Sola Scriptura

So by implication Satan is more powerful than the word of God? Yeah right.

 

They are only Anabaptist in the sense that they were again baptizers. They did not hold to baptist distinctives. Montanist were also sacramentalist, false prophets, and charasmatic in the sense of Pentecostal Holiness. These could not be the precursors to modern baptist unless you believe in evolving beliefs. So also with the Dontatist. They were not so much as again baptizers as they were exclusionist. They excluded the majority of the church but still held a sacramental view of worship and practice. They were indistinguishable from the Catholic Church at that time save whom they accepted. These also do not hold to baptist distinctives and cannot be consider to be the father of the modern day baptist.

 

Satan has since the begining attempt to destroy the word of God. Yet to this day we still have the bible and the works of Christians and saints that have gone on before us. Satan has not been able to obliterate Christianity nay nor even the Jews whom have given themselves over to his power. To therefore imagine that He was successfull in obliterating any reference to the Early Church goes beyond what we know to be true of history and the scripture.

 

The reasons for "Nearly all Historians concede the Montanist were Orthodox" is for two primary reasons. They were consistant with the catholic church on specific aspects of their doctrine. And we know what types of things they believed because of Tertullian who was a montanist convert. We have his writtings and he himself was orthodox. However, its also pretty consistant with Charistamtic Holiness (Pentecostal) type beliefs. What is under scrutiny with the prophetesses in that sect is not the false prophesy (we have it recorded) but whether the accusations that they were

 

I simply quoted you Scripture, the very words of Jesus. Do you question them? It was his position that I gave you, which I happen to agree with.

 

In some ways your are right. Early Monk historians provided caracture of people they disagreed with. However, we have close to unaminity with regard to Their Holiness requirement, Style of Prophesy, Charisma, Establishment of their societies. Again we can refer reliably to Tertullian a convert. Those I listed were the specific charges that were in doubt. Just to clarify.
Also note that in our society the liberals try to paint conservative in a certain manner but note they have not nor can obliterate traces of conservatives our our actual thoughts which can be assertained by 1) the liberal persepective of them 2) Our own words by the same media. Ie books, tv, radio, and music. This would be true of early disenters of the Catholic Church.

 

Use of scripture is nice. I'm glad you know scripture. However, its the use and context of scripture that I have a problem with here. This is your statement.

The context of Luke 11:17 is that Jesus was being accused of being the head devil when he healed. It has nothing to do with the early writings of the gnostics. However, supposing your right satan preserved his works are you saying God can't preserve his works? Just because you quoted a text that had to do with the character of Jesus doesn't mean that you've made a point that landmark baptist works were entirely obliterated. That would question the ability of God over satan. The truth is that no matter where or who you are you leave a mark in the world that is discoverable. If its not discoverable it never existed.

 

I happen to know a bit about communist Russia and know they couldn't get rid of all the disenting works from their populace as well. It didn't work for them and it certainly didn't work for Rome. And I suggest they aren't that hotly debated. Maybe only with regard to extent not practice.

 

God does preserve his works, just not in the way that you want him to.
This is true of many different areas. I believe it is true in textual criticism also: that oldest is not always the best MSS, just because it is closest to the "source." It may well be the closest because it wasn't used and left on the shelf so to speak, preserved with all its errors.

Speaking of the "power of God" and what he could have done, Jesus rebuked Peter for drawing his sword and cutting of the servant of the high priest's ear. After restoring it he told Peter to put up his sword and said to him: Don't you know I could have called 12 legions of angels from my Heavenly Father. 12 legions of angels is 72,000; one legion being 6,000. What can just one angel do?

2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
--One angel killed 185,000 men. What would 72,000 angels be capable of doing?

The point is, that God is capable of doing whatever he deems necessary.
But he doesn't have to do things your way or the way you think things should be done. It seems to us that the enemy often wins. David thought the same thing:

Psalms 73:2-4 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

The wicked prosper. The poor man, the righteous man fails. He is persecuted. See the patience of Job. God allows it to be so. Biblical Christianity has always been in the minority.

"Yea all who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
That is a promise.
God allows it to be so, that we might be conformed to the image of his son. While we are being persecuted the enemy writes books often accusing us of false doctrine. I don't believe that this is far off the mark.

 

But what about the gates of hell not prevailing agianst his church? Surely, there would be evidence of it surely, yet there is not.

 

The Bible says: "The Lord knows them that are his."
There will always be those that are true to him on this earth; they will never be in the majority; but always in the minority. Ever since the foundation of Christianity they have been in the minority. There is no such thing as a Christian nation. Biblical Christianity is a minority. When Christians came to America to escape persecution they were only persecuted by others. That is what you will find in a history of the Baptists.