Category: Theology

When Was Jesus Born?

Barry Bowen

 

By Barry Bowen and Pete Evans

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” – Proverbs 25:2

Prophecies in the Bible have provided important clues for understanding the purposes of God. However, some of these clues are easily overlooked.

Trinity Foundation’s late founder Ole Anthony was fascinated by the question, “When (what time of year) was Jesus born?”

After studying the Bible and major events in Jesus’ life occurring on Jewish feast days, as well as the writings of biblical scholars and first century AD Jewish historian Josephus, Ole concluded that Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Ole believed that God created the biblical holidays as a liturgical calendar to reveal God’s redemption plan for humanity.

The Bible provides a clue in the Book of Luke regarding when Jesus was born. An angel appeared to Mary, informing her that she was pregnant with Jesus and that her relative Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Therefore, Jesus would have been born about six months after his cousin John the Baptist.

The time of John’s conception can be estimated because his birth was prophesied during the time his father Zechariah the priest was serving in the Temple.

“Assuming John was conceived within the week after Zechariah returned from his temple service, that would yield a date for the conception of Jesus six months later in mid-December (on or close to Hannukah), with his birth in the fall, around mid-September (Rosh Hashanah).” – Community on Columbia Bible study

Christian researchers have also searched for the Star of Bethlehem believing it could provide a clue for the birth of Jesus.

The Book of Matthew in the Bible tells of a group of astronomers searching for the baby Jesus after seeing a star that announced Jesus’ birth.

Scholars and researchers have reached conflicting conclusions about the Star of Bethlehem with some believing it was a star that went supernova in the constellation Coma representing a woman with a baby in her lap, others that it a was a shooting star (comet), and still others believing the Magi observed an alignment of planets.

While the accounts of Jesus birth in Matthew and Luke focus on creating a historical record, the Book of John provides a theological foundation for understanding this key event:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

 

Church TV Fundraiser: Jesse Duplantis Announces $21 Million Falcon 7X Jet, Followed by Widow of Pastor Killed in Plane Explosion

Barry Bowen

(Photo: Televangelist Jesse Duplantis and wife Cathy Duplantis exiting his Falcon 900 jet.)

During the Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ 2023 VictoryThon fundraiser, Jesse Duplantis announced his ministry purchased a $21 million Falcon 7X jet. Jesse Duplantis Ministries already owns a Falcon 900 jet.

On the September 20th broadcast Duplantis also told TV viewers that he had previously given away two jets.

According to AviationDB, Jesse Duplantis Ministries has previously owned a Cessna 500, a 1124 Westwind, and a Falcon 50.

The Cessna 500 was transferred to Keith Moore’s Faith Life Church in 2004 but has since been retired from service. The 1124 Westwind was transferred to Mike Mille’s White Dove Fellowship in 2006 and sold again in 2022. The Falcon 50 was transferred to Mac Hammond’s Living Word Christian Center in 2020.

During the same broadcast, Pastor Jerry Savelle joined Duplantis and George Pearsons, senior pastor at Kenneth Copeland Ministries, on stage to  announce his ministry was giving a seed offering of $100,000 while trusting for a Falcon 900 jet:

Savelle said, “I was sowing for the future … but the Lord recently told me. He said, ‘There’s something bigger, better, faster and more range in your future. Well, I know when He talks about future, you sow a seed because seed is about future. So tonight, I brought another seed because I’m believing for a Falcon 900 now… [Savelle hands a check to Pearsons] This is a hundred thousand dollars out of my aviation account.’”

Jerry Savelle Ministries already owns two jets: a Falcon 50 (tail number N920JS) and a Cessna 560 (tail number N229JS).

Forty minutes later the telethon featured healing evangelist Nancy Dufresne telling viewers a series of stories about people allegedly healed while watching her broadcasts.

Almost 10 years ago Edward Dufresne, the husband of Nancy Dufresne, and pastor of World Harvest Church, was killed when his privately-owned Cessna 500 (tail number N610ED) exploded over Kansas. Dufresne’s pilot also died in the incident.

Prosperity Gospel on Display

Word of faith theology, better known as the prosperity gospel, is the ideological foundation for the teaching and preaching featured on Kenneth Copeland’s TV network.

During the telethon, the hosts encouraged their audience to repeat a positive confession. According to Got Questions, “Positive confession is the practice of saying aloud what you want to happen with the expectation that God will make it a reality.”

George Pearsons tells the audience, “Everyone in here say this after me.” Then Pearsons begins the positive confession with Duplantis and the audience repeating each phrase. “In the name of Jesus, I have sown my seed and I believe the 100-fold return is working for me all the time.”

The prosperity gospel has generated incredible wealth for Kenneth Copeland. His daughter Kellie Copeland refers to her dad as she tells the audience, “It doesn’t even make sense that you could be debt-free, give all your money away and have more money and be known as the richest preacher in the world.”

While Kenneth Copeland does appear on some lists as the world’s wealthiest preacher, those lists are incomplete. Brazilian televangelist Edir Macedo is probably the richest preacher in the world. Macedo is head of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and controls the second largest TV network in Brazil.

Postscript

This article would never have been written if it weren’t for a tip. Researcher Susan Puzio contacted Trinity Foundation after watching Duplantis reported obtaining a new jet.

If you have inside information on fraud or financial abuses in a church or ministry, please submit a tip. Trinity Foundation has a long history of protecting confidential informants.

 

Bible Verses Prosperity Gospel Preachers Ignore

Barry Bowen

The prosperity gospel has created a distorted view of what the Bible teaches about money, resulting in many church goers being misled to believe that God wants His people to be financially wealthy.

Instead, the Bible presents a balanced view: Times of abundance and times of scarcity both come from God. This principle is shown in Genesis 41, as God gives Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, a prophetic dream, revealing the land would have seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine.

This balance is clearly taught in Ecclesiastes 7:14 which says, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”

God desires our faithfulness rather than financial success. These difficult times test our faith so that it may grow.

The Bible also teaches that sometimes people will “sow, but not reap.” In Micah chapter 6, God is upset with criminals committing fraud and condemns the merchants using dishonest scales. When dishonesty is used for financial gain, God will refuse to bless the evildoer.

Micah 6:15 says, “You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.”

When people pray with selfish motives, God will reject their prayers as James 4:3 shows, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Another relatively unknown Bible verse that challenges the prosperity gospel is found in Proverbs 22:16.  “One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.”

Numerous churchgoers and viewers of religious television have sacrificially given to preachers misusing donations for personal gain. If Christians would stop financially supporting rich televangelists and pastors living extravagantly, there would be less poverty and Christianity would have more credibility in a broken world.

NOTE: These verses come from multiple translations (ESV and NIV)

After Preaching for Christians to Expect Divine Healing, Kenneth Copeland Admits Pacemaker

Barry Bowen


(Photo: Kenneth Copeland preaching on August 1, 2022)

During this year’s Southwest Believers Convention in Fort Worth, televangelist Kenneth Copeland announced that his wife Gloria would not be in attendance because of her health. Kenneth explained that early in their marriage, over 50 years ago, Gloria received a traumatic brain injury during a car accident.

Kenneth also revealed he uses a pacemaker because of an irregular  heartbeat.

These confessions are at odds with the Copelands’ theology.

For decades, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have preached that it is God’s will to heal all Christians, but sin and unbelief prevent many healings.

These statements are easy to find in sermon videos on YouTube and in ministry articles. The documentary Suffer the Children critically examines the health and wealth gospel of the Copelands.

Continue reading “After Preaching for Christians to Expect Divine Healing, Kenneth Copeland Admits Pacemaker”