A Tribute to the Late Dr. Ernest L. Martin

April 20, 1932 - January 16, 2002

Dr. Ernest L. Martin, Biblical scholar and personal friend, died this morning at his home in Portland, OR. I just got off the telephone with his wife Ramona.  He had suffered a heart attack on January 4th, came home thereafter, and seemed to be doing well.  We all had hopes for his recovery, but this morning he suffered a second massive seizure. He was working at his computer when he died.  His death is a great loss. His bio would fill many pages, but Ernest would not want anyone to praise him for his accomplishments, in life or in death.  He always felt that his research, and anything he could contribute, was all through the gifts and inspiration of God. I don't know of any human being I have ever met who believed more firmly in the absolute Grace and Providence of God.

Ernest was a pioneering researcher in the area of Biblical studies, and often his discoveries and conclusions were starkly different from the mainstream. The three that touched most in my own field of New Testament and Christian Origins were his work on the Star of Bethlehem (now accepted by most planetariums in the world, and also featured as the best solution to the "Christmas story" in Jack Finegan's definitive Handbook of Biblical Chronology), his research on the site of Golgotha being the Mt. of Olives, and his most startling conclusion--that BOTH of the Jewish Temples were located south of the so-called Temple Mount and Western Wall, in the city of David over the Gihon Springs. I suppose if Ernest turns out to be right on that one it will be the most startling revision in the history of biblical archaeology (not to mention the political repercussions).

Ernest and I disagreed on many theological topics. In fact, he often joked with me that he was "Paul" and I was "James," in the current spectrum of things, but that there was room for both of us in the quest for the historical Jesus and the significance of his teachings through the ages.  Ernest was THE fundamental inspiration for the greatest project I have ever undertaken, the Original Bible Project, over which I have labored now for nearly a decade. 

I will sadly and sincerely miss Ernest L. Martin.  I saw him in Denver, CO, in November and we had a long and very warm conversation together at the annual meeting of the AAR/SBL. He was in fine form, quintessential Ernest L. Martin, as I will always remember him.

His website, www.askelm.com, is active and contains information on most of his research, and will soon post updates about his death and events to follow.

My heart and prayers are with his family, especially his dear son Samuel, one of my best friends, who was recently married, and now lives in Jerusalem.

Sadly,

James D. Tabor

Biography of Ken Nagele

Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1949, I was the oldest of the three children of Edward and Helen Nagele. I was raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia and ended up in Southern California after my stint in the U.S. Navy was cut short (thank you God and the WCG).

One of the youngest baptized members of the Worldwide Church of God (they even asked to see my drivers license), I was active in the Pasadena headquarters church area until the late 70's. Ironically, I worked closely with and became friends with Joseph Tkach, long before he became the head of the church.

Next in my life's journey was the Foundation for Biblical Research, where I quickly became friends with Dr. Ernest L. Martin,, former Head of Theology for the WCG. This friendship would last until his death in January, 2002. I was one of the original supporters of the ASSOCIATES for SCRIPTURAL KNOWLEDGE.

In 1997 I published my first book, THE ELEGAN FILES. In 2003, I published my second book, SURVIVNG THE END-TIMES. While both books are now out of print, all of the information in them is available on this website. 

Currently, I have completed my third book, I HAVE GOOD NEWS... and I HAVE BAD BETTER NEWS. This new book brings a biblically based message of hope to a seemingly hopeless world.

Since then I have produced one completed book that is in the hands of all of the top New York City publishers, TRUMP RETURNS... with JFK, Jr. I also have 5 other books that I am working on.

My wife and I reside in Corona, CA, where I own the COPY TECH COMPANY. I have four children and three grandchildren who reside nearby. I was an avid tennis player (but I don't believe in keeping score,) and (in accordance with Matt. 25) am involved in helping to free the wrongfully convicted.

This website was originally conceived for the benefit of the ASK supporters. It's mission has now been redefined to preach the kingdom of God to the world. We welcome all people of all religious persuasions and beliefs to our site.

I do not receive a lot of feedback, so please feel free to email me your comments, suggestions and criticisms.

Thank you for visiting!

elegan3@aol.com

Top Ten Christian Misunderstandings

1. God is a Trinity. Actually, the word "trinity" is not in the bible. Nor is the concept.

2. "When I die I will go to heaven." The Bible just doesn't say that. It does promise a resurrection from the dead, however.

3. Health issues are not a Christian concern - and are not addressed in the Bible. It is a biblical directive to have good health. Everything we need to know about health is addressed in the Bible.

4. Being poor (or just getting by) is a badge of honor. Just the opposite is true. God wants us to prosper in order to do His work.

5. Warfare is justified. Christ brought us a new understanding that supercedes the Old Testament practices.

6. Tithing is a biblical law. It was only practiced during the time of the Levitical Priesthood and is not applicable today.

7. There is only one true Church of God. The word "church" is not in the Bible. The word ekklesia (a group of like-minded people) is. There was never any kind of structured hierarchy in the early Christian ekklesia.  

8. We are in or approaching the end-times. We are not even close to the end-times. Maybe in another 50 years?

9. Charity is widely practiced by Christians as a whole. Unfortunately, very few Christians practice it.

10. There are no "inspired" teachers of God anymore. God provides inspired knowledge as is needed for each generation, including ours. Much of it is available for free over the Internet.

Once again it is Memorial Day, a day to commemorate the great sacrifices made for this great country of America (and by default the other “democratic” nations of the world). During this last year, the “silent majority” has continued to live up to it’s name, both Christian and non-Christian alike. While many Internet writers continue to warn the world of the impending disasters and loss of freedoms that appear to be imminent, the messages seem to fall only on “the choir”, as the “controlled media" continues to censor the real news that they provide for the masses. Many Americans who are not listening to and being sedated by the controlled news are likely tuned in to American Idol, professional sports, reality shows, TV sitcoms and other depraved and/or hedonistic diversions from reality.

The informed viewpoint presents a world situation that would appear to be beyond the point of no return. Many Americans are now coming to the realization that their government has betrayed them (as citizens of many other countries have also experienced with their governments). But even with this new awakening, most people tend to not tread too far outside of their “comfort zone” and are reluctant to openly discuss the real issues. 

Some will talk about the blatantly obvious immigration/amnesty problems or the war in Iraq, but will fail to look at the other issues, like the truth about 9/11, Katrina, rigged elections and depleted uranium, etc. More importantly, the bigger picture of “who is really running the world” (and making all of these devious decisions) is the one thing no one wants to talk about. Only die-hard conspiracy theorists dare to speak about such uncomfortable concepts. What might be referred to as the Big Picture (the overall view of the world situation, from God on down) seems to be the ultimate taboo subject.

Many Americans now hold onto a hope that Congressman Ron Paul (the Ross Perot of the 21^st century), will come riding in on his white horse and somehow save the day. The many wrongs of the present and previous administrations will be righted. America will be returned to its legitimate citizens (as the millions of illegals are somehow deported), the war in Iraq will be ended, and the government will be restored to its intended constitutional republic status.

History, of course, has never proven such an event to happen - in America or the rest of the world. Some feel that there have been some “good administrations” in the past; and all we need to do is just elect the "right people" back into office and all of the current problems will be fixed. 

But a close examination of these perceived “good administrations” reveals that our surrogate, hidden government (the Illuminati), was still actively calling the shots even then — and not for the betterment of mankind. Presidents who have tried to do the right thing in the past, like JFK (and at least two other Presidents that we have now discovered were actually assassinated and did not die of natural causes), paid for it with their lives.

So what is it that we as a people are not understanding? This website and many others have spelled out the problems that the news media, churches and educational institutions have refused to inform people of. With most people having easy access to the Internet and most of this information only a keystroke away, why do we not get the Big Picture? Why is America continuing on in a self-destruct mode? Why are we still holding our breath, waiting for the next inevitable 9/11 and a contrived nuclear war with Iran? Why are we afraid talk about the obvious?

My observation is that we can’t talk about it because we can’t deal with it emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Even with all of the proof laid out in the many books, videos and Internet websites at our convenient disposal, we just can’t seem to come to terms with history, who really rules us, and what our ultimate destination is. So let’s get down to specifics. Just what is the Big Picture?

1. God (our creator and sustainer of life) is in fact still very much in charge — and very knowledgeable about what is going on in national and international affairs.

2. God selects our leaders and puts them in office, as evil as they may be.

3. The leaders He has selected fall into two categories; the ones we see — and the ones we don’t see (aka, the Illuminati). They are the ones who hold the real power, on a human level.

4. The top leadership of the Illuminati is genetically different from the rest of the human race (historically described as being blue-blood or royal-blood). This explains their generational, callous disregard for the plight of mankind and the sustaining evil that they have perpetrated throughout history. They have their own Satanic agenda for mankind.

5. The age old question of who we are, why are we here on this earth and what our ultimate destination is. And, a new question has been presented; "Is the Illuminati actually a refection of ourselves?"

Once we can understand all of these five points, our understanding of life and world affairs becomes a lot clearer — and would be the first step in achieving true world peace. All of these points are covered extensively on the many links provided on this website. Understanding the Big Picture is just a keystroke away. Can you handle it?

Often in social situations and by email inquiry, I am asked what can be done about the seemingly hopeless state of affairs that the United States seems to be in. Displaying the U.S. flag upside down (an official signal of distress - click on the flag) would, in the opinion of many informed Americans, appear to be appropriate at this juncture in history. This display has appeared recently on TV news and in numerous internet articles. And on this Memorial Day, when we reflect upon the sacrifices made by so many thousands of patriotic Americans in the name of freedom, the issue becomes even more pertinent.

What is the distress? We have an out-of-control government that has been complicit in terror against it's own citizens (9/11), another Vietnam-like war (Iraq) that seems to have no end in sight and had no just cause for it's inception, the possibility of another (nuclear?) war starting shortly (in Iran), an invasion of illegal immigrants that collectively seem to have more power and benefits than most American citizens, and an out of control national debt that even our children will never be able to pay off. If all of that that is not bad enough, we also have daily government sponsored chemtrails purposely polluting our skies and poisoning the very air we breath. A perusal of the topics and links listed at the top of this page would add a whole host of other evils to the list.

It is very convenient to simply answer, "All of the country's (and the world's) problems will be resolved upon the Second Coming of Christ" (which they will). But that event, not likely to happen in our lifetime - or our children's, does not give a lot of comfort to the immediate issues and problems that face us today. While we should trust in God for our daily needs, safety and welfare and let His will be done (as bad as everything appears, He is still in control of everything and even uses evil for His purposes), the nagging question still remains, "What can be done?" My answer is four-fold:

1. First, we must educate ourselves on the real problems of today - so that we can give an intelligent answer (both biblical and non-biblical) to those issues when asked. That is what this website is all about - educational answers that will not be found in the traditional avenues of learning.

2. Second, we must be willing to share that education with others - when appropriate and when asked. Having knowledge individually does humanity little good if it isn't shared collectively. This is what the mission of ASK has historically been - to share the (biblical) knowledge that has been given to us. No special mandate or commission from God is required.

3. Third, is it possible that our leaders are really a reflection of ourselves, only on a much grander scale? If we were to affect change in our own personal lives, would this affect our leadership? Such a concept is a distinct possibility. Maybe the buck really stops with us.

4. Fourth, we can collectively affect change through prayer and/or meditation. Scripture has shown us that even God's will can sometimes be changed when asked. Therefore, we can pray for His intervention in world affairs that we may (collectively) lead a more peaceful life. For those who may not believe in the Bible or the power of prayer, it can be proven scientifically that collective, positive thoughts can also significantly alter social behavior for the better. What would happen if everyone knew the truth(s) that we know (and are constantly learning) and then prayed to God for improvement or change - or just collectively meditated on positive thoughts? Would change occur?

The next time you are despondent over world affairs, or are talking to someone else who feels the same, just look into the mirror and ask yourself, "What have I done to make a difference?" Remember, God has historically chosen the lowest of the low for His use (to confound the wise). Most of us here on the ASSOCIATES ONLINE fit that category quite well. We can make use of the gifts and the knowledge that He has provided for us at this point in time.

Dr. Martin frequently said, "You are destined to change the world for good." While most of us always thought that meant in a future time (after the Second Coming), maybe it was also meant for us right now. Maybe we can change the world for good - and turn the American flag right side up!

Take the Reality Check

Are these statements True or False?

1. The countries of the "democratic west" are in fact controlled by a semi-secret ruling class plutocracy.

2. 9/11 had nothing to do with middle east terrorists.

3. All wars are actually set-ups by the ruling class plutocracy.

4. Our economic monetary system is a form of population control by the ruling class plutocracy.

5. Most media sources are surreptitiously controlled by the ruling class plutocracy.

6. Anti-gravity and free-energy technologies have been historically suppressed from the general public.

7. The present allopathic health care system that replaced the previous holistic/homeopathic/naturopathic modality of healing is based on corporate greed, not improved medicine.

8. The Bible is the only inspired word of God.

9. Christianity is actually a philosophy, not a religion of churches.

10. Our final destination has been hidden by the world's religions.

If you answered "true' to all of the above statements, you have an excellent grasp on reality. Congratulations! All of the above statements are well documented on the links provided on the ASSOCIATES ONLINE website.

The “The Secret” That

Most Christians Don't Want

Is "The Secret" (movie) Anti-Christian?

Not in this writers opinion. But one could certainly get that impression by doing a Google search for all of the published “Christian” responses to this very popular movie.

Why the 100% Christian outrage? Is it jealousy that the “Christian” world has, in all of it’s existence, failed to produce a movie that is as effective, motivating and well produced as “The Secret”? Is it a collective insecurity in the Christian belief system? Or is it just a lack of discernment and scriptural knowledge?

Utilizing the Bible as our ultimate source of beliefs, is there anything in the Bible that says that we should not have an abundant life, in every aspect of life? No. Does the Bible provide every last bit of information we need to exist in life and have an abundant life? No. Does God expect us to grow in grace and knowledge in every aspect of life? Yes. Do Christians as a whole do that? No. Yet, Christians don’t hesitate to throw stones at those who do.

If the Bible is to be our instruction book and the ideas put forth in “The Secret” are so un-biblical, let’s take a look at what these same Christians claim to be biblical truth. First, we have the ever popular “Trinity” doctrine. It’s not mentioned in the Bible by name – nor in concept. Yet, most Christian churches buy right into it, thereby obscuring the understanding of their final destination. The same can also be said for the false, non-biblical doctrine of the "Immortality of the Soul" (aka, Heaven and Hell). It just isn't there.

My favorite Christian hypocrisy, however, is that of helping others (a directive from Jesus Himself – Matt 25:31-40). Ignored by 99% of all Christians, this obvious act of love is ironically promoted by Bob Proctor (one of the main speakers in "The Secret"). “By improving yourself, you are now in a position to help others”, he says - and says it quite frequently in his own seminars. What a concept!

I could go on and on, but just check the listing of our Statement of Beliefs. Most “Christians” would probably attack these beliefs just as vehemently as they do the ideals espoused by authors of “The Secret”. And our listed beliefs are right out of the Bible and are well documented!

Do our thoughts and feelings attract the good or bad in life, as promoted in the movie? You bet they do. How do I know that? Just look at the miracles performed daily utilizing EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). The amazing success of this simple technique in curing emotional and physical problems is all the proof that anyone needs to see that there is a relationship between what we think and feel and our own physical and mental well being. “The Secret” is just an extension of that paradigm.

Dr. Ernest L. Martin, of ASK, in his article, The Secret of United States Economic Success, emphasizes the importance of a positive, mental attitude in the minds of people in regards to attracting financial prosperity.

In the final analysis, one has to ask, is the movie, “The Secret”, of God – or the Devil? I see no evidence that anything in it or anyone associated with it is evil (though I may not necessarily agree with every last ideal promoted). A mature Christian should be grounded enough in their biblical knowledge and belief system so that when new information comes along, no matter what the source, no matter whether the proponents of it claim to be “Christian” or not, one simply has to follow the biblical directive – and "sift the chaff from the wheat". And that practice should be no secret!

Is Your Paradigm in Need of Shifting?

Over the last ten years I've probably been exposed to more human relations situations than the previous forty-plus years put together. Always the reader (I used to practically live in libraries) - and now the educator (by providing this website), learning and disseminating information has always been my passion.

It has always been a mystery to me why one person can see a particular point of view, while the next person can't. Or, more interestingly, why someone can see something complex or esoteric, but can't see something relatively simple.

I now understand it. From even before we are born and continuing through our life's journey, we are conditioned into a "paradigm". A paradigm is defined as:

A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

Another way to put it; it's how we view reality - and determine truth from falsehood. How far are we willing to go to make that determination would be considered a "paradigm shift".

Several decades ago, someone came up with a puzzle or test that was called, "Thinking outside the box." The instructions for the test are to simply connect all of the dots using only four lines, which at first glance, would appear to be impossible to do. Employers started using this test to find out who really could "think outside of the box", in an attempt to find employees who could come up with more original and unique ideas for their company. The test is still utilized today for employment applicants. This test could be considered a paradigm shift in one's thinking.

The Bible says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge", Hosea 4:6. And indeed, I have found this to be the case in far too many circumstances. So the question now becomes, in this age of instant information transfers (via the internet), why are we all still ignorant about so many subjects? Could it be our present paradigm doesn't allow us to accept new, truthful information - no matter what the subject?

The governments of the world love our self-imposed paradigms. Without these blinders, most governments would fold from the people being able to see what they are really all about.

But what really fascinates me is in the field of health. People will sacrifice their own health - and even their lives - to maintain their paradigm. I can't tell you how many people I've seen over the years go to their death for easily curable medical problems. In every case, the answer to their problem was readily at hand, usually inexpensive and almost always "natural". But it wasn't "approved" by their doctor or the medical establishment, therefore it fell outside of their personal paradigm. They had to be politically correct, even it meant their own death. Sadly, today, I still see the same paradigms at work within our community.

For those few who are willing to break out of their paradigm - and think outside the box - there is a wealth of information on this website and on many other websites. Why not shift your paradigm today - before it's too late?