Gates made the regular war propaganda drill about how Iran is a nuclear threat to everybody,” said Tucker, adding that European Bilderbergers made snide comments about where such nuclear weapons actually were being kept and at one point joking that they were possibly “in Saddam Hussein’s tomb”.

Despite Bilderberg opposition, Tucker said that the administration was still considering an attack before Bush leaves office in January.

“At least 90 per cent of the Europeans oppose a war, probably closer to 100 per cent,” said Tucker, adding, “most of the Americans were passive and deferential to the Secretary of Defense and Condoleezza Rice’s pitch in so far as Iran is concerned”.

Tucker said that most Americans present at the meeting were opposed to attacking Iran but dare not be as visible and loud in their opposition as the Europeans.

Energy and oil prices

“One of the Bilderberg boys raised this question – should we put a lid on the rise in oil prices, are we reaching the point of diminishing returns,” said Tucker, adding that Bilderberg noted how Americans were trading in their SUV’s in record numbers for small and more fuel efficient cars and using more public transport to combat high gas prices.

Tucker’s source said that Bilderberg were predicting $5 for a gallon of gas by the end of this summer and oil over $150 dollars a barrel, but that this was a ceiling and oil prices would probably begin to decline thereafter because they thought the acceleration had happened too quickly.

As we previously reported, Bilderberg called for oil prices to soar in 2005 when oil was a mere $40 a barrel.

During the conference in Germany, Henry Kissinger told his fellow attendees that the elite had resolved to ensure that oil prices would double over the course of the next 12-24 months, which is exactly what happened.

During their 2006 meeting in Ottawa Canada, Bilderberg agreed to push for $105 a barrel before the end of 2008. With that target having been smashed months ago, the acceleration towards $150 is outstripping even Bilderberg’s goal, which is why the elitists expressed a desire to cool prices at least in the short term.

Just two days after he left Bilderberg, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, George W. Bush and others expressed support for a strong dollar and Bernanke hinted that interest rates could rise, which immediately caused oil prices to drop in line with Bilderberg’s consensus.

 

Masons are chipping their kids at a local fair!!!! They do a retinal scan, voice recording and they put an RFID chip in the kids as a carnival attraction.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7octwsoi4HM

 Videos:

Concentration Camps in US:

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqi123hBw2A

Concentration Camps in Texas

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxYxTly-yo8

Apparently, there are a number of buildings throughout the US that are supposedly “abandoned” warehouses and large factory-style businesses. These buildings have unique additions, such as military personnel, US Army & Air force vehicles, wind socks and other markers for helicopters,  the addition of barbed wire- pointing inwards (to keep people in, not out) and added heating systems (for buildings deemed “not in use”).  This is one piece of the puzzle.

 

Bill Clinton was asked about these and basically said, “We need to get along with other agencies and cooperate in our inter-dependant world” He DID say, “We’re better off with NATO. We’re better off with the United Nations.” Hand over our control? Live under the dictatorship of a one world government?

Here’s that link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFPsHPKY0y8

 

The world’s government is planning on mass world depopulation. Many cases of witnesses have seen and taped the piles and piles of caskets. This is for those who die in the depopulation and those who disobey the martial law. Hundreds of thousands of caskets in scarcely populated rural areas. About 1 ½ min into this video is a close-up. Second video even better.

  URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYp85QMJd1Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGa_sdyRS7Q

 

 

FEMA has already built underground caves and tunnels and is ready for a nuclear attack or “plague” to strike. We already know that the governments are working together (google “Builerberg” for more) and that they will more than likely intentionally release the pestilence and/ or weapons to annialate up to 80% of the world’s population. In this video, the FEMA agent becomes suddenly quiet when asked about the underground facilities, even though it is supposedly for “security in the event of an attack”.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2J3i34XW8

 

A massive conspiracy to create a new one world order?

Watch these, and see the evidence. Then make your decision. (2nd half of this video is of the concentration camp, above)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXlEfUGEzl4

 

 

This last video is VERY LONG. Its over 2 hours, so watch it as you have time. This is an exclusive documentary about the secret Bilderberg meetings and the plans that the governments have for martial law, with piles of proof and evidence. Here’s the video, followed by Wikipedia’s definition and explanation of the Bilderberg group, and a list of attendees:

 

 URL: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1070329053600562261&ei=kPPWSOX1NqXGrQK_iOnZAg&q=alex+jones+endgame&hl=en

 

Origin and purpose

 Hotel de Bilderberg

The original Bilderberg conference was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, near Arnhem in The Netherlands, from May 29 to May 31, 1954. The meeting was initiated by several people, including Joseph Retinger, concerned about the growth of anti-Americanism in Western Europe, who proposed an international conference at which leaders from European countries and the United States would be brought together with the aim of promoting understanding between the cultures of United States of America and Western Europe.[5]

Retinger approached Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, who agreed to promote the idea, together with Belgian Prime Minister Paul Van Zeeland, and the head of Unilever at that time, the Dutchman Paul Rijkens. Bernhard in turn contacted Walter Bedell Smith, then head of the CIA, who asked Eisenhower adviser C. D. Jackson to deal with the suggestion.[6] The guest list was to be drawn up by inviting two attendees from each nation, one each to represent conservative and liberal (both terms used in the American sense) points of view.[5]

The success of the meeting led the organizers to arrange an annual conference. A permanent Steering Committee was established, with Retinger appointed as permanent secretary. As well as organizing the conference, the steering committee also maintained a register of attendee names and contact details, with the aim of creating an informal network of individuals who could call upon one another in a private capacity. Conferences were held in France, Germany, and Denmark over the following three years. In 1957, the first U.S. conference was held in St. Simons, Georgia, with $30,000 from the Ford Foundation. The foundation supplied additional funding of $48,000 in 1959, and $60,000 in 1963.[6]

Dutch economist Ernst van der Beugel took over as permanent secretary in 1960, upon the death of Retinger. Prince Bernhard continued to serve as the meeting’s chairman until 1976, the year of his involvement in the Lockheed affair. There was no conference that year, but meetings resumed in 1977 under Alec Douglas-Home, the former British Prime Minister. He was followed in turn by Walter Scheel, ex-President of West Germany, Eric Roll, former head of SG Warburg and Lord Carrington, former Secretary-General of NATO.[7]

Attendees

Main article: List of Bilderberg attendees

Attendees of Bilderberg include central bankers, defense experts, mass media press barons, government ministers, prime ministers, royalty, international financiers and political leaders from Europe and North America.

Some of the Western world’s leading financiers and foreign policy strategists attend Bilderberg. Donald Rumsfeld is an active Bilderberger, as is Peter Sutherland from Ireland, a former European Union commissioner and chairman of Goldman Sachs and of British Petroleum. Rumsfeld and Sutherland served together in 2000 on the board of the Swedish/Swiss engineering company ABB. Former U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary and former World Bank head Paul Wolfowitz is also a member. The group’s current chairman is Etienne Davignon, the Belgian businessman and politician.

Mainstream criticism

Critics claim the Bilderberg Group promotes the careers of politicians whose views are representative of the interests of multinational corporations, at the expense of democracy.[8] Journalists who have been invited to attend the Bilderberg Conference as observers have discounted these claims, calling the conference “not much different from a seminar or a conference organized by an upscale NGO”[9] with “nothing different except for the influence of the participants.”[10]

 Conspiracy theories

The group’s secrecy and its connections to power elites encourages speculation and mistrust by such groups or individuals who believe that the group is part of a conspiracy to create a New World Order. This is further encouraged by the frequent use of the term ‘New World Order’ by its members when referring to their ultimate goal of world integration. The group is frequently accused of secretive and nefarious world plots by groups such as the John Birch Society.[11] This thinking has progressively found acceptance within both elements of the populist movement and fringe politics. [12] According to investigative journalist Chip Berlet, the prominent origins of Bilderberger conspiracy theories can be traced to activist Phyllis Schlafly. [13]

Radio host Alex Jones claims the group intends to dissolve the sovereignty of the United States and other countries into a supra-national structure similar to the European Union. This accusation is also linked with others claiming plans for a merger of Canada with United States, hoping Canadian influence will be calming to American society and foreign policy.

From “The Hunt for Red Menace:” “The views on intractable godless communism expressed by [Fred] Schwarz were central themes in three other bestselling books which were used to mobilize support for the 1964 Goldwater campaign. The best known was Phyllis Schlafly’s A Choice, Not an Echo which suggested a conspiracy theory in which the Republican Party was secretly controlled by elitist intellectuals dominated by members of the Bilderberger group, whose policies would pave the way for global communist conquest. Schlafly’s husband Fred had been a lecturer at Schwartz’s local Christian anti-communism Crusade conferences.” [14]

Jonathan Duffy, writing in BBC News Online Magazine states “In the void created by such aloofness, an extraordinary conspiracy theory has grown up around the group that alleges the fate of the world is largely decided by Bilderberg.”[15]

Denis Healey, a Bilderberg founder and former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, decries such theories. He was quoted by BBC News as saying “There’s absolutely nothing in it. We never sought to reach a consensus on the big issues at Bilderberg. It’s simply a place for discussion.”[15]

Some popular media references to the group are in Fredrick Forsyth’s novel “The Icon” where the group decides to undermine a nationalist Russian leader loosely modeled on Vladimir Putin (among others).

 

LIST OF ATTENDEES:

Royalty

•               Prince Philip (1965, 1966, 1967), Duke of Edinburgh

•               Prince Charles (1986), Prince of Wales

•               Prince Bernhard (Chairman of Bilderberg Meetings 1954-1976), father of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

•               Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands[3]

•               Claus von Amsberg (1967, 1968, 1971, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986-1989), husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

•               Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange (1990, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2008), Crown Prince of the Netherlands

•               Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (1989)

•               Queen Sofia of Spain, wife of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996)

•               Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, younger daughter of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain

•               Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (1992, 1993, 1996, 2008), Crown Prince of Belgium

•               Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King of Sweden (1995)

•               Harald V of Norway, King of Norway (1984)

•               Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1985, 1986, 1987)

•               Prince Axel of Denmark (1955, 1957)

Politics

United States

•               David L. Aaron (1977), former Deputy National Security Advisor

•               Dean Acheson (1957, 1958, 1964, 1966), former United States Secretary of State

•               Keith B. Alexander (2008), current Director, National Security Agency

•               Roger Altman (2008), former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

•               John B. Anderson (1977), former US Congressman

•               Michael Armacost (1997), President, Brookings Institution

•               Nancy Kassebaum Baker (1988), former US Senator

•               George W. Ball (1954-1992),[4] former U.S. diplomat

•               Evan Bayh (1999), current US Senator, former Democratic Leadership Council Chairman, also attended the Renaissance Weekend. Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Member of the Alfalfa Club

•               Lloyd Bentsen (1989, 1992, 1995 – 1997), former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Sandy Berger (1997), former National Security Advisor (United States)

•               James H. Billington (1992), former Librarian of Congress

•               Eugene R. Black, Sr. (1957, 1966), former President of the World Bank

•               John Bolton (2003)

•               John Brademas (1966), former US Congressman

•               Bill Bradley (1985), former US Senator

•               Nicholas F. Brady (1984, 1986, 1988, 1991), former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Edward Brooke (1968), former US Senator

•               Zbigniew Brzezinski (Guest, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1985), President Carter’s National Security Advisor

•               McGeorge Bundy (1956, 1957, 1964, 1966, 1980), former National Security Advisor (United States)

•               William Bundy (1977)

•               Clifford P. Case (1958), former US Senator

•               John Chafee (1979, 1986, 1991, 1992), former US Senator

•               Frank Church, former US Senator

•               Hillary Clinton (1997), current US Senator, also attended the World Economic Forum, the Munich Conference on Security Policy, the Salzburg Global Seminar and the Renaissance Weekend. Member of the Democratic Leadership Council

•               Bill Clinton (1991),[5] former US President, 1993 – 2001

•               Carlos M. Collazo (2003)

•               Barber Conable, former President of the World Bank

•               Richard Cooper (1975, 1977), former United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs

•               Jon Corzine (1995 – 1997[3], 1999, 2003, 2004), current Governor of New Jersey

•               Kenneth W. Dam (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989-1997), former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

•               Richard Darman (1987), former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

•               Thomas A. Daschle (2008), former US Senator

•               Lynn Davis (1995)

•               John M. Deutch (1998), former CIA Director, former United States Deputy Secretary of Defense

•               Thomas E. Dewey (1956, 1957, 1966), former Governor of New York

•               C. Douglas Dillon (1968), former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Christopher Dodd (1999 – 2001), current US Senator

•               John Edwards (2004), former US Senator

•               Stuart Eizenstat (2002), former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

•               Mike Espy (1994), former United States Secretary of Agriculture

•               Daniel J. Evans (1986, 1988), former US Senator, former Governor of Washington

•               Dianne Feinstein (1991), current US Senator

•               Douglas Feith (2004)

•               James Florio (1994), former Governor of New Jersey

•               Tom Foley (1988, 1990, 1995, 2002), former Speaker of the US House of Representatives

•               Gerald R. Ford (1964, 1966), former US President, 1974 – 1977

•               Harold Ford, Jr. (2008), current Chairman, Democratic Leadership Council, former US Congressman, Vice Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

•               Donald M. Fraser (1971), former US Congressman

•               Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr. (1964, 1966, 1971), former US Congressman

•               J. William Fulbright (1956, 1957, 1964), former US Senator

•               Cornelius Edward Gallagher (1963, 1966), former US Congressman

•               Melinda Gates (2004), wife of Bill Gates

•               David Gergen (1992, 1995), political consultant and presidential adviser during the Republican administrations of Nixon, Ford, and Reagan, campaign staffer for George H.W. Bush and adviser to Democratic President Bill Clinton

•               Dan Glickman (2001), former US Congressman

•               Andrew Goodpaster (1968, 1974), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

•               Donald Gregg (1985), former United States Ambassador

•               Marc Grossman (2007), former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

•               Alfred Gruenther (1955, 1957, 1966), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

•               Richard N. Haass (1991, 2003, 2004)[6], president, Council on Foreign Relations

•               Philip C. Habib (1992)

•               Chuck Hagel (1999 – 2001), current US Senator

•               Alexander Haig (1978), former United States Secretary of State

•               Lee H. Hamilton (1997)[3], former US Congressman

•               Fred R. Harris (1966), former US Senator

•               H. John Heinz III (1978), former US Senator

•               Christian Herter (1961, 1963, 1964, 1966),[7] former Secretary of State

•               Carla Anderson Hills (2002), former United States Trade Representative

•               Richard Holbrooke (1995 – 1999, 2004 – 2006, 2008), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

•               Kay Bailey Hutchison (2000, 2002), current US Senator

•               Henry M. Jackson (1964, 1966-1968), former US Senator

•               Jacob Javits (1964, 1966), former US Senator

•               Joseph E. Johnson (1954)[8], former President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

•               Bennett Johnston Jr. (1991), former US Senator

•               James Robert Jones (1985), former US Congressman

•               Vernon Jordan (1979-1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2008 )

•               Robert Kagan (2004)

•               Thomas Kean (1989), former Governor of New Jersey

•               Robert M. Kimmitt (1995), current United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

•               Lane Kirkland (1977), former President, AFL-CIO

•               Jeane Kirkpatrick (1981), former United States Ambassador to the United Nations

•               Henry Kissinger (1957, 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977-2003, 2004,[6] 2005-2008), Secretary of State, 1973 – 1977

•               John LaFalce (2002), former US Congressman

•               Michael Ledeen (2005)

•               Lyman L. Lemnitzer (1957, 1963, 1966), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

•               Winston Lord (1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1996), former United States Ambassador to China

•               William J. Luti (2004), Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy for the National Security Council

•               Terry McAuliffe (2002), former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee

•               John J. McCloy (1958, 1964, 1966), former President of the World Bank

•               Donald F. McHenry (1986, 1996), former United States Ambassador to the United Nations

•               Robert S. McNamara (1968, 1975), former US Secretary of Defense, former President of the World Bank

•               Charles Mathias, Jr. (1967, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1984-1993), former US Senator

•               Ken Mehlman (2005), former Chairman of the Republican National Committee

•               Cord Meyer (1957), CIA official

•               George J. Mitchell, former US Senator

•               Walter F. Mondale (1974, 1981), former US Vice President, 1977 – 1981

•               Lauris Norstad (1967), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

•               Sam Nunn (1996, 1997[3]), former US Senator

•               William Odom (1993), former National Security Agency Director

•               Dan Quayle (1990, 1991), former US Vice President, 1989 – 1993

•               George Pataki (2006), former Governor of New York

•               Henry M. Paulson, Jr. (2008), current United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Claiborne Pell (1992), former US Senator

•               Richard Perle (1983, 1985, 2003, 2006, 2008), assistant Secretary of Defense, 1981 – 1987

•               Rick Perry (2007), current Governor of Texas

•               William J. Perry (1996), former United States Secretary of Defense

•               Peter George Peterson (1978), former United States Secretary of Commerce

•               Colin L. Powell (1997), former United States Secretary of State

•               Larry Pressler (1993), former US Senator

•               Lewis Thompson Preston, former President of the World Bank

•               Joel Pritchard (1975), former US Congressman

•               Marc Racicot (2002), former Chairman, Republican National Committee

•               Ralph E. Reed, Jr. (2004), former first executive director of the Christian Coalition

•               William K. Reilly (1989), former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

•               Condoleezza Rice (2008), current United States Secretary of State

•               Bill Richardson (1999, 2000), current Governor of New Mexico

•               Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (1971), former US Senator

•               Alice Rivlin (1984)

•               David Rockefeller, original U.S. founding member, life member, and member of the Steering Committee (1954-

•               David Rockefeller, Jr. (1989)

•               Jay Rockefeller (1971), current US Senator

•               Nelson A. Rockefeller (1957, 1974), former US Vice President, 1974 – 1977, former Governor of New York, 1959 – 1973

•               Dennis Ross (2004, 2006, 2008 )

•               Walt Whitman Rostow, former National Security Advisor (United States)

•               Donald Rumsfeld (1975, 2002), Secretary of Defense, 2001 – 2006

•               Dean Rusk (1955, 1957, 1966), former United States Secretary of State

•               Mark Sanford (2008), current Governor of South Carolina, also attended the Renaissance Weekend

•               Hugh Scott (1961, 1966), former US Senator

•               Brent Scowcroft (1985, 1988, 1994), former National Security Advisor (United States)

•               Kathleen Sebelius (2007, 2008), current Governor of Kansas

•               George P. Shultz (2008), former United States Secretary of State, former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Kristen Silverberg (2007), Bureau of International Organization Affairs, part of the State Department

•               William E. Simon (1982), former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               Walter Bedell Smith, former CIA Director

•               Nancy Soderberg (1995)

•               John Sparkman (1955, 1966), former US Senator

•               James Steinberg (1994, 2000), former Deputy National Security Advisor

•               Adlai Stevenson III (1971), former US Senator

•               Robert Schwarz Strauss (1982, 1989, 1990, 1992), former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee

•               Lawrence Summers (1998, 2002, 2008), former United States Secretary of the Treasury

•               John H. Sununu (1990), former Governor of New Hampshire

•               Shirley Temple (1982), former United States Ambassador, former child actress

•               Laura D’Andrea Tyson (1999)

•               Cyrus Vance (1971), former United States Secretary of State

•               Mark Warner (2005), former Governor of Virginia

•               Vin Weber (2007, 2008), former US Congressman

•               John C. Whitehead (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989-1997), former United States Deputy Secretary of State

•               Christine Todd Whitman (1998), former Governor of New Jersey

•               L. Douglas Wilder (1991), former Governor of Virginia, current Mayor of Richmond, Virginia

•               Ross Wilson (ambassador) (2007), current United States Ambassador to Turkey

•               Paul Wolfowitz (1990, 1994-1998, 2008), former President of the World Bank

•               George David Woods (1966), former President of the World Bank

•               Philip D. Zelikow (2007), executive director of the 9/11 Commission and Counselor of the United States Department of State

•               Robert Zoellick (1991, 2003, 2006, 2008), former Deputy Secretary of State and current President of the World Bank

Canada

•               Lester B. Pearson (1964, 1966, 1968), former Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968

•               Pierre Trudeau (1983, 1985), former Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979, 1980 to 1984

•               Jean Chrétien (1982, 1996), Canadian Prime Minister, 1993 – 2003

•               Paul Martin (1996), Canadian Prime Minister, 2003 – 2006

•               Stephen Harper (2003), Canadian Prime Minister, 2006 – Present

•               Bernard Lord (2001), former Premier of New Brunswick

•               Robert L. Stanfield (1968), former Premier of Nova Scotia

•               Jason Kenney (2007), Canadian Member of Parliament

•               Preston Manning (1998), former leader and founder of the Reform Party of Canada

•               Lloyd Axworthy (1996), former Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)

•               Kevin G. Lynch (2004), Canadian civil servant

•               Frank McKenna (1994, 2006, 2008), former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, former Premier of New Brunswick, current Deputy Chairman of Toronto-Dominion Bank

•               Michael Wilson (politician) (1991), current Canadian Ambassador to the United States, former Minister of Finance (Canada), former Minister of International Trade (Canada)

•               Marc Lalonde (1977), former Minister of Finance (Canada)

•               Jacques Parizeau (1968), former Premier of Quebec

•               Robert Bourassa (1971), former Premier of Quebec

•               Jean Lesage (1966), former Premier of Quebec

•               Mike Harris (1996), former Premier of Ontario

•               David Peterson (1990), former Premier of Ontario

•               Ralph Klein (1995), former Premier of Alberta

•               Peter Lougheed (1973), former Premier of Alberta

•               Gerald Regan (1977), former Premier of Nova Scotia

•               Paul Joseph James Martin (1957, 1966-1968), former Canadian Senator, former Leader of the Government in the Senate (Canada), former Minister of National Health and Welfare (Canada), former Secretary of State for External Affairs (Canada), father of former Prime Minister of Canada,Paul Martin

•               Jeanne Sauvé (1974, 1986, 1989), former Governor General of Canada

•               Donald S. Macdonald (1971, 1973, 1979-1986, 1988, 1993), former Minister of Finance (Canada), former Minister of National Defence (Canada)

•               Allan MacEachen (1983), former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada

•               Heather Reisman (2006, 2007, 2008), Canadian businesswoman

•               Andre Desmarais, Power Corporation of Canada

United Kingdom

•               Gordon Brown (1991), current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Tony Blair (1993),[5] former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom[9]

•               John Major, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Margaret Thatcher (1975),[10] former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               James Callaghan (1963, 1966), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Edward Heath (1963, 1966, 1967), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Alec Douglas-Home (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1986), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Harold Wilson (1966), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

•               Kenneth Clarke (1993, 1998,[11] 2006[12] & 2007[13]), former Chancellor of the Exchequer

•               George Osborne (2006)[14] Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 2004-Present; member of the opposition 2001-Present

•               Denis Healey, former Secretary of State for Defence 1963-1970, former Chancellor of the Exchequer 1974-1979 (founding member of Bilderberg)

•               Ed Balls (2001-2003), Economic Secretary to the Treasury 2006 – 2007

•               Paddy Ashdown (1989), former leader of the UK Liberal Democrats

•               Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington (1978, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989-1998), former Secretary-General of NATO

•               David Owen (1973, 1982, 1993), former British Foreign Secretary

•               Norman Lamont (1995), former Chancellor of the Exchequer

•               Nigel Lawson (1982, 1990), former Chancellor of the Exchequer

•               William Hague (1998), former leader of the Conservative Party (UK), current Shadow Foreign Secretary

•               Sir Malcolm Rifkind (1986, 1996), former British Foreign Secretary

•               Douglas Hurd (1980, 1981), former British Foreign Secretary

•               Cecil Parkinson (1989), former Chairman of the Conservative Party

•               Michael Heseltine (1984), former Secretary of State for Defence

•               Roy Jenkins, former President of the European Commission

•               Reginald Maudling (1955, 1957, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1978), former Chancellor of the Exchequer

•               Hugh Gaitskell (1954, 1955, 1958), former leader of the Labour Party (UK)

•               William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill (1987, 1988, 1990, 1995)

•               John Smith (UK politician) (1986, 1989, 1991), former leader of the British Labour Party

•               William Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank (1974)

•               Clement Davies (1954, 1955, 1957), former leader of the Liberal Party (UK)

•               Jo Grimond (1958, 1966), former leader of the Liberal Party (UK)

•               Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of the Liberal Party (UK)

•               David Steel (1986), former leader of the Liberal Party (UK)

•               David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick (1995, 1998 )

•               Geoffrey Rippon (1974)

•               David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech (1958, 1966), former British Ambassador to the United States

•               Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1965, 1966)

•               Christopher Price (UK politician), former Labour Party (UK) Member of Parliament, former member of the European Parliament

•               Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury (1997)

•               Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham (1964, 1966)

•               George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth (1971)

•               Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1967)

•               George Brown, Baron George-Brown (1966, 1978 )

•               Enoch Powell (1968 )

•               Kenneth Younger (1966)

•               John Horam (1975)

•               John Nott (1977), former Secretary of State for Defence

•               Edmund Dell (1978 )

•               Keith Joseph (1977)

•               Rodric Braithwaite (1993)

•               Frederic Bennett (1963, 1964, 1966-1968, 1971, 1973-1975, 1977-1980, 1984)

•               John Keegan (1988), British military historian

•               John Monks (1996) , former General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

•               Charles Forte, Baron Forte (1977)

•               Sir Patrick Sheehy Professor of International Relations (1985, 1986, 1993)

•               Giles Radice, Baron Radice (1995)

•               Philip Gould, Baron Gould of Brookwood (2003)

•               Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn (2002, 2003)

•               Pauline Neville-Jones, Baroness Neville-Jones (2004)

•               Rodney Elton, 2nd Baron Elton (1977)

•               Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester (1977, 1985), former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

•               John Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton (1980, 1984, 1986), former Chairman of British Petroleum

•               David Young, Baron Young of Graffham (1985, 1986)

•               John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover (1982, 1983, 1984, 1986)

•               William Rees-Mogg (1993)

•               George Weidenfeld (1992)

•               Roy Hattersley (1985)

•               Norman Tebbit (1985)

•               Richard Dearlove (2007), former head of MI6

•               Eric Roll (1964, 1966, 1967, 1973-1975, 1977-1999) (Bilderberg Steering Committee),[15] Department of Economic Affairs, 1964, later Bilderberg Group Chairman

•               John Kerr, Baron Kerr of Kinlochard (2004, 2008), member of the House of Lords, Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

•               Antony Acland (1988), former British Ambassador to the United States

•               Lawrence Freedman (1991), Professor, Oxford University

Ireland

•               Garret FitzGerald (1975, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1987), former Prime Minister of Ireland

•               John Bruton (1998), former Prime Minister of Ireland

•               Michael McDowell (1992, 2007), founding member of the Progressive Democrats of Ireland

•               Paul Gallagher (2008), Attorney General of Ireland

Germany

•               Egon Bahr (1968, 1971, 1982, 1987), German Minister, creator of the Ostpolitik

•               Rainer Barzel (1966), former German opposition leader

•               Kurt Biedenkopf (1992), former Prime Minister of Saxony

•               Max Brauer (1954, 1955, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1966), former Mayor of Hamburg

•               Birgit Breuel (1973, 1979, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1994), chairwoman of Treuhandanstalt

•               Andreas von Bülow (1978), former Minister of Research of Germany

•               Karl Carstens (1971), former President of Germany

•               Klaus von Dohnanyi (1975, 1977), former Mayor of Hamburg

•               Ursula Engelen-Kefer (1998), former chairwoman of the German Confederation of Trade Unions

•               Björn Engholm (1991), former Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein

•               Ludwig Erhard (1966), former Chancellor of Germany

•               Fritz Erler (1955, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1966), Socialist Member of Parliament

•               Joschka Fischer (2008), former Minister of Foreign Affairs (Germany)

•               Herbert Giersch (1975), Director, Institut fur Weltwirtschaft an der Universitat Kiel

•               Helmut Haussmann (1979, 1980, 1990, 1996), former Minister of Economics of Germany

•               Wolfgang Ischinger (1998, 2002, 2008), former German Ambassador to Washington

•               Helmut Kohl (1980, 1982, 1988), former Chancellor of Germany

•               Walter Leisler Kiep (1974, 1975, 1977, 1980), former Treasurer of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany)

•               Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1955, 1957, 1966), former Chancellor of Germany

•               Hans Klein (1986), Member of German Bundestag

•               Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1980, 1983, 1984), former Minister of Economics of Germany

•               Karl Lamers (1995), Member of the German Bundestag

•               Angela Merkel (2005), current Chancellor of Germany

•               Alois Mertes (1983, 1985)

•               Siegmar Mosdorf (2001), Secretary of State for Economics in Germany

•               Alfred Müller-Armack (1966), Secretary of State for Economics in Germany

•               Volker Perthes (2008), Director, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

•               Friedbert Pflüger (2005, 2006), Member of the German Bundestag

•               Ruprecht Polenz (2002)

•               Volker Rühe (1983, 1991-1994), former Defense Minister of Germany

•               Rudolf Scharping, former Defense Minister of Germany

•               Wolfgang Schäuble (2003), current Minister of Internal Affairs of Germany

•               Walter Scheel (1981-84, 1986), former President of Germany

•               Karl Schiller (1966), former Finance Minister of Germany

•               Otto Schily (2003-2006), former Minister of Internal Affairs of Germany

•               Carlo Schmid (1955, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1966), former Vice President of the Federal Parliament

•               Helmut Schmidt (1966, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1986), former Chancellor of Germany

•               Gerhard Schröder (CDU) (1971, 1974), former Minister of Foreign Affairs (Germany), former Minister of Defence (Germany)

•               Gerhard Stoltenberg (1966, 1968), former Minister of Germany and Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein

•               Franz Josef Strauß (1963, 1966), former Minister of Germany and Prime Minister of Bavaria

•               Lothar Späth (1993), former Prime Minister of Baden-Wurttemberg

•               Erwin Teufel (1991), former Prime Minister of Baden-Wurttemberg

•               Henning Voscherau (1996), former Mayor of Hamburg

•               Richard von Weizsäcker (1978), former President of Germany

•               Guido Westerwelle (2007), leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany

•               Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (1971, 1973, 1974, 1978), former Secretary of State in the Chancellor’s Office of Germany

•               Matthias Wissmann (1998, 2004, 2005), former Minister of Research of Germany

Austria

•               Otto von Habsburg, Archduke and Crown Prince of Austria

•               Alfred Gusenbauer (2002, 2006), current Chancellor of Austria

•               Wolfgang Schussel (1984), former Chancellor of Austria

•               Franz Vranitzky (1975, 1979, 1986-1991, 1993, 1995-1999), former Austrian Chancellor

•               Bruno Kreisky (1979), former Austrian Chancellor

•               Thomas Klestil (1988), former President of Austria

•               Martin Bartenstein (2006), Austrian Minister for Economy and Labour

•               Josef Krainer (1989), former Governor of Styria

Switzerland

•               Flavio Cotti (1994-1997), former President of the Swiss Confederation

•               Pascal Couchepin (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), current President of the Swiss Confederation

•               Jean-Pascal Delamuraz (1995), former President of the Swiss Confederation

•               Max Petitpierre (1963, 1966), former President of the Swiss Confederation

•               Jacob Kellenberger (1993), former Swiss State Secretary of Foreign Affairs

•               Sigmund Widmer (1975), former Mayor of Zürich

•               Denis de Rougemont (1954, 1955, 1966)

France

•               Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1968, 2003), former President of the French Republic

•               Lionel Jospin (1996), former Prime Minister of France

•               Georges Pompidou (1966), former President of the French Republic

•               Dominique de Villepin (2003), former Prime Minister of France

•               Laurent Fabius (1994), former Prime Minister of France

•               Michel Rocard (1986), former Prime Minister of France

•               Pierre Bérégovoy (1992), former Prime Minister of France

•               Edouard Balladur (1987), former Prime Minister of France

•               Raymond Barre (1983), former Prime Minister of France

•               Edgar Faure (1974), former Prime Minister of France

•               René Pleven (1963, 1966), former Prime Minister of France

•               Pierre Mendes-France (1968), former Prime Minister of France

•               Antoine Pinay (1954, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1966), former Prime Minister of France

•               Jean-Bernard Raimond (1994), former French Foreign Minister

•               Jean Francois-Poncet (1982, 1985, 1988), former French Foreign Minister

•               Michel Barnier (2007), former French Foreign Minister

•               Hubert Védrine (1987, 1992, 2008), former French Foreign Minister

•               Bernard Kouchner (2005), current Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)

•               Manuel Valls (2008), French Member of Parliament

•               Jean-Pierre Jouyet (2008), French Minister of European Affairs

•               Jean-Pierre Chevenement (1984, 1990), former Minister of Defense (France)

•               Jacques Attali (1975), French economist and scholar and former presidential adviser of France’s socialist government

•               Gaston Defferre (1964, 1966), former Mayor of Marseille

•               Maurice Herzog (1974), former Mayor of Chamonix

•               Philippe Seguin (1990), former Mayor of Epinal

•               Jean-Pierre Cot (1977), French politician, former Mayor of Coise

•               Olivier Guichard (1966, 1977), French politician, former French Minister of Justice

•               Guy Mollet (1954, 1955, 1957, 1963, 1966), former Socialist Prime Minister of France

•               Maurice Faure (1955, 1963, 1966)

•               Jacques Rueff (1966)

Belgium

•               Paul Van Zeeland (1955-1958, 1966), former Prime Minister of Belgium

•               Leo Tindemans (1980), former Prime Minister of Belgium

•               Wilfried Martens (1989-1991, 1993), former Prime Minister of Belgium

•               Jean-Luc Dehaene (2004), former Prime Minister of Belgium

•               Philippe Maystadt (1996), former Belgian Minister of Finance

Netherlands

•               Jan-Peter Balkenende (2008), current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 2002 – present

•               Ruud Lubbers (1983, 1991, 1992, 1994), former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1982 – 1994

•               Wim Kok (1993, 2003), former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1994 – 2002

•               Barend Biesheuvel (1968), former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1971 – 1973

•               Jelle Zijlstra (1966, 1975), former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1966 – 1967

•               Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (1974, 1981), former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs

•               Max van der Stoel (1980), former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1973 – 1977, 1981 – 1982

•               Jozias van Aartsen (2005), former Dutch Minister of Agriculture, 1994 – 1998, former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1998 – 2002

•               Maxime Verhagen (2006, 2008), current Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2007 – present

•               Frank Heemskerk (2007), Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade

•               Frans Timmermans (2008), Dutch Minister of European Affairs

•               Klaas de Vries (2003), Dutch Member of Parliament

•               Ivo Samkalden (1963, 1966), former Mayor of Amsterdam

•               Harold Goddijn (2008), CEO of TomTom

Italy

•               Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (1987), former President of the Italian Republic, former Governor of the Banca d’Italia

•               Francesco Cossiga (1977), former President of the Italian Republic

•               Amintore Fanfani (1955, 1956, 1966), former Italian Prime Minister

•               Alcide de Gasperi (1954), former Italian Prime Minister

•               Claudio Martelli, former Italian Minister of Justice

•               Gianni De Michelis (1991), former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs

•               Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa (1986, 1998, 1999, 2008), former Italian Minister of Economy and Finance

•               Romano Prodi (Steering Committee Member of Bilderberg in the 1980s), former Italian Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission

•               Virginio Rognoni (1982, 1991), former Italian Minister of Defense

•               Mariano Rumor (1966), former Italian Prime Minister

•               Domenico Siniscalco (1998), former Italian Minister of Economy and Finance

•               Giulio Tremonti (2000), current Italian Minister of Economy and Finance

•               Walter Veltroni (1996), former Mayor of Rome

Spain

•               Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma (1999, 2000), president of Madrid

•               Joaquin Almunia (1998, 2008), European Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs

•               Enrique Barón (1988), politician

•               Jaime de Carvajal y Urquijo (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), CEO, Ford Spain, Ericsson Spain and Banco Urquijo.

•               Juan Luis Cebrián (1988, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005), former director of newspaper El País, CEO, Grupo Prisa

•               Guillermo de la Dehesa (1989, 1993), CEO, Banco Pastor

•               Carlos Ferret Salat (1993), banker

•               Manuel Fraga Iribarne (1977), politician, former Secretary General, Alianza Popular

•               Felipe Gonzalez (1989), former Prime Minister of Spain

•               Loyola de Palacio (2005), politician

•               Jesús de Polanco (1989), CEO, media group PRISA

•               Jordi Pujol (1991), politician

•               Rodrigo Rato (1992, 1994), politician and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

•               Matías Rodríguez Inciarte (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001-2008), Deputy CEO, Grupo Santander

•               Miguel Boyer Salvador (1989), former Finance Minister of Spain

•               Miguel Sebastián Gascón (2005), former Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister and Minister of Industry (2008-…)

•               Narcís Serra (1990, 1991, 1992), politician

•               Javier Solana (1985, 1998, 2000), Secretary-General of the Council of the EU, former Secretary-General of NATO

•               Pedro Solbes Mira (1999), Second Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance

•               Federico Trillo-Figueroa Martínez-Conde (1995), politician

•               Juan Antonio Yañez-Barnuevo (1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996), Spanish Permanent Representatives to the United Nations

•               Emilio de Ybarra y Clurruca (1988, 1989), former CEO, BBVA

Portugal

•               Francisco Pinto Balsemão (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995-2007) ,[16] former Prime Minister of Portugal, 1981 – 1983 and CEO of Impresa media group

•               António Guterres (1990, 2005), former Prime Minister of Portugal, currently the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

•               Pedro Santana Lopes (2004), former Prime Minister of Portugal

•               José Sócrates (2004), current Prime Minister of Portugal

•               Jorge Sampaio (1989, 1999), former President of Portugal

•               Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues (2003), former Leader of the Socialist Party

•               António Costa (2008), current Mayor of Lisbon

•               Rui Rio (2008), current Mayor of Porto

•               Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco (2006),[16] Member of Parliament (PSD)

•               Augusto Santos Silva (2006),[16] Minister for Parliamentary Affairs

•               Rui Machete (1989), former Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal

•               Joaquim do Amaral (1999), Member of Parliament

•               Manuel Sarmento Rodrigues (1966)

Greece

•               Kostas Karamanlis (1998), current Prime Minister of Greece

•               Constantine Mitsotakis (1993), former Prime Minister of Greece

•               Georgios Alogoskoufis (2008), current Minister for Economy and Finance (Greece)

•               Dora Bakoyannis (2003), current Minister for Foreign Affairs (Greece), former Mayor of Athens

•               Anna Diamantopoulou (2008), Member of Parliament in Greece and former EU Commissioner

•               George Andreas Papandreou (1998), former Minister for Foreign Affairs (Greece), President of the Socialist International

•               Gerasimos Arsenis (1994), former Minister of Defense of Greece

•               Stefanos Manos (1986, 1993, 2001), Greek politician

•               Andreas Andrianopoulos (1988), former Mayor of Piraeus

Turkey

•               Süleyman Demirel (1975), former Prime Minister of Turkey

•               Bülent Ecevit (1975), former Prime Minister of Turkey

•               Adnan Menderes (1956), former Prime Minister of Turkey

•               Mesut Yilmaz (1990), former Prime Minister of Turkey

•               Selim Sarper (1966), former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

•               İsmail Cem (1989, 1998), former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

•               Hikmet Çetin (1995, 2007), former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP)

•               Emre Gönensay (1992, 1996, 2007), former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

•               Ali Babacan (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Sweden

•               Fredrik Reinfeldt (2006), Prime Minister of Sweden, 2006 – present

•               Carl Bildt[3] (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2006-2008), former Prime Minister of Sweden and current Minister for Foreign Affairs

•               Olof Palme (1962, 1966, 1973, 1975, 1984), former Prime Minister of Sweden

•               Percy Barnevik (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001), Businessman

•               Mona Sahlin (1996), Chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, (Invited by Percy Barnevik)

•               Thorbjörn Fälldin (1978), former Prime Minister of Sweden

•               Tage Erlander (1962, 1966), former Prime Minister of Sweden

•               Leif Pagrotsky (2001), former Swedish Minister for Education, Research and Culture [1];

•               Anders Borg (2007), current Minister for Finance of Sweden

•               Herbert Tingsten (1954, 1955, 1966), former Chief Editor, Dagens Nyheter

•               Martin Waldenström (1955), Industrialist

•               Björn Lundvall (1968, 1975, 1977-1980) (LM Ericsson)

•               Anna Lindh (2003), former Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)

•               Göran Persson (2001), former Prime Minister of Sweden

•               Gunnar Sträng (1973), former Minister for Finance of Sweden

•               Krister Wickman (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977), former Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)

•               Hans Blix (1989), former Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)

•               Maud Olofsson (2008), Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden

Norway

•               Gro Harlem Brundtland (1982, 1983), former Prime Minister of Norway

•               Kåre Willoch (1966, 1968, 1982, 1987), former Prime Minister of Norway

•               Trygve Bratteli (1977), former Prime Minister of Norway

•               Jens Stoltenberg, (2002), current Prime Minister of Norway

•               Siv Jensen (2006), Chairman Fremskrittspartiet

•               Johann Olav Koss (2006)

•               Halvard Lange (1964), former Minister of Foreign Affairs (Norway)

•               Ole Myrvoll (1974), former Minister of Finance (Norway), former Mayor of Bergen

•               Svein Gjedrem (2003), Chairman of Norges Bank 1999 – present

Denmark

•               Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2000), current Prime Minister of Denmark

•               Mogens Lykketoft (1998), former leader of the Social Democrats of Denmark

•               Tøger Seidenfaden (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999), editor-in-chief of Danish newspaper “Politiken”

•               Ritt Bjerregaard (1991, 1995), former Danish Secretary of Education, EU Commissioner and currently Mayor of Copenhagen

•               Anders Eldrup (2001-2007, 2008), CEO, Danish Oil and Gas Corporation (DONG)[citation needed]

•               Flemming Rose (2008), editor, Jyllands-Posten

Finland

•               Jaakko Iloniemi (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990-1997)

•               Ilkka Suominen (1988 )

•               Aatos Erkko (1991)

•               Jarl Köhler (1992-1994)

•               Ulf L. Sundqvist (1992)

•               Johannes Koroma (1993)

•               Jorma Ollila (1994, 1997-2008), former CEO of Nokia

•               Krister Ahlström (1994)

•               Georg Ehrnrooth (1994)

•               Sirkka Hämäläinen (1994)

•               Jaakko Ihamuotila (1994)

•               Max Jakobson (1975, 1994)

•               Gerhard M. H. Wendt (1994)

•               Jukka Harmaja (1995)

•               Björn Mattsson (1995)

•               Pertti Voutilainen (1995)

•               Janne Virkkunen (1998, 2001)

•               Olli-Pekka Heinonen (2001)

•               Christoffer Taxell (2002)

•               Teija H. Tiilikainen (2002-2007)

•               Olli Kivinen (2003)

•               Björn Whalroos (2003)

•               Paula Lehtomäki (2004)

•               Erkki Liikanen (1999, 2005)

•               Matti Vanhala (1999)

•               Pentti Vartia (1999)

•               Mikael Pentikäinen (2005)

•               Eero Heinäluoma (2006)

•               Sixten Korkman (2006)

•               Atte Jääskeläinen (2007)

•               Kalevi Sorsa (1990), former Prime Minister of Finland

•               Esko Aho (1994), former Prime Minister of Finland

•               Paavo Lipponen (1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004), former Prime Minister of Finland

•               Matti Vanhanen, current Prime Minister of Finland

•               Martti Ahtisaari (1994, 1995, 1996), former President of Finland

•               Sauli Niinistö (1997)[3], former Minister of Finance (Finland), Speaker of Parliament

•               Jyrki Katainen (2007), current Minister of Finance (Finland)

Iceland

•               Davíð Oddsson (1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999), former Prime Minister of Iceland, 1991-2004

•               Geir Hallgrímsson (1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984-1988, 1990), former Prime Minister of Iceland

•               Björn Bjarnason (1977, 1978, 1982-1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995), vice editor of Morgunblaðið (1984 – 1991), Icelandic Minister of Education (1995 – 2002), current Minister for Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs (since 2003)

Russia

•               Anatoly Chubais (1998), Russian politician

•               Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky (2004), Russian politician

Slovakia

•               Ivan Mikloš (2005), former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia

Czech Republic

•               Karel Schwarzenberg (2008), Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs

•               Jiří Pehe (2001), Director, New York University in Prague; former advisor to President Václav Havel

•               Michael Žantovský (1999), Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security, Czech Senate, presently Czech Ambassador in Israel

•               Karel Kovanda (1998), Head of Mission of the Czech Republic to NATO and the WEU, presently Deputy Director General responsible for CFSP, Multilateral Relations and North America, East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, EEA, EFTA

Poland

•               Joseph Retinger (1954-1960), founder of Bilderberg Group

•               Hanna Suchocka (1998), first woman Prime Minister of Poland

•               Andrzej Olechowski (1994-1999, 2003), Leader, Civic Platform

•               Aleksander Kwaśniewski (2008), former President of Poland

Hungary

•               János Martonyi (2008), former Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor of International Trade Law, Partner, Baker & McKenzie

•               Gyorgy Suranyi (1996, 1997, 1999), former President, Hungarian National Bank

Israel

•               Natan Sharansky (2005)

Iran

•               Mahmood Sariolghalam (2006)

Iraq

•               Ahmed Chalabi (2006)

New Zealand

•               Thomas Clifton Webb (1955)

EU Commissioners

European Union Commissioners who have attended include:

•               Joaquin Almunia (1998, 2008), European Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs

•               José Manuel Barroso (1994, 2003), current President of the European Commission

•               Ritt Bjerregaard (1991, 1995), Lord Mayor of Copenhagen and former European Commissioner for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection[9]

•               Frederik Bolkestein (1996, 2003),[17] former European Commissioner

•               Emma Bonino (1998 )

•               Leon Brittan (1992, 1998 )

•               Hans van den Broek (1986, 1988, 1991, 1995),[9] former European Commissioner

•               David Byrne (politician) (2005), former European Commissioner

•               Henning Christophersen (1979, 1982, 1983)

•               Étienne Davignon (1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994-2008), Bilderberg conference chairman in 2005

•               Jacques Delors (1992), former President of the European Commission

•               Franz Fischler (2001), former European Commissioner

•               Walter Hallstein (1955, 1958, 1966), former President of the European Commission

•               Neelie Kroes (2005 – 2008), present Commissioner for Competition

•               Pascal Lamy (2003)[17]

•               Erkki Liikanen (1999, 2005)

•               Franco Maria Malfatti (1964, 1966, 1974), former President of the European Commission

•               Peter Mandelson (1999[18])

•               Sicco Mansholt (1963, 1964, 1966), former President of the European Commission

•               Robert Marjolin (1966), former European Commissioner

•               Charlie McCreevy (2008), European Commissioner

•               Karel Van Miert (1993), former European Commissioner

•               Mario Monti (1983-1994, 1996, 1999, 2003[17]) ,former and/or present member of the Bilderberg Steering Committee[9]

•               Francois-Xavier Ortoli (1977), former President of the European Commission

•               Filippo Pandolfi (1989)

•               Lord Patten of Barnes (2007)

•               Andris Piebalgs (2006), European Commissioner for Energy

•               Romano Prodi, Steering Committee Member of Bilderberg in the 1980s

•               Olli Rehn (2007), European Commissioner for Enlargement

•               Jean Rey (1966), former President of the European Commission

•               Jacques Santer (1991), former President of the European Commission

•               Henri Simonet (1971, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982), former Vice Chairman of the European Commission

•               Javier Solana (1985, 1998, 2000), High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU)

•               Pedro Solbes (1999)

•               Günter Verheugen (1995)

•               António Vitorino (1996)

UN, WTO, NATO and other International Organizations

•               Josette Sheeran (2007), Executive Director of United Nations World Food Programme

•               Kurt Waldheim, former United Nations Secretary-General

•               Kemal Derviş (2002), current United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Administrator

•               Ad Melkert (1996), current UNDP Associate Administrator

•               Thorvald Stoltenberg (1973, 1982, 1994, 1995), former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

•               Muhammad Zafrulla Khan (1955, 1966), Pakistani politician, diplomat and international jurist

•               Knut Vollebæk (2008), OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

•               Eric Wyndham White (1964, 1966), former Director-General of the World Trade Organization

•               Arthur Dunkel (1991), former Director-General of the World Trade Organization

•               Mike Moore (2000), former Director-General of the World Trade Organization

•               Renato Ruggiero (1986, 1987, 1990-1996), former Director-General of the World Trade Organization

•               Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (2003, 2008), current Secretary General of NATO

•               George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen (1998), former Secretary General of NATO[9]

•               Willy Claes (1994, 1995, 2003), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Manfred Wörner (1982, 1985, 1990-1993), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Joseph Luns (1964, 1966-1968, 1971, 1973-1975, 1977, 1978-1984), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Manlio Brosio (1965-1967), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Dirk Stikker (1964, 1966), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Paul-Henri Spaak (1963, 1966), former Secretary General of NATO

•               Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay (1955), former Secretary General of NATO

Military

•               Terence Airey (1955, 1966), Military Governor of Trieste

•               Colin Gubbins (1955, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1966), head of the British SOE[19]

•               Hans Speidel (1964, 1966), former World War II and Cold War general

Corporate

Financial institutions

•               Hermann Josef Abs (1958, 1966), former Chairman of Deutsche Bank

•               Josef Ackermann (2005, 2008), CEO of Deutsche Bank

•               Ben S. Bernanke (2008), current Chairman of the Federal Reserve

•               Michel Camdessus, former IMF Managing Director

•               Guido Carli (1958, 1965, 1966, 1975, 1977, 1987), former Governor of the Banca d’Italia

•               Tim Collins (financier) (2003, 2008), founder, Chief Executive Officer of Ripplewood Holdings LLC

•               E. Gerald Corrigan (1994), former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, current Goldman Sachs Managing Director

•               Mario Draghi (1994, 1995, 2004, 2008), current Governor of the Banca d’Italia

•               Wim Duisenberg (1977, 1978-1983, 1986), former President of the European Central Bank

•               Otmar Emminger (1966), former President of the Deutsche Bundesbank

•               Timothy F. Geithner (2004, 2008), current President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

•               Dermot Gleeson (1995, 2008), Chairman of Allied Irish Banks

•               Alan Greenspan (2002), former Chairman of the Federal Reserve

•               Alfred Herrhausen (1978-1985, 1987, 1988), German banker, former Chairman of Deutsche Bank

•               Kenneth Jacobs (2007, 2008), Deputy Chairman, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC

•               Per Jacobsson (1957), former IMF Managing Director

•               James A. Johnson (businessman) (1998, 2008), Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC

•               Mervyn A. King (2003), current Governor of the Bank Of England

•               Hilmar Kopper (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998-2003, 2005), former CEO of Deutsche Bank

•               Alexandre Lamfalussy (1983, 1986, 1988, 1992), former General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements

•               Thomas S. Lamont (1957), former Vice Chairman, Morgan Guaranty Trust

•               Jacques de Larosière (1982), former Governor of the Banque de France

•               William J McDonough (1997)[3], former President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

•               Tom McKillop (2008), Chairman, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

•               Karl Otto Pöhl (1982, 1991), former President of the Deutsche Bundesbank

•               Jürgen Ponto (1975), German banker, former Chairman of Dresdner Bank

•               John Francis Prideaux (1974), former Chairman, National Westminster Bank

•               Louis Rasminsky (1968), former Governor of the Bank of Canada

•               Rodrigo Rato (1992, 1994), former IMF Managing Director

•               Gordon Richardson (1966, 1975),[20] former Governor of the Bank of England

•               David Rockefeller, CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank

•               Emma Rothschild (1995)

•               Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (1983, 1998 )

•               Guy de Rothschild (1974)

•               Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild

•               Lynn Forester de Rothschild (1998 )

•               Rudolf Scholten (1992, 1999-2001, 2003-2008), CEO of Oesterreichische Kontrollbank

•               Pierre-Paul Schweitzer (1964, 1966), former IMF Managing Director

•               George Soros (1990, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002)

•               Dominique Strauss-Kahn (2000), Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and member of the social-democrat Socialist Party of France

•               Jean-Claude Trichet (1995, 1999, 2008), current President of the European Central Bank

•               Anthony Tuke (1974), former President, Barclays Bank

•               Alfons Verplaetse (1990), former Governor of the National Bank of Belgium

•               Paul Volcker (1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1997)[3], former Chairman of the Federal Reserve

•               Marcus Wallenberg (1996, 1997), current Chairman of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, former CEO of Investor AB

•               Jacob Wallenberg (1998, 2008), current Chairman of Investor AB, former Chairman of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken

•               Siegmund Warburg (1966, 1977), founder of S. G. Warburg & Co.

•               Eric Warburg (1957), founder of Warburg Pincus

•               James Wolfensohn (1985, 1987, 1988, 1989-1999, 2004, 2008), former President of the World Bank Group

Major corporations

•               Giovanni Agnelli (1958, 1963, 1964, 1966-1968, 1973-1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987-1998, 2000), former CEO of Fiat

•               Otto Wolff von Amerongen (1955, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1966-1968, 1971, 1973-1975, 1977-1980, 1982-2001), CEO of Otto Wolff Group (today: Part of ThyssenKrupp)

•               Dwayne Andreas (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987-1996), Chairman and CEO of Archer Daniels Midland

•               Percy Barnevik (1992-1996, 1997,[3] 2001), former CEO of ASEA

•               Anders Björgerd (1973, 1982), former deputy CEO of Sydkraft AB

•               Lloyd Blankfein (2007), CEO of Goldman Sachs

•               Ian Bremmer (2007), President of Eurasia Group

•               Lord Browne of Madingley (1995, 1997,[3] 2004), Chief Executive BP

•               Gerhard Cromme (2000), former CEO and Chairman of ThyssenKrupp

•               Paul Desmarais (1982)

•               Paul Desmarais, Jr. (2006, 2008), Chairman and co-CEO of Power Corporation of Canada

•               John Elkann (2008), vice chairman of Fiat and the Agnelli Group investment company IFIL

•               Louis V. Gerstner (1994, 1997), former Chairman of IBM, current Chairman of The Carlyle Group

•               Maurice R. Greenberg (1989-1991), former Chairman and CEO of American International Group

•               H. J. Heinz II (1954)[8], CEO of H. J. Heinz Company

•               Paul Hermelin (2007), CEO of Capgemini

•               Daniel Janssen (1971, 1973-1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1995), former Chairman of the Executive Committee, Solvay (company), former vice president of the board, Union Chimique Belge, member of the European Round Table of Industrialists, member of Trilateral Commission executive committee

•               James Kimsey (2006), co-founder, CEO, and first chairman of America Online (AOL)

•               Andrew Knight (1978, 1980-1985, 1987-1996), Director of News Corporation, 1991-present, CEO of News International, 1900-1994, CEO and Editor-in-Chief The Daily Telegraph Group, Editor of The Economist, 1974-1984

•               Klaus Kleinfeld (2008), CEO of Siemens AG

•               Rahmi Koç (1994), Turkish business tycoon

•               Idar Kreutzer (2007), CEO of Storebrand

•               Craig Mundie (2008), chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft

•               Egil Myklebust (1997, 2006, 2008), Chairman of the Board of SAS Group

•               Stavros Niarchos (1967, 1968), Greek shipping tycoon

•               Harald Norvik (2006), former CEO of Statoil

•               Jorma Ollila (1997,[3] 2005, 2008), Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell and Nokia Corporation

•               Eivind Reiten (2000), former CEO of Norsk Hydro

•               Eric E. Schmidt (2007, 2008), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Google

•               Jürgen E. Schrempp (1994-1996, 1997,[3] 1998, 1999, 2001-2005, 2006, 2007), former CEO of DaimlerChrysler

•               Ekkehard Schulz (2002, 2005, 2006), CEO of ThyssenKrupp

•               Peter Sutherland (1989-1996, 1997,[3] 2005), former Chairman of BP

•               Sidney Taurel (2007), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Eli Lilly

•               Martin Taylor (1993-1996, 1997),[3] former CEO, Barclays

•               Peter A. Thiel (2007, 2008), Co-Founder, PayPal

•               Daniel Vasella (1998, 1999, 2005, 2008), Chairman and CEO of Novartis

•               Jürgen Weber (2004), Chairman of Lufthansa Airline

•               Klaus Zumwinkel (2002-2006), former CEO of Deutsche Post AG

University, institute and other academic

•               Heather Munroe-Blum (1997), Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

•               Marie-Josée Kravis (1998, 1999, 2008), Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

•               C. Fred Bergsten (1971, 1974, 1984, 1997)[3], President, Peterson Institute

•               Walter Isaacson (2004), President, Aspen Institute

•               Bruce MacLaury (1977), former President, Brookings Institution

•               Victor Halberstadt (1975, 1977, 1978-1999, 2008), Professor of Economics, Leiden University, Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings, Netherlands

•               Klaus Schwab (1995-1997), founder of the World Economic Forum

•               Laurence Parisot (2007), Head of French MEDEF

•               Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Professor of English literature, literary critic, and communications theorist

•               Michael Boskin (1991), Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution

•               William Kristol (1995), co-founder of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), member of the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute and the Ethics and Public Policy Center

•               Graham Allison (1970, 1971, 1974, 2007), Harvard political scientist and leading analyst of U.S. national security and defense policy with a special interest in nuclear weapons and terrorism

•               Eberhard Sandschneider (2004), political scientist, Director of the Research Institute of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für auswärtige Politik, expert on China

•               Fouad Ajami (2006, 2008), Director, Middle East Studies Program, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

•               Barnett Rubin (2008), Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for International Cooperation, New York University

•               Chester A. Crocker (2008), James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies

•               Martha Farah (2008), Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience; Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania

•               Roger Martin (2008), Dean, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

•               Jeffrey Sachs (1990), Professor, Harvard University

•               John Polanyi (1991), Professor of Chemistry, University of Toronto

•               Gerald L. Curtis (1990), Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

•               Aurelio Peccei (1963, 1964, 1966-1968), founder of the Club of Rome

•               Lester Thurow (1977), Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School, former Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management

•               Paul Samuelson (1966, 1970), American Economist, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

•               Andrew W. Cordier (1966, 1970), former President of Columbia University

•               Theodore M. Hesburgh (1975), former President, Notre Dame University

Media

•               Michael Barone (pundit) (2007), journalist

•               John G. Bernander (2002), former head of the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK

•               Lord Black of Crossharbour (1981, 1983, 1985-1996, 1997)[3],Telegraph Chairman

•               Oscar Bronner (2005-2007, 2008), Editor of the Austrian newspaper Der Standard

•               William F. Buckley, Jr. (1975, 1996), founder of National Review and former host of Firing Line

•               Hubert Burda (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005-2007), Owner and CEO of Hubert Burda Media

•               Phillip Crawley (2006), Globe and Mail Publisher

•               Mathias Döpfner (2005-2007), CEO of Axel Springer AG, editing amongst others Die Welt and Bild

•               Esther Dyson (2007), commentator on emerging digital technology

•               Paul Finney (1977), former Managing Editor, Business Week

•               Donald E. Graham (1999, 2008), Chairman of the Board of The Washington Post Company

•               Josef Joffe (1993, 2006), Publisher of Die Zeit

•               Rupert Murdoch (1982, 1988 )

•               Christine Ockrent (1984, 2007, 2008), former first anchor of the 8pm news on the Antenne 2 French TV channel

•               Anthony O’Reilly (1983), Irish media tycoon

•               Norman Podhoretz (1996), Editor, Commentary

•               George Stephanopoulos (1996, 1997[3]), ABC News’s Chief Washington Correspondent, host of ABC’s This Week, senior political adviser to the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign of Bill Clinton and former communications director for Clinton.

•               Arthur Hays Sulzberger (1956, 1957, 1966)

•               Arthur Taylor (1977), former President, CBS

•               Ben J. Wattenberg (1982)

•               Mortimer Zuckerman (1994), publisher/owner of the New York Daily News, current Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News & World Report

Journalists

•               Alexandre Adler (2003), French conservative journalist

•               Paul Gigot (1996, 2008), Editor of the Editorial Page of The Wall Street Journal 2003- present

•               Martin Wolf (1999-2001, 2003-2006), Financial Times columnist

•               Juan Luis Cebrián (1983, 1985, 1987-1990, 1993, 2008), Ex-director of El País Spanish daily newspaper and CEO of PRISA Group

•               Will Hutton (1997)[5]

•               Peter Jennings (1995)

•               George Will (1978, 1981)

•               Charlie Rose (2002, 2008 )

•               Fareed Zakaria (2002, 2005)

•               Andrea Mitchell (2002)

•               Lesley Stahl (1989, 1997)

•               Thomas L. Friedman (1995, 2003)

•               Bill D. Moyers (1967, 1968, 1971, 1973)

•               Jim Hoagland (1993, 1998, 1999, 2002)

•               Vendeline A. H. von Bredow (2006-2008), Business Correspondent for The Economist

•               Adrian D. Wooldridge (2004-2008), Foreign Correspondent for The Economist