Scott Hahn's Journey to Catholicism

Dr. Scott Hahn discusses his journey to become a Catholic convert aftter being a Presbyterian minister. A very excellent video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8RMvmrheE0&feature=relmfu 

Fr. Gabriele Amorth

Fr. Gabriel Amorth, who has been the Chief Exorcist in Rome for over 30 years and who has written books on his experiences said:

Fr. Amorth: You fight against the devil every day. Satan's greatest success is to succeed in making people believe that he doesn't exist. In the 20th century he has almost succeeded.  Even within the Church. We have a clergy and an episcopate who no longer believe in the devil, in exorcisms, in the extraordinary evil that the devil can cause, nor in the power that Jesus has given us to drive out demons.

Satan was the most perfect being created by the hands of God. His God-given authority and superiority over the other angels are recognized by all, so he thought that he had the same authority over everything that God was creating. Satan tried to understand all of creation but could not, because all the plan of creation was oriented toward Christ. Until Christ came into the world, God's plan could not be revealed in its entirety. Hence Satan's rebellion. He wanted to continue to be the absolute first, the center of creation, even if it meant opposing God's design. This is why Satan continually tries to dominate the world ("the whole world is in the power of the evil one", I Jn 5: 19). Beginning with our forefathers, he seeks to enslave men by making them obey himself and disobey God. He was successful with our forefathers, Adam and Eve, and he hoped to continue with all men with the help of "a third of the angels", who, according to the book of Revelation, followed him in rebellion against God.

God never rejects his creatures. Therefore, even though they broke with God, Satan and his angels maintain their power and rank (thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, and so on) even if they use them for evil purposes. Saint Augustine does not exaggerate when he claims that, if God gave Satan a free hand, "no man would be left alive." Since Satan cannot kill us, he tries to "make us into his followers in opposition to God, just as he is in opposition to God".

Scripture tells us that angels and demons (I want particularly to mention Satan) are spiritual creatures but also that they are individuals gifted with intelligence, will, freedom, and initiative. Those modern theologians who identify Satan with the abstract idea of evil are completely mistaken. Theirs is true heresy; that is, it is openly in contrast with the Bible, the Fathers, and the Magisterium of the Church. The truth about Satan was never doubted in the past; therefore, there are no dogmatic definitions in this respect with the exception of the following statement of the Fourth Lateran Council: "The devil [that is, Satan] and the other demons were created good by God; but they became evil through their own fault." Whoever denies Satan also denies sin and no longer understands the actions of Christ.

Let us be clear about this: Jesus defeated Satan through his sacrifice. However, Jesus also defeated Satan before his death, through his teachings: "If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Lk 11:20). Jesus is the strongest one, who tied up Satan (Mk 3:27), despoiled him, and pillaged his kingdom, which is at an end (Mk 3:26). Jesus first gave the power to cast out demons to his apostles; then he extended the power to the seventy-two disciples, and in the end he granted it to all those who would believe in him.

The Acts of the Apostles tell us that after the descent of the Holy Spirit the apostles continued to expel demons, and all Christians have done so after them. Already, the earliest Fathers of the Church, such as Justin and Irenaeus, clearly express Christian thought about the devil and about the power to cast him out. Other Fathers, in particular Tertullian and Origen, concur. These four authors alone can refute many modern theologians, who, for all purposes, either do not believe in the devil or completely ignore him.  

GOD and Israel are ONE

Over 2000 years ago Almighty GOD said boldly...

  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coast-lands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'

On Friday 14 May 1948 the Lord God of Heaven and Earth did just that as Israel declared it's Statehood. 


Yest on that same day the devil in the form of five Arab nations, Egypt, Syria, Trans-Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq launched an attack against the newly re-born and tiny nation.


 They were out to destroy the new state, and reclaim the land for the setting up of another Arab state. The Arab states far outnumbered and out-gunned the Jews. They had troops, artillery and other military hardware that the Jews did not have. Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League at the time, confidently declared; "This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades."



Given the clear superiority of the Arab states in heavy arms, fire power and troops, an Arab victory was expected and boldly predicted. Very few felt that Israel would survive the onslaught.

What was not widely reported by the Mainstream media of the day were the many Heavenly Miracles which took place saving Israel and her faithful people.

The many reports of supernatural and angelic interventions on Israel's behalf came from both the Israelis and the Arabs.  As foretold by the prophet Zechariah..."God will defend Israel and send His angels to fight for and with His people."

 "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the House of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them."   Zechariah 12:8

A story is told of a small Jewish community, Pekiin under siege by Arabs who were determined to wipe them out. However, they encountered huge strange beings with flaming swords, and they ran away in great fear, as the astonished village rabbi watched them.

During the 1967 six day war, Gershon Saloman lay badly wounded and saw Syrian soldiers moving into their area shooting wounded Israeli soldiers. They were about to shoot him, when all of a sudden they fled the area leaving their weapons behind. The Syrian soldiers later reported to UN officers that they saw "thousands of angels" surrounding the wounded soldier and that was why they ran away.

An Israeli military historian recorded that during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, an Israeli soldier in the Sinai took captive an Egyptian column and led them to where the Israeli troops were. The Egyptian commander was asked why he and his men gave themselves up to the lone Israeli soldier. He responded with surprise; "One soldier? There were thousands of them." He said that as they neared the Israeli lines, the "soldiers" began disappearing. The Israeli soldier reported that he was by himself when the Egyptian commander and his men surrendered to him. He was totally unaware of the "thousands of soldiers" the Egyptian soldiers saw with him, since he himself did not see them.

 "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, For He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."Psalm 91:10-11

The documentary shows an eye witness account; Commander David Yinni, during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, preparing to retreat from the Syrian army, when he realized that he and his men were trapped in the middle of a minefield. He ordered his men to clear the mines using their bayonets, crawl on the ground and dig 30 inches deep, carefully disengaging the mines. The slightest mistake and they were in peril of being blown up. One of his men prayed. Suddenly, a windstorm came upon them. It was so strong that it lifted up their tanks and rocked them. By the time the storm moved on, it had literally blown 30 inches of topsoil off. The Israeli soldiers could see every single mine and quickly made their escape.

God's protection over Israel is also for nations and people who believe in Him and worship Him as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Glory to Almighty GOD our Father who art in Heaven who sent HIS Only begotten Son JESUS CHRIST to save the world.

Glory to God Now and Forever!