Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Sarah: Mother of Nations



In Hebrew, the name Sarah means “mother of nations.” Sarah was the wife of Abraham. She was ninety years old when she gave birth to Isaac. Isaac married Rebekah who was barren. Isaac prayed for his wife to conceive and she did (Gen 25:21). Rebekah, as promised, gave birth to twin boys: Jacob and Esau.

The mother of Samson was also a barren woman. She did not pray for a child but was sent a divine messenger to tell her she would have a son – and that his strength would be dependent on his uncut hair. Later, Hannah, unable to become pregnant, prayed for a son and God answered her prayers with Samuel.

Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, was elderly – long past menopause – and did not expect to become pregnant. But she did, and gave birth to John the Baptist. While Elizabeth was still pregnant with John, Mary became pregnant with Jesus – the most famous miracle birth of all time.

What these stories have in common are that they were all women who became pregnant with divine intervention. Sarah and Elizabeth were both very old women. Each of the women gave birth to sons who grew up to serve critical roles for God and His people.

I believe in miracles. I believe each of these biblical tales is true. I believe God can do anything.

In the Followers, there were a few women who believed themselves pregnant and were not. They may or may not have taken home pregnancy tests. I do not know. I never thought that one of these tests would be controversial, but perhaps some in the group think the use of these are against their religion (or maybe ignore the negative results when their intuition tells them otherwise). In each of the cases, the women were later found to have been mistaken.

I remember a few people in the group – older folks who had physical deformities. One elderly woman had a huge tumor that made her look pregnant with twins. She had borne that tumor for decades, since she was a woman of childbearing years. Her husband became frustrated with her for refusing to seek medical intervention and have the tumor removed. He left the group and divorced her. But she remained in the group until her death.

Years later, and in recent FOC history, this very woman’s daughter who was in her seventies, believed herself to be pregnant. The church midwives examined her and agreed that she was expecting. If you look at such pregnancies in the context of biblical miracles, it is not such a stretch to come to the conclusion that this woman was pregnant with a male child who would have a significant role in this group.

Many folks agreed that this woman was pregnant with a son who would grow up to become the next FOC leader and preacher. But, there were skeptics who did not buy the story. The time came when it was clear that she was not, in fact, pregnant. And this fact caused strife within the group. Those who had believed in the miracle child blamed the skeptics for their doubt, claiming that their lack of faith had caused God to withdraw this child.

68 comments:

  1. the sad thing about that story is that today we have proven methods of knowing if there is a baby inside a woman. an ultra sound is one of those ways. wow, that would have been a miracle to have had a baby at seventy. it would not have been a sin to go to a medical facility to confirm if she was pregnant or not.

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    1. It would have been a sin to them! Many of the women with "hysterical pregnancies" believed that if they took a pregnancy test, God would punish them and take the baby.


      Sadly the seventy year old's baby came to be proof for the "rightness of the church" and I think deep down a desperation for salvation. The writing is on the wall. Only god can call a preacher to the church and a new preacher needs to have been baptized by a "right" preacher ie- Walter White. There are getting to be less and less people who have been baptized by Walter or anyone. Time is running out and many are grasping at straws and got drawn in at the least to a mentally ill woman's delusion or at worst the devils grand plan to draw people into a heresy leading to hell fire.

      They forgot God already sent a baby to save us!

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    2. Quick question: does anyone have a legitimate answer in regards to only reading the King James? Other than "that's what Brother Walter read"?

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    3. Can you think of a better version to read? Or are you just causing trouble? If your fishing for more attacks take a walk down MLK and shout n----r! You seem to enjoy being beat up.

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    4. It just seems like the people who are super pro KJV deem any other version heiressy, granted there are some terrible translations out there, but there isn't any definite proof that a person can only read KJV, the only reason I ask is that's the best answer that an ignorant follower could give me.

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    5. Maybe a better version would be something that doesnt sound like Shakespeare! No one talks like that anymore!

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    6. Brian, I was also told that the other translations were heretical / worldly Bibles. The Mormons also read only the KJV and come critics of Mormons claim that Joseph Smith's "prophesies" came out in the language of King James, though that was neither the language of Biblical times nor the language of Smith's time/location.

      I prefer to read the NIV because I can understand it better. I think that's saying a lot coming from an English teacher (that I find the KJV difficult to comprehend at times). I like having my KJV and other translations around to look up the same verse in different translations. The meaning of some key verses does come out differently considering how our language use has changed over the past 500 years.

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    7. I predominantly use NASB, but I alternate from time to time to KJV, there are some minor problems with KJV, a few words that are translated incorrectly in the Greek, and in reference to Christ they never capitalize Him, He, His.

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    8. Not to knock it though, I think it's a great translation for 1611!

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    9. I definitely prefer the KJV text to the modern english texts (such as NIV,NWT,NASB etc.)as they are not actually based upon the sum of ancient writings as claimed. Most people when reading for instance the NIV do not understand they are reading a translation of the Westcott-Hort Greek text, a text based upon some of the known corrupted manuscripts because they (Hort and Westcott) were clergymen who had their own ideas and desired to mold a text that fit their beliefs. Both of these men admitted themselves to be into spritism, speaking with the dead and such. I would be wary of reading any "bible" handed to me from persons that dabbled in such things.

      KJV may be more difficult to understand because of it's sounding "like Shakespeare" but being so poetic aids our memory much better than the more drab modern utterances. I also believe that the KJV is a much more honest translation from the Greek than it's modern counterparts.

      Long live the KJV! :-)

      Darren (now in Spokane)

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    10. Darren, I think so much of your opinion. Thanks for clearing that up.

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    11. Well if a person doesn't come to the knowledge of the truth than it won't matter what version you read! You can read the "approved KJV" all you want but if you don't have eyes to see or ears to hear than its useless!

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    12. Sorry the "authorized KJV"

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  2. i believe in you suzi. i believe your book will be a hit. You have a story that many can relate to and others want to understand. I am proud that you were the one that told your story.

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  3. Hey Brian have you ever taken an I.Q. test? I am curious what the lowest score possible is. You sound dumber every time you comment on here.

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    1. I have the opportunity to get to know a lot of young people around Brian's age. His level of maturity and knowledge of Biblical principles exceeds the vast majority of his peers.

      You, on the other hand, sound meaner and more spiteful with every comment.

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    2. He got out and learned what he knows in his own? Pretty smart guy, IMO

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    3. Any information that we have obtained is given to us by God, He should get the praise, it's nothing that any of us do! We all have different jobs in the body of Christ and should be thankful for each one!

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    1. You are right but why not tell him yourself. This is the wrong place to do this. You should grow a pair your self and tell them man to man. Otherwise mind your own business.

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    3. Man up and say it to his face.

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    4. He knows, he needs to do the right thing. No one should have to tell him to do it. But he hasn't yet, and probably never will.

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    5. I am trying to understand these comments. There must be a story that an outsider cannot follow,

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    6. Sounds to me like a man who condemned others for taking their wives to the hospital when in childbirth their wives were in danger took his wife when she was in childbirth. Apparently he waited too long and his child died but theirs lived. He now is blaming others for his decision to take her in. Am I right?

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    7. I know gossip can be a fairly common thing for some but I think we should be clear, gossip is sin. If you have a problem with someone should go to that person. You have publicly spread rumor about someone's character and private life, this is sin.

      You need to repent of this and ask Suzi to remove your comments.

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    8. When you see bad things happen and people treat each other with contempt over the doctor issue, they should be called out publicly. Children and young mothers have died for no reason over this and to ignore that is a worse sin.

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    9. Garth gossip implies possible mistruth. The statements are facts. And who are you to judge sin?

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    10. Garth, your entries on this blog are informative, and I believe enlightened. But when you defended yourself with scripture, how did that work out for you. As far as the changing of hearts angle? You gave them scripture, they returned spittle to you, and your family. Your path is set, by you and God. Be thankful for the righteous path that you found. But pretending that a pointed conversation with anyone out there will end peacefully is a pipe dream. Whether its scriptural, reasonable, or just not insane, it will be roundly rejected.

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  5. Brian I admire your search for truth. I admire that you write on this blog publicly knowing that there are people out there that are slandering your character. Your dad would be proud of you for seeking the truth and speaking out for what you believe is right. I think it is shameful that there are people attacking you on this blog.

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  6. This is a story of a group of compulsive religious people caught up in the web of crime, corruption and deceit spun by the nefarious devil Satan. There are subplots about older men conspiring with younger women while squandering their inheritance. The writing is elementary, the plotting predictable, the characters one-dimensional. The only thing of interest, quite honestly, is --

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    1. The book ends like this i assume. Bad love affairs end in a bloody battle of words and press, congregation starts to fight amongst themselves, expelling members, then alienating themselves from the rest of the world, the rest of the world doesn’t want to start nothing with them, if they wanna believe what they believe that’s fine with 95% of the world, Satanic JERKS out there that will always Ridicule them of course, and life goes on... such as it is.

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  7. I find it funny that the current members blast the ex ones for picking on them. When most of the mean spirited rude comments come from their own mouths. Seems very hypocritical, kinda like pot meet kettle if ya ask me.

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  8. You are saying they should go to the doctor and use modern tech- Humans have lived thousends of years with out those things and gave birth. Even with those things sometimes mothers and babies die in birth. Some times people just die. Its nobodys fault.

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    1. But that is not what has happened in the FOC. People have died there for no reason when a doctor could have helped. With the modern tech and science people no longer have to die as often as happened before modern health care.

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    2. Every one has to die... It is the common believe to prolong life through modern tech-- etc. I would rather: have freedom of religion, then dictatorship. Well only small minorities chose: not to use doctors, if they want believe that, its fine with me. I wouldn’t want them persecuting me for my religious believes. Many people don’t persecute for the sake of justice; they do it cause they like to do harm to others.

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    3. There is a difference from dying and seeking death or causing the death of someone by refusing to provide medical care. You seem to glorify death. Your freedom of religion does not give you the right to do anything you want and does not give you the right to abuse your children by not feeding them or not providing necessary medical care.

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    4. NO! I'm saying that it is the natural order of things: thats all. For the most part none of us know when it will happen; we just know that it will happen. You can try and out run it with: doctors, medicines, new technology, but it won't stop it from happening because it is the natural order of life.

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    5. When a young child or baby is at risk of dying and they do not have to, it is not outrunning anything to get the child medical care.

      You are minimizing the issue by pretending that it is OK for a child to die needlessly because you are saying death is natural. The issue is not whether or not death is natural, but the issue is whether or not parents should take care of their children when medical care can help.

      If you do not feed your baby, it will die and you say death is natural and therefore this is OK. Ridiculous.

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    6. The avg. life expectancy of Americans has gone up to 70ish. Not because people are living to 70 years old as much as the birth survival rates are so much better. The medical community has made giant strides in curbing infant mortality. Mothers are coming out of complicated pregnancies better, and babies are surviving more often than they used to. That argument does not hold water.

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    7. No… am not saying that it is okay to not feed your kids AT ALL! You are saying that; which is changing the subject, of going to doctors. I am saying: you, nor me, are any one else is god, and i thank god for that. You wouldn’t like it if Indians forced their beliefs on you, are threatened to destroy your life just because you belonged to another “Religion”... So I think if people chose not to trust in man, you should extend them the same courtesy that you would want done to you. I don’t think: they wanted their child to die, and I know for a fact you are not the one who felt sad, about it happening… I know they felt sad when it happened. If they wavered in that belief by going to doctors, then not going, I would question them, but they don’t. They have proven that they are willing, and capable of executing what they say, and they have the prove in the king James bible to justify their belief in what they do.

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    8. Why didn't they go in before it was too late for the baby? You can respect the resolve of a person all you want. If they had respected her father things would have turned out differently. And for the better.

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    9. I'll bet they had to wait until the mother could see she was going to die and leave her kids and demand to be taken in.

      It is a shame to not go in when all natural childbirth paths have been exhausted and the baby is stuck either sideways or breech in the birth canal and the mother starts slowly dying of septic shock from the infection. Not a pleasant way to die from what I have seen. A Cesarian section in no picnic but at least the mother is alive to protect her children. Everyone should be praying for her and the children!

      Some FOC members will say the mother thwarted God's will. He was taking her now to spare her from something she might not be able to face in the future or some sin she was going to commit if she lives.

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    10. Anon 4:20, the KJV backs them up? But again, it won't be quoted or shared with the worly people again! You might as well quit the charade, if you have scripture to back up anything, let it rip, otherwise quit pretending to be able to defend it with scripture. It's getting pathetic.

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    11. You all crack me up. I don’t really matter to me: you believe what you wanna believe, but you don’t have to live like a refuge… :)

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    12. Mine too, but you do if you value your children! So cute though!

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  9. You mortals can be so obtuse. Why do you persist in believing that life and death are such static and rigid concepts?
    Please spare me your egotistical musings on your pivotal role in history. Nothing you do will cause the United States to collapse or the galaxy to explode. To BE BLUNT... you’re not – that -- important!

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    1. The life of any child is important and society should be willing to protect the children from their relatives who refuse to provide necessary medical care.

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    2. To anon 4:28, why are you reading this blog if its so uninteresting to you? It's interesting if your impacted by the decisions made by other people.

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    3. HA HA HA HA HA! What made you think that this was uninteresting to me?
      You know what I love? Progress: and I know progress comes through collaboration, thats why its so thrilling to me, to be in service of god, and indispensable to him. I know god face to face.
      Most of this blog is all inflated egotistical musings on some ones way, and its pivotal role in history… tell me about failures? The ones that went off the rails from the complacency of following the egotistical power trip that some that rose to power have about themselves and their way?
      How many here know how god feels about us making the papers?
      Suzi asked in one of her blogs what hell is like… I can answer that question, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. PROGRESS.

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    4. Oh due tell, please explain

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    5. To Anon Nov 23 10:19pm

      Your statement is inconclusive; you’re not asking what to explain.

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  10. As a past member of the FOC going to doctors was not an option unless you were in a car accident and was taken to the hospital. When I was there, I sat with my favorite Aunt as she died from Diabetes. She was in her early 50's. She would never considered going to the doctor because it would have caused trouble for her family and she would have been shunned. She would also talk about the sweet babies that died and were not taken to the hospital and she would wonder if they could have been saved if they had. There is no choice, only to stay with your family or be shunned by them. When there, one must do what is expected or suffer shunning.

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  11. If you find out that you have diabetes then go drive into a wall. You'll be better off in the long run.

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    1. Hey... Wilford Brimley had diabetes, and he rode a horse!

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  12. The FOC reminds me of tow things. First is a Mormon sect: that broke off from the rest of Mormons shortly after Joseph Smith’s death… because they did not agree with other leaders about stopping inbreeding.
    They went to Colorado and made a Compound like Waco where they remain to this day I believe. They made the cover of national geographic… talking about how the government was giving them trouble for they way they lived. The Seconded thing… a movie… Apocalypse Now… the tale of a model officer that had gone rogue and made a religious faction in the rain forest of Cambodia… having followers that obeyed his orders without question no matter how absurd they were…
    They military sending a Special Forces officer to infiltrate and terminate his command with extreme prejudice. Both these stories have similarities, the one that stands out the most is, people that feel that it is their duty to terminate the group from existence because they believe something that much of the world does not. The facts are: both of these groups, have people that are, free, white, and twenty one. If they wish to leave they may do so, but they do not… nor do their kids wish to leave.
    I believe what they believe is absurd, but since it does not jeopardize my existence… I believe Jesus is about peace and I wish them to live in peace.

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  13. It's precisely the living embodiment of the movie the village,,,,cinematically speaking! Lol

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  14. How many believed that she was pregnant?

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  15. No one can answer that question. But many i talked at that time believed of this older woman's and her husband's dreams and stories. At one time she wore preagnent smocks and clothes, at seventy years of age. She and her husband played the part well. Many people believed because they wanted to believe. In order to show that this church is on the right track. Many flocked to her on thurs. night at church. As time went on there close friends support wavered. I am sure as years have passed it would be hard to find any who would lay claim to this hoax. I suppose even the elderly couple.

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    1. Haha! This is true! The magic number was 11/11! Haha!

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  16. This older woman's claim was bolstered up by dreams from herself, dreams from her husband, also dreams from other men had seen the number 11/11 many years of there life and with tearful eyes explained how this number was related to the due date of this wonder baby. I am sure now as the years have gone by these memories have far faded from the supporters of this grand hoax. The only constant here is that our church is special, set apart from all others. The only constant is we alone are right, no others. We alone can gain salvation, no others. Born into or adopted into is the only way to be brought into our fun house. If I have misspoke please feel free to correct me.

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  17. I believe most members believed she was lying all along. I would love to hear from some of her supporters that were so vocal in their support and belief of a lie.

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  18. Shhhh! We don't talk about that anymore. It's in bad taste.

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  19. What kind of moron confirmed that she was pregnant? Was us the same midwife that tells a mother with a breech baby to just keep on pushing? No need for a doctor here! We got this,,, well, um, the babies gone, now it's off to the hospital we go! We'll just blame the father in law anyway, is it 11 past 11 yet?

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  20. When I first learned of this me and my wife was at a persons house that was ill. Her mother went on to ask us if we heard the wonderful news. We proclaimed no what news? This lady ntnon to tell us of this older woman and the dreams that she had and the miricle baby that was to come. We proclaimed that was awful. The rest of the houseful of people was so joyful at the news of this miracle baby. The weeks to follow the older couples. Lose friends had many couples over to hear the wonderful new first hand from this old couple. The dreams came the couples support swelled. There son in law was to host the birth. You could not go anywhere with out hearing of this miricle baby. It was to show the strength and power of this church. How we were the chosen ones. This will show the neigh sayers. As the time passed, and went passed the fabled 11/11 the couples close friends claimed that they never did believe. These are the very ones that hosted families to ther home to hear the wonderful news. These same friends now say they never did believe. As time has moved way past I would be surprised if you would find any who will say that they believed. No one wants to admit they bought into a hoax. But to all there was a miricle baby born Jesus Christ. There will not be another! There will be no other name by which men will be saved. The trust needs to be in Jesus not in a bunch of people, or a building.

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    1. AMEN! I had someone make the comment to me recently when I had questioned a few things: "Well he doesn't even believe that Walter was called".... Let me just tell you something, I thank God that I don't have to believe in Walter White or anyone else, just Jesus Christ and Him crucified! You see the that is how deceived the average follower is, it was almost as if faith in Walter had something to do with salvation, correct me when I'm mistaken! Happy Thanksgiving everyone :-)

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  21. It all should point to Jesus. NO OTHER!!!! Simply Jesus.

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