Dave Hunt Dies (April 5)

Just heard that evangelist Dave Hunt has died on April 5. Hat tip to the Christian Post. He leaves behind his wife, Ruth (nee Klassen) and four children.

My condolences to those who are affected by his passing away.

I mention him because Roderick Meredith cited Dave Hunt's book, A Woman Rides the Beast, in his article, Who is the Harlot of Revelation 17? (Both Meredith and Hunt teach that it is the Roman Catholic Church.)

It was when reading that article that LCG first told me about their 'prophetic' view of the Roman Catholic Church, that it is the Harlot of Revelation 17. This idea has been quite common within Protestantism and other related sects, born out of the intense persecution early Protestants endured at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation.

I give Hunt's book credit for exposing the sexual abuse of Catholic priests and the fact that pedophile priests were being protected by those higher up within the institution. This information was only beginning to enter mainstream consciousness when this book was made.

It is amazing for me to think of this, but because Meredith mentioned this book I went and got this book. I read it most eagerly to see what this man cited by Meredith had to say about the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Alas, by this time I had been so utterly indoctrinated by LCG and I was so utterly persuaded that LCG truly was the one place where God was working on Earth today that whenever I saw Dave Hunt say something that contradicted LCG's Armstrongist teachings I just simply ignored it and assumed Meredith, Ames, Ogwyn and Co. at LCG were right. Oh what a strong delusion!

Much later I also read another book of his, Judgement Day! Islam, Israel and the Nations. It interprets the Arab-Israeli conflict through the viewpoint of dispensationalist prophetic viewpoint. Personally I think assuming you will know what will happen in a certain part of the world not much help in trying to solve the problems of that conflict. Contrary to what many dispensationalists today seem to believe I believe that peace between the Jews and Palestinian Arabs is possible. We do not need to wait for Christ's return for peace to be made in the Holy Land.

There is one other thing I will say about his book, A Woman Rides the Beast. In one chapter he discusses the Arab-Israeli conflict and criticizes Pope John Paul II for his relations with Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization saying those relations are antagonistic towards Israel. And while discussing this I can recall that he claimed that the legend of Muhammad ascending to Heaven upon the site of Solomon's temple is a myth recently created by Arabs to claim the Holy Land for themselves instead of the Jews. I do not know why he said such an obviously untrue statement. (Maybe something went unintentionally wrong. I am not suggesting any malicious motive for this.) Whatever one may think about the story it was certainly not created to combat Jewish nationalistic claims to the Holy Land. I read Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and he mentions that story. It is an old story and it certainly was not created as part of the present day conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.

But having said all that I am sad that he has passed on and hope that his wife, family and loved ones are comforted during this sad time.